Two of the most explosive batting units collide as the Houston Astros host the Boston Red Sox for Game One of the American League Championship Series, and our MLB picks have the best preview and predictions for tonight’s big clash.
Look below to find our free MLB Picks for tonight’s American League Championship Series Game One between the Boston Red Sox and Houston Astros!
Boston Red Sox @ Houston Astros (Game 1) – 8.07pm EDT
It’s the first game of the ALCS and there is a World Series spot up for grabs for the team that can win the best of seven series. The Red Sox only dropped one game in their series against the Rays to progress through to the ALCS. The Astros were also quite dominant in their series against the White Sox, and they ended up winning the series 3-1.
Katherine Mouradian
The Red Sox had to take the scenic route (via the Wild Card game) but they got there in the end, and are now just a handful of games away from reaching the World Series. So far this postseason, they have only dropped one game. The Astros, who finished atop of the AL West, have also only lost one game so far this postseason. There is a lot to play for in this opening game, as both teams will want to get off to the best start possible.
While the Red Sox are just to announce their starting pitcher at time of writing, it is looking like it will be Eovaldi. Eovaldi had yet another great performance during the third game of the previous series, where he allowed only two runs over three hits, which was across five innings. In this game 58 of his 85 pitches were strikes, and in the regular season he finished with a 11-9 record, along with a 3.75 ERA, and a 1.93 ERA so far throughout the postseason. He is coming off a handful of rest days, but looking at the last time he pitched against the Astros, it was not a good game for him. He gave up 11 hits for five runs, which was across 5 ⅔ innings, and resulted in a loss for the Red Sox. Although the batters for the Red Sox are firing on all cylinders at the moment, this could help take some pressure off Eovaldi.
We can’t do it without our city. 🤘
Wear orange, show up early, be loud. 🍊
🎟️: https://t.co/n3pirnwZNL pic.twitter.com/MfWhsoLJI4
— Houston Astros (@astros) October 15, 2021
It is Valdez that will step up on the mound for the Astros. In his last start, Game 2 of the ALDS, he gave up four runs in 4 ⅓ innings. In this game he did strike out six, but he also gave up seven singles. He has a regular season record of 11-6, with a 3.14 ERA and he is known to have one of the best curveballs in the league, which is great against right handed batters. If Valdez can control the number of walks he gives, the Astros will be in with a good shot to win the opening game.
It has been the Astros that have dominated the Red Sox throughout the regular season, winning five of the seven games, and the scoring battle sits at 42-25. Looking back to the ALCS in 2018, where the Red Sox and the Astros faced off against each other, the Red Sox were able to win all three games in Houston to make it to the World Series. Cora, the manager for the Red Sox, has the best postseason winning percentage in history for any manager that has a minimum of 15 games in the playoffs, at .789. Their line up to face Valdez on the mound is as deadly as ever, and I think the Red Sox will be good enough to win this one. Also, the Red Sox have won seven of their previous eight games, and four of their previous five games on the road. Back the Red Sox for this game.
Katherine’s MLB Pick: Boston Red Sox (+124)
Mike Su
The Red Sox meet the Astros after shocking the Rays. The Red Sox may be on a fairy tale run all the way to the World Series. The Astros surprisingly had trouble beating the White Sox and had an embarrassing 12-6 loss in Game 3 of that series. Now the league’s best hitting team plays the league’s most inconsistent hitting team. The Astros sit atop the run leaderboard with 863 total runs this season.
SEE YOU IN THE ALCS! pic.twitter.com/DFToNKkhYk
— Red Sox (@RedSox) October 12, 2021
Although the Red Sox trail them with just 829 runs, there have been games where the Red Sox have looked more explosive than the Astros, however there have also been games where the Red Sox’s hitters looked anaemic. If the Red Sox can pull out an explosive batting effort, they can beat anyone as exhibited by their series win against the defending champions. In this game the batting will be wildly unpredictable. In 7 regular season matchups, the Red Sox only scored more than 2 runs against the Astros twice. However, in the last game of their regular season series, the Red Sox scored 12 runs to beat the Astros. Pitching wise, both teams have similar pitchers on the field with Chris Sale and Framber Valdez. Overall, I think the Red Sox are red hot and will win in a tight one here.
Mike’s MLB Pick: Boston Red Sox (+124)
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*Odds and spreads correct at time of publication, courtesy of FanDuel.
