Los Angeles Dodgers (38-29) at Boston Red Sox (41-28)
4:10 PM EST FOX
Starting Pitchers
LAD: V. Padilla (1-1, 6.65)
BOS: T. Wakefield (2-5, 5.42)
Manny Ramirez’s first appearance in nearly two years at Fenway Park didn’t go quite as planned, and now the Los Angeles Dodgers will look to even the series when they square off against the Boston Red Sox in game two of a three game interleague set on Saturday.
Ramirez went 1-for-5, as the sizzling Red Sox beat the Dodgers 10-6, winning their sixth game in their last seven outings and extending their current win streak to four.
After a lethargic start to the 2010 season that had the club one game under .500, Boston’s high-octane offense has come alive bringing the team to within one game behind the division leading Tampa Bays Rays and bitter rivals New York. The Red Sox are averaging a major league-high 6.0 runs per game during a 26-12 span. They kept that streak alive in their series opener on Friday, plating seven runs in the fifth inning to break open a tie game, marking the fourth time during the current 6-1 stretch that Boston scored eight runs or more.
A good part of Boston’s offensive success finally arrived in the form of slugger David Ortiz. Big Papi continued his recent offensive awakening by slapping a two-run homer that was his 274th with the Red Sox, tying Ramirez for fifth on the club’s all-time list, in game one.
Meanwhile, Los Angeles has dropped five of seven overall, five straight in interleague play, and currently sits a half game back of NL West leaders the San Diego Padres. The Blue Crew has not played well on the road this season going 15-16 away from Chavez Ravine, and 4-9 against opponents from the East. However, the pitching has been solid with the top five starters boasting a combined record of 25-16, tied for third in their league.
Opening-day starter Vicente Padilla will come off the DL on Saturday after battling from an inflamed radial nerve in his throwing arm that has sidelined him since April 22. The right-hander will take the place of pitcher Chad Billingsley who has been placed on the disabled list because of a groin injury. Padilla is 2-4 with a 4.84 lifetime ERA against Boston.
The Red Sox will counter with veteran knuckleballer Tim Wakefield. The 43-year-old became the third active pitcher to throw 3,000 innings, giving up four runs over 7 1-3 innings of Sunday’s 5-3 loss to Philadelphia. He has had double-digit wins in seven of the past eight seasons, but would really need to pick it up to reach that feat again this year. As it goes with knuckleballers, his performance goes as his fluttery pitch does. Wakefield, who is 1-2 with a 6.64 ERA in his career against the Dodgers, will look to end his struggles at Fenway, where he is 0-4 with a 6.86 ERA in eight appearances – six starts in 2010.
The odds makers have the Red Sox as 1-½ favorites with a run total of 10 ½.
With the Red Sox offense scoring 30 runs in their last four contests, and Wakefield’s nasty Knuckler. I like Boston and the OVER in this one.
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