Red Sox prediction, odds, pick, how to watch
Two teams fighting for playoff spots collide as the Houston Astros face the Boston Red Sox. It is time to continue our MLB odds series with an Astros-Red Sox prediction, pick, and how-to-watch.
Yesterday was pure domination for the Astros. They won 13-5 over the Red Sox. The Red Sox did take an early lead in the first on a Triston Casas double that scored two, but that is where the positive for their night ended. Jose Abreu hit a solo home run in the second and then Yordan Alvarez tied the game on a single in the third. In the fifth, Jose Altuve scored for a second time in the game on a Chris Sale Wild pitch. His night was just beginning though. He tripled in the sixth, driving home two, and then scored on a Yordan Alvarez home run. He would then hit a home run in the eighth to score two more runs and complete the cycle.
With the win, the Astros are 75-58, and have a 2.5-game lead over the Blue Jays in the Wild Card race. The Red Sox dropped to 69-63, which places them 5.5 games out currently.
Here are the Astros-Red Sox MLB odds,
MLB Odds: Astros-Red Sox Odds
Houston Astros: +1.5 (-188)
Boston Red Sox: -1.5 (+155)
Over: 10.5 (-106)
Under: 10.5 (-114)
How To Watch Astros vs. Red Sox
TV: ATTH/NESN
Stream: MLB.TV
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Time: 7:10 PM ET/ 4:10 PM PT
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Why The Astros Could Cover The Spread
The Astros offense exploded again last night for 13 runs. On the year they are fifth in the majors in runs scored, while sitting eighth in batting average, 6th in on-base percentage, and eighth in slugging. Yordan Alvarez was a big part of the run-scoring last night. In the last week, he is hitting .429 with a .538 on-base percentage. He has a home run and a double which has led to him driving in eight runs in just his last five games. He has also scored three times in the last week, while not striking out once.
Meanwhile, Alex Bregman comes in hot as well. In the last week, he is hitting .345 with a .472 on-base percentage. He has a home run and three triples. That has led to him driving in five runs and scoring eight times. Scoring is something Kyle Tucker and Jose Abreu have been doing a lot of. Tucker has scored nine times in the last week. He has done this while hitting .241 with a .324 on-base percentage. He has also hit two home runs and a double, driving in five. To top it off, he has stolen two bases. Altuve has scored ten times in the last week. He is hitting .321 in that time frame while getting on base at a .424 rate. He has three doubles, a triple, and a home run, which has led to five RBIs.
On the hill for the Astros will be JP France. He is 9-5 this year with a 3.51 ERA. While he has been on a hot streak, six straight games giving up two or fewer runs, last time out was a disaster. Against Boston on August 24th he pitched just 2.1 innings. In that time he gave up 11 hits, with two home runs and two walks. That led to him giving up ten runs. His ERA for the season jumped from 2.75 to 3.51 on that one start alone.
Why The Red Sox Could Cover The Spread
Last night it was pitching that let the Red Sox down. That is not abnormal for them, as they sit 26th in the majors in quality starts while sitting 18th in team ERA, 20th in wHIP, and 25th in opponent batting average. They send Brayan Bello to the mound today, who is 10-7 with a 3.56 ERA. He has been solid this month. In making five starts he has given up just one run in three of them. Last time out he faced the Astros. In that game, he went seven innings, giving up nine hits, but allowing just one run to score. For the month, he has a 3.26 ERA with a 3-1 record.
At the plate, the Red Sox are seventh in the league in runs scored this year, while sitting third in batting average, fourth in on-base percentage, and fifth in slugging. Adam Duvall has been on fire as of late. In the last week, he is hitting .444 with a .500 on-base percentage. In that time he has hit four doubles and five home runs leading to 11 RBIs. He has also scored seven times. Justin Turner is also a major contributor. In his last week, he is hitting .320 with a .433 on-base percentage. He has scored six times while hitting a double and two home runs. He also has six RBIs.
Power has been the name of the game for Alex Verdugo as of late. He has three home runs in his last week with five RBIs. He is hitting .303 with a .324 on-base percentage, while also hitting a double and scoring five times. As a team, the Red Sox are hitting well. they are hitting .315 with a .389 on-base percentage. They have hit 14 home runs in their last seven games while scoring 48 runs. If they can have that run production tonight, they could easily win this game.
Final Astros-Red Sox Prediction & Pick
The last time JP France and Brayan Bello faced, the Astros lost big. While France is not as good as Bello, he has some bad luck. Multiple hits just happened to find holes that are more unlucky than bad pitching. Meanwhile, Bello gave up a bunch of hits, but the Astros could not score. This game will not be the same. Still, there should be plenty of runs. Both offenses have been hitting well. Since the All-Star break, both teams have averaged over five runs per game and have two of the highest-scoring offenses. Still, while Brayan Bello is the better pitcher in this one, the Astros have been much better on offense. If they can capitalize on things in this game, which they did not last time they faced Bello, they will get the win in this one.
Final Astros-Red Sox Prediction & Pick: Astros +1.5 (-188)
