Boston Red Sox at Houston Astros Expert MLB Picks 5/24/2019

Friday, May 24, 2019

Minute Maid Park

Get todays MLB odds and lines on this game.

Probable Pitchers: Chris Sale vs. Wade Miley

J.D. Martinez and the Boston Red Sox (26-23, 3rd in AL East) head to Minute Maid Park on Friday where they'll take on the Houston Astros (33-17, 1st in AL West). The moneyline on this game has the Red Sox coming in at -135 and the Astros are at +125. The O/U has been set at 8.5.

The Red Sox have been inconsistent for oddsmakers, having gone 26-23-0 SU. Houston covers 66.0% of the time, going 33-17-0 straight up. The Red Sox have been a pretty good option for MLB wagerers as a favorite, going 23-20-0 SU. The Astros cover 0.0% of the time as the underdog, having gone 0-1-0 straight up.

Valuable Boston Red Sox Betting Trends

The Red Sox have been a very good Over choice for over/under MLB wagerers, having gone 29-19-1.

The Red Sox cover 50.0% of the time as the road team, having gone 13-13-0 straight up.

Important Houston Astros Betting Trends

Houston covers 78.3% of the time at Minute Maid Park, going 18-5-0 SU.

The Astros have been a very good Under choice for over/under MLB wagerers, having gone 21-27-2.

Key Boston Red Sox Injuries

05/23/19 RF J.D. Martinez Back is questionable Friday vs Houston Astros
05/23/19 P Tyler Thornburg Hip 10-day IL (05/23)
05/03/19 SS Tzu-Wei Lin Knee 10-day IL (05/04)
04/20/19 P Nathan Eovaldi Elbow 10-day IL (04/18)
04/19/19 2B Dustin Pedroia Knee 10-day IL (04/18)
04/06/19 P Brian Johnson Elbow 10-day IL (04/06)
04/06/19 2B Brock Holt Eye 10-day IL (04/06)
03/25/19 P Steven Wright Suspension 80 game suspension

Key Houston Astros Injuries

05/22/19 RF George Springer Back is questionable Thursday vs Chicago White Sox
05/21/19 P Collin McHugh Elbow 10-day IL (05/21)
05/11/19 2B Jose Altuve Hamstring 10-day IL (05/11)
03/28/19 P Joe Smith Achilles 10-day IL (03/25)
03/28/19 P Lance McCullers Jr Elbow 10-day IL (03/25); is out for season

Useful Pitching Statistics

The Red Sox have a 26-23 overall record this season. Starting pitcher Chris Sale has a 1-5 record with an earned run average of 4.31 and a WHIP of 1.08 this season. He has 83 strikeouts over his 56.1 innings pitched and he's given up 45 hits. He's allowed 7.2 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 3.43. The bullpen has an earned run average of 3.78 and they have given up 153 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .216 against the bullpen and they've struck out 221 hitters and walked 75 batters. As a team, Boston allows 8 hits per nine innings while striking out 10 batters per nine innings. They are 17th in the league in team earned run average at 4.37. The Red Sox pitchers collectively have given up 390 base hits and 214 earned runs. They have allowed 67 home runs this season, ranking them 9th in the league. Boston as a pitching staff has walked 163 batters and struck out 492. They have walked 3.3 men per 9 innings while striking out 10 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.25 and their FIP as a unit is 4.07.

Hitting Statistics

As a team Boston is hitting .255, good for 8th in the league. The Red Sox hold a .433 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .341, which is good for 3rd in baseball. They rank 8th in MLB with 8.8 hits per game. J.D. Martinez is hitting .308 with an on-base percentage of .390. He has 52 hits this season in 169 at bats with 29 runs batted in. He has a slugging percentage of .521 and an OPS+ of 139. Mookie Betts is hitting .290 this year and he has an on-base percentage of .405. He has totaled 53 hits and he has driven in 24 men in 183 at bats. His OPS+ is 135 while his slugging percentage is at .486. The Red Sox have 431 hits, including 86 doubles and 70 home runs. Boston has walked 210 times so far this season and they have struck out 388 times as a unit. They have left 355 men on base and have a team OPS of .774. They score 5.29 runs per contest and have scored a total of 259 runs this year.

Useful Pitching Statistics

Houston has a 33-17 overall mark this year. With an earned run average of 3.51, Wade Miley has a 4-2 record and a 1.17 WHIP. He has 37 strikeouts over the 56.1 innings he's pitched. He also has given up 53 hits. He's allowing 8.5 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 4.36. The bullpen has an earned run average of 2.74 and they have given up 107 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .195 against the Astros bullpen. Their relievers have struck out 160 batters and walked 46 opposing hitters. As a team, Houston allows 6.7 hits per nine innings while striking out 9.8 batters per nine innings. They are 2nd in the league in team earned run average at 3.42. The Astros pitchers as a team have surrendered 329 base knocks and 167 earned runs this season. They have given up 59 home runs this year, which ranks 22nd in Major League Baseball. Houston as a staff has walked 124 hitters and struck out 480 batters. They give up a walk 2.5 times per 9 innings while they strike out 9.8 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.03 while their FIP as a staff is 3.59.

Hitting Statistics

As a team, they are batting .281, good for 1st in the league. The Astros hold a .506 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .355, which is good for 1st in baseball. They rank 1st in MLB with 9.5 hits per contest. Carlos Correa comes into this matchup batting .297 with an OBP of .360. He has 52 hits this year along with 33 RBI in 175 AB's. He maintains a slugging percentage of .571 with an OPS+ of 146. Alex Bregman is hitting .272 this season and he has an OBP of .398. He has collected 46 hits in 169 at bats while driving in 35 runs. He has an OPS+ of 159 and a slugging percentage of .574. The Astros as a unit have 474 base hits, including 93 doubles and 90 homers. Houston has walked 189 times this year and they have struck out on 350 occasions. They have had 352 men left on base and have an OPS of .860. They have scored 5.4 runs per game and totaled 270 runs this season.

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

Josh's Pick: Take the Astros +125

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 Josh Schonwald