Houston Astros vs Boston Red Sox Betting Pick & Prediction 8/9/24

The Red Sox and Astros face off in an AL matchup at 7:10 PM ET at Fenway Park in Boston, MA. Houston is currently 1st in the AL West with a record of 59-55, while the Red Sox are 3rd in the AL East at 61-52.

The over/under line for Friday’s game is at 9.5 runs, and the Red Sox are favored on the money line, with the odds sitting at -130 compared to the Astros at +110. Today’s starting pitching matchup features Ronel Blanco for the Astros and Tanner Houck for the Red Sox. Boston is currently on a two-game winning streak.

BOSTON RED SOX VS HOUSTON ASTROS BETTING PICK

The Pick: Boston Red Sox Moneyline -130

This game will be played at Fenway Park at 7:10 ET on Friday, August 9th.

HOW TO BET THE ASTROS VS RED SOX:

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

Astros Records & Stats

Houston closed out their series vs. the Rangers with a 6-4 win on the road. Leading up to the game, the Astros were the slight favorite at -131 on the money line. It was a big 1st inning for the Astros, as they got on the board with a run and added another three runs in the 3rd.

Yusei Kikuchi put together a good start for the Astros, going 5 1/3 innings and giving up just two runs on four hits. He also issued three walks and struck out eight Rangers batters. Victor Caratini had only two hits, but one of them was a home run, and the Astros scored three runs in the 3rd.

Houston hits the road with an overall record of 59-55, which has them tied with the Mariners for the AL West lead. The Astros are 21-18 against other teams in the AL West and have won two straight games. Their two-game winning streak comes after dropping the final game of their series vs. the Rangers.

As the road team, the Astros are 27-29 this season compared to 32-26 at home. So far, they have been an even 11-11 as the road underdog. Houston’s overall series record is 20-16-1 this season, and they are 4-6 over their last 10 games.

When it comes to the run line, the Astros have been a .500 team at 57-57, but they have been a bit better on the road at 30-26. They have covered the run line in four straight road games and have a scoring margin of -0.1 runs per game away from home. The Astros have been a run line favorite in 84 of their games and are 38-46 in those contests.

When the Astros are on the road, the over/under line is set at 9.5 runs, which is higher than their season average of 8.7 runs per game. This season, Houston’s over/under record is 45-65, and their average over/under line is set at 9 runs. When the line is set at 9.5 runs, the Astros have gone over the total in just two of six games. Overall, 87.7% of their games have had lower over/under lines than 9.5 runs.

Houston is sending Ronel Blanco to the mound today vs. the Red Sox, and he comes in with a record of 9-6 and an ERA of 2.98. Blanco has made 21 starts this year and has one complete game shutout. In his last outing, Blanco took the loss, going five innings and giving up two earned runs on six hits. Looking back over his last four starts, Blanco has taken the loss in three of them. He has allowed at least one homer in each of his last four outings. Blanco’s ERA at home is 3.36, compared to 2.94 on the road.

Yainer Diaz has been red hot for the Astros, going 14/31 in his last eight games with a home run and two RBIs. For the season, he is batting .300 with 10 homers, which is 6th in the MLB. Yordan Alvarez has also been swinging a good bat of late, going 9/29 in his last eight games with two homers and three RBIs. Alvarez is 11th in the league with 22 homers this season.

Alvarez and Diaz are not the only Astros players with good power numbers, as Kyle Tucker has 19 homers this season and is batting .266. He has also been patient at the plate, leading the team with a .395 on-base percentage. The Astros are 3rd in the league in strikeouts per game and are 3rd in team batting average.

Red Sox Records & Stats

Boston closed out their series vs. the Royals with an 8-4 loss. Heading into the game, the Red Sox were the +119 underdog on the money line. Things started off well for the Red Sox, as they got on the board with a three-run 3rd inning but gave up the lead right away as the Royals scored four times in the bottom of the third.

Kutter Crawford got the start for the Red Sox and took the loss. He only lasted 3 2/3 innings, giving up six earned runs on five hits. Romy Gonzalez had a big game at the plate, going 1/3 with a homer and three RBIs.

Boston opens their series vs. the Astros at home, and they are 5.5 games behind the Orioles for the AL East lead. Overall, the Red Sox are 61-52, and they are 14-13 in AL East matchups. The Red Sox are coming off winning their series vs. the Royals, taking two of three games.

At home, the Red Sox are 27-28 this season compared to 34-24 on the road. So far, they have been good as the favorite, going 32-22, and they are 29-30 as the underdog. Boston’s overall series record is 19-13-5, and they have won three straight series.

When betting the run line, the Red Sox have been a better bet on the road than at home this season. Boston is 33-25 against the run line on the road, compared to 21-34 at home. The Red Sox have a run differential of +0.3 runs per game overall, but that number drops to -0.3 runs per game at Fenway Park.

The Red Sox have been on a roll offensively, with their games going over the total in six straight contests. On the season, Boston’s games have averaged 9.7 runs per game, and their over/under record is 59-48. The over/under line for today’s game against the Astros is set at 9.5 runs, which is slightly higher than their season average of 9 runs per game. So far this season, 10.6% of their games have had over/under lines set at 9.5 runs or higher.

Tanner Houck will be looking to bounce back from a rough outing vs. the Rangers, as he gets the start for the Red Sox today. Against the Rangers, he gave up six earned runs in five innings of work, taking the loss. Looking back over his last three starts, Houck has given up at least four earned runs in each outing. Overall, he has made 22 starts and has a record of 8-8, along with an ERA of 3.09. Opponents have a batting average of .226 vs. Houck this season. Per nine innings, he is averaging 2.35 walks compared to 8.26 strikeouts.

Rafael Devers has been the Red Sox’s top power threat this season, as his 25 home runs are the best on the team and 8th in the league. He is also batting a team-high .304 and has driven in 70 runs, which is 15th best in the MLB. Over his last 10 games, Devers has gone 16/42 (.381) with two homers and six RBIs. Jarren Duran has also been a key power threat for the Red Sox, as he has 14 homers and is batting .292.

Boston comes into the game with the league’s top OPS at .774 and are also the top team in terms of batting average. Overall, they are 4th in the league in runs scored and are averaging 5.3 runs per game on the road. As a team, they are also one of the best home run hitting teams in the league.