Red Sox (30-30) at Guardians (27-32) Game Preview | Tuesday 6/6 7:10 PM. EST.

Gm 1 of 3 Game Series Against the Red Sox

3 Things Preview Boston Red Sox at Cleveland Guardians:

1 – In Bieber We Trust 

Shane Bieber is on the bump tonight for the Guards and hopefully, Bieber will bounce back after his last performance in Baltimore.  In 2023, Bieber’s strikeouts are down and there’s some concern that he is showing signs of wearing down.  If Cleveland is considering trading Bieber, his market might be shrinking along with his strikeouts with worries about his velocity. 

2 – Amed Rosario Watch

Outside of the Bieber trade banter, the other Guardian player that is discussed daily on what to do with is Amed Rosario.  A growing group is ready to move on from Rosario as fans and journalists want to see more Tyler Freeman at shortstop.  Manager Terry Francona gave Rosario a day off on Sunday to rest his sore knee, it will be interesting to see if Rosario is back in the lineup tonight. 

3 – Boston Blues

The Red Sox come into Cleveland struggling, losing three in a row and right at .500, with a 30-30 record.  Lefty James Paxton is on the bump for Boston tonight

Guardians Notes

Rarely does a team experience a sense of victory after splitting a series. However, the Guardians can bask in the feeling of triumph following their 2-1 win over the Twins on Sunday, which resulted in a four-game split of the weekend series. The reason for their optimism stems from the outstanding performance delivered by Tristan Mackenzie that afternoon. Making his first start after sitting out the entire season due to a shoulder injury, Mackenzie impressively went five innings, conceding only one hit while striking out 10 batters in the Guardians’ 2-1 victory. He threw 79 pitches in his season debut.

Manager Terry Francona remarked, “That went beyond being encouraging.” His defending AL Central champion Guardians (27-32) have been struggling with a losing record since April 29, trailing the Twins (31-29) by 3 1/2 games.

After enjoying a day off on Monday, the Guardians will entrust their ace, Shane Bieber, with the responsibility of pitching in game one of the upcoming series. Bieber currently holds a 4-3 record with a 3.72 ERA in 12 starts. With nine quality starts already, Bieber boasts a K/9 rate of 6.4 and a WHIP of 1.29. When playing at home this season, Bieber has achieved a 3-1 record with a 2.49 ERA in four starts, three of which were quality starts. He has allowed 21 hits in 25.1 innings pitched at home. However, Bieber is coming off one of his worst performances of the season, surrendering eight hits and seven runs in a mere four innings against the Orioles.

Guards Stats and Insights

GUARDIANS PROBABLE PITCHER – Shane Bieber

• Bieber and the Guardians are 5-7-0 ATS this season when he starts.
• The right-hander gave up seven earned runs and allowed eight hits in four innings pitched against the Baltimore Orioles on Wednesday.
• Bieber has started 12 games this season, and he’s lasted five or more innings 10 times. He averages 6.3 innings per appearance.
• When Bieber starts a game and his team is the favorite on the money line, they have a record of 5-5.
• Bieber’s team has won five of his 12 starts this season.
• Out of Bieber’s 12 starts with a total this season, four have hit the over.

GUARDIANS HITTING TRENDS

• The Guardians have a 6-2 record this season in games when they smash two or more home runs.
• Cleveland has gone 4-4 in its eight games this season with at least five extra-base hits.
• The team has racked up eight or more hits in 31 games this season and is 15-16 in those contests.
• Cleveland is 11-5 in games this season when it put up five or more runs.
• The Guardians are 9-8 over the 17 games this season when they have drawn five or more walks.

Red Sox Notes

After completing a challenging seven-game homestand on Monday night, the Boston Red Sox are now heading to Cleveland. The homestand began with the Red Sox losing two out of three games against the Reds. Following that, they faced off against the top-ranked team in baseball, the Tampa Bay Rays. In Saturday’s doubleheader, the Red Sox managed to split the games but unfortunately lost on Sunday, resulting in a 2-4 record for the homestand. On Monday afternoon, the Red Sox suffered a 4-1 defeat against the Rays, concluding the series with three losses out of four and bringing their total losses against the Rays this season to seven out of eight. However, amidst these struggles, Justin Turner provided a glimmer of hope for Boston by hitting his 7th home run of the season.

Looking ahead to Tuesday night, the Red Sox will rely on the experience of veteran left-hander James Paxton. Paxton’s return to the major leagues has been marked by triumph, despite being sidelined for most of the past three seasons due to injuries. So far, he has a record of 1-1 in four starts, accompanied by an ERA of 4.26. Paxton has shown good velocity and boasts a K/9 rate of 12.8. He has conceded 17 hits in 19 innings, resulting in a WHIP of 1.26. In his most recent outing, Paxton pitched five innings, allowing four hits and one run while striking out eight batters.

Red Sox Stats and Insights

RED SOX PROBABLE PITCHER – James Paxton

• The Red Sox will send Paxton (1-1) to the mound to make his fifth start of the season. He is 1-1 with a 4.26 ERA and 27 strikeouts over 19 2/3 innings pitched.
• His most recent time out was on Wednesday against the Cincinnati Reds, when the left-hander went five innings, surrendering one earned run while allowing four hits.
• Paxton is trying to secure his fourth start of five or more innings this year in this outing.
• The Red Sox were the underdog on the money line for one Paxton start this season — they won.
• Paxton’s team has put together a 1-3 record in his four starts.
• Paxton’s starts went over the run total two times in four games with a set total this season.

RED SOX HITTING TRENDS

• They’ve hit two or more homers in 21 games this season and are 13-8 in those matchups.
• Boston has won 11 of its 19 games with five or more extra-base hits this season.
• They have won 23 of the 42 games in which they’ve collected eight or more hits this season.
• Boston has a 26-8 record this season when scoring five or more runs in a game.
• They have a 10-9 record this season when drawing five or more walks in a game.

Final Thoughts/Pick

In the race for the AL Central Division crown in 2023, the Twins and Guardians find themselves once again competing, but the odds heavily favor the Twins at this stage. Prior to Saturday night’s game, the Twins boast an impressive season run differential of +48, while the Guardians have struggled with a run differential of -34. The Guardians, however, will receive a boost with Mackenzie’s return to the rotation. As a young right-hander, Mackenzie has established himself as one of the rising stars in Major League Baseball. Yet, in this particular situation, Mackenzie’s performance may be limited as he gradually regains his pitching form. On the other hand, Ryan is already in excellent shape and has been compiling a remarkable resume that could potentially earn him a Cy Young Award. His home record stands at an impressive 4-0, with an ERA of just 2.25. Facing the Guardians, whose scoring rank is 29th this season, Ryan is expected to dominate the opposing lineup with relative ease.

Our Pick: Take Red Sox and the money line