The Boston Red Sox (48-43, 48-43 RL, 48-41-2 O/U) battle the Chicago Cubs (42-47, 46-43 RL, 44-43-2 O/U) in an interleague showdown on Saturday afternoon. The Red Sox will send James Paxton to the mound. The Cubs will reply with Marcus Stroman. The Cubs earned two wins in three meetings against the Red Sox last season.
James Paxton will get the nod on Saturday. Paxton came through with another solid outing last time out, limiting the Athletics to only two runs in six innings and earned another win. The veteran did not pitch last season due to injury and has been incredible, sporting a 2.73 ERA and a 0.98 WHIP accompanied by a 5-1 record in 56 innings pitched on the season. Paxton has only conceded eight home runs. This is his first career meeting against the Cubs.
The Red Sox are last in the challenging AL East but have a chance. They are only two games out of a wildcard spot. The squad entered the break on a five-game winning streak propelled by the bats. They won three consecutive series including two wins in three meetings against the Rangers and swept the A’s. Boston is 8-2 in their last ten decisions.
Duvall ?? The Monster pic.twitter.com/7cgRYfoJZo
— Red Sox (@RedSox) July 9, 2023
Rafael Devers continues to dazzle, accumulating nine RBIs and a 1.024 OPS on the month. The veteran slugger is having another outstanding season, delivering 20 homers with 70 RBIs and an .818 OPS. Devers went 4 for 15 with zero RBIs against the Cubs last season. Trevor Story could return later this month.
Boston is scoring an average of 4.96 runs, good for seventh. The pitching staff has displayed improvement and has a 4.33 team ERA, positioning them 17th.