Indians take 3-game slide into matchup with Red Sox
Cleveland Indians (26-27, second in the AL Central) vs. Boston Red Sox (29-25, third in the AL East)
Boston; Tuesday, 7 p.m. EDT
LINE: Red Sox favored by 1 1/2 runs; over/under is 9 1/2 runs
BOTTOM LINE: Cleveland enters the matchup as losers of their last three games.
The Red Sox are 14-10 in home games. Boston ranks seventh in the MLB in hitting with a .258 batting average, Rafael Devers leads the team with an average of .327.
The Indians are 11-13 on the road. Cleveland is hitting a collective .223 this season, led by Francisco Lindor with an average of .285. The Red Sox won the last meeting 12-5. Rick Porcello notched his fourth victory and J.D. Martinez went 2-for-5 with two home runs and two RBIs for Boston. Jefry Rodriguez took his fifth loss for Cleveland.
TOP PERFORMERS: Xander Bogaerts leads the Red Sox with 24 extra base hits and is slugging .497. Devers is 15-for-40 with three doubles, four home runs and nine RBIs over the last 10 games for Boston.
Carlos Santana leads the Indians with eight home runs home runs and is slugging .458. Oscar Mercado is 10-for-27 with three doubles, a home run and four RBIs over the last 10 games for Cleveland.
LAST 10 GAMES: Red Sox: 6-4, .275 batting average, 3.66 ERA, outscored opponents by 15 runs
Indians: 3-7, .211 batting average, 4.85 ERA, outscored by 13 runs
Red Sox Injuries: Tyler Thornburg: 10-day IL (hip), David Price: day-to-day (flu-like symptoms), Brian Johnson: 10-day IL (elbow), Nathan Eovaldi: 10-day IL (elbow), Dustin Pedroia: 60-day IL (knee), Tzu-Wei Lin: 10-day IL (knee).
Indians Injuries: Danny Salazar: 60-day IL (shoulder), Corey Kluber: 10-day IL (arm), Mike Clevinger: 60-day IL (back), Bradley Zimmer: 10-day IL (shoulder), Tyler Naquin: 10-day IL (knee).
