A pair of veteran right-handers are on display in the second game of this interleague series between two historic franchises.
Los Angeles Dodgers at Boston Red Sox
Los Angeles fell 10-6 in the series opener against Boston at Fenway Park and has dropped five straight in interleague play. This series marks just the second time the two teams have met at here, with the first coming on June 11-13, 2004, when Boston took two out of three. The Dodgers are four games into a stretch where 15 of 18 games will be played on the road (2-2). Of course this series is highlighted by OF Manny Ramirez returning to Boston after spending 7 1/2 seasons in front of the Green Monster. “Manny is certainly going to have a lot of emotions here,” Dodgers manager Joe Torre said. “This was a huge part of his career.” Since Ramirez’ arrival in Los Angeles, the club has posted a 163-120 record, the best mark in the National League.
Dodgers SP Vicente Padilla will make his first start since April 22, after spending an extended time on the disable list with an inflamed radial never in his right arm. He’ll be looking to prove that his 6.65 ERA in his first four starts of the season came because of the injury and prove himself as being the hurler who went 4-0 with a 3.20 ERA in eight appearances down the stretch last season. The right-hander is 2-3 with a 4.84 ERA in seven games (six starts) against the Red Sox. He last faced Boston on June 7, 2009, allowing three runs (two earned) on four hits in seven innings and picking up the win in a Rangers’ 6-3 win.
Boston continues to roll at home, winning 10 of its last 12 games at Fenway Park since May 29. The Red Sox are averaging a MLB-high 6.0 runs per game during a 26-12 stretch that has moved them to just a game behind the division leaders. “We’re playing well. When you play well, that’s what happens,” said Sox DH David Ortiz. At home, Boston’s offense leads the Majors with 225 runs and 157 extra-base hits. Boston has won 14 of its last 18 regular season games against NL opponents and 15 of its last 18 series. The club ranks fourth all-time with a 135-104 record in interleague games and leads the Majors with a 90-46 mark since 2003.
Red Sox SP Tim Wakefield has posted a 2-5 record and 5.42 ERA in 14 appearances (10 starts) this season. He took the 5-2 loss to the Phillies at Fenway Park in his last start, allowing four runs and six hits over 7.1 innings of work. The right-hander has had all kinds of trouble at home, posting a dismal 0-4 mark and 6.86 ERA in eight outings (six starts). Wakefield has faced the Dodgers four times in his career, going 1-2 with a 6.64 ERA. He hasn’t faced his former teammate Ramirez since 2000, but has held him to 6-for-26 at the plate with no home runs and one RBI.
The Dodgers have posted a 3-7 mark this season when placed as a road underdog of +100 to +125 (-380). Los Angeles has posted a disappointing 16-24 record the past three years against American League foes (-1,130). Boston looks to improve upon its 5-11 daytime mark this season (-880), with the total going 7-7-2 O/U in those games. The Red Sox are a dominating 43-15 at home when the total is 10 to 10.5 (+1,970).
