The Chicago Cubs (16-9) travel to face off against the Boston Red Sox (14-12) on Friday, April 26th. This game will be played at Fenway Park in Boston and televised on NESN. The Cubs are coming off a win in their previous game, while the Red Sox are looking to get back on track from a loss to the Guardians. First pitch is set for 7:10 ET.
Cubs vs Red Sox
Pete Crow-Armstrong and the Cubs are coming off a big 3-1 win over the Astros to close out their series. Crow-Armstrong went only 1/4, but his one hit was a home run, and the Cubs scored three runs in thejson 6th inning. Chicago was the +125 underdog at home going into the game.
Javier Assad got the start for the Cubs, going 5 2/3 innings, and picked up the win. He only gave up one run on four hits and issued just one walk. Chicago’s bullpen was also excellent, as Héctor Neris closed things out in the 9th, and the Cubs’s other relievers didn’t give up a run.
Chicago is on the road today vs. the Red Sox, and they have won three straight games, spanning across their series vs. the Marlins and into the first game of their series vs. the Astros. Currently, the Cubs are 16-9 overall, putting them 2nd in the NL Central, 0.5 games behind the Brewers.
At home, the Cubs have been really good, going 10-3 this year. On the road, they are an even 6-6, including 1-0 as the road favorite. So far, they have been good as the favorite overall, going 6-2, and they are 10-7 as the underdog. The Cubs’ overall series record is 5-2-1 this year.
When the Cubs are on the road, they have been a good bet to cover the run line, going 9-3 so far this season. They have won five straight against the run line on the road and have an average run margin of +1.0 overall, with a +2.5 margin at home. They are 5-3 against the run line when favored and 13-4 when the underdog.
Chicago’s over/under record for the season is 11-14, and the average line for their games is 8 runs. However, when the line is set at 8 runs, the under has hit in all five games. The Cubs have played 13 games with higher lines than 8 runs, and the under has hit in nine of those games. The over/under line for today’s game against the Red Sox is set at 8 runs.
Shota Imanaga Gets The Start For The Cubs
Shota Imanaga and the Cubs are on the road to take on the Red Sox. Imanaga has been solid in all of his starts so far this season, going 6 innings in each of his first two outings and picking up wins in both. He has 13 strikeouts in 17 1/3 innings and has yet to give up a home run.
Cubs Offense Breakdown
The Cubs come into the game as one of the league’s top offenses, averaging 5.3 runs per game. They have been even better at home, averaging 5.8 runs per contest. Overall, they are 5th in home runs and have the 4th best isolated power mark in the league. As a team, the Cubs are batting .245, which is 11th in the league.
Cody Bellinger has been on a tear of late, going 7/18 with three homers in his last five games. For the season, he is batting just .226, but his 17 RBIs are the best mark on the team. Michael Busch is 2nd on the team with 16 RBIs and has six homers, which is 5th best in the league.
Boston closed out their series vs. the Guardians with a 6-4 loss on the road. The Red Sox were the +112 underdog going into this matchup. Things started off well for the Red Sox, as they got on the board with two runs in the 3rd inning but gave up the lead right away as the Guardians scored five times in the bottom of the second.
Chase Anderson got the start for the Red Sox and took the loss. He only lasted 1 2/3 innings, giving up five earned runs. Rafael Devers was hot at the plate, going 3/5 with a run scored and a stolen base. The Red Sox also had three players with two hits.
Boston is 14-12 overall heading into today’s game vs. the Cubs, and they are looking for their first win vs. an AL East opponent, as they are 0-3 in the division. The Red Sox are three games behind the Orioles for the AL East lead. The Red Sox dropped the first game of their series vs. the Guardians but won the final two games. So far this year, they are 4-3-1 in series.
At home, the Red Sox have struggled, going just 3-7 this year. On the road, they have been much better, putting together an 11-5 record. As for their play as the favorite, the Red Sox are 7-4 and 7-8 as the underdog.
The Red Sox are a team that has been a good bet to cover the run line this season, going 15-11 overall, with a 12-4 mark on the road. They have been a good bet as the underdog, going 11-4 against the run line in those games. However, they have struggled to cover the run line at home, going just 3-7. They have been a good bet to cover the run line in their last two home games, but overall, they are just 4-7 against the run line as the favorite.
The Boston Red Sox have had a combined run average of 8.1 this season, and their over/under record is 11-13. The average over/under line for their games this season has been 8 runs. When the line has been set at 8 runs, their over/under record is 1-2-2. So far this season, 53.8% of their games have had over/under lines set higher than 8 runs.
Kutter Crawford Gets The Start For The Red Sox
After picking up a win in his last start, Kutter Crawford will be on the mound for the Red Sox as they take on the Cubs. Crawford has been solid in his first two outings, as he has yet to allow more than one earned run in a start and has picked up six strikeouts in each of his first two outings.
Red Sox Offense Breakdown
Heading into today’s game, the Red Sox are averaging 4.5 runs per game, which is 13th in the league. They have been a better offensive team on the road, averaging 5.1 runs per game, compared to just 3.5 runs per game at home. As a team, they are batting just .237 and are the league’s worst team in terms of strikeouts per game.
Connor Wong has been hot of late for the Red Sox, going 7/21 in his last six games with two homers. For the season, he is batting .364 with five homers. Triston Casas and Tyler O’Neill are also near the top of the league in home runs, with six and seven, respectively. O’Neill comes into the game on a four-game hitting streak.
Cubs vs Red Sox Prediction
There are a couple of ways you could play this game, but we like the Red Sox to pick up the win at home. If you’re looking to bet the money line, you can get the Red Sox at -110, and that’s our recommended pick.
Looking at the starting pitcher’s projections, we have Shota Imanaga going six innings and finishing with six strikeouts. As for Kutter Crawford, we have him going just five innings and finishing with four K’s.
All odds are courtesy of Action247 Sportsbook. Good luck!!
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Last updated:April 26, 2024 Cubs, Red Sox