Boston Red Sox vs Houston Astros Prediction, Preview and Odds - 08/22/2023

Game Time: 8:10 pm ET, Tuesday, August 21, 2023

Venue:  Minute Maid Park, Houston, TX

Where to Watch:  TBS

DraftKings:  Moneyline odds:  Red Sox +124, Astros -148; Over/Under:  8.5 runs

Bet365:  Moneyline odds:  Red Sox +124, Astros -148; Over/Under:  8.5 runs

BetMGM:  Moneyline odds:  Red Sox +124, Astros -148; Over/Under:  8.5 runs

Boston Red Sox:  66-58 (4th place, AL East)

Houston Astros:  70-55 (2nd place, AL West)

Do not miss out on our expert handicapper analysis! Jack Banks is having a GREAT MLB SEASON going 107-70 for +$24,830! Make sure you check out his picks and many more from the expert handicappers featured in the Shop Picks section.

Boston Red Sox:  7-3 last 10

Houston Astros:  4-6 last 10

The Red Sox are entering this series on a 3 game winning streak and completed the sweep 3-0 in their 3-game series against the New York Yankees in their last series. They enter this game with a 66-58 record overall and have a road record of 31-30. This is the 2nd game of a 4-game series with the Astros on Tuesday with the series opener of this series still to be played on Monday. Their offense ranks 6th in the MLB with a .760 OPS. James Paxton is their starting pitcher on Monday while Tanner Houck is making his start in this game on Tuesday. He is 3-6 with a 5.05 ERA this season. His team lost 6 of their last 7 games this season with him making an appearance. In his last MLB regular season start, he allowed 1 ER, 0 HR, and 1 BB with 2 Ks on 4 hits through 4 IP against the New York Yankees.

The Astros are entering this series on a 3 game losing streak and got swept 3-0 in their 3-game series against the Seattle Mariners in their last series. They enter this game with a 70-55 record overall and have a home record of 33-29. This is the 2nd game of a 4-game series with the Red Sox on Tuesday with the 1st game of this series still to be played on Monday. Their offense ranks 12th in the MLB with a .743 OPS. Cristian Javier is their starting pitcher on Monday while Justin Verlander is making his start in this game on Tuesday. He is 8-6 with a 3.36 ERA this season. His team won their last 2 straight games this season with him making an appearance. In his last MLB regular season start, he allowed 4 earned runs, 0 homers, and 2 BB with 2 strikeouts on 9 hits through 5 innings played against the Miami Marlins.

The current betting odds have the Astros listed as a slight favorite in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. The Astros haven't been great lately as they were swept by the Mariners over the weekend but they are going to be looking to bounce back in this series and will have a good chance with Verlander on the mound. Verlander did give up 4 runs in his last start but he will be looking to bounce back with a better performance and has been a lot better in his home starts this year. The Red Sox have been playing a lot better lately themselves as they try to get into a Wild Card spot but they are going with Houck in this game who is making his return from an injury that has kept him out for a while and despite losing so many games lately, the Astros have still had a really hot offense that has been scoring runs in their games. The Astros offense will get after Houck in his return here and they will be looking to get back on track as they are still trying to chase down the Rangers for the division lead. The best way to place a bet here is on the Astros to win this game. 

Red Sox Astros Prediction:  Our MLB Pick for Tuesday, August 21, 2023 (8:10 pm ET start time) is Astros 5 Red Sox 2.

Don't miss our champion handicappers free picks, best bets, and expert baseball picks today.  And if you enjoyed this Boston Red Sox Houston Astros prediction, be sure to drop by every day for our daily MLB projections and previews.

Boston Red Sox: 30-29 (+11 units) on the moneyline as an underdog of +100 or higher. 66-58 (+5.6 units) on the moneyline in all games. TANNER HOUCK is 20-10 UNDER in all games and 11-3 UNDER as an underdog of +100 or higher.

Houston Astros: 21-30 (-16.3 units) on the moneyline when the money line is -100 to -150. 33-29 (-9.8 units) on the moneyline in home games. JUSTIN VERLANDER is 12-2 UNDER when the money line is -100 to -150 and 12-4 UNDER when the total is 8 to 8.5.

Boston Red Sox:  T. Houck (SP) Prob Tues - Face. J. Duran (CF) Ques Mon - Toe. T. Casas (3B) Ques Mon - Teeth. J. Rodriguez (RP) out for season - Hip. C. Kluber (SP) Out indefinitely - Shoulder. K. Ort (RP) Early Sept - Elbow. W. Mills (RP) out for season - Elbow. Z. Kelly (RP) Early Sept - Elbow. A. Mondesi (SS) Out indefinitely - Knee.

Houston Astros:  J. Abreu (1B) Early Sept - Back. G. Kessinger (3B) Out indefinitely - Illness. P. Maton (RP) Late Aug - Elbow. M. Brantley (DH) Out indefinitely - Shoulder. L. McCullers Jr. (SP) out for season - Elbow. L. Garcia (SP) out for season - Elbow.

“From the get-go I thought he was out. I was wondering why Junior was waiting. He waited, waited to call him safe and I was like what is he doing.” - Alex Cora after his team’s win against the Yankees in their game on Sunday.

“The key will be better energy in the dugout, not being satisfied after you lose. Everybody who comes here wants to beat us and we don’t make them earn it. We just feel like we’re just giving it away.” - Martin Maldonado after their loss against the Mariners in their game on Sunday.

Alex Verdugo (L) RF

Rafael Devers (L) 3B

Justin Turner (R) 1B

Masataka Yoshida (L) DH

Adam Duvall (R) CF

Jarren Duran (L) LF

Trevor Story (R) SS

Reese McGuire (L) C

Pablo Reyes (R) 2B

Jose Altuve (R) 2B

Alex Bregman (R) 3B

Yordan Alvarez (L) DH

Yainer Diaz (R) C

Chas McCormick (R) RF

Jon Singleton (L) 1B

Mauricio Dubon (R) CF

Corey Julks (R) LF

Jeremy Pena (R) SS

Batting Average:  Pablo Reyes (.331)

Hits:  Masataka Yoshida (126)

Home Runs:  Rafael Devers (29)

RBI:  Rafael Devers (85)

Stolen Bases:  Jarren Duran (24)

Wins:  Brayan Bello (9)

Saves:  Kenley Jansen (29)

ERA:  Chris Martin (1.29)

Batting Average:  Jose Altuve (.327)

Hits:  Kyle Tucker (131)

Home Runs:  Kyle Tucker (24)

RBI:  Kyle Tucker (92)

Stolen Bases:  Kyle Tucker (24)

Wins:  Framber Valdez (9)

Saves:  Ryan Pressly (28)

ERA:  Kendall Graveman (1.74)

Managers:

Boston Red Sox: Alex Cora (5th season, 3rd consecutive)

Houston Astros: Dusty Baker (4th season)