Already leading the series 2-0, the Astros (72-55, 35-29 home) are sending José Urquidy to the mound to take on the Red Sox (66-60, 31-32 away) and Chris Sale. See who I like to come out on top in this American League matchup between the Boston Red Sox and Houston Astros in Houston.

BOSTON RED SOX VS HOUSTON ASTROS BETTING PICK

The Pick: Houston Astros -1.5 Runs

This game will be played at Minute Maid Park at 8:10 ET on Wednesday, August 23rd.

WHY BET THE HOUSTON ASTROS:

  • In their previous three games, the Astros are 2-1 vs. the runline.
  • The Red Sox have failed to covered the runline in each of their two most recent games as the underdog.
  • Opponents are hitting just .185 against José Urquidy in his last three starts.

BOSTON RED SOX SEEK TO IMPROVE THEIR ROAD RECORD

The Red Sox enter today’s game with an overall record of 66-60 which includes going 33-34 against teams with above .500 records. As of today, they are 4th in the AL East. Across their 41 series, Boston is 22-16-3 and have records of 31-32 and 35-28 on the road and at home, respectively.

Chris Sale takes the mound with a 5-3 record and 4.50 ERA in 2023. On the road, he has gone 4-3 with an ERA of 5.52, while at home he is 1-0 with a 5.23 ERA. His season WHIP is 1.12, and opponents are batting .221 against him with a slugging percentage of .403.

Chris Sale was handed the loss in his last start against the Nationals, as he gave up three runs on two hits in the 10-7 defeat. The Red Sox were unable to overcome Sale’s performance, ultimately succumbing to their division rivals.

For the season, the Red Sox’s offense is averaging 4.9 runs per game. Over their last ten games they have swung the bats well, sitting 7th in the league in scoring, with a total of 51 runs. Overall, Boston’s team batting average is .262, putting them 3rd in the MLB.

Rafael Devers has been on a tear for the Red Sox over their last five games, leading the team in hits and batting an impressive .510. For the 2023 season, Devers is batting .273 with 85 RBIs.

WILL THE HOUSTON ASTROS TAKE CARE OF BUSINESS AT HOME?

Leading up to today’s game, the Astros are 2nd in the AL West on a record of 72-55. Overall, they have played in 40 different series, going 22-15-3. When playing above .500 teams, the Astros are 72-55, and currently hold win percentages of 54.7% at home and 58.7% on the road.

Today marks José Urquidy’s 10th outing of the season, with a 2-3 record and an ERA of 5.21. His OBP allowed is .320, and he has struck out 34 batters with a WHIP of 1.42. Urquidy has been much more successful at home than on the road, where his ERA stands at 8.86 compared to 4.05 in his own ballpark.

José Urquidy’s most recent start was a difficult one, as he surrendered no runs in two innings of work. Despite his efforts, the Astros were unable to come away with a victory, falling to the Mariners 2-0. Urquidy did not factor into the decision.

Offensively, Houston is ranked 6th in the league with an average of 4.9 runs per game. When looking over their last ten matchups, the Astros averaged 5 runs per contest, which is 5th best in that span. In terms of their power numbers, Houston is 7th in all of baseball, with a total of 166 home runs.

Over their last five games, the Astros have been led in hits by Yainer Diaz, who is batting .370. This season, Diaz has posted a .281 average and driven in 45 runs.