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Astros at Red Sox MLB Lines & Expert Pick for Friday Night.

Astros at Red Sox MLB Lines for Friday Night

Written by on September 7, 2018

The two Mybookie.ag favorites to win the World Series – and the two teams with the best records in baseball – meet in Game 1 of a potential ALCS preview as the Astros visit the Red Sox. It’s a fantastic pitching matchup, with Boston a slight MLB lines favorite at the latest odds for Friday Night.

How to Bet Astros at Red Sox MLB Lines & Game Info

Cubs vs Nationals MLB Odds & Expert Prediction – September 7th

Why Bet on Houston?

The Red Sox and Astros split four games in Houston from May 31-June 3, with three of them decided by multiple runs. Houston was 4-2 in Boston last year including playoffs. The Astros have the best-run differential in baseball at plus-235 and enter on a five-game winning streak. They routed the Twins 9-1 on Wednesday to complete a three-game sweep. Alex Bregman had a two-run homer, a three-run double and two walks. The 24-year-old is up to 29 homers, 47 doubles, and 96 RBI. George Springer had three hits and three runs scored. Springer has eight hits in his last four games, and his OPS is up to .778, which is as high as it’s been since the end of June. Carlos Correa sat out Wednesday but isn’t hurt and should be in there Friday. Correa has struggled since he came off the disabled list, hitting just .171 with a single homer since August 10. It’s Gerrit Cole (13-5, 2.86) on the mound. Cole allowed two earned runs on six hits and three walks while striking out nine across 5.2 innings to earn the win Sunday against the Angels. Cole turned in another strong start, relying on 20 swinging strikes to push ahead of teammate Justin Verlander for second in the majors with 243 punchouts. He was limited to a relatively short outing thanks to a 27-pitch third inning followed by a 25-pitch effort in the fourth inning. After losing three consecutive starts from July 30 to Aug. 10, Cole has gone 3-0 with a 3.57 ERA in his past four starts. His 243 strikeouts are the seventh-most in Astros history for a single season. On June 1 vs. the Red Sox, he allowed three runs and five hits over seven in a victory over Chris Sale. Red Sox MVP candidate JD Martinez is 3-for-9 career off Cole with a homer. Ian Kinsler is just 2-for-22.

Why Bet on Boston?

The Red Sox will finish with the majors’ best record barring a historic collapse. They enter off a three-game sweep of Atlanta. Wednesday’s 9-8 win was amazing as teams had been 0-487 when down by 6 or more runs entering the 8th inning this year. Brandon Phillips’ two-out, two-run homer in the ninth inning off A.J. Minter highlighted his long-awaited season debut. Boston scored six times in the eighth to make it 7-all. After Freddie Freeman hit a solo homer with two outs in the Braves eighth, the Red Sox bounced back for their 97th win this year. Phillips sat out the first half of this year, signed a minor league contract with Boston in late June and was called up from Triple-A Pawtucket on Tuesday. Craig Kimbrel nailed down his 38th save of the year on Wednesday. Kimbrel issued a two-out walk to Tyler Flowers before recording a game-ending strikeout of Lane Adams. The 30-year-old holds a strong 2.45 ERA, 1.04 WHIP, and 84/27 K/BB ratio over 55 total innings this season. Astros at Red Sox looks like a classic. Mookie Betts leads the majors in WAR (8.5). He also leads MLB in AVG (.336) and ranks 2nd in runs (111), OBP (.426), SLG (.627), and OPS (1.053), as well as T-5th in XBH (73) and 8th in steals (27). Yet he’s not even the MVP of his own team – JD Martinez is. Martinez leads MLB in RBI (115), hits (170), SLG (.641), XBH (76), and total bases (325). He ranks 2nd in AVG (.335) and HR (39), 3rd in OPS (1.048) and runs (103), and 4th in OBP (.407). Martinez’s 39 HR are the 4th-most for a player in his 1st season with BOS, trailing Dick Stuart (42 in 1963), Jimmie Foxx (41 in 1936), and Manny Ramirez (41 in 2001). It’s lefty David Price (14-6, 3.60) here. He returns to action after taking a liner off his pitching wrist on Aug. 29. In his seven starts since the All-Star break, Price is 4-0 with a 1.62 ERA. He beat the Astros on June 2, allowing three runs over six innings. Boston scored three in the top of the seventh to turn a 3-2 deficit into a 5-3 lead.

Latest Astros at Red Sox MLB Betting Trends

  • Houston is 5-0 ATS in its last 5 games
  • Houston is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games
  • The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Houston’s last 7 games
  • Boston is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games
  • Boston is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games
  • The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Boston’s last 6 games
  • Red Sox are 7-0 in their last 7 vs. American League West
  • Red Sox are 38-14 in their last 52 home games
  • Over is 6-2 in the last 8 meetings

Expert Prediction for Astros at Red Sox

Pick Boston only because the Sox bat last.