Houston Astros vs Boston Red Sox Prediction, 10/20/2021 MLB Pick, Tips and Odds

Game: Houston Astros vs Boston Red Sox

Date: Wednesday, October 20, 2021

Location: Fenway Park in Boston, MA

TV: FS1

Odds/Point Spread: Houston (+118) Boston (-128)

Framber Valdez and the Houston Astros (95-67, 1st in AL West) are headed to Fenway Park on Wednesday where they'll meet the Boston Red Sox (92-70, 2nd in AL East) in Game 5 of the ALCS. The Astros open this game at +118 while the Red Sox are coming in at -128. The O/U opens at 10. The pitchers taking the mound are Framber Valdez and Chris Sale.

Houston has a slugging % of .444 and have struck out 1,222 times, while drawing a walk on 569 occasions. They have 834 RBI's and 1,496 hits this year, and their average at the plate sits at .267. The Astros have hit 299 doubles as a team and have smacked 221 balls out of the park. They have tallied 863 runs while having a team on-base percentage of .339. As a squad, the Houston Astros are compiling 5.3 runs per contest, which is 1st in MLB.

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Astros pitchers have allowed 187 home runs in addition to 658 runs in total (7th in MLB). They have walked 549 opposing hitters and their FIP comes in at 4.12 as a unit for the year. Their strikeout to walk ratio is 2.65 and their pitching staff holds a collective WHIP of 1.23. The Astros hold a team ERA of 3.76 on the year (7th in the league), and the staff has struck out 1,456 batters.

The Astros relief pitchers have recorded a save rate of 55.7% and has stepped onto the mound in 131 save situations. The relief pitchers have inherited 202 base runners over the course of the season with 36.1% of them ended up scoring. Astros bullpen pitchers have stepped onto the hill with opponents on base 137 times and also have had 166 appearances in high leverage situations. The Astros have dispatched 512 relievers to the mound so far this season. The relief pitchers have racked up 69 holds for the year (25th in baseball). They have earned 34 saves so far this season and have blown 27 of their 61 save opportunities.

The Houston Astros have earned a total of 4,335 putouts at this point in the season, in addition to 1,432 assists and 71 errors. Their fielding rate is holding at .988 which puts them in 1st in the majors, and they have turned 1,153 double plays. The Astros have turned 71.3% of baseballs in play into outs in their 13,005 innings, which ranks them 3rd in pro baseball.

Valdez has taken the ball for 313 frames and has 303 strikeouts during his pro baseball career. His earned run average is 3.74 (130 earned runs allowed) and his WHIP is 1.313. He has given up 269 base knocks (7.7 hits per nine innings) with 142 free passes. Valdez (24-17 career win-loss mark) sits with a FIP of 4.04 while he has faced 1,343 opposing batters in the major leagues.

The Boston Red Sox have recorded an OBP of .328 and a batting average of .261 on the campaign. They have been rung up on 1,386 occasions (20th in MLB) and have accounted for 1,434 hits. Boston has a total of 219 home runs this season to go along with 783 runs batted in. The Red Sox hold a team SLG% of .449 and they earn 5.12 runs per game (4th in baseball). They have 330 two-baggers, while taking a walk 512 times as well as recording 829 runs.

The Red Sox have a WHIP of 1.378 and are the owners of a FIP of 3.95 as a pitching staff so far this year. They come in at 28th in baseball as a staff in total hits conceded with 1,409. The Boston pitching staff have given up 749 runs on the campaign while holding a team ERA of 4.26 (671 earned runs allowed). Their K/BB ratio is 2.80 (1,527 strikeouts vs 546 walks). They have yielded 176 home runs and they yield 4.75 runs per 9 innings (18th in MLB).

With 176 save situations, the Red Sox have 95 holds and 27 blown saves. Boston has had relief pitchers enter the contest in 76 save opportunities and they have come away with 49 saves. Their bullpen pitchers have stepped onto the mound 198 times in high leverage situations in addition to 177 occasions with base runners. Boston relief pitchers have an inherited score percentage of 30.7% out of their 277 inherited runners. They are currently ranked 9th in MLB with a save percentage of 64.5%, and they have dispatched 563 relievers to the mound for the season.

In their 12,771 innings played, the Red Sox have earned a defensive efficiency of 65.9% (30th in baseball). The Boston Red Sox have turned 143 double plays and have notched a fielding percentage of .981 (29th in baseball). The Red Sox have recorded 1,421 assists, 108 errors and have amassed 4,257 putouts for the year.

Sale (114-74 career record) has earned a 3.03 earned run average while surrendering 7.3 hits per nine innings. He has a K/BB ratio of 5.33 and he has faced 6,727 hitters in his career. He has surrendered a total of 563 ER's while earning a WHIP of 1.042 and having a FIP of 2.9. During his pro baseball career, Sale has surrendered 1,357 hits while he has totaled 2,059 strikeouts in 1,672 frames.

Who will win tonight's MLB game against the spread?

Tony Sink's Pick: Take Houston (+118)

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