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MLB Odds: Boston Red Sox host Chicago Cubs
Alfredo Aceves makes his first start of the season for Boston on Saturday.
The Boston Red Sox and Chicago Cubs continue to make history when they play Game 2 of their 3-game series Saturday at 4:10 p.m. (PT).
This is the first series between the teams in Boston since the 1918 World Series. They’ve been the poster children for futility with the Sox going 88 years between titles before winning two since 2004. Long-suffering Cubs fans have been waiting since 1908 and this year isn’t shaping up great so far.
This weekend series got underway Friday night at Fenway Park with Chicago’s Doug Davis going up against Jon Lester. The Sox were big 240 favorites with the result still pending.
Saturday pitching battle will be Chicago’s Carlos Zambrano (4-2, 4.89 ERA) against Boston’s Alfredo Aceves (1-0, 2.60 ERA). The latter will be making his first start of the year.
Boston’s rotation has been Lester, Josh Beckett, Clay Buchholz and ‘pray for rain.’ The first three guys have a combined 2.79 ERA, while John Lackey (8.01 ERA) and Daisuke Matsuzaka (5.30 ERA) have been awful despite their lofty salaries.
Lackey and Matsuzaka both just went on the disabled list with elbow injuries. That puts Aceves and veteran knuckleballer Tim Wakefield at the back end of the rotation. The good news is it will be hard to do worse than their predecessors.
Aceves was an interesting offseason acquisition. He pitched 10 games in relief with the Yankees last year before missing the rest of the season with various injuries. Boston scouts viewed him as a good bullpen candidate, but also someone who could start if necessary – like right now.
The 28-year-old right-hander from Mexico has made 11 appearances this year, all from the pen. His longest outing was 4 2/3 innings against Minnesota on May 6 and five innings seems about his cap on Saturday.
Aceves has five career starts with the last one coming in 2009 with the Yanks. He has a solid career ERA (3.14) in addition to a .637 OPS. This will be his first career appearance against the National League Cubs.
The Red Sox (23-20) had a six-game winning streak heading into Friday. They’re finding their stride after a woeful 2-10 start. Their home winning streak is also at six, 14-9 at Fenway overall (-.9 units).
The Cubs (19-23) are in fifth place in the NL Central, 5.5 games behind St. Louis. They started this 7-game trip on Monday by losing two at Cincinnati (7-4, 7-5). They then won two at Florida (7-5, 5-1).
The Cubs are seventh in the NL in runs scored (4.17 per game) and 15th in ERA (4.50). The starters are dead last (5.35 ERA) while the bullpen has been respectable at sixth (3.02). Closer Carlos Marmol has nine saves and a 1.35 ERA.
Zambrano has needed to perform with Ryan Dempster terrible in April (9.58 ERA). Randy Wells has also been limited to one start with a forearm injury.
The almost 30-year-old Zambrano saw the Cubs win six of his first seven starts (4.23 ERA). They lost his last two hosting St. Louis (6-4) and at Cincinnati (7-4) with a combined 7.30 ERA. Chicago had won his prior 10 road starts before Cincy.
Zambrano was 1-2 with a 4.50 ERA in three Interleague starts last year. The last game was against the White Sox, when he was involved in a dugout incident and subsequently suspended and out a month. He did go 8-0 with a 1.58 ERA after coming back.
Chicago is 10-10 away this season (+1.9 units). The ‘over’ is 11-9 in road contests and 7-2 in Chicago’s last nine games overall.
The last time these teams met was 2005, with the Cubs taking two of three at Wrigley Field. Boston went 13-5 in Interleague Play last year, while Chicago was 8-10 versus its AL counterparts.
Weather is expected to be in the low 60s, upper 50s with rain possible for the seventh consecutive day.
ESPN will have the Sunday night contest with Wakefield battling Matt Garza, who is very familiar with Boston from his Tampa Bay days.
Alfredo Aceves makes his first start of the season for Boston on Saturday.
The Boston Red Sox and Chicago Cubs continue to make history when they play Game 2 of their 3-game series Saturday at 4:10 p.m. (PT).
This is the first series between the teams in Boston since the 1918 World Series. They’ve been the poster children for futility with the Sox going 88 years between titles before winning two since 2004. Long-suffering Cubs fans have been waiting since 1908 and this year isn’t shaping up great so far.
This weekend series got underway Friday night at Fenway Park with Chicago’s Doug Davis going up against Jon Lester. The Sox were big 240 favorites with the result still pending.
Saturday pitching battle will be Chicago’s Carlos Zambrano (4-2, 4.89 ERA) against Boston’s Alfredo Aceves (1-0, 2.60 ERA). The latter will be making his first start of the year.
Boston’s rotation has been Lester, Josh Beckett, Clay Buchholz and ‘pray for rain.’ The first three guys have a combined 2.79 ERA, while John Lackey (8.01 ERA) and Daisuke Matsuzaka (5.30 ERA) have been awful despite their lofty salaries.
Lackey and Matsuzaka both just went on the disabled list with elbow injuries. That puts Aceves and veteran knuckleballer Tim Wakefield at the back end of the rotation. The good news is it will be hard to do worse than their predecessors.
Aceves was an interesting offseason acquisition. He pitched 10 games in relief with the Yankees last year before missing the rest of the season with various injuries. Boston scouts viewed him as a good bullpen candidate, but also someone who could start if necessary – like right now.
The 28-year-old right-hander from Mexico has made 11 appearances this year, all from the pen. His longest outing was 4 2/3 innings against Minnesota on May 6 and five innings seems about his cap on Saturday.
Aceves has five career starts with the last one coming in 2009 with the Yanks. He has a solid career ERA (3.14) in addition to a .637 OPS. This will be his first career appearance against the National League Cubs.
The Red Sox (23-20) had a six-game winning streak heading into Friday. They’re finding their stride after a woeful 2-10 start. Their home winning streak is also at six, 14-9 at Fenway overall (-.9 units).
The Cubs (19-23) are in fifth place in the NL Central, 5.5 games behind St. Louis. They started this 7-game trip on Monday by losing two at Cincinnati (7-4, 7-5). They then won two at Florida (7-5, 5-1).
The Cubs are seventh in the NL in runs scored (4.17 per game) and 15th in ERA (4.50). The starters are dead last (5.35 ERA) while the bullpen has been respectable at sixth (3.02). Closer Carlos Marmol has nine saves and a 1.35 ERA.
Zambrano has needed to perform with Ryan Dempster terrible in April (9.58 ERA). Randy Wells has also been limited to one start with a forearm injury.
The almost 30-year-old Zambrano saw the Cubs win six of his first seven starts (4.23 ERA). They lost his last two hosting St. Louis (6-4) and at Cincinnati (7-4) with a combined 7.30 ERA. Chicago had won his prior 10 road starts before Cincy.
Zambrano was 1-2 with a 4.50 ERA in three Interleague starts last year. The last game was against the White Sox, when he was involved in a dugout incident and subsequently suspended and out a month. He did go 8-0 with a 1.58 ERA after coming back.
Chicago is 10-10 away this season (+1.9 units). The ‘over’ is 11-9 in road contests and 7-2 in Chicago’s last nine games overall.
The last time these teams met was 2005, with the Cubs taking two of three at Wrigley Field. Boston went 13-5 in Interleague Play last year, while Chicago was 8-10 versus its AL counterparts.
Weather is expected to be in the low 60s, upper 50s with rain possible for the seventh consecutive day.
ESPN will have the Sunday night contest with Wakefield battling Matt Garza, who is very familiar with Boston from his Tampa Bay days.
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