Justin Masterson (3-2, 5.58 ERA) and the Boston Red Sox (37-44) go up against Dan Straily (0-0, 0.00 ERA) and the Houston Astros (47-34) in the first of a three-game series at Fenway Park. The game starts at 7:10 p.m. ET on Friday, Jul. 3 and will air on ROOT-SW and NESN.
In his most recent outing, Masterson pitched 5.0 innings, allowing zero runs (one unearned) and striking out six in a 5-3 victory over the Rays. Hanley Ramirez (.281, 43 Rs, 16 HRs, 39 RBIs, 3 SBs) went 1 for 5 yesterday with one run, one home run, and one RBI. In his career against the Red Sox, Straily is 0-1 with a 4.15 ERA, 1.62 WHIP, and three strikeouts. Jose Altuve (.298, 38 Rs, 7 HRs, 33 RBIs, 23 SBs) has been hitting the ball well for the Astros, going 3 for 4 Wednesday with two runs, one RBI, and two stolen bases.
Boston, a -138 favorite, will look to capitalize at home against Houston. The Over/Under (O/U) for the matchup is set at nine runs. The Red Sox are 21-28 as the favorite and have an overall money line of -1,492.
On the other side, the Astros have a record of 23-16 when they are the underdog and are +1,064 overall with the money line. The Astros rank fourth in the AL in scoring, averaging 4.5 runs per game. Houston is one of the top road hitting teams in the AL with an average of 8.9 hits per contest. Houston is a terror on the base paths, ranking third in the MLB with 64 stolen bases. The Astros are a problem for opposing batters, sporting a 3.44 ERA this season. They have a WHIP of 1.17 on the year, good for tops in the league.
The Red Sox will take on a right-hander (Straily) in this game and have a 28-32 record against right-handed starting pitchers this season. Taking the hill against the Astros will be the right-hander Masterson. They sport a 30-18 record against righties.
Predictions: SU Winner – HOU, O/U – Over
Notes
Boston has won 47% (18-20) of its games when leading after 7 innings. However, Houston has won 61% (20-13) of its games when taking a late lead.
The Red Sox are coming off of a weak pitching game where they recorded six strikeouts. The Astros have a record of 9-7 when opponents’ pitchers have that many strikeouts or fewer.
When they are outhit, the Red Sox are 7-37. The Astros have a 10-23 record when opponents outhit them.
Ranking first in home runs, Houston has hit 115 this season. Boston ranks 11th with 79 home runs.
Ranking 12th, Houston is in the top half of the league in hits, notching 8.04 per game. Boston ranks in the top 10 at seventh with 8.65.
Ranking 14th, Boston is in the top half of the league for its on-base plus slugging percentage (.720). Houston ranks in the top 10 at eighth with an OPS of .736.
The Astros are 17-24 in games where they allow one or more home runs. The Red Sox are 14-35 when they allow at least one homer.
