Houston Astros vs Boston Red Sox Prediction & Betting Tips 8/19/2024

Houston Astros vs Boston Red Sox Preview

Both the Red Sox and Astros will send young pitchers to the mound on Monday, as the Red Sox are starting Tanner Houck, and the Astros are starting Yusei Kikuchi. The Red Sox are +106 on the money line, and the Astros are the slight favorite at -125. Today’s over/under line is sitting at 8.5 runs.

First pitch from Minute Maid Park is set for 8:10 PM ET, and the Astros will be looking to extend their two-game win streak. They are 67-56 overall, while the Red Sox are 65-58 and are 3rd in the AL East. Houston is also leading the AL West.

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Houston Astros vs. Boston Red Sox Trends and Key Stats

• The Red Sox are 2-3 across their last five road games. They have gone 2-3 vs. the runline.
• In the Astros’ five most recent home games, their record stands at 5-0 (SU) with 2-3 against the spread.
• The Astros have a straight-up record of 9-1 in their last ten games as the favorite, and a 6-4 record vs. the runline.
• Looking at the Red Sox’s previous ten games as the underdog they are 5-5 straight-up and 6-4 vs. the runline.

Houston Astros vs Boston Red Sox Prediction

Boston closed out their series vs. the Orioles with a 4-2 loss on the road. The Red Sox were the +106 underdog going into this matchup. Things started off well for the Red Sox, as they got on the board with a run in the 1st inning but gave up the lead right away as the Orioles scored three times in the bottom of the first.

Kutter Crawford got the start for the Red Sox and took the loss. He only lasted 5 1/3 innings, giving up three earned runs on two homers. Rob Refsnyder had only one hit, but it was a home run, and the Red Sox’s other run came in the 8th inning.

Boston is on the road today vs. the Astros, and they are seven games behind the Yankees in the AL East for the division lead. Overall, the Red Sox are 65-58 while going 16-15 in AL East games. The Red Sox split their series with the Orioles 2-2 and are 4-6 across their last 10 games.

At home, the Red Sox are 29-32 this year, and they have been good on the road at 36-26. So far, they have been the favorite in 59 games, going 34-25 in those matchups. As the underdog, the Red Sox are 31-33 this season. Their overall series record is 20-14-6 heading into today’s game.

When betting the run line with the Red Sox on the road, it’s been a profitable endeavor, as they are 35-27. They are 22-39 vs. the run line at home. Their average run margin is +0.2 runs per game, and they are 57-66 vs. the run line overall. They are 36-28 vs. the run line as an underdog, compared to 21-38 as a favorite.

When the Red Sox are on the road, the over/under line is set at 8.5 runs, and their games have averaged 9.8 runs per game this season. Overall, the over/under record for Boston games is 64-52, and when the line is set at 8.5 runs, the over has hit in 22 of their 35 games. This season, 39.8% of their games have had over/under lines set at 8.5 runs, and the under has hit in the last two games.

Tanner Houck gets the start for the Red Sox today as he faces the Astros on the road. He has made 24 starts this season and has a record of 8-8 with an ERA of 3.01. Houck’s WHIP for the season is 1.15, and he has one complete game shutout to go along with 17 quality starts. In his last outing, Houck went 6 2/3 innings, giving up two earned runs on six hits. He finished with a no-decision in that outing. Before that, he had given up at least three earned runs in three straight starts. Houck has been much better at home this year, coming in with an ERA of 3.31 compared to 3.27 on the road.

Heading into today’s game, the Red Sox are 4th in the league in runs scored, averaging 5 runs per contest. They have been even better on the road, averaging 5.3 runs per game. As a team, they are batting .262, which is the 2nd best mark in the league, and are also near the top of the league in slugging percentage and on-base percentage.

Rafael Devers has been one of the league’s top power hitters this season, as his 27 home runs are the 10th most in the league. He is also 15th in the league with 77 RBIs. Devers has also been swinging a hot bat of late, going 8/25 in his last six games with two homers. Jarren Duran is 3rd on the team with 15 homers and is batting .287 for the season.

The Astros’s offense was hot right out of the gates in their most recent game vs. the White Sox, closing out their series with a 2-0 win. After going on to win the game, the Astros were the heavy favorite at -365. It was a big day for Jose Altuve at the plate, as he went 2/3 with a homer and scored both of the Astros’s runs. The Astros also had a big game from Yainer Diaz, going 2/4 with a homer.

Framber Valdez got the start for the Astros, going seven innings and not giving up a run. He also issued just one walk and struck out nine White Sox batters. Josh Hader closed things out in the 9th, picking up the save.

Houston will host the Red Sox today with an overall record of 67-56, and they lead the AL West by four games over the Mariners. The Astros have won two straight games, and they are 9-1 over their last ten. This season, they are 21-18 in divisional games.

As the favorite, the Astros are 51-40 this season and an even 16-16 as the underdog. At home, they are 34-27 compared to 33-29 on the road. The team’s overall series record is 23-16-1, and they have won four straight series overall, including just taking two of three from the White Sox.

When the Astros are at home, they are 29-32 against the run line, which is a 0.6 run margin. They are 2-0 against the run line in their last two games and are 21-11 against the run line as an underdog so far this season.

When the Astros play at home, the over/under line is set at 8.5 runs for their game against the Red Sox today. The combined run average in Houston’s games this season is 8.6 runs per game. Overall, the over/under record for the Astros is 48-71 this season, and when the line is set at 8.5 runs, their record is 15-24. The average over/under line for Houston’s games this season is set at 9 runs. The under has hit in their last two games.

Yusei Kikuchi gets the start for the Astros today vs. the Red Sox and comes in with a record of 6-9 and an ERA of 4.49. So far this year, he has made 25 starts, and opponents are batting .257 off the left-hander. Kikuchi has turned in eight quality starts this year and is averaging 10.47 strikeouts per nine innings. In his last outing, he went 5 2/3 innings, giving up one earned run and picking up the win. Before that, he had back-to-back outings with no decisions and gave up two earned runs in each.

Yordan Alvarez has been a big power threat for the Astros this season, as he is 12th in the league with 25 homers and is batting .306. Alvarez’s 66 RBIs are also the 2nd most on the team. Catcher Yainer Diaz has also been a big run producer for the Astros, as his 69 RBIs lead the team. Alex Bregman and Kyle Tucker are also near the top of the Astros’ home run leaderboard, with 19 homers apiece.

Alvarez and Bregman have been swinging the bat well of late, with Bregman going 13/31 in his last seven games with four homers, and Alvarez also has four homers in his last nine games, while also batting .387. Altuve and Tucker are both on three-game hitting streaks.

Our prediction for this Red Sox and Astros matchup is for the Astros to pick up a 6-5 win at home. If you’re looking for a bet, we would recommend taking the Astros on the money line, where the payout is at -125.

Looking at the starting pitchers, our projections have Yusei Kikuchi finishing with six strikeouts, which is good for fifth among starters. As for Tanner Houck, we have him finishing with five K’s, which ranks him 11th.

Houston Astros vs Boston Red Sox Betting Tips

• Take the Astros on the moneyline
• On the run line we like the Red Sox (+1.5)
• Projecting a combined 11 runs, we like the over

Houston Astros Injury Report

Boston Red Sox Injury Report