Red Sox to Scratch Out Win Over Astros
Houston 7-2 in Last Nine
The Boston Red Sox will look to bounce back from their humbling loss in their series opener against the Houston Astros when the two American League pennant title contenders meet at Fenway Park on Wednesday night.
Boston (37-24) had its five-game winning streak snapped on Tuesday, but sits in second place in the AL East standings, 1.5 games behind reigning AL champion Tampa Bay. Houston (34-26) has won seven of its last nine to pull within one game of first-place Oakland in the AL West.
The Red Sox are slight home favorites to get the win in Game 2. The MLB betting odds for this matchup are live in the BetUS online sportsbook right now.
Houston Astros at Boston Red Sox
When: Wednesday, 7:10 p.m. ET
Where: Fenway Park, Boston, MA
TV: NESN, ATT SportsNet-SW
Starting Pitchers
Houston – Jake Odorizzi – RHP – (0-3, 7.16 ERA, 17 SO)
Boston – Nathan Eovaldi – RHP – (7-2, 3.78 ERA, 65 SO)
MLB Odds
Houston +125
Boston -140
Run Line
Houston +1½ (-155)
Boston 1½ (+135)
Total: 10
Astros Look To Support Odorizzi
The Astros smacked Boston around en route to a commanding 7-1 win in their series opener on Tuesday, as predicted. Yordan Alvarez and Carlos Correa each had a home run and two RBIs. Right-hander Frambler Valdez was lights out in limiting the Red Sox to one run on five hits with eight strikeouts in 7.1 innings. Enoli Paredes got the final two outs in the eighth and Josh Taylor pitched a scoreless ninth.
“It can be tough to face the same team twice in a row, but if you think of it as a difficult situation, it’ll be difficult for you,” Valdez said through a translator. “So I just thought about not focusing on that and just trying to pitch with intensity with every single one of my pitches.”
For Game 2, Houston will trot out veteran starter Jake Odorizzi. The right-hander allowed three runs on four hits, including a home run, in only three innings of a 5-1 loss against Boston on Thursday.
Boston Daunting With Eovaldi on Mound
Boston was dominated from the outset in the series opener as starter Martín Pérez allowed six runs on six hits in just two innings.
“We chased 38 percent of the pitches against them last week,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said. “We felt the at-bats were better than last week … but (Valdez) was good overall.”
For Game 2, the Red Sox will hand the ball to right-hander Nathan Eovaldi. The 31-year-old has not allowed more than two earned runs in each of his last three starts. Eovaldi limited the New York Yankees to two runs, (one earned) on eight hits in six innings in his last start. Boston has won three straight with Eovaldi on the mound. The Houston native is 1-1 with a 3.19 ERA and 28 strikeouts in his career against Houston.
Red Sox Rebound
Houston is 7-2 in their last nine games overall and 7-2 in their last nine games against teams from the AL East, but 0-4 in their last four road games against a right-handed starter. On the flip side of the coin, Boston is 4-0 in its last four games as a home favorite and 5-0 in their last five games against a right-handed starter. The Red Sox are 4-1 in their last five home games against a right-handed starter, and should be able to put enough runs on the board against Odorizzi to make a win stand up on Wednesday night.
Pick: Boston Red Sox -140
