The league-leading Boston Red Sox will try to improve their AL East best win-loss record as they open a weekend series against the Minnesota Twins on Thursday night at Fenway Park.
The Red Sox are the hottest team in the Majors since the All-Star break and they hope to increase their lead in the team standings by adding a fourth victory in their last five outings. Boston has won three of their last four and will be looking for back to back wins on Thursday night.
Without a doubt, the Red Sox offense is one of the very best this season. No other team has scored more runs in the Majors than the Red Sox who currently have 551 runs this season, entering Thursday’s game. Boston leads the Majors in batting average at .270. They are also second in the league in slugging percentage at .459 and third overall in on-base percentage at .337.
While their offense has been rolling, Boston’s pitching has also been rolling. The Red Sox rank fourth in the Major League in ERA at 3.56 while their WHIP of 1.12 is fifth overall. The Red Sox also allow opposing batters a .270 batting average, which is sixth best in the league.
Brian Johnson opens the series for the Red Sox. The left-hander is 1-3 with an ERA of 3.81 in five games started this season. Johnson gave up two earned runs on five hits in five innings as Boston lost to the Detroit Tigers 0-5 on 7/21/18. Johnson got the loss and it was the first loss for the Red Sox in the last five games where Johnson has thrown a pitch.
For the month of July, Johnson has given up a total of six runs on 15 hits while giving up six walks and striking out 12 batters in 12.1 innings. Johnson pitched one inning during the Red Sox 1-4 loss to the Twins on 6/20/18. He gave up one run on one hit, one error and two walks with two strikeouts.
After getting swept by the Kansas City Royals, the Minnesota Twins emerged victorious in their series against the Toronto Blue Jays. The Twins need to keep on winning if they want to catch up with the Cleveland Indians who have a 7.5 lead game over them in the AL Central team standings. But the Twins face a tall order against the mighty Red Sox.
Minnesota’s offense has only been mediocre this season. The Twins rank 15th in the league in runs scored and slugging percentage at 447 and .405, respectively. They are also only 19th in the Majors in batting average at .244 and just 21st in on-base percentage at .315.
Their pitching hasn’t been impressive either. Their ERA and WHIP of 4.47 and 1.37 respectively is only ranked 22nd overall in the league while their opponents’ batting average of .254 ranks just 24th in the Majors.
University of Missouri product Kyle Gibson gets the opportunity to take the mound on Thursday. Gibson is 4-7 with an ERA of 3.57 in 20 starts this season. The right-hander gave up six hits and four earned runs in 5 ⅓ innings work during Minnesota’s 5-6 loss to the Kansas City Royals. If the Twins are to beat the Red Sox, they will need a better outing from Gibson.
The Minnesota Twins are just 3-8 in their last 11 games against teams with winning record. They are only 1-5 in their last six games on the road against a left-handed pitcher. Worse, the Twins are only 1-4 in Kyle Gibson’s last 5 starts.
On the other hand, the Red Sox have won six of seven games against opponents from the American League Central and they are unbeaten in their last nine series openers. More impressively, Boston is 9-1 in Brian Johnson’s last 10 starts.
The Twins have struggled all season long against teams with winning records. They aren’t just up against a winning team on Thursday, they’re up against the best team in the Majors. The Red Sox have been winning with Brian Johnson on the mound and have been spotless in their previous nine openers. That’s good enough for me to put my money on the Red Sox. We’re picking the Boston Red Sox to beat the Minnesota Twins.
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