Contents

Lock in Over for Astros-Red Sox

· Aug 29 - 4 minutes read

The Houston Astros cruised to a 13-5 win in Game 1 against the Boston Red Sox. The night was headlined by second baseman Jose Altuve’s incredible performance. He recorded a cycle with four RBIs. It was Houston’s first cycle since 2013.

After allowing 18 hits on Monday, will Boston slow the Astros in Game 2? Houston is on a three-game winning streak while averaging 13 runs. The Red Sox are 1-3 in the last four games while opponents are averaging eight runs. Are the Astros in store for another high-scoring game? Let’s check out the most favorable MLB picks for Tuesday’s clash.

Starting Pitchers

J.P. France (9-5, 3.51 ERA) vs Brayan Bello (10-7, 3.56)

Game 2 will feature a rookie clash between J.P. France and Brayan Bello. From July 5-Aug.18, France boasted a 2.27 ERA and allowed only three home runs. However, the rookie right-hander comes off the worst start of his career.

France surrendered 11 hits and 10 earned runs… yikes. Houston didn’t leave him in long either, as France was pulled in the third inning. If this becomes an extended cold streak, this will surely impact futures backing the Astros.

Brayan Bello, on the other hand, shows no sign of slowing down. He has a 3.26 ERA in five starts this month and continues to give Boston deep, quality starts. Bello has pitched for at least six innings in five of his last six outings. He pitched for seven innings with only one earned run in his previous start. Bello has lasted until the seventh in six of 22 starts, an impressive percentage of 27.3%.

McCormick Rounds Bases

Third-year outfielder Chas McCormick has been a breakout player for the Astros. He’s batting .282 with a .365 on-base percentage, giving Houston excellent production in the five and six holes.

McCormick is hitting .293 over his previous nine games. He is on a three-game hitting streak with five knocks in his last 15 at-bats. Our MLB lines have McCormick priced at +115 to record a run. This is an intriguing pick, with the right-handed hitter regularly getting on base.

Chas McCormick has been dancing since the All-Star break:

.330 AVG
1.098 OPS
11 HR
27 RBI
25 R (32 games)

He now has 3 multi homer games since the break. Star. He’s been 1 of the pleasant surprises this season #Astros #Ready2Reign pic.twitter.com/g9JVcd4PzK

— Maanav Gupta (@MGSportsTalk) August 22, 2023

McCormick has scored three runs in the last three games. That bodes well for this pick. However, the positive odds still make sense. McCormick hits in the bottom half of the order, meaning there are fewer quality bats to knock him in.

Houston has several hitters catching fire in the bottom of the order, though. First baseman Jose Abreu has back-to-back games with two hits. Shortstop Jeremy Pena has eight hits in his previous 15 at-bats (.533). Take McCormick to score a run.

Pick: Chas McCormick Records Run (+115)

Over Is Rolling

The over has hit in five consecutive Astros-Red Sox matchups. The over is 10-0 in Boston’s previous 10 games and 9-1 in Houston’s last 10. You know where we are going with this, right? Hammer the over.

The Astros are red-hot with a 13-run average in their last three. The Red Sox have cooled off 5.3 runs per game in the last four.

However, France comes off a poor outing. He has allowed four homers over his last two starts. Boston is averaging 2.4 homers in its last five games.

This feels like an easy MLB prediction. Both teams rank in the top seven of runs per game. Plus, the over has rolled for both squads. You know the drill, though. When it feels too obvious, we get burned. Still, we can’t deny the over looks like a lock.