Tuesday, March 21, 2017

George M. Steinbrenner Field

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Probable Pitchers: Chris Sale vs. Bryan Mitchell

The Boston Red Sox visit George M. Steinbrenner Field on Tuesday, March 21, 2017 to play the New York Yankees in a Spring Training matchup. The probable starters are Chris Sale for the Red Sox and Bryan Mitchell for the Yankees.

The opening line for this matchup has Boston at +105 and New York at -125. The Red Sox had a 77-78-7 over/under record and a 83-79-0 run line mark last season, meaning they covered 51% of the time. The Yankees were 81-81-0 against the run line and had a 72-80-10 over/under record. They covered the spread 50% of the time.

The Red Sox are coming off a 93-69 record in 2016, including 46-35 on the road. Starting pitcher Chris Sale had a 17-10 record with an earned run average of 3.34 and a WHIP of 1.04. He had 233 strikeouts over his 226.2 innings pitched and he gave up 190 hits last season. He allowed 7.5 hits per 9 innings and he had a FIP of 3.46. The bullpen last year had an earned run average of 3.56 and they gave up 411 base hits on the year. Teams hit .231 against the bullpen while being struck out 507 times and walking 193 times last season. As a team, Boston allowed 8.38 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.51 batters per nine innings. They were 9th in the league in team earned run average at 4.00. The Red Sox pitchers collectively gave up 1,341 base hits and 640 earned runs. They allowed 176 home runs last season and they allowed 1.1 homers per nine innings as a staff. Boston as a pitching staff walked 490 batters and struck out 1,362. They walked 3.1 men per 9 innings while striking out 8.5 per 9. They had a team WHIP of 1.27 and their FIP as a unit was 4.00.

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As a team Boston batted .282, good for 1st in the league while putting together a .264 average away from home. The Red Sox held a .461 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .348 which was good for 1st in baseball. They ranked 1st in baseball with 9.86 hits per game. Xander Bogaerts is coming off a 2016 season in which he hit .294 with an on-base percentage of .356. He had 192 hits last season along with 115 runs scored and 89 runs batted in. He struck out 123 times and walked 58 times. Mookie Betts hit .318 last year and he had an on-base percentage of .363. He totaled 214 hits while scoring 122 runs and he drove in 113. He walked 49 times and struck out on 80 occasions. The Red Sox had 1,598 hits, including 343 doubles and 208 home runs. They stole 83 bases and were thrown out stealing 24 times. Boston walked 558 times last season and they struck out 1,160 times as a unit. They left 1,162 men on base and had a team OPS of .810. They scored 5.42 runs per contest and scored a total of 878 runs last year.

New York had a 48-33 home record and a 84-78 overall mark in 2016. With an earned run average of 3.24, Bryan Mitchell had a 1-2 record and a 1.52 WHIP last season. He had 11 strikeouts over the 25 innings he pitched during which he gave up 26 hits. He allowed 9.4 hits per nine innings and his FIP stood at 4.23. Last season the bullpen had an earned run average of 3.67 and they gave up 426 base hits on the year. Teams hit .221 against the Yankees bullpen while being struck out 578 times and walking 184 times last season. As a team, New York allowed 8.56 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.78 batters per nine innings. They were 15th in the league in team earned run average at 4.16. The Yankees pitchers as a team surrendered 1,358 base knocks and 660 earned runs last season. They gave up 214 home runs last year and they gave up 1.3 home runs per nine innings as a staff. New York as a staff walked 444 hitters and struck out 1,393. They gave up a walk 2.8 times per 9 innings while they struck out 8.8 per 9. Their team WHIP was 1.26 while their FIP as a staff was 4.20.

As a team, they batted .252, good for 20th in the league while putting together a .253 average at home. The Yankees held a .405 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .314 which was good for 25th in baseball. They ranked 21st in baseball with 8.5 hits per contest. Brett Gardner comes into this matchup after batting .261 with an OBP of .351. He had 143 hits last year along with 80 runs scored and 41 RBI. He struck out 106 times and walked on 70 occasions. Didi Gregorius hit .276 in 2016 and he had an OBP of .304. He collected 155 hits while scoring 68 runs and driving in 70. He earned a walk 19 times and punched out 82 times. The Yankees as a unit had 1,377 base hits, including 245 doubles and 183 homers. They had 72 stolen bases and were thrown out 22 times. New York as a team walked 475 times last year and they struck out 1,188 times. They had 1,098 men left on base and had an OPS of .720. They scored 4.2 runs per game and totaled 680 runs last season.

Boston Red Sox Betting Trends

The Boston Red Sox were 77-78-7 against the over/under last season

The Boston Red Sox were 83-79-0 against the run line last season

New York Yankees Betting Trends

The New York Yankees were 72-80-10 against the over/under last season

The New York Yankees were 81-81-0 against the run line last season

Injuries to Watch

Boston Red Sox

No key injuries to report

New York Yankees

No key injuries to report

Guy's Pick: Take the Red Sox +105

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