Tuesday, July 21, 2015

Minute Maid Park

For Updated Odds on This Game Click Here

Probable Pitchers: Brian Johnson (0-0) vs. Vincent Velasquez (0-1)

The Boston Red Sox take on the Houston Astros on Tuesday at Minute Maid Park. The Red Sox send Brian Johnson to the mound to face Vincent Velasquez of the Astros. The opening line for this matchup has Boston at +115 and Houston at -125. The over/under was set at 8.5. The Red Sox have a 41-46 over/under record and a 39-52 run line mark, meaning they cover 43% of the time. The Astros are 52-42 against the run line and have a 43-46 over/under record. They cover the spread 55% of the time.

The Red Sox head into this matchup with a 42-49 record, including 20-26 on the road. Starting pitcher Brian Johnson will be making his debut start for the Red Sox on Tuesday night. The bullpen has an earned run average of 3.86 and they have given up 285 base hits on the year. Opposing teams are hitting .254 against the Red Sox bullpen while walking 97 times and striking out 247 times. Boston is averaging 7.41 strikeouts per game while getting 9.2 hits per nine innings as a team. They rank 28th in baseball in team earned run average at 4.39.

Boston is batting .254 as a team, which is good for 11th in the league and hitting .234 away from home. The Red Sox hold a .392 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .319 which is good for 11th in baseball. Xander Bogaerts leads the team in hits with 98 while the team ranks 10th in baseball with 8.71 hits per game.

With a 30-17 home record, Houston will hope to improve on their 51-43 overall mark. With an earned run average of 3.94, Vincent Velasquez will come into this game holding a 0-1 record and a 1.31 WHIP. He's pitched 32 innings thus far while surrendering 28 hits over that time in which the Astros are 3-3. Against the over/under, the Astros are 3-3 when he starts. The team is averaging 3.8 runs when he takes the field. The bullpen has an earned run average of 2.72 and they have given up 195 base hits on the year. Opposing teams are hitting .196 against the Astros bullpen while walking 81 times and striking out 264 times. Houston is averaging 7.72 strikeouts per game while getting 8.02 hits per nine innings as a team. They rank 9th in the league in team earned run average at 3.57.

They are batting .241 as a team, which is good for 25th in the league and hitting .239 at home. The Astros hold a .420 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .308 which is good for 21st in baseball. Jose Altuve leads the team in hits with 102 while the team ranks 27th in baseball with 8.09 hits a game.

Boston has a team fielding percentage of .985 after having committed 52 errors with 938 assists and 2,432 put outs for the season. The Astros have committed 48 errors on the season with 1011 assists and 2,514 put outs leading to a team fielding percentage of .987 on the year.

Boston Red Sox Betting Trends

The Boston Red Sox are 41-46 against the over/under so far this season

The Boston Red Sox are 39-52 against the run line so far this season

Houston Astros Betting Trends

The Houston Astros are 43-46 against the over/under so far this season

The Houston Astros are 52-42 against the run line so far this season

Injuries to Watch

Boston Red Sox

07/11/15 P Clay Buchholz Elbow Injury is on the 15 day disabled list (7/11)
07/04/15 C Blake Swihart Foot Injury is on the 15 day disabled list (7/1)
05/29/15 P Brandon Workman Elbow Injury is on the 60 day disabled list (4/3)
05/28/15 P Anthony Varvaro Elbow Injury is on the 60 day disabled list (4/29)
05/28/15 RF Daniel Nava Thumb Injury is on the 15 day disabled list (5/26)
05/13/15 P Justin Masterson Arm Injury is on the 15 day disabled list (5/13)
04/04/15 C Christian Vazquez Elbow Injury is on the 60 day disabled list (3/30), out for season

Houston Astros

07/20/15 1B Chris Carter Ankle doubtful Tuesday vs. Boston Red Sox
07/02/15 RF George Springer Wrist Injury is on the 15 day disabled list (7/1)
05/19/15 P Samuel Deduno Back Injury is on the 15 day disabled list (5/14)
04/28/15 SS Jed Lowrie Thumb Injury is on the 60 day disabled list (4/28)
04/17/15 P Brad Peacock Side Injury is on the 60 day disabled list (4/14)

Tony's Pick: Take the Astros

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