Houston Astros vs Boston Red Sox Prediction and Betting Odds August 1
Houston Astros vs Boston Red Sox Betting Preview
WagerTalk MLB analyst Brian Ochsner offers his analysis of Monday night’s Houston Astros vs Boston Red Sox Prediction and Betting Odds August 1 clash at Minute Maid Park. The Red Sox have won two of three matchups against the Astros so far this season.
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| Monday, August 1 | MLB Betting Notes, Courtesy of Caesars |
|---|---|
| Moneyline: | Houston Astros -190 vs Boston Red Sox +158 |
| Runline: | Astros -1.5 (+125) / Red Sox +1.5 (-145) |
| Total: | 8 Runs (Over +100 / Under -120) |
| Game Time: | 8:10pm ET / 5:10pm PT |
| Where: | Minute Maid Park in Houston, TX |
| Weather: | Retractable Roof |
Houston Astros vs Boston Red Sox Analysis
The Boston Red Sox travel to Texas to play the Houston Astros at Minute Maid Park. The Sox come off losing two of three from the Brewers in Fenway, and Houston won three of four from Seattle at home.
It’s a battle of righties as Nathan Eovaldi takes the mound against Luis Garcia, first pitch scheduled for 8:10 EDT / 5:10 PDT.
Eovaldi Looks to Energize Red Sox
Boston has had a disappointing season this year with a 51-52 record (last in the AL East, 18 games behind the Yankees), and behind six other non-division-leading teams for a wildcard spot.
While they’re still mathematically in the race, they have a lot of upgrades to make to this roster to be more competitive – especially with their starting rotation and the bullpen.
Their relievers are in the bottom 10 for ERA, and they have a 24th best staff ERA at 4.33. The offense has carried Boston this season with a 12th best OPS of .726.
I think they could be minor sellers by the trade deadline to try and upgrade their roster, as it’s doubtful they’ll go very far in the playoffs even if they make it.
Nathan Eovaldi has had an up-and-down, injury-plagued season with a mixed bag of results. In 15 starts and 81 innings, with a 4.43 ERA, a 1.25 WHIP and 80 strikeouts. Control has been good, giving up only 14 walks, but the long ball has been a problem, having allowed 18 long flies. However, 16 of those were surrendered in April and May, and just two in his five June and July starts.
Astros Angling For AL West Championship
The Astros lead the AL West with a 67-36 record, 12.0 games ahead of Seattle, and two games behind the Yankees for the best record in the American League. Houston is 6-4 in their last 10 games, and are 33-15 at Minute Maid Park.
Starter Luis Garcia is pitching fairly well for Houston this season. In 18 starts and 99.1 innings, he’s put up a 3.81 ERA and a 1.08 WHIP with 107 strikeouts.
The right-hander has surrendered 17 home runs and 31 walks, a little higher than you’d like to see from a major league starter. However, he’s averaging less than 0.8 hits per inning, which is a big key to Garcia’s success in 2022.
The Astros have the bullpen with the lowest ERA in baseball, they’re 5th in OPS at .743 and have the 2nd lowest staff ERA at 3.04. This is a team that’s firing on all cylinders, and is in excellent mid-season form.
Houston Astros vs Boston Red Sox Prediction
The Red Sox and Eovaldi are struggling coming into this series, and Houston is just being Houston, playing fundamentally sound baseball and rolling along.
Boston needs to get enough hits and runs to win to compensate for their struggling pitching staff and really bad bullpen.
However, that will be tough sledding tonight against Luis Garcia, who is coming off one of his poorer starts of the season – and opposing hitters are only hitting .206 against the third-year right-hander. That’s why I’ll take Houston on the run line.
Prediction: Houston Astros Run Line (-1.5)
First Pitch | MLB Predictions for Monday, August 1
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Meet the Author
Brian Ochsner graduated from Kansas State University with degrees in Accounting and Agribusiness. He’s a life-long baseball fan and “numbers guy” who tolerates the Colorado Rockies (bad ownership), and is a Denver Broncos and Kansas State Wildcats fan. Along with his interest in the sports wagering industry, he enjoys eating good BBQ, reading books on marketing, finance and economics, and playing Texas Hold ‘Em poker.
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