Weekend Watch

Boston Red Socked

The defending champion Boston Red Sox are off to a horrific start, winning just two of their first nine games to kick off the 2019 Major League Baseball season. Their pitchers have had a difficult time keeping the ball in the yard, and the stacked offense hasn't been able to piece together timely hits. The good news for the Red Sox is that the division rival New York Yankees are a banged up bunch and struggling, too. Only the Tampa Bay Rays (6-2) and Baltimore Orioles (4-3) are at .500 or better in the American League East, with the Red Sox already 4 1/2 games out. It's not expected to last.

 Boston heads into its game on Saturday in Arizona with just one victory by two or more runs, and the pitching staff has served up 22 home runs. LHP David Price looks to stop the bleeding in the desert, but he coughed up three homers in his initial outing of the season. The Red Sox lost a rare interleague game on Friday, as they are still 20-6 in the past 26 road games against National League opponents, and 41-11 in the past 52 interleague games overall. They're also a very impressive 48-18 in the past 66 against NL West foes.

For the Diamondbacks, they were expected to struggle with Paul Goldschmidt being traded to the St. Louis Cardinals in the offseason, and the offense looking to be a bit on the patchwork side. However, they're doing a good job so far. Arizona is 15-6 in the past 21 interleague home games after their 15-8 shellacking of the BoSox on Friday, and the win snapped an 0-9 skid against AL East opponents. The Diamondbacks are still just 4-13 in the past 17 at home vs. left-hander starters, and 2-6 in the past eight overall vs. LHP.

Looking Ahead

Saturday, April 6

The Indians had a walk-off win courtesy of Carlos Santana in the bottom of the ninth inning on Friday night, and now they'll have one of their big guns, RHP Carlos Carrasco, pitching against an unproven LHP Thomas Pannone, as they look to clinch the series win. The Indians have posted a 4-0 mark in the past four against AL East teams, while going 19-7 in Cookie Carrasco's past 26 outings. They're also an impressive 14-3 in Carrasco's past 17 home outings against teams with a losing overall record,, too. However, he will be looking to snap a four-game skid against AL East clubs.

The 'under' is an impressive 13-3-1 in the past 17 games overall for the Jays, while going 7-0 in their past seven against AL Central foes. In addition, the under is 8-3-1 in the past 12 games against teams with a winning overall mark. For the Indians, it has been the complete opposite, with the over 5-1-2 int he past eight vs. LHP, and 14-3-4 in the past 21 at home against southpaws. However, the under is 5-1 in Carrasco's past six outings, and 4-0-1 in the past five against teams with a losing overall mark. The under is also 4-1 in the past five meetings in this series, including Friday's game. The Blue Jays have also dropped two of the past 11 meetings in Cleveland.

It's a battle of southpaws in Queens as the Nationals and Mets continue their series. The under has connected in four of the past five meetings at Citi Field. The Nats have owned the Mets in recent season, going 53-21 in the past 74 trips to the boroughs. Whenever LHP Steven Matz faces the Nats, plenty of runs are sure to follow. The over is 4-0 in his past four home outings against Washington, and 5-0 in the past five meetings overall in this series.

The Dodgers and Rockies tangle at Coors Field, and the Dodgers look to improve on their 20-7 mark across the past 27 vs. RHP. The Rockies, on the other hand, are just 1-4 in their past five tries against a righty. They have won 12 of Jon Gray's past 17 starts overall, and seven of his past nine at Coors Field. L.A. has won six straight in this series, while Colorado is 5-1 in Gray's past six home starts against the Dodgers, so something's gotta give. The under is also 5-0 in Gray's past five outings at home vs. L.A., and the nder is 3-0-1 in Walker Buehler's past four against Colorado.

Weather Report

All of Saturday's games will go off without a hitch, as there is a 10 percent chance or less of precipitation at every outdoor Major League park, and the winds will be 6-8 mph or less, so wind will not play a factor in any of the totals.

Sunday, April 7

RHP Domingo German takes the ball for the Yankees, and New York has posted a 7-3 record over his past 10 outings. The O's counter with RHP David Hess, who tossed 6 1/3 hitless innings with one walk and eight strikeouts in his win in Toronto on April 1.

RHP Max Scherzer and RHP Zack Wheeler work against each other in an attractive pitching matchup between the Nationals and Mets on Sunday. The Nats are 38-15 in Scherzer's past 53 division starts, and 37-16 in his past 53 outings on the road. The Mets are 6-1 in Wheeler's past seven home outings, and 11-3 in his past 14 starts overall. The Nats are 5-0 in Scherzer's past five road outings against the Mets, while the Mets are 2-6 in Wheeler's past eight home outings against Washington.

The Dodgers roll out LHP Julio Urias for the Sunday night game against RHP Chad Bettis and the Rockies. L.A. has picked up five wins in the past seven road outings by Urias, although they're just 2-5 in his past seven starts against divisional foes. The Rockies hope Bettis can be the stopper to their losing ways. They entered Friday's game just 1-5 in the past six overall. While they're 2-5 in the past seven against southpaws, they're 18-7 in the past 25 home starts by Bettis. However, they're also 1-6 in his past seven tries against teams with a winning overall mark. The 'over' is 7-3-1 in the past 11 starts by Bettis against L.A.

Weather Report

The biggest trouble spot on Sunday's card appears to be on the south side of Chicago, as the Mariners and White Sox will be facing rain chances of 40 percent, which could delay the start of their game at Guaranteed Rate Field. It won't be a steady shield of rain, however, and the game should get in. The winds will be blowing out of center field into the fact of the batters at a 7-10 mph clip.

In St. Louis, rain won't be the issue, but the Padres and Cardinals will face a jetstream of 13-16 mph blowing out to the left-center field power alley, so watch the 'over' there. The Sunday night game between the Dodgers and Rockies will be played as scheduled, with a slight wind blowing left to right and temperatures around 70 degrees with no precipitation in the forecast. Enjoy!