Saturday, April 23, 2016

Minute Maid Park

For Updated Odds on This Game Click Here

Probable Pitchers: Clay Buchholz vs. Mike Fiers

The Boston Red Sox visit Minute Maid Park on Saturday to play the Houston Astros. The probable starters are Clay Buchholz for the Red Sox and Mike Fiers for the Astros. The opening line for this matchup has Boston at +110 and Houston at -120. The over/under was set at 8.5. The Red Sox have a 8-7-0 over/under record and a 8-7-0 run line mark, meaning they cover 53% of the time. The Astros are 4-12-0 against the run line and have a 9-6-1 over/under record. They cover the spread 25% of the time.

The Red Sox head into this matchup with a 7-8 record, including 3-2 on the road. Starting pitcher Clay Buchholz has a 0-1 record with an earned run average of 5.74 and a WHIP of 1.60. He has 11 strikeouts over his 15.2 innings pitched and he has given up 17 hits so far this season. He has allowed 9.8 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 5.84. The bullpen this year has an earned run average of 3.70 and they have given up 44 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .216 against the bullpen while being struck out 64 times and walking 26 times this season. As a team, Boston has allowed 8.46 hits per nine innings while striking out 10.28 batters per nine. They are 26th in the league in team earned run average at 4.84. The Red Sox pitchers have collectively given up 126 base hits and 72 earned runs. They have allowed 19 home runs this season and they allow 1.3 homers per nine innings as a staff. Boston as a pitching staff has walked 56 batters and struck out 153. They walk 3.8 men per 9 innings while striking out 10.3 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.36 and their FIP as a unit is 4.14.

As a team, Boston is batting .265, good for 6th in the league while putting together a .276 average away from home. The Red Sox hold a .424 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .332 which is good for 5th in baseball. They rank 7th in baseball with 9.07 hits per game. David Ortiz comes into this game hitting .292 and his on-base percentage is at .414. He has 14 hits this season along with 6 runs scored and 13 runs batted in. He's struck out 9 times and has walked 10 times. Dustin Pedroia is hitting .290 and he has an on-base percentage of .333. He has totaled 18 hits so far while scoring 10 runs and he's driven in 5. He has walked 4 times and has struck out 11 times. The Red Sox have 136 hits, including 39 doubles and 13 home runs. They've stolen 13 bases while they've been thrown out stealing 1 times. Boston has walked 50 times this season and they've struck out 123 times as a unit. They've left 100 men on base and have a team OPS of .756. They score 4.93 runs per contest and have scored a total of 74 runs so far this year.

Houston comes into this matchup with a 3-4 home record and a 5-11 overall mark. With an earned run average of 6.48, Mike Fiers has a 1-1 record and a 1.38 WHIP. He has 11 strikeouts over the 16.2 innings he's pitched during which he has given up 22 hits. He has allowed 11.9 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 6.57. So far this season the bullpen has an earned run average of 4.78 and they have given up 46 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .238 against the Astros bullpen while being struck out 59 times and walking 16 times this season. As a team, Houston has allowed 10.05 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.01 batters per nine. They are 27th in the league in team earned run average at 4.99. The Astros pitchers as a team have surrendered 153 base knocks and 76 earned runs so far this season. They have given up 25 home runs this year and they give up 1.6 home runs per nine innings as a staff. Houston as a staff has walked 42 hitters and struck out 122. They give up a walk 2.8 times per 9 innings while they strike out 8 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.42 while their FIP as a staff is 4.54.

As a team, they are batting .238, good for 19th in the league while putting together a .244 average at home. The Astros hold a .445 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .310 which is good for 20th in baseball. They rank 21st in baseball with 7.75 hits per contest. Jose Altuve comes into this matchup batting .311 and he has an OBP of .417. He has 19 hits this year along with 15 runs scored and 10 RBI. He's struck out 10 times and has walked on 8 occasions. Carlos Correa is hitting .268 and he has an OBP of .339. He has collected 15 hits so far while he's scored 7 runs and drove in 7. He has earned a walk 6 times and has punched out 11 times. The Astros as a unit have 124 base hits, including 29 doubles and 24 homers. They have 15 stolen bases while they've been thrown out 6 times. Houston as a team has walked 50 times this year and they have struck out 156 times. They've had 95 men left on base and have an OPS of .753. They score 3.81 runs per game and have totaled 61 runs so far this season.

Boston Red Sox Betting Trends

The Boston Red Sox are 8-7-0 against the over/under so far this season

The Boston Red Sox are 8-7-0 against the run line so far this season

Houston Astros Betting Trends

The Houston Astros are 9-6-1 against the over/under so far this season

The Houston Astros are 4-12-0 against the run line so far this season

Injuries to Watch

Boston Red Sox

04/19/16 P Joe Kelly Shoulder 15-day DL (4/19)
04/13/16 3B Pablo Sandoval Shoulder 15-day DL (4/11)
04/04/16 P Brandon Workman Elbow 60-day DL (3/25)
04/04/16 P Carson Smith Elbow 15-day DL (3/25)
04/04/16 P Eduardo Rodrigue Knee 15-day DL (4/2)

Houston Astros

04/04/16 P Lance McCuller Shoulder 15-day DL (3/25)
04/02/16 C Max Stassi Wrist 15-day DL (3/29)

Guy's Pick: Take the Astros

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