Boston Red Sox vs Houston Astros Betting Pick & Prediction 8/19/24

From Minute Maid Park in Houston, we have the Red Sox and Astros facing off in an AL matchup. This one gets started at 8:10 PM ET, and the Red Sox are looking to move above .500, as they are 65-58, which has them 3rd in the AL East. The Astros are -125 on the money line and have won two straight, putting them 1st in the AL West with a record of 67-56.

The over/under line is currently 8.5 runs, and tonight’s pitching matchup features Tanner Houck for the Red Sox and Yusei Kikuchi for the Astros.

HOUSTON ASTROS VS BOSTON RED SOX BETTING PICK

The Pick: Houston Astros Moneyline -125

This game will be played at Minute Maid Park at 8:10 ET on Monday, August 19th.

HOW TO BET THE RED SOX VS ASTROS:

• We have the Astros winning by a score of 6 to 5
• However, if you’re looking for a run line pick, we like the Red Sox to cover
• As for an over/under pick, we have this game finishing with 11 runs and like the over

Red Sox Records & Stats

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. The Red Sox’s offense scored their other run in the 8th but couldn’t complete the comeback.

Boston is on the road today vs. the Astros with an overall record of 65-58, which has them seven games behind the Orioles for the AL East lead. The Red Sox are 3rd in the AL East and have gone 16-15 in divisional games this year. So far, they have played 123 games, going 4-6 over their last 10.

At home, the Red Sox are just below .500 at 29-32 this season. On the road, they are 36-26, which is the 4th best road record in the American League. Boston has been favored in 59 games, going 34-25 in those games. As for their games as the underdog, the Red Sox are 31-33, which includes going 22-21 as the road underdog this year. The Red Sox have an overall series record of 20-14-6 heading into today’s game.

When betting the run line this season, the Red Sox have been a better play on the road than at home, going 35-27 vs. the run line away from Fenway Park. They have been a better play as the underdog vs. the favorite, going 36-28 vs. the run line as the underdog. Their average run differential in winning games is +4.0, while their average run differential in losing games is -4.1.

The Red Sox are on the road in Houston today, and the over/under line is set at 8.5 runs. Boston’s games have averaged 9.8 runs per game this season, and their over/under record is 64-52. When the line is set at 8.5 runs, their over/under record is 22-13. So far this season, 39.8% of their games have had higher over/under lines than 8.5 runs, and their current under streak is at 2 games.

Right-hander 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 a 3.01 ERA. Houck’s WHIP for the season is 1.15, and opponents are batting .226 off him this year. Houck has turned in one complete game shutout this year and has 17 quality starts. In his last outing, he finished with a no-decision, going 6 2/3 innings and giving up two earned runs on six hits. Before that, he had given up at least three earned runs in three straight starts.

The Red Sox come into today’s game as one of the league’s top offenses, averaging 5 runs per game, which is 4th in the MLB. They have been even better on the road, averaging 5.3 runs per game. Overall, they are the league’s 6th best home run hitting team and have the league’s best team BABIP. As a team, they are batting .262, which is 2nd in the league.

Rafael Devers has been the Red Sox’s top power threat this season, as his 27 home runs are 10th in the league, and his 77 RBIs are good for 15th in the MLB. Devers is also on a six-game hitting streak and has gone 8/25 with two homers over his last six games. Jarren Duran is also swinging a hot bat right now, going 11/17 in his last six games. For the season, he is batting .287 with 15 homers.

Astros Records & Stats

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. Houston’s Framber Valdez was excellent on the mound, going seven innings and not giving up a run. He also issued just one walk and struck out nine White Sox batters. The Astros’s offense scored their only two runs in thejson 6th inning.

Jose Altuve was 2/3 with a homer and two RBIs. The Astros also had a big game from Yainer Diaz, going 2/4 with a homer.

Houston is hosting 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 gone 21-18 in division play this year and have won two straight games overall. Their two-game winning streak has come as the favorite, and they are 51-40 when favored this year.

At home, the Astros are 34-27 this year and have gone 33-29 on the road. Houston has won four straight series, and their overall series record is 23-16-1 this year.

When the Astros are at home, they have a run line record of 29-32, but their average run margin is +1.0 runs per game. They have covered the run line in two straight games at home and are 42-49 on the run line as the favorite.

The Houston Astros are playing at home against the Boston Red Sox today, and the over/under line is set at 8.5 runs. The combined run average in Astros games this season is 8.6 runs, and their over/under record is 48-71. The average over/under line for their games is 9 runs, but when the line is set at 8.5 runs, their over/under record is 15-24. So far this season, 30.1% of their games have had over/under lines set at 8.5 runs or lower, and 38.2% have had lines set lower than 8.5 runs. The under has hit in their last two games.

Yusei Kikuchi gets the start for the Astros today and is coming off a solid outing vs. the Rays. In that start, he went 5 2/3 innings, picking up the win and giving up just one earned run. Looking back further, he has won each of his last two outings and has not given up more than two earned runs in any of his last three starts. Kikuchi’s record for the season is 6-9, and his ERA is 4.49. Out of his 25 starts, he has turned in eight quality starts and is averaging 10.47 strikeouts per nine innings. For the year, he has allowed 19 homers.

Over his last seven games, Alex Bregman has been on fire, going 13/31 with four homers and seven RBIs. For the season, Bregman is batting .261 and is 2nd on the team with 19 homers. Yordan Alvarez also has 19 homers this season and is batting .306 for the year. He has gone deep four times in his last nine games.

Alvarez’s 66 RBIs are 2nd on the team, with Yainer Diaz leading the Astros with 69 runs batted in. Diaz also has 13 homers and is batting .298. Jose Altuve has the team’s 3rd best batting average at .301 and has 16 homers.