Houston Astros vs. Boston Red Sox Prediction and Picks - August 9, 2024
A pair of American League teams in the thick of the playoff chase collide to open a weekend series on the diamond up in Beantown. The Houston Astros are on the road as they travel to take on the Boston Red Sox in the opening game of a three-game series Friday night. Houston won the rubber game of their three-game set with the Rangers on the road, prevailing 6-4 on Wednesday afternoon. Boston missed a chance to sweep the Royals on the road as they fell 8-4 in the finale of that series Wednesday night. Last season, the Astros won the season series 5-2, including a three-game sweep on the road in the most recent set between the teams on August 28-30, 2023.
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Houston Trying to Hang On to Playoff Position
Houston won their second straight game as they took the rubber game of their series on the road against the Rangers on Wednesday afternoon. The Astros entered Thursday 59-55 and held the top spot in the AL West by half a game over the Mariners. On Wednesday, Houston banged out 13 hits with Yainer Diaz leading the way with three. Victor Caratini (his sixth) and Yordan Alvarez (his 22nd) each went deep in the victory for the Astros. Yusei Kikuchi (5-9) earned the win as he threw 5.1 innings, allowing two runs on four hits with three walks and eight strikeouts. Josh Hader worked a scoreless ninth, allowing no hits or walks while striking out one, for his 24th save of the year.
Ronel Blanco is on the mound for the Astros in the opener as he makes his 22nd start of the season in this contest. He is 9-6 with a 2.98 ERA, a 1.024 WHIP, 48 walks and 121 strikeouts over 124 innings of work this season. Blanco took the loss in his last start, which came at home against Tampa Bay on Saturday. He threw five innings, allowing two runs on six hits with two walks and seven strikeouts in a game the Astros dropped 6-1. In his last three starts, Blanco is 0-2 with a 6.00 ERA, a 1.40 WHIP, six walks and 21 strikeouts over 15 innings of work. Blanco, in his 46th career major league appearance and 29th start, pitches against the Red Sox for the first time here. As a result, this marks his first career outing at Fenway Park.
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Red Sox Hoping to Close Gap in Wild Card Chase
Boston lost for just the second time in their last seven games as they missed a chance to sweep the Royals on the road Wednesday night. The Red Sox entered Thursday 61-52 and stood third in the AL East, six games behind the Yankees and Orioles for the top spot. They were 1.5 games behind the Royals for the final wild-card spot in the American League playoff race. On Wednesday, Boston finished with six hits as Masataka Yoshida was the lone player with two in the contest. Danny Jansen (his seventh) and Romy Gonzalez (his fourth) each homered in the loss. Kutter Crawford (7-9) took the loss as he allowed six runs on five hits with four walks and three strikeouts over 3.2 innings of work.
Tanner Houck takes the ball for the Red Sox as he logs his 23rd start of the season in this contest. He is 8-8 with a 3.09 ERA, a 1.142 WHIP, 35 walks and 123 strikeouts over 134 innings of work this season. Houck took the loss in his last start, which came on the road against the Rangers on Saturday. He threw five innings, allowing six runs on eight hits with two walks and seven strikeouts in a 7-4 Red Sox defeat. In his last three starts, Houck is 0-2 with a 6.88 ERA, a 1.88 WHIP, nine walks and 11 strikeouts over 17 innings of work. Houck makes his fourth career appearance, second start, against the Astros in this contest. He is 0-1 with two saves, a 3.52 ERA, a 0.913 WHIP, three walks and three strikeouts over 7.2 innings of work against them. Houck is 11-18 with three saves, a 3.96 ERA, a 1.226 WHIP, 58 walks and 208 strikeouts over 204.2 innings of work in 48 career appearances, 34 starts, at Fenway Park.
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Rating:
Both of these teams are battling for playoff spots in the American League and this series will be a solid test for both teams. Houston pushed back into the top spot in the AL West as the Mariners have dropped three straight entering Thursday but they are just four games above .500 on the season. Blanco was roughed up a bit by Tampa Bay in his last start and makes his first career start against Boston in this contest. Houck has struggled of late as well, making the pitching matchup a bit of a mystery given recent performances. Boston is a little better offensively and that helps them emerge with a hard-fought victory in this contest.
Prediction: Boston Red Sox -115
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