The Chicago Cubs (17-10) travel to face off against the Boston Red Sox (15-13) on Sunday, April 28th. This game will be played at Fenway Park in Boston and televised on ESPN. The Red Sox are coming off a win in their previous game, while the Cubs are looking to get back on track from a loss to the Red Sox. First pitch is set for 7:10 ET.
Cubs vs Red Sox
Boston cruised to a 17-0 win over the Cubs in the most recent game of this series. The Red Sox had a huge 5th inning, scoring six of their seventeen runs. As for the Cubs, they only had five hits and didn’t score a run until the 7th inning.
Josh Winckowski only went three innings for the Red Sox but didn’t give up a run and picked up a win in the game. Ben Brown had a rough outing for the Cubs, taking the loss after going just 3 2/3 innings.
Ceddanne Rafaela had a monster game at the plate for Boston, going 4/4 with a home run and seven RBIs. Both Tyler O’Neill and Masataka Yoshida each drove in three runs for the Red Sox’ offense.
Chicago’s overall record is 17-10 heading into today’s road matchup vs. the Red Sox. The Cubs are 2nd in the NL Central, 0.5 games behind the Brewers for the division lead. So far, they have yet to play a game against another NL Central team.
The Cubs dropped their most recent game vs. the Red Sox but had won four straight spanning between their series vs. the Astros and the first game of this series. At home, the Cubs have been great, going 10-3 this year. On the road, they are an even 7-7.
Chicago has been a solid bet on the run line this season, going 19-8 overall. They have been particularly profitable when they are the underdog, going 13-4 against the run line. They have also been a good bet on the run line on the road, going 10-4. The Cubs have been outscored by an average of 1.3 runs per game on the road this season, but they have been able to keep games close and cover the run line.
Chicago’s over/under record for the season is 13-14, and the average over/under line for their games is 8 runs. When the line is set at 8.5 runs, the Cubs have a 4-3 record. The combined run average in their games this season is 9.8 runs per game, and their over streak is at 2 games. In their last game, they combined with the Red Sox for 17 runs, going over the 9-run line.
Hayden Wesneski Gets The Start For The Cubs
Hayden Wesneski will be making his first start of the season for the Cubs, as he has been used out of the bullpen in his first two appearances. He picked up the win in both outings, going 2 1/3 innings in his first appearance and 4 innings in his second. In those two outings, he has struck out 3 and has only given up 1 hit.
Cubs Offense Breakdown
So far this season, the Cubs are one of the league’s top-scoring offenses, averaging 5.2 runs per game. At home, they have been even better, averaging 5.8 runs per game. As a team, they are batting .247, which is 10th in the league, and are also 6th in home runs. Nico Hoerner and Michael Busch have been two of the team’s top hitters, with Busch leading the team with six homers and 17 RBIs, and Busch is hitting .287.
Over his last five games, Mike Tauchman has gone 5/14 with two homers and four RBIs. Cody Bellinger and Michael Busch are tied for the team lead in RBIs, with 17, but Bellinger is batting just .226 this season. Bellinger does have an eight-game hitting streak coming into the game.
Boston is 15-13 overall and trails the Orioles by three games for the AL East lead. So far, they have yet to win a game against an AL East opponent, going 0-3. The Red Sox took the first game of this series vs. the Cubs after dropping the final game of their series vs. the Guardians.
At home, the Red Sox are just 4-8 this year, but they have been good on the road at 11-5. As the favorite, Boston is 7-4 this year and 8-9 as the underdog. So far, their overall series record is 4-3-1.
The Red Sox have been a solid run line bet overall this season, going 16-12, but they’ve been much better on the road, where they are 12-4. The average run margin in their wins is 5.1, while they are outscored by an average of 3.4 runs in their losses. As the underdog, they are 12-5 vs. the run line, while they are just 4-7 when favored.
The Red Sox have had 26 games this season, and their combined run average is 8.4 runs per game. They have played 13 games that have gone over the total and 13 games that have gone under the total. When the over/under line has been set at 8.5 runs, their record is 7-2. The over has hit in their last three games, and their over/under record for the season is 13-13.
Tanner Houck Gets The Start For The Red Sox
Tanner Houck is getting the start today for the Red Sox, as they take on the Cubs. Houck has been solid in his first two outings, going 1-1 on the year. He picked up a win in his first start, throwing a complete game shutout. In his most recent outing, he went 6 innings and took the loss, giving up 2 earned runs.
Red Sox Offense Breakdown
Heading into today’s game, Tyler O’Neill is on a six-game hitting streak for the Red Sox, and he has been hot at the plate of late, going 7/18 in his last four games with two homers. For the season, O’Neill is batting .333 with a team-high nine homers. Ceddanne Rafaela is also coming off a strong stretch, going 8/32 with two homers in his last eight games. However, he is batting just .191 for the season.
As a team, the Red Sox are averaging 4.8 runs per game, which is 9th in the league. They have been one of the better home run hitting teams in the league and are also near the top of the league in isolated power. Overall, they are batting .246, which is 11th in the league.
Cubs vs Red Sox Prediction
Our prediction for today’s Cubs vs. Red Sox matchup is to take the Cubs on the money line, with the payout being +106. We have the Cubs winning this one by a score of 5-4, giving us some wiggle room with the over/under line, which is currently sitting at 8.5 runs.
Looking at the starting pitchers, Tanner Houck is projected to finish with six strikeouts. However, we have him finishing with a loss, as the Cubs lineup is projected to have a better day at the plate than the Red Sox.
All odds are courtesy of Action247 Sportsbook. Good luck!!
* All odds are provided by Action247 Sportsbook and all odds subject to change.**All views expressed are my own. My picks are my own and are not a guarantee, bet at your own risk.Action247 does not warrant the accuracy of completeness of the information, text, graphics, links or other items contained within these post.
Last updated:April 28, 2024 Cubs, Red Sox