The Cincinnati Reds take on the Boston Red Sox in the final game of a three-game series on Thursday, June 1. First pitch is scheduled for 7:10 p.m. ET at Fenway Park. Hunter Greene (1-4, 4.18 ERA) will take the mound for the Reds, while Chris Sale (5-2, 4.72 ERA) looks to stay hot for Boston.
The Sox are -165 moneyline favorites at DraftKings Sportsbook, with Cincy coming in at +140. The total is set at 9.
Reds-Red Sox picks: Thursday, June 1
Injury report
Reds
Day to day: OF TJ Friedl (hamstring)
Out: OF Wil Myers (shoulder), OF Henry Ramos (hip), RP Derek Law (elbow), SP Nick Lodolo (tibia), RP Casey Legumina (ankle)
Red Sox
Out: INF Yu Chang (wrist), INF Christian Arroyo (hamstring), RP Richard Bleier (shoulder), RP John Schreiber (shoulder)
Starting pitchers
Hunter Greene vs. Chris Sale
Greene had an excellent outing against the Cubs in his latest start, pitching six innings without even so much as a hit. However, his starts before that were not as promising — he allowed four runs to the Yankees in seven innings, and conceded six runs to the Rockies in just four frames. The righty possesses a huge, triple-digit fastball, but his command comes and goes.
Sale has done well on the mound in May, starting to look like his old Cy Young self. Over his last three starts, the lefty has racked up 20 innings pitched and allowed just four runs. He has walked just three batters — one per game — and struck out 20.
Over/Under pick
The totals of the first two games of this series were 17 and 9, but the Reds have been major contributors to both. With Sale on the mound here, I think he’ll be able to limit their lineup. Greene also had a solid last outing, though it was against a slumping Cubs team. Still, I’ll take a low-scoring matchup here.
Pick: Under 9
Moneyline pick
The Reds have taken the first two games in this series, but the Sox have their best shot yet with Sale on the mound. With the month that he’s been having, he may be able to finally stop this Reds offense, which has quickly proved to be a problem for opposing pitchers. I think the Sox avoid a sweep at home.
Pick: Red Sox