Red Sox vs. Guardians (June 24): Can Pivetta lead the Sox to a 5th straight win?

Two of the hottest teams in baseball begin their series tonight in Cleveland as the Guardians welcome the Boston Red Sox to Progressive Field.

Both teams were under .500 entering June, and both are now several games over the .500 mark. Boston has won 16 of games in June, while Cleveland has won 15 of 20.

While the Guardians are tied for first place in the AL Central with the Minnesota Twins after yesterday's results, the Red Sox, despite a better win percentage than Cleveland, are just in fourth place in the AL East, 13 games behind the 52-18 Yankees.

Boston Red Sox vs. Cleveland Guardians Betting Odds and Matchup Information

Matchup Information

• Matchup: Boston Red Sox (39-31, 19-15 road, 4th in the AL East) vs. Cleveland Guardians (36-29, 16-10 home, t-1st in the AL Central)
• Venue & Location: Progressive Field (Cleveland, Ohio)
• Date: Friday, June 24, 2022
• Game Time: 7:10 p.m. Eastern Time
• TV Broadcast/Streaming Info: NESN (Red Sox), Bally Sports Great Lakes (Guardians), MLB Extra Innings/MLB Network (subscription packages)

Red Sox vs. Guardians Pitching Matchup

• Boston Red Sox: Nick Pivetta (2022: 14 starts, 7-5 ,3.31 ERA, 81.2 IP, 82 K/29 BB)
• Cleveland Guardians: Cal Quantrill (2022: 12 starts, 4-4 ERA, 3.77 ERA, 71.2 IP, 44 K/23 BB)

Red Sox vs. Guardians Odds

Game odds are via BetOnline. Odds from our other top reviewed and recommended sportsbooks may also be included in this article.

Moneyline

• Boston Red Sox -118
• Cleveland Guardians +100

Over/Under

• OVER 8.5 (-120)
• UNDER 8.5 (-102)

Run Line

• Boston Red Sox -1.5 (+140)
• Cleveland Guardians +1.5 (+170)

Boston, Cleveland Look to Continue Impressive June Streaks

Neither the Red Sox nor the Guardians opened the season well, with Boston 10-19 at one point and Cleveland at 19-24 at one point.

June has been a pretty fruitful month for Boston, who is 16-4 this month and has won all three of its road series in June.

The Guardians, meanwhile, are 17-5 in their last 22 games, and they have won all four of their home series this month.

Pivetta has maintained his strong run of form following a poor start to the season, as he is 7-1 with a 1.77 ERA in his last nine starts. Last Sunday, he allowed one run and struck out ten in seven innings in a win over the St. Louis Cardinals, and he is 3-1 with a 2.00 ERA in four June starts.

Quantrill is coming off of a somewhat rough outing against the Dodgers last Saturday, as he allowed five runs and ten hits in five innings in a 7-1 loss. That ended a run of five straight quality starts for Quantrill, who is now 3-1 in his last four starts.

But a much better performance should be expected against Boston, as the 27-year-old righty has five consecutive quality starts at Progressive Field. In that run, he has posted a 3.06 ERA, and Cleveland has come out on top four times.

Boston Red Sox vs. Cleveland Guardians Prediction and Best Bets

Red Sox vs. Guardians Prediction: Red Sox to win

Red Sox vs. Guardians Best Bet: Red Sox/Guardians OVER 8.5 (-120 at BetOnline & Bovada Sportsbook)

Though trends and recent performances by Pivetta and Quantrill would appear to suggest a lower-scoring game tonight in Cleveland, the over comes out as the best bet in this matchup.

Along with Pivetta pitching well over his last nine starts, he has gotten good run support time and again, as Boston has scored five or more runs in all but one start.

Similarly, Quantrill has been getting solid run support in his run of quality starts at home, with Cleveland scoring five or more runs in four of five games.

For the season, the Guardians are averaging 4.69 runs per game at home, while the Red Sox are averaging 4.79 runs per game on the road. Additionally, when Cleveland has been a home underdog this season, the over is 7-3-0.

If you want to pick a side in this one, I like Pivetta and Boston to take the win, but the total is the play to prioritize here.

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