The Boston Red Sox are taking on the Arizona Diamondbacks in a game that’s sure to keep you on the edge of your seats. This isn’t just any game – we’ve got Chris Sale on the mound, and the Red Sox are looking like the favorites at -150. Let’s break it down.

Chris Sale, once a dominant pitcher for the Chicago White Sox, cooled off a bit when he joined Boston. But guess what? He’s heating up again. Over the last 30 days, Sale has an xFIP of 3.47 and a K rate of 31%. His walk rate is less than 3% – yes, we’re seeing the old Chris Sale magic again. Let’s check out his splits: against lefties, his weighted on-base percentage is .267, and against righties, it’s even lower at .214. That’s impressive stuff.

The Diamondbacks’ pitcher Brandon Pfaadt has an xFIP of 6.61 over the past 30 days and a K rate under 15%. His splits make for interesting reading: a .421 weighted on-base percentage against lefties and a .375 against righties. And let’s not forget the ISO numbers, .286 for lefties and a whopping .405 for righties. 

So, are we going to see the Red Sox wake up and take the game to the Diamondbacks? I’d say there’s a good chance. After all, every baseball night could be a Friday night special.

Let’s not forget Sale’s early season struggles, which inflated his numbers somewhat. His ERA was at 21 after his first game against Baltimore and 11.25 over his first three outings. But in his last four starts, spanning 27.1 innings, his ERA has dropped to under 2.50.