Houston Astros at Boston Red Sox MLB Game Picks 5/17/2019

Friday, May 17, 2019

Fenway Park

Get todays MLB odds and lines on this game.

Probable Pitchers: Gerrit Cole vs. Rick Porcello

Michael Brantley and the Houston Astros (29-15, 1st in AL West) travel to Fenway Park on Friday where they'll take on the Boston Red Sox (23-20, 3rd in AL East). The moneyline on this matchup has the Astros coming in at -125 and the Red Sox are at +115. The total is set at 9.5.

The Astros have been bad for Las Vegas oddsmakers, having gone 29-15-0 SU. Boston covers 53.5% of the time, going 23-20-0 straight up. The Astros have been a very good pick for wagerers as a favorite, going 29-15-0 SU. Boston covers 75.0% of the time as an underdog, having gone 3-1-0 straight up.

Valuable Houston Astros Betting Trends

The Astros have been a dicey Over play for O/U MLB bettors, having gone 20-22-2.

Houston covers 50.0% of the time as the away team, having gone 11-11-0 straight up.

Important Boston Red Sox Betting Trends

Boston covers 60.0% of the time at Fenway Park, going 12-8-0 SU.

The Red Sox have been an awful Under play for O/U MLB bettors, having gone 26-16-1.

Key Houston Astros Injuries

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

Key Boston Red Sox Injuries

05/06/19 P David Price Elbow 10-day IL (05/03)
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

Useful Pitching Statistics

The Astros have a 29-15 overall record this season. Starting pitcher Gerrit Cole has a 4-4 record with an earned run average of 3.88 and a WHIP of 1.01 this season. He has 86 strikeouts over his 55.2 innings pitched and he's given up 41 hits. He's allowed 6.6 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 2.92. The bullpen has an earned run average of 2.84 and they have given up 93 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .197 against the bullpen and they've struck out 140 hitters and walked 42 batters. As a team, Houston allows 6.7 hits per nine innings while striking out 9.9 batters per nine innings. They are 5th in the league in team earned run average at 3.52. The Astros pitchers collectively have given up 287 base hits and 151 earned runs. They have allowed 52 home runs this season, ranking them 20th in the league. Houston as a pitching staff has walked 113 batters and struck out 423. They have walked 2.6 men per 9 innings while striking out 9.9 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.04 and their FIP as a unit is 3.64.

Hitting Statistics

As a team Houston is hitting .282, good for 1st in the league. The Astros hold a .512 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .354, which is good for 1st in baseball. They rank 1st in MLB with 9.6 hits per game. Michael Brantley is hitting .329 with an on-base percentage of .379. He has 55 hits this season in 167 at bats with 31 runs batted in. He has a slugging percentage of .575 and an OPS+ of 154. George Springer is hitting .320 this year and he has an on-base percentage of .400. He has totaled 55 hits and he has driven in 40 men in 172 at bats. His OPS+ is 179 while his slugging percentage is at .651. The Astros have 423 hits, including 81 doubles and 83 home runs. Houston has walked 163 times so far this season and they have struck out 317 times as a unit. They have left 309 men on base and have a team OPS of .866. They score 5.57 runs per contest and have scored a total of 245 runs this year.

Useful Pitching Statistics

Boston has a 23-20 overall mark this year. With an earned run average of 5.15, Rick Porcello has a 3-3 record and a 1.47 WHIP. He has 40 strikeouts over the 43.2 innings he's pitched. He also has given up 46 hits. He's allowing 9.5 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 4.96. The bullpen has an earned run average of 3.88 and they have given up 130 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .216 against the Red Sox bullpen. Their relievers have struck out 191 batters and walked 61 opposing hitters. As a team, Boston allows 8 hits per nine innings while striking out 10.2 batters per nine innings. They are 17th in the league in team earned run average at 4.38. The Red Sox pitchers as a team have surrendered 342 base knocks and 187 earned runs this season. They have given up 57 home runs this year, which ranks 9th in Major League Baseball. Boston as a staff has walked 138 hitters and struck out 436 batters. They give up a walk 3.2 times per 9 innings while they strike out 10.2 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.25 while their FIP as a staff is 3.99.

Hitting Statistics

As a team, they are batting .254, good for 10th in the league. The Red Sox hold a .427 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .341, which is good for 5th in baseball. They rank 9th in MLB with 8.7 hits per contest. J.D. Martinez comes into this matchup batting .321 with an OBP of .399. He has 51 hits this year along with 28 RBI in 159 AB's. He maintains a slugging percentage of .541 with an OPS+ of 147. Mookie Betts is hitting .289 this season and he has an OBP of .404. He has collected 46 hits in 159 at bats while driving in 23 runs. He has an OPS+ of 137 and a slugging percentage of .491. The Red Sox as a unit have 373 base hits, including 75 doubles and 58 homers. Boston has walked 186 times this year and they have struck out on 345 occasions. They have had 308 men left on base and have an OPS of .768. They have scored 5.35 runs per game and totaled 230 runs this season.

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

Guy's Pick: Take the Red Sox +115

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