Boston Red Sox at Houston Astros 5/31/2018 Free MLB Picks and Predictions

Thursday, May 31, 2018

Minute Maid Park

Get todays MLB odds and lines on this game.

Probable Pitchers: Drew Pomeranz vs. Lance McCullers

The Boston Red Sox visit Minute Maid Park on Thursday, May 31, 2018 to play the Houston Astros. The probable starters are Drew Pomeranz for the Red Sox and Lance McCullers for the Astros.

The opening line for this matchup has Boston at +182 and Houston at -195. The Red Sox have a 27-26-2 over/under record and a 29-26-0 run line mark. The Astros are 31-25-0 against the run line and have a 21-32-3 over/under record.

Valuable Boston Red Sox Betting Trends

The Boston Red Sox are 27-26-2 against the over/under

The Boston Red Sox are 29-26-0 against the run line

Important Houston Astros Betting Trends

The Houston Astros are 21-32-3 against the over/under

The Houston Astros are 31-25-0 against the run line

Key Boston Red Sox Injuries

05/30/18 2B Dustin Pedroia Rest is not in the starting lineup Wednesday vs Toronto Blue Jays
05/30/18 1B Mitch Moreland Rest is not in the starting lineup Wednesday vs Toronto Blue Jays
05/29/18 RF Mookie Betts Side is doubtful Wednesday vs Toronto Blue Jays
05/25/18 DH Hanley Ramirez None has been released
05/15/18 P Carson Smith Shoulder 10-day DL (05/15)
03/30/18 P Austin Maddox Shoulder 10-day DL (03/29)
03/30/18 P Tyler Thornburg Shoulder 10-day DL (03/29)
03/26/18 SS Marco Hernandez Shoulder 60-day DL (03/29)
03/26/18 P Steven Wright Knee 10-day DL (03/26)

Key Houston Astros Injuries

05/29/18 C Brian McCann Knee 10-day DL (05/29)
05/23/18 RF Josh Reddick Infection 10-day DL (05/23)
05/21/18 LF Derek Fisher Intestinal 10-day DL (05/20)
03/30/18 P Brady Rodgers Elbow 10-day DL (03/26)
03/26/18 P James Hoyt Oblique 10-day DL (03/26)
03/26/18 P Jandel Gustave Elbow 10-day DL (03/26)

Useful Pitching Statistics

The Red Sox have a 38-17 overall record this season. Starting pitcher Drew Pomeranz has a 1-2 record with an earned run average of 6.75 and a WHIP of 1.88 this season. He has 31 strikeouts over his 32 innings pitched and he's given up 41 hits. He's allowed 11.5 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 5.4. The bullpen has an earned run average of 3.12 and they have given up 157 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .224 against the bullpen and they've struck out 200 hitters and walked 64 batters. As a team, Boston allows 7.9 hits per nine innings while striking out 9.8 batters per nine innings. They are 8th in the league in team earned run average at 3.58. The Red Sox pitchers collectively have given up 431 base hits and 196 earned runs. They have allowed 53 home runs this season, ranking them 23rd in the league. Boston as a pitching staff has walked 165 batters and struck out 537. They have walked 3 men per 9 innings while striking out 9.8 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.21 and their FIP as a unit is 3.45.

Hitting Statistics

As a team Boston is hitting .265, good for 1st in the league. The Red Sox hold a .463 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .330, which is good for 5th in baseball. They rank 1st in MLB with 9.3 hits per game. J.D. Martinez is hitting .320 with an on-base percentage of .379. He has 63 hits this season in 197 at bats with 44 runs batted in. He has a slugging percentage of .650 and an OPS+ of 168. Andrew Benintendi is hitting .292 this year and he has an on-base percentage of .378. He has totaled 56 hits and he has driven in 37 men in 192 at bats. His OPS+ is 137 while his slugging percentage is at .521. The Red Sox have 503 hits, including 121 doubles and 78 home runs. Boston has walked 172 times so far this season and they have struck out 417 times as a unit. They have left 370 men on base and have a team OPS of .793. They score 5.31 runs per contest and have scored a total of 287 runs this year.

Useful Pitching Statistics

Houston has a 35-21 overall mark this year. With an earned run average of 3.98, Lance McCullers has a 6-3 record and a 1.18 WHIP. He has 68 strikeouts over the 63.1 innings he's pitched. He also has given up 50 hits. He's allowing 7.1 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 3.52. The bullpen has an earned run average of 3.02 and they have given up 127 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .226 against the Astros bullpen. Their relievers have struck out 168 batters and walked 37 opposing hitters. As a team, Houston allows 6.5 hits per nine innings while striking out 10.2 batters per nine innings. They are 1st in the league in team earned run average at 2.58. The Astros pitchers as a team have surrendered 359 base knocks and 142 earned runs this season. They have given up 47 home runs this year, which ranks 26th in Major League Baseball. Houston as a staff has walked 134 hitters and struck out 564 batters. They give up a walk 2.4 times per 9 innings while they strike out 10.2 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.00 while their FIP as a staff is 2.97.

Hitting Statistics

As a team, they are batting .258, good for 5th in the league. The Astros hold a .421 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .329, which is good for 6th in baseball. They rank 8th in MLB with 8.8 hits per contest. George Springer comes into this matchup batting .289 with an OBP of .351. He has 63 hits this year along with 34 RBI in 218 AB's. He maintains a slugging percentage of .500 with an OPS+ of 139. Jose Altuve is hitting .329 this season and he has an OBP of .374. He has collected 74 hits in 225 at bats while driving in 29 runs. He has an OPS+ of 138 and a slugging percentage of .467. The Astros as a unit have 484 base hits, including 108 doubles and 63 homers. Houston has walked 186 times this year and they have struck out on 459 occasions. They have had 372 men left on base and have an OPS of .750. They have scored 5 runs per game and totaled 275 runs this season.

Who will win tonight's Red Sox/Astros MLB game against the spread?

Tony's Pick: Take the Red Sox +182

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