The Boston Red Sox will face off against the Cleveland Guardians for the fourth time in four days on Thursday.
Lefty pitcher Brennan Bernardino will get his first start of the year for Boston, and just the seventh start of his MLB career. Cleveland will turn to 37-year-old right-handed pitcher Carlos Carrasco, who is in his second stint stint with the Guardians.
Few expected such a strong start to the season for the Red Sox but Alex Cora has done well to find a balance between his established veterans and younger prospects. Boston got off to a 7-3 start this year, which included a five-game winning streak, but has dropped six of its last nine games. In an extremely competitive American League East, the Red Sox are tied for third alongside the Tampa Bay Rays and Toronto Blue Jays with a 10-9 record.
Led by a potent offense, the Guardians have been exceptional this season. Cleveland has a +36 run differential and has racked up 97 total runs in 18 games with only the Baltimore Orioles recording more runs in the American League. They sit first in the AL Central with a 12-6 record and are 6-4 in their last ten games.
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Breakdown: Cleveland Guardians Look to Continue Red-hot Start Against Boston Red Sox At Fenway Park
| Cleveland Guardians | Boston Red Sox |
| Record: 12-6 | Record: 10-9 |
| O/U Record: 10-7-1 | O/U Record: 8-10-1 |
| Spread Record: 12-6 | Spread Record: 10-9 |
| Injuries: Eli Morgan, Angel Martinez, Gavin Williams, Shane Bieber, Trevor Stephan, Sam Hentges, James Karinchak | Injuries: Tyler O’Neill, Garrett Whitlock, Rob Refsnyder, Romy Gonzalez, Vaughn Grissom, Isaiah Campbell, Nick Pivetta, Lucas Giolito, Trevor Story, Liam Hendriks, Bryan Mata, Chris Murphy |
| Key Players to Watch: Josh Naylor (.328 average, 4 home runs, 12 RBIs), Jose Ramirez (14 runs, 3 home runs, 15 RBIs) | Key Players to Watch: Tristan Casas (17 hits, 5 home runs, 9 RBIs), Rafael Devers (9 hits, 2 home runs, 5 RBIs) |
Cleveland Guardians Versus Boston Red Sox Preview
Date: April 18
Time: 1:35 PM EST
Location: Fenway Park, Boston
The Red Sox will host the Guardians in a day game at Fenway Park in the final encounter of a four-game series. Cleveland leads the series 2-1 after securing 6-0 and 10-7 wins in the opening two games. An impressive shutout performance from Tanner Houck guided the Red Sox to a 2-0 victory yesterday and they will be hoping to tie the series up on Thursday.
Despite combining for seven games this season, neither pitcher has a win to their name. Guardians Carlos Carrasco is 0-1 after three starts but has an impressive 3.55 ERA over 12.2 innings. The veteran has 11 strikeouts and is holding opposing hitters to a .267 batting average. Red Sox pitcher Brennan Bernardino has not started a game this year and is yet to pitch more than two innings in a game. He is slated for only the seventh start of his career. Over 5.1 inning this season, he has racked up eight strikeouts and is holding opposing hitters to a meagre .111 batting average. He has a .75 WHIP and has allowed just 2 hits this year.
One concern for the Red Sox will be their poor home record. Fenway Park is usually a tough place to play but the Sox are just 3-6 at home this season. The Guardians have been one of the best teams in the MLB away from home with an overall 9-3 record in 2024.
Our Picks: Veteran Carlos Carrasco To Lead Guardians To Victory At Fenway Park
Spread: Red Sox (-115)
O/U: 9 runs
Pick 1: Cleveland Guardians Money Line (-105)
Considering the Red Sox poor 3-6 record at home and the fact that they will be without one of their top hitters in Tyler O’Neil, it will be difficult to see them pull this one out. The Indians boast one of the best offenses in the MLB and with Brennan Bernardino on the mound, who is yet to start a game this year, it could be a long night for Red Sox fans.
Pick 2: Over 9 runs
Although the last game between these two teams was a low scoring pitching duel, the Guardians scored 16 runs in their two prior games. Jose Ramirez and Josh Naylor have put up big numbers and if Rafael Devers can find some of last seasons form, we could see a high scoring battle at Fenway Park.
