Handicapper Article

MLB Match-Up Wednesday - Premier Pitcher's Duel On Tap In Boston
Betonline.com
Posted: 2008-07-29

Fans of low-scoring pitching match-ups could be in for a treat on Wednesday, when the Boston Red Sox will wrap up a three-game series with the Los Angeles Angels at Fenway Park in this battle of American League powerhouses.

Los Angeles Angels at Boston Red Sox - 7:05 PM ET
Joe Saunders (13-5, 3.10) had another steady start in a 6-5 win at Baltimore, allowing four runs (three earned) on six hits over 6 2/3 innings, striking out two along with a pair of walks. Saunders has now given up either two or three runs in his last six starts, and out of his 20 starts in 2008, there is only one time that you can say the 27-year-old southpaw was hammered, when he gave up eight runs to Tampa Bay back in June. Saunders has been brilliant on the road, going 7-3 in ten starts with a 2.41 ERA, and he is 1-0 in two appearances against the Red Sox this season with an ERA of 3.55.

The Red Sox will counter with Josh Beckett (9-7, 3.83), who has been let down by a lack of run support over his last two starts, which have resulted in two straight losses for the 2003 World Series MVP. Beckett scattered a run on nine hits over seven innings, striking out six and walking one, but the Red Sox were blanked 1-0 at home by the hated Yankees. Beckett has given up up five runs in his last 15 innings, but the Red Sox managed to score only two runs during that time. Beckett would also like to avenge a loss to Saunders in his first meeting against the Angels this season, as he gave up four runs on nine hits over eight innings in a 4-2 loss in Los Angeles.

The Angels took the first game of this series by a 7-5 score on Monday night, powered by a six-run sixth inning as they jumped all over Boston's Daisuke Matsuzaka. Beckett has not been his usual intimidating self this season, but he still needs some run support from his offense. You would think that Saunders would not be able to continue his form on the road, but his name has not really come up in Cy Young discussion, so he is comfortable with flying under the radar. Take the Angels to head into their next series with the Yankees on a high with a win in Boston on Wednesday.

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