Despite owning a record above .500 entering the week. The Boston Red Sox find themselves in last place in the American League East and looking to propel up the standing when they host the Miami Marlins in Boston on Thursday.
Miami Marlins vs. Boston Red Sox (-115, 9)
Thursday’s starting pitcher for the Red Sox, Brayan Bello, has led the team to victory in eight of his last 11 starts and has had remarkable consistency in this stretch with three earned runs or fewer in every start.
Across his last 10 starts, Bello has a 2.45 ERA with 0.8 home runs and 2.8 walks per nine innings and is backed by the lineup with the biggest home and road splits in the league.
The Red Sox lead the league in home batting average, entering Wednesday with a .290 home batting average compared to an average of .228 on the road with just under 5.8 runs per game generated at home versus 4.1 runs per game on the road.
Marlins starting pitcher Jesus Luzardo will look to neutralize the bats, but has struggled on the road this season with a 2.65 ERA with less than 0.7 home runs per nine innings allowed at home versus a 5.45 ERA and more than 1.7 home runs per nine innings allowed away from home.
Behind Luzardo is an offense that despite having Luis Arraez chasing a .400 batting average season is scoring 4.1 runs per game this season, the second-fewest in the National League due in large part to ranking 25th in the league in home runs hit on a per at-bat basis.
With the Red Sox entering Wednesday with the league’s 12th ranked bullpen ERA and Miami ranked 16th in this category, the Red Sox will get a big win on Thursday to keep themselves relevant in the American League playoff picture.
The Play: Red Sox -115
