Boston Red Sox at Houston Astros Expert MLB Picks 5/26/2019

Sunday, May 26, 2019

Minute Maid Park

Get todays MLB odds and lines on this game.

Probable Pitchers: Eduardo Rodriguez vs. Justin Verlander

Carlos Correa and the Houston Astros (34-18, 1st in AL West) host the Boston Red Sox (27-24, 3rd in AL East) at Minute Maid Park on Sunday, May 26, 2019. The moneyline on this matchup has the Red Sox priced at +162 and the Astros are at -172. The total has been set at 8.5.

The Red Sox have been dicey for Las Vegas, having gone 27-24-0 SU. The Astros are covering 65.4% of the time, going 34-18-0 straight up. The Astros have been a very good play for MLB bettors as favorites, going 33-17-0 SU. Boston has went 3-3-0 straight up as the underdog, so they are covering 50.0% of the time.

Valuable Boston Red Sox Betting Trends

The Red Sox have been a rough Under pick for O/U baseball bettors, having gone 29-20-2.

The Red Sox are covering 50.0% of the time as a visitor, having gone 14-14-0 straight up.

Important Houston Astros Betting Trends

Houston is covering 76.0% of the time at Minute Maid Park, going 19-6-0 SU.

The Astros have been a rough Over pick for O/U baseball bettors, having gone 21-29-2.

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 27-24 overall record this season. Starting pitcher Eduardo Rodriguez has a 4-3 record with an earned run average of 5.43 and a WHIP of 1.46 this season. He has 61 strikeouts over his 54.2 innings pitched and he's given up 61 hits. He's allowed 10 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 3.67. The bullpen has an earned run average of 3.72 and they have given up 156 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .215 against the bullpen and they've struck out 224 hitters and walked 78 batters. As a team, Boston allows 7.8 hits per nine innings while striking out 9.9 batters per nine innings. They are 15th in the league in team earned run average at 4.28. The Red Sox pitchers collectively have given up 399 base hits and 218 earned runs. They have allowed 69 home runs this season, ranking them 11th in the league. Boston as a pitching staff has walked 168 batters and struck out 504. They have walked 3.3 men per 9 innings while striking out 9.9 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.24 and their FIP as a unit is 4.09.

Hitting Statistics

As a team Boston is hitting .257, good for 4th in the league. The Red Sox hold a .437 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .341, which is good for 5th in baseball. They rank 6th in MLB with 8.9 hits per game. J.D. Martinez is hitting .302 with an on-base percentage of .387. He has 52 hits this season in 172 at bats with 29 runs batted in. He has a slugging percentage of .512 and an OPS+ of 135. Mookie Betts is hitting .293 this year and he has an on-base percentage of .407. He has totaled 56 hits and he has driven in 25 men in 191 at bats. His OPS+ is 137 while his slugging percentage is at .492. The Red Sox have 453 hits, including 91 doubles and 74 home runs. Boston has walked 215 times so far this season and they have struck out 409 times as a unit. They have left 370 men on base and have a team OPS of .779. They score 5.29 runs per contest and have scored a total of 270 runs this year.

Useful Pitching Statistics

Houston has a 34-18 overall mark this year. With an earned run average of 2.24, Justin Verlander has a 8-1 record and a 0.73 WHIP. He has 89 strikeouts over the 72.1 innings he's pitched. He also has given up 36 hits. He's allowing 4.5 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 3.66. The bullpen has an earned run average of 2.71 and they have given up 115 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .197 against the Astros bullpen. Their relievers have struck out 174 batters and walked 49 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 3.41. The Astros pitchers as a team have surrendered 347 base knocks and 173 earned runs this season. They have given up 63 home runs this year, which ranks 18th in Major League Baseball. Houston as a staff has walked 130 hitters and struck out 505 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 3.62.

Hitting Statistics

As a team, they are batting .276, good for 1st in the league. The Astros hold a .495 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .350, which is good for 1st in baseball. They rank 2nd in MLB with 9.3 hits per contest. Carlos Correa comes into this matchup batting .284 with an OBP of .346. He has 52 hits this year along with 33 RBI in 183 AB's. He maintains a slugging percentage of .546 with an OPS+ of 136. Alex Bregman is hitting .261 this season and he has an OBP of .388. He has collected 46 hits in 176 at bats while driving in 35 runs. He has an OPS+ of 150 and a slugging percentage of .551. The Astros as a unit have 482 base hits, including 93 doubles and 91 homers. Houston has walked 195 times this year and they have struck out on 365 occasions. They have had 365 men left on base and have an OPS of .845. They have scored 5.27 runs per game and totaled 274 runs this season.

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

Josh's Pick: Take the Astros -172

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