The Boston Red Sox will be squaring off against the Houston Astros at Minute Maid Park. This AL matchup is going to be televised nationally on Fox and the first pitch is scheduled for 7:15 p.m. ET.
Boston Red Sox vs. Houston Astros Odds
Boston (+160) is coming into this one as the underdog to Houston (-170) and Vegas has put the Over/Under for this night game at 7.5 runs (-115 for the over and -105 for the under). Runline odds stand at -135 for betting the Red Sox +1.5 runs and +115 for the Astros -1.5 runs.
The Red Sox are 39-19 SU and are 31-26 against the spread (ATS). They’ve gained 12.1 units for bettors taking the moneyline and 5.5 units ATS. Boston has covered the spread five times in its last seven games and the over has hit in five of those seven. The Astros, on the other hand, are 37-22 SU and 32-26 ATS. The team’s gained 0.5 units for moneyline bettors and 4.3 units ATS. Houston has a 3-4 ATS record over its last seven games and the total has gone over in four of those seven.
Astros games have had an over/under record of 21-33-4 so far in 2018. Boston has an over/under record of 28-27-2.
David Price will get the nod for the visiting Red Sox. The southpaw Price is 5-4 with a 4.04 ERA and 59 strikeouts. He has yet to face the Astros this year and only made one start against them in 2017 (1-0, 3.52 ERA and seven strikeouts across seven and two-third innings).
The Astros are going with righty Justin Verlander (7-2, 1.11 ERA), who has 98 strikeouts and 15 walks to his credit, as well as a WHIP of 0.71. Verlander made two starts against the Red Sox in 2017, posting a 0-0 record with a 2.25 ERA and seven strikeouts.
Houston’s pitchers have given up 2.8 runs per game overall in 2018 as a unit. Its starting pitching staff has a 2.57 ERA, 0.98 WHIP and 10.4 strikeouts per nine innings. The bullpen has recorded a solid ERA of just 2.92, a WHIP of 1.10 and a K/9 of 10.2.
Houston’s hitters have put up 5.0 runs per contest, including 6.2 per game over its last 10 games and 4.8 per game over their last five. The team has a slash-line of .251/.316/.421 over its last five games and is 3-2 SU during that stretch.
Second baseman Jose Altuve and right fielder George Springer have led the Astros’ offense this year. Altuve is hitting .332/.377/.461 with four home runs, 29 RBIs, 33 runs and six steals, and Springer’s line is .289/.353/.500 with 12 homers, 35 RBIs and 44 runs.
In the other dugout, Boston’s pitchers have allowed 3.8 runs per game and its starters own a 3.88 ERA, 1.22 WHIP and 9.83 K/9. The bullpen has logged an ERA of 3.23, along with a WHIP of 1.22 and a K-per-9 of 9.55.
Red Sox hitters have slashed .266/.332/.465 on their way to 5.3 runs scored per game this year, including 4.9 runs per game over the team’s last 10 games and 5.4 per game over the team’s last five contests (3-2 SU).
J.D. Martinez and Mookie Betts continue to lead Boston’s offense. Martinez is hitting .318/.379/.664 with 19 home runs, 48 RBIs and 37 runs scored, while Betts (.359/.437/.750) has produced 17 homers, 37 RBIs, 52 runs and 13 stolen bases.
The Red Sox have gained 14.2 units and are 27-18 ATS when facing a right-handed starting pitcher this season. The over has hit in 22 of those games, as opposed to 21 that’ve hit the under in such games. On the other hand, the Astros have lost 2.7 units and are 10-9 ATS when facing a lefty starter. The over’s hit in seven of those games, compared to 11 that went under the total.
Boston Red Sox vs. Houston Astros Free MLB Pick
Predictions: SU Winner – Astros, ATS Winner – Red Sox, O/U – OVER
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Notes
Betting Trends
Boston has recorded 21.1 Runs + Hits + Errors per game over its last 10 outings and 24.6 over its last five.
The Red Sox have hit 14 home runs in their last 10 games, including eight over their last five.
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