This Wednesday the (71-75) Boston Red Sox and the (58-89) Cincinnati Reds will play the final game of this short two-game series. The first pitch will be thrown out at 6:40 PM EST inside the Great American Ball Park. The last time these two teams matched up, they spit a two-game series.
The Boston Red Sox are coming into this one after winning their previous series against the Kansas City Royals. They took two of three games and looked solid on the mound. They held the Royals to just four combined runs in their two wins.
The Cincinnati Reds are entering this one after losing their previous series to the St. Louis Cardinals. The Reds couldn't get their bats going in their three losses, as they were shut out in game four. They will need their bats to heat up in this one if they want to challenge the Red Sox at home.
This game was written/published before last night's results.
The Boston Red Sox are currently in last place in the AL East, as they trail the first-place New York Yankees by 17.0 games. Boston is (4-6) in their last 10, as they need to heat up if they want to keep this season alive. They are also only 10.0 games back from the Seattle Mariners for the third and final AL Wild Card spot. They can still string together some wins and try to sneak into the postseason.
At the plate, the Red Sox are scoring 4.62 runs per game and they are hitting .259 as a team. This is the eighth most runs scored per game and the fourth-highest overall team batting average. Boston can string together hits and they have been clutch when they have men in scoring position. The Red Sox have also realized that they don't have a ton of power littered inside of their lineup. They are only hitting .94 bombs per game, which is the 21st highest average in the MLB. Watch for Rafael Devers at the plate, as he leads the team with 26 home runs this season. I would also expect the Red Sox to stay conservative once they have reached base safely. They have only taken 51 bases this regular season, which is the 25th most in the MLB. They have allowed their bats to move base runners into scoring position.
According to MLB.com, the Red Sox are still undecided on who will start in this game. This will most likely be a group effort, as they will turn to their bullpen early in this one. I would recommend checking ESPN or Covers.com before the game starts. The Red Sox currently have the 25th highest overall bullpen ERA, as they are surrendering 4.48 runs per game. As a team, Boston is allowing 4.86 runs per game, which is the 24th most in the MLB.