The Baltimore Orioles and Boston Red Sox face off on Sunday in an MLB showdown at Fenway Park. The two teams have split the first two games of this series and combined for 36 runs total.
The Orioles looked like they were going to be moving to 2-0, before they gave up two runs in the 9th inning, and ended up losing 9-8 on Saturday. The Orioles offense has been strong, but the pitching has left something to be desired. On Saturday Cedric Mullins had a strong game finishing with two hits, one run and three RBIs. Getting the start for the Orioles will be Cole Irvin and this will be his first start with the team after spending the last two games with the Oakland A’s. Last season, Irvin finished with a 9-13 record and an ERA of 3.98.
On the other side of this matchup is the Red Sox who almost fell to 0-2 before some clutch hitting pulled them out. On Saturday the Red Sox were led by Adam Duvall who finished with four hits, three runs, and five RBIs. In this game the pitching is going to need to step ip in a big way. Getting the start for the Red Sox will be Tanner Houck and last season he finished with a 5-4 record and an ERA of 3.15.
The Red Sox are 6-1 in their last seven games on grass. The under is 5-0 in Houck’s last five starts. The under is 4-0 in Houck’s last four starts at home. The Red Sox are 2-10 in their last 12 games vs. a starter with a WHIP less than 1.15. The Red Sox are 6-1 in their last seven home games against a right handed starter.
The first two games of this series have been higher scoring, but this game is going to be different. Houck was good last season, and the trends for him pointed towards the under. Cole Irvin is also a good pitcher and finished last season with an ERA of 3.98. Look for both pitchers to be strong here, and that will be the difference as this game is going to stay under the total.