The Arizona Diamondbacks (29-21) will be trying to pick up their fifth consecutive series win when they face the Boston Red Sox (26-24) in the second game of their three-game interleague series on Saturday night.
Garrett Whitlock, 1-2, 6.19 ERA, will get the start for the Red Sox. The Diamondbacks have not announced their starter for the game.
Boston is 7-3 in its last 10 games against Arizona.
**This preview was written before Friday’s game was played**
Red Sox Trying To End Slump
The Red Sox haven’t played well on their current road trip, losing four of their first six games. They will try to turn things around with a win over the Diamondbacks, which will give them their third win in their last seven games.
Boston is averaging 5.24 runs per game. Their .262 batting average is sixth in the league. Their .332 on base percentage is also sixth, while their .433 slugging percentage is seventh.
Masataka Yoshida leads Boston with a .299 batting average, while Rafael Devers leads the team with 13 home runs and 44 RBI.
Boson’s pitching hasn’t been good, with the team giving up 5.10 runs per game. Opponents have a .255 batting average against the Red Sox, which is 24th in the league. Their 4.82 ERA is 25th, while their 1.34 WHIP is 21st.
In his last start, Whitlock gave up eight hits and five runs in four innings, leading to a 5-4 loss to Milwaukee. They will need a better performance from him if they want to win this game.
Diamondbacks going For Fifth Win In Six Games
The Diamondbacks played well over the past week and they’ve won four of their last five games. They are now 1.5 games behind Los Angeles in the NL West standings and will try to close the gap with a win over the Red Sox, which will give them their fifth win in their last six games.
Arizona is averaging 5.14 runs per game. Their .264 batting average is fifth in the league. Their .329 on base percentage is eighth, while their .436 slugging percentage is sixth.
Lourdes Gurriel Jr. leads the Diamondbacks with a .317 batting average, while Christian Walker leads the team with 11 home runs and 34 RBI.
Arizona’s pitching hasn’t been good, with the team giving up 4.84 runs per game. Opponents have a .245 batting average against the Diamondbacks, which is 16th in the league. Their 4.49 ERA is 22nd, while their 1.33 WHIP is 19th.
They will need a solid performance from their pitching staff if they want to get the win.
Best Bets for this Game
Full-Game Side Bet
Insiders Status:
The Diamondbacks have won four of their last five games and three of their last four home games. They are playing very well offensively, scoring 16 runs in their last three home games. Expect them to continue playing well offensively in this game because they’ve had a lot of success against right-handers this season and Whitlock hasn’t looked good on the mound, giving up 11 runs in three starts. He gave up 10 runs in two road starts and will have a hard time slowing down the Diamondbacks in this game. The Red Sox have lost six of their last 10 games and four of their last five road games. They have struggled offensively in recent games, scoring only four runs in their last four road games. Things won’t get easier for them in this game because Arizona’s pitching staff has done a good job in recent games, giving up less than four runs in four of their last five games. They gave up eight runs in their last three home games and will keep Boston’s cold bats in check. Go with Arizona to cover the money line.
Full-Game Total Pick
Insiders Status:
The Red Sox are averaging 5.24 runs per game and 4.42 runs per game on the road. They averaged 4.33 runs per game in their last three games against the Diamondbacks. With Arizona giving up 4.33 runs per game at home, the Red Sox will be held under their average in this game. The Diamondbacks are averaging 5.14 runs per game and 5.13 runs per game at home. They averaged 6.67 runs per game in their last three games against the Red Sox. With Boston giving up 4.67 runs per game on the road, the Diamondbacks won’t score enough runs to push the score over the total.