Pitching Tilts Odds in Favor of Red Sox vs Giants
The San Francisco Giants open a 10-game road trip at the Boston Red Sox in a three-game series that starts on Tuesday. Given that the Red Sox are the home team and have the pitching advantage, most MLB predictions favor them to win what should be a competitive series.
In the Giants’ last series, they went up against the Pittsburgh Pirates, winning two of three games at home. The Giants won the first and final game by a combined score of 6-2 while losing the middle matchup 4-3 in extra innings.
The Red Sox also won their last series, beating the Chicago Cubs in Boston by winning the final two games of three. They lost the first game 7-1 but came back with a massive 17-0 win in the second. The final game between the Red Sox and Cubs would be much closer, but the home team pulled it off by winning 5-4.
Giants vs Red Sox Game Information
- Game: Giants vs. Red Sox
- Location: Fenway Park, Boston, MA
- Day/Time: April 30 (7:10 p.m. ET), May 1 (7:10), May 2 (1:35 p.m. ET)
- Giants vs Red Sox Live Stream: MLB.tv
Game 1: Giants Having Pitching Advantage Behind Webb
This will be a tough series for the Giants because of Boston’s pitching staff. Entering the series, the Red Sox have the best ERA in the majors at 2.68 while the Giants averaged four runs per game, ranking them 20th.
Eight scoreless innings from Logan Webb! pic.twitter.com/Ku6KoK83s4
— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) April 24, 2024
With the Giants already at a disadvantage against the Red Sox pitching staff, it will take a lot of work to back them throughout the series. However, the one game in which the Giants have a clear chance of winning is the opener with Logan Webb on the mound. With a 2.33 ERA overall, Webb has allowed only three runs in 29 innings over his last four starts, keeping his opponent scoreless in his previous two appearances.
Webb should be able to have success against the Red Sox lineup, which has scored the third-most runs over the last six games (36). A big part of that is the 17-run outburst against the Cubs. The lineup still had a .318 batting average during that time, but Webb has been so good recently that he should be able to overpower the Red Sox.
Game 2: Crawford Going for Red Sox
This second game would have seen Blake Snell take the mound for San Francisco, but he is currently on the 15-day Injury List. His last appearance was on April 19, which means he won’t get the start in this game. The last time Snell would have started was April 24, when the Giants decided to go with a bullpen day.
The Giants lost that game 8-2 to the New York Mets. If the Giants decide on a bullpen day for this matchup against the Red Sox, that could be an issue. The Giants’ bullpen has the worst ERA in the league (5.60). Given that the Red Sox’s offense seems to be rolling, even with the bloated stats from the 17 runs against the Cubs, they should be able to succeed against the Giants’ bullpen.
In addition, the Red Sox will have Kutter Crawford starting. He has a 1.35 ERA through six starts, only leaning the MLB lines more in favor of the Red Sox. He struggled in his last game, giving up 10 hits and four runs, three earned, in 10 innings, but outside of that bad outing, Crawford has been really good.
Game 3: Red Sox to Win Even Matchup
This series’s third and final game will feature the most even matchup. Kyle Harrison will pitch for the Giants and has a 4.09 ERA through six starts. While he allowed three or more runs in his previous four outings, his last start was solid. Harrison pitched six scoreless innings, striking out seven batters.
The Red Sox will be leaning on their bullpen for a win in this game. Josh Winckowski has started in his last two appearances, pitching a combined 6.1 innings and allowing one run. In the two games Winckowski started, the Red Sox won.
Series Summary: Red Sox Win 2-1
The Giants’ best chance to win is in the opening game with Webb on the mound. However, MLB picks will side with the Red Sox in the rest of the series. The Red Sox have the pitching advantage in the next two games, and their lineup could get be getting hot.
Questions Of The Day
Which team has the better bullpen going into this series?
The Red Sox have a clear bullpen advantage, with their relievers having a 3.53 ERA while the Giants have the worst in the league at 5.60.
Which lineup is better?
The Red Sox have the lineup advantage, averaging 4.79 runs per game, while the Giants only score four per game.
The odds and predictions in the article are based on the time of writing and publication. They may differ as to when the actual event takes place.
