To get a three-game bill underway, the Boston Red Sox will pay a visit to the Houston Astros on Monday night. These clubs last met in Massachusetts in May, with the Red Sox taking two of three.
MLB Performance Recap
Boston (51-52) didn’t get off to the best start in the second half. Things haven’t gotten better for them. The Red Sox are 3-7 over their last ten matchups and are the only team in the American League East below .500.
As it stands, they’re in fifth place in the grouping, 18 games behind the arch rival New York Yankees. The Astros (67-36) hold a comfortable lead in the American League West, being that they’re a dozen games ahead of Seattle.
Houston has beaten the Seattle Mariners in six of the seven games those two squads have played since the All-Star break ended. That includes an extra-inning win on Sunday.
Left fielder Yordan Alvarez is in the conversation for the Junior Circuit’s MVP award, as he leads the Astros in all major hitting categories. He has a .310 batting average, 30 home runs, 70 runs driven in, and a .417 on-base percentage.
Along with him, Houston has six batters who have collected double-digit long balls this year. Others to do so include second baseman Jose Altuve and third baseman Alex Bregman.
Astros vs. Red Sox Odds
MLB odds point to the hosts enjoying success in their own ballpark here. Houston is -1.5 on the run line at +118, while the Red Sox are -142 to cover the spread.
On the moneyline, the Astros are -188 and Boston a +158 underdog. The total has been set at eight runs, with the over being -110 and the under the same at the time of this writing.
Red Sox’s Offense
The Red Sox’s offense has done a solid job to this juncture. They rank sixth in the majors in team batting average (.255). Boston also grades out in the top 10 in terms of runs scored and RBIs.
The trio of third baseman Rafael Devers, second baseman Trevor Story, and shortstop Xander Bogaerts has been the engine of the Red Sox’s offense.
Devers and Bogaerts are both hitting over .315 entering this slate. The former has a team-high 22 home runs, while the latter has a .392 on-base percentage.
Story has 58 runs batted in, while Devers (55) and left fielder Alex Verdugo (52) follow close behind in that category.
Houston Astros vs. Boston Red Sox Betting Preview
Who Is Starting for the Astros?
Luis Garcia, a 25-year-old righty, is scheduled to take the mound for the home team. He has an 8-6 record so far, along with a 3.81 ERA and a 1.08 WHIP.
Before a loss on the road at Oakland recently, the Houston Astros had won six of his starts in a row. In all but one of those outings, he allowed three earned runs or less.
Garcia played against Boston once earlier this year, in May, and went four innings. He gave up five runs in a losing decision.
Who Is Starting for the Red Sox?
For the Red Sox, Nathan Eovaldi will be making his 16th start this season. He’s gone 4-3 with a 4.43 ERA thus far.
After a disappointing effort in a blowout loss to Toronto on June 22, he didn’t do much better his last time out. In that one, he let Cleveland register five runs on nine knocks. He’ll aim to provide some better help to the adequate lineup that backs him.
Astros vs. Red Sox Picks and Predictions
The Red Sox vs. Astros odds are out there, so now we’ll make our MLB picks for this matchup. Both offenses have been able to do well, but Boston is still missing a few key pieces in Devers and Story, who are both shelved on the injured list.
Combine that with the fact that Eovaldi’s in a rough patch — and the Red Sox are on the road — and it spells trouble, for Boston, at least. Take the Astros to cover the spread.
MLB Pick: Astros -1.5 (+125)
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