Eduardo Rodriguez (4-2, 3.92 ERA) and Lance McCullers (4-2, 2.19 ERA) take the hill in the last of a three-game series between the Boston Red Sox (38-45) and the Houston Astros (48-35) at Fenway Park. The Red Sox won the last game 6-1 and the series is currently tied 1-1. Action begins at 1:35 p.m. ET on Sunday, Jul. 5 and can be seen on ROOT-SW and NESN.
Rodriguez pitched 6.0 innings in his last outing, surrendering one run, striking out four and walking two in a 4-3 win over the Blue Jays. Dustin Pedroia (.306, 34 Rs, 9 HRs, 33 RBIs, 1 SB) went 1 for 3 yesterday with two RBIs. McCullers went 7.0 innings, surrendering one run, striking out six and walking two in a 6-1 win over the Royals in his most recent start. Jose Altuve (.302, 41 Rs, 7 HRs, 35 RBIs, 23 SBs) went 1 for 4 yesterday with one run.
Boston is a -118 favorite against Houston and the Over/Under (O/U) for this game is sitting at eight runs. The Red Sox have an overall money line of -1,462 and a record as the favorite of 21-29.
Over in the other dugout, Houston is coming in with an overall money line of +1,169 and an impressive record of 24-16 as the dog. Offensively, they average 4.6 runs per game, which is good for fourth in the AL. The Astros are tough outs for opponents, ranking third in the AL with 8.9 hits per road game. The Astros are an excellent base stealing team with 66 stolen bases, ranking third in the MLB. Houston’s pitching staff is one of the top in the AL, with a 3.44 ERA. When it comes to preventing batters from getting on base, the Astros are one of the best in the league with a WHIP of 1.18 for the season.
The Red Sox have a 28-33 record against right-handed starting pitchers on the year, which is what they’ll be facing when McCullers takes the mound. Rodriguez (LHP) will be on the hill against the Astros, who have a 17-16 record against left-handed starting pitchers.
Predictions: SU Winner – HOU, O/U – Over
Notes
When leading after 7 innings, Houston is 20-13, while Boston is 18-20.
The Red Sox are coming into this game after allowing zero walks during their last outing. The Astros have a 3-6 record when opponents give up that many walks.
When they are outhit, the Red Sox are 7-38. The Astros have a 10-24 record when opponents outhit them.
Houston tops the league in home runs with 116 this season. Boston ranks in the top half at 12th with 80.
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 sixth with 8.78.
Ranking 12th, Boston is in the top half of the league for its on-base plus slugging percentage (.721). Houston ranks in the top 10 at seventh with an OPS of .735.
When the Astros allow at least one home run, they are 18-24. When the Red Sox allow one or more homers, they have a 14-36 record.
