Boston Red Sox vs Chicago Predictions July 14, 2023: Brayan Bello vs Kyle Hendricks
The total score projected is nine
Game outlook
The total score projected is nine runs.
"Cubs Kick Off Second Half Seven Games Back in NL Central"
The Cubs enter the second half five games under .500, seven games out of first place in the NL Central. They've posted 4.61 runs per game (12th), hit .246 (18th), and recorded a .721 OPS (18th). 96 long balls (21st) and 67 stolen bases (14th) lead the way on offense. The pitching staff has posted a 4.02 ERA (12th) and a 1.26 WHIP (15th) with 40 quality starts. Kyle Hendricks is set to take the mound on opening Friday night at Wrigley Field. Since rejoining the team in late May, the tenth-year veteran has pitched well, holding all but one of his opponents to three or fewer runs. However, his last outing was not as impressive as he gave up ten hits and four runs en route to a no-decision against the Yankees. As the Cubs look to make a playoff push, they'll have to find their footing as they enter the second half of the 2023 season.
Boston Red Sox Highlights
The Boston Red Sox have been riding a hot streak as of late, winning five straight games and eight out of their last ten overall. However, despite being five games above .500, they remain last in the AL East. Offensively, the Red Sox have been strong, averaging 4.96 runs as well as a .263 batting average per game with a .760 OPS. They have 94 home runs combined (rank 22nd) and have stolen 61 bases (rank 18th). The Red Sox pitching staff has compiled a 4.33 ERA (17th) and a 1.30 WHIP (18th) with 27 quality starts. As of mid-July, the second-year pro, Kenley Bello, will take the hill for the visitors in Tuesday's game and in his last start, he held the Rangers to 2 runs in seven innings. With all this taken into consideration, Boston has a power ranking of 11 and are currently 48-43 in the season.