Boston Red Sox at Houston Astros Expert MLB Picks 5/25/2019

Saturday, May 25, 2019

Minute Maid Park

Get todays MLB odds and lines on this game.

Probable Pitchers: David Price vs. Brad Peacock

Mookie Betts and the Boston Red Sox (27-23, 3rd in AL East) travel to Minute Maid Park on Saturday where they'll meet the Houston Astros (33-18, 1st in AL West). The Red Sox open this contest at +119 while the Astros are coming in at -129. The O/U is set at 9.

The Red Sox have been solid for MLB bettors, having gone 27-23-0 SU. Houston covers 64.7% of the time, going 33-18-0 straight up. The Astros have been a great bet for baseball wagerers as favorites, going 33-17-0 SU. The Red Sox are covering 50.0% of the time as the underdog, having gone 3-3-0 straight up.

Valuable Boston Red Sox Betting Trends

The Red Sox have been a rough Under option for over/under baseball bettors, having gone 29-19-2.

Boston covers 51.8% of the time as the visitor, having gone 14-13-0 straight up.

Important Houston Astros Betting Trends

The Astros are covering 75.0% of the time at Minute Maid Park, going 18-6-0 SU.

The Astros have been a terrible Over option for over/under baseball bettors, having gone 21-28-2.

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 (05/22)
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

05/23/19 RF George Springer Back is questionable Friday vs Boston Red 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 27-23 overall record this season. Starting pitcher David Price has a 2-2 record with an earned run average of 3.29 and a WHIP of 1.07 this season. He has 46 strikeouts over his 41 innings pitched and he's given up 34 hits. He's allowed 7.5 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 3.48. The bullpen has an earned run average of 3.76 and they have given up 155 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .216 against the bullpen and they've struck out 223 hitters and walked 75 batters. As a team, Boston allows 7.9 hits per nine innings while striking out 10 batters per nine innings. They are 16th in the league in team earned run average at 4.32. The Red Sox pitchers collectively have given up 395 base hits and 216 earned runs. They have allowed 68 home runs this season, ranking them 11th in the league. Boston as a pitching staff has walked 163 batters and struck out 498. They have walked 3.3 men per 9 innings while striking out 10 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.24 and their FIP as a unit is 4.07.

Hitting Statistics

As a team Boston is hitting .258, good for 5th in the league. The Red Sox hold a .436 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .342, which is good for 3rd in baseball. They rank 3rd in MLB with 8.9 hits per game. Mookie Betts is hitting .289 with an on-base percentage of .405. He has 54 hits this season in 187 at bats with 25 runs batted in. He has a slugging percentage of .487 and an OPS+ of 135. J.D. Martinez is hitting .308 this year and he has an on-base percentage of .390. He has totaled 52 hits and he has driven in 29 men in 169 at bats. His OPS+ is 138 while his slugging percentage is at .521. The Red Sox have 446 hits, including 90 doubles and 71 home runs. Boston has walked 212 times so far this season and they have struck out 395 times as a unit. They have left 364 men on base and have a team OPS of .778. They score 5.34 runs per contest and have scored a total of 267 runs this year.

Useful Pitching Statistics

Houston has a 33-18 overall mark this year. With an earned run average of 3.59, Brad Peacock has a 5-2 record and a 1.05 WHIP. He has 50 strikeouts over the 47.2 innings he's pitched. He also has given up 36 hits. He's allowing 6.8 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 3.15. The bullpen has an earned run average of 2.64 and they have given up 112 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .196 against the Astros bullpen. Their relievers have struck out 168 batters and walked 48 opposing hitters. As a team, Houston allows 6.8 hits per nine innings while striking out 9.9 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 340 base knocks and 170 earned runs this season. They have given up 60 home runs this year, which ranks 22nd in Major League Baseball. Houston as a staff has walked 127 hitters and struck out 491 batters. They give up a walk 2.6 times per 9 innings while they strike out 9.9 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.04 while their FIP as a staff is 3.59.

Hitting Statistics

As a team, they are batting .278, good for 1st in the league. The Astros hold a .499 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .352, which is good for 1st in baseball. They rank 2nd in MLB with 9.4 hits per contest. Alex Bregman comes into this matchup batting .266 with an OBP of .391. He has 46 hits this year along with 35 RBI in 173 AB's. He maintains a slugging percentage of .561 with an OPS+ of 153. Carlos Correa is hitting .291 this season and he has an OBP of .353. He has collected 52 hits in 179 at bats while driving in 33 runs. He has an OPS+ of 141 and a slugging percentage of .559. The Astros as a unit have 478 base hits, including 93 doubles and 90 homers. Houston has walked 190 times this year and they have struck out on 359 occasions. They have had 357 men left on base and have an OPS of .851. They have scored 5.29 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 -129

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