The Boston Red Sox (14-11) travel to face off against the Cleveland Guardians (17-7) on Thursday, April 25th. This game will be played at Progressive Field in Cleveland and televised on NESN. The Red Sox are coming off a win in their previous game, while the Guardians are looking to get back on track from a loss to the Red Sox. First pitch is set for 1:10 ET.

Red Sox vs Guardians

Boston cruised to an easy 8-0 win over the Guardians in the most recent game of this series. The Red Sox had a huge 2nd inning, scoring seven of their eight runs. As for the Guardians, they had their best chance to score in the 5th, but left the bases loaded.

Cooper Criswell only went five innings for the Red Sox but didn’t give up a run and picked up the win. He finished the game with just three strikeouts and allowed two walks. On the other side, Carlos Carrasco had a rough outing for the Guardians, giving up five earned runs in five innings of work.

Rafael Devers and Wilyer Abreu each had two RBIs for the Red Sox’ offense. Devers, Connor Wong, and Ceddanne Rafaela each had two hits and scored two runs for Boston.

Boston is 14-11 overall this season, and they are looking up at the Yankees and Orioles in the AL East. The Red Sox are three games behind the Yankees for the division lead and are in 3rd place. So far, they have yet to win a game against a division opponent, going 0-3. The Red Sox have won three of their four games vs. the Guardians this year.

At home, the Red Sox have gone just 3-7 compared to 11-4 on the road. Boston won the final two games of their series vs. the Pirates and then split the first two games of their series vs. the Guardians. As the underdog, the Red Sox are 7-7 this year and have won three straight series on the road.

The Red Sox have been a strong run line team on the road this season, going 12-3 against the run line away from Fenway Park. Overall, they are 15-10 against the run line, with an average run margin of +0.9 runs per game. When they win, they tend to do so by a larger margin, with an average run differential of +4.2 runs per game in victories.

When the Red Sox play, the over/under line is usually set at 8 runs, but today’s line is 7.5 runs. The over/under record for the Red Sox this season is 10-13, and the combined run average in their games is 8.0 runs. In their last game, the Red Sox and Guardians combined for exactly 8 runs, which was a push for bettors who took the over/under line. The Red Sox have played in 19 games this season, and 76% of those games have had over/under lines set higher than 7.5 runs.

Chase Anderson Gets The Start For The Red Sox

Chase Anderson is getting the start for the Red Sox today and has made six appearances out of the bullpen this season. He has a record of 0-0 and an ERA of 2.77. Opponents are batting .200 off Anderson this season, and his WHIP is .85. The right-hander most recently pitched on April 21st vs. the Pirates, where he went two innings out of the bullpen, giving up two hits and two walks. Anderson didn’t give up a run in that outing. He has finished with a no-decision in all of his appearances this year.

Red Sox Offense Breakdown

So far, the Red Sox offense has been a good power hitting team, as they are 2nd in home runs and have a collective isolated power figure of .172, which is 3rd in the league. As a team, they are averaging 4.5 runs per game, which is 13th in the league. However, they have been even better on the road, averaging 5.1 runs per contest.

Connor Wong and Wilyer Abreu have been swinging the bat well for the Red Sox, with Wong going 7/16 in his last four games with two homers and Abreu hitting .571 over his last five games with two homers. Abreu also has the team’s longest active hitting streak at six games. Tyler O’Neill is also on a four-game hitting streak and is 4th in the league with seven homers.

Cleveland is 17-7 overall this season, and they lead the AL Central by 2.5 games over the Royals. The Guardians have gone 4-1 against other teams in the AL Central. Their most recent game was a loss to the Red Sox, and this came after winning four straight games.

At home, the Guardians are 7-4 compared to 10-3 on the road. They have also been good in day games, going 8-3. So far, they have been really good as the underdog, putting up a 7-2 record, and they are 10-5 when favored.

When the Cleveland Guardians win, they tend to win big, with an average run margin of 4.0 runs per game. But when they lose, they tend to lose big, with an average run margin of -3.0 runs per game. As a result, they have a run line record of 16-8, with a 9-4 record on the road and an 8-7 record as the favorite. However, they have been a great bet as the underdog, going 8-1 against the run line.

The Cleveland Guardians have been involved in high-scoring games this season, with their combined run average sitting at 8.7 runs per game. Their over/under record is 14-8, and when the line has been set at 7.5 runs, they have gone over in all five games. Overall, 66.7% of their games have had over/under lines set at 7.5 runs or higher. Today’s over/under line is set at 7.5 runs.

Triston McKenzie Gets The Start For The Guardians

Triston McKenzie is making his fourth start of the season and will be facing the Red Sox at home. McKenzie has a 2-1 record through his first three starts, with his last outing being a win over the A’s. In that game, he went 5 innings and gave up 1 earned run on 3 hits. McKenzie has 12 strikeouts in 14 innings of work.

Guardians Offense Breakdown

So far this season, the Guardians are averaging 5.3 runs per game, which is 6th in the league. They have been even better on the road, averaging 5.7 runs per contest. As a team, they are batting .252, which is 7th in the league, and are also among the league leaders in home runs. As a team, they are 9th in slugging percentage and OPS.

Josh Naylor has been swinging a hot bat of late, going 7/27 in his last seven games with two homers and eight RBIs. For the season, he is batting .306 with a team-high six home runs. José Ramírez has four homers this season but is batting just .240 and has gone 5/23 in his last six games.

Red Sox vs Guardians Prediction

With the Guardians at -160 on the money line, this is the direction we recommend going for today’s Red Sox vs. Guardians matchup. Our predicted final score is 5-4 in favor of the Guardians, with McKenzie finishing with seven strikeouts.

Offensively, we have the Guardians finishing with nine hits compared to the Red Sox with eight, and if you’re looking for a parlay, you could look to pair the Guardians with the under, as the line is sitting at 7.5 runs and we have the teams combining for nine.

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.