Boston Red Sox at Houston Astros 10/5/2017 Free MLB Picks and Predictions

Thursday, October 5, 2017

Minute Maid Park

Get todays MLB odds and lines on this game.

Probable Pitchers: Chris Sale vs. Justin Verlander

The Boston Red Sox head to Minute Maid Park on Thursday, October 5, 2017 to take on the Houston Astros in Game 1 of the ALDS. The expected starting pitchers are Chris Sale for the Red Sox and Justin Verlander for the Astros.

The odds for this matchup have Boston at +103 and Houston at -113. The Red Sox have a 71-85-6 over/under mark and a 86-76-0 run line record. The Astros are 85-77-0 against the run line and have a 81-72-9 over/under record.

Valuable Boston Red Sox Betting Trends

The Boston Red Sox are 71-85-6 against the over/under

The Boston Red Sox are 86-76-0 against the run line

Important Houston Astros Betting Trends

The Houston Astros are 81-72-9 against the over/under

The Houston Astros are 85-77-0 against the run line

Key Boston Red Sox Injuries

10/01/17 SS Eduardo Nunez Knee "?" Thursday vs. Houston Astros
07/31/17 2B Josh Rutledge Concussion 60-day DL (06/24)
07/10/17 P Robbie Ross Elbow 60-day DL (05/19)
05/28/17 SS Marco Hernandez Shoulder 60-day DL (05/04)
05/28/17 P Steven Wright Knee 60-day DL (04/30)
05/28/17 P Tyler Thornburg Shoulder 60-day DL (04/01)

Key Houston Astros Injuries

10/01/17 P Brady Rodgers Elbow 60-day DL (08/31)
10/01/17 P David Paulino Elbow 60-day DL (10/01)
10/01/17 RF Josh Reddick Back "?" Thursday vs. Boston Red Sox
09/14/17 CF Jake Marisnick Thumb out indefinitely
04/20/17 P Jandel Gustave Elbow 60-day DL (04/19)

Useful Pitching Statistics

The Red Sox have a 93-69 overall record this season. Starting pitcher Chris Sale has a 17-8 record with an earned run average of 2.90 and a WHIP of 0.97. He has 308 strikeouts over his 214.1 innings pitched and he's given up 165 hits. He allows 6.9 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 2.45. The bullpen has an earned run average of 3.15 and they have given up 442 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .223 against the bullpen and they've struck out 579 hitters and walked 179 batters. As a team, Boston allows 8.4 hits per nine innings while striking out 9.6 batters per nine innings. They are 4th in the league in team earned run average at 3.7. The Red Sox pitchers collectively have given up 1,384 base hits and 610 earned runs. They have allowed 195 home runs this season, ranking them 15th in the league. Boston as a pitching staff has walked 465 batters and struck out 1,580. They have walked 2.8 men per 9 innings while striking out 9.6 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.25 and their FIP as a unit is 3.78.

Hitting Statistics

As a team Boston is hitting .258, good for 12th in the league. The Red Sox hold a .407 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .329, which is good for 11th in baseball. They rank 8th in MLB with 9.0 hits per game. Mookie Betts is hitting .264 with an on-base percentage of .344. He has 166 hits this season in 628 at bats with 102 runs batted in. He has a slugging percentage of .459 and an OPS+ of 108. Xander Bogaerts is hitting .273 this year and he has an on-base percentage of .343. He has totaled 156 hits and he has driven in 62 men in 571 at bats. His OPS+ is 95 while his slugging percentage is at .403. The Red Sox have 1,461 hits, including 302 doubles and 168 home runs. Boston has walked 571 times so far this season and they have struck out 1,224 times as a unit. They have left 1,134 men on base and have a team OPS of .736. They score 4.85 runs per contest and have scored a total of 785 runs this year.

Useful Pitching Statistics

Houston has a 101-61 overall mark this year. With an earned run average of 3.36, Justin Verlander has a 15-8 record and a 1.18 WHIP. He has 219 strikeouts over the 206 innings he's pitched. He's also given up 170 hits. He allows 7.4 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 3.84. The bullpen has an earned run average of 4.27 and they have given up 485 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .232 against the Astros bullpen. Their relievers have struck out 662 batters and walked 213 opposing hitters. As a team, Houston allows 8.2 hits per nine innings while striking out 9.9 batters per nine innings. They are 11th in the league in team earned run average at 4.12. The Astros pitchers as a team have surrendered 1,314 base knocks and 662 earned runs this season. They have given up 192 home runs this year, which ranks 20th in Major League Baseball. Houston as a staff has walked 522 hitters and struck out 1,593 batters. They give up a walk 3.2 times per 9 innings while they strike out 9.9 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.27 while their FIP as a staff is 3.91.

Hitting Statistics

As a team, they are batting .282, good for 1st in the league. The Astros hold a .478 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .346, which is good for 1st in baseball. They rank 1st in MLB with 9.8 hits per contest. Jose Altuve comes into this matchup batting .346 with an OBP of .410. He has 204 hits this year along with 81 RBI in 590 AB's. He maintains a slugging percentage of .547 with an OPS+ of 165. George Springer is hitting .283 this season and he has an OBP of .367. He has collected 155 hits in 548 at bats while driving in 85 runs. He has an OPS+ of 145 and a slugging percentage of .522. The Astros as a unit have 1,581 base hits, including 346 doubles and 238 homers. Houston has walked 509 times this year and they have struck out on 1,087 occasions. They have had 1,094 men left on base and have an OPS of .823. They have scored 5.53 runs per game and totaled 896 runs this season.

Who will win tonight's Red Sox/Astros MLB game against the spread?

Guy's Pick: Take the Red Sox +103

Get $60 worth of FREE premium member picks. No Obligation. No Salesman. No Credit Card. Fast Sign up with Instant Access Click Here

Read more articles by Guy Bruhn