Can BoSox bounce back in matinee vs. Royals?
Boston’s rollicking offense slowed down in last night’s series opener against the Royals, but only marginally. Can the reigning World Series champions really apply the clamps today?
The two American League foes kick off the first game of a doubleheader at 2:15 p.m. ET. Oddsmakers at online sports book Bovada.lv ride with Ned Yost’s guys in the matinee, listing the hosts as 1.5-run favorites. The Red Sox, meanwhile, enter as -115 underdogs.
After Yordano Ventura generally did a fine job of piloting the Royals to an 8-4 win about 16 hours ago, this afternoon’s pitching assignment falls to Ian Kennedy (4-3, 3.25 ERA). He’ll be tasked with neutralizing a Boston lineup that has homered in 17 consecutive games. It’s a formidable challenge for anyone, especially an individual who permitted seven runs across 6 1/3 innings in his most recent outing.
Steven Wright (3-3, 2.36) wishes to turn around his May, too. John Farrell’s young righty became the third Red Sox hurler to begin a campaign with six quality starts, but he served up five runs and nine hits in 4 1/3 innings of a 7-6 loss to Houston last week. Considering that no Royal possesses legitimate experience against Wright, however, the California native should have the upper hand early.
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Most people are looking forward to the evening clash between David Price and Edinson Volquez. The initial matchup contains just as much intrigue, though, including Jackie Bradley Jr.’s quest to extend that ridiculous hitting streak to 23 games. There’s little reason to doubt the center fielder – or Boston as a whole – here.
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