Houston Astros vs. Boston Red Sox: Game 4 Odds, Picks and Preview - 10/19/2021

Game time: 8:08 p.m. ET

Venue: Fenway Park, Boston, MA

Where to watch: FS1

DraftKings: Red Sox -140, Astros +120

BetMGM: NL

Caesars: Red Sox -125, Astros +115

The Boston Red Sox found the same trash cans that the Houston Astros used to win a world championship and have bashed them over their collective heads.

Boston is two wins away from another trip to the World Series after dominating Game 3 of the ALCS with a 12-3 win over Houston. Game 4 is a go for Tuesday in which the Red Sox can take a commanding 3-1 lead with a win.

One way for the Astros to avoid this is to not load the bases, because the Red Sox will send a ball to the stands with three men on. Boston hit its third grand slam in two games, becoming the first team in MLB history to do that after hitting two on Sunday.

This time, it was Kyle Schwarber finally showing why he was acquired at the trade deadline with a deep shot to right field and a 6-0 lead as part of a six-run second inning for Boston. Schwarber, who was batting leadoff, went 1-for-4 and had one of Boston’s 11 hits. All but one player (Hunter Renfroe) recorded a base hit. Kike Hernandez continued his postseason tear with a 2-for-4 night.

Christian Arroyo and Rafael Devers also went deep, as did J.D. Martinez for the second time this postseason.

It turned out to be a much-needed easy night for Red Sox starter and left-hander Eduardo Rodriguez, who threw six strong innings and struck out seven despite three earned runs. Outside of giving up a three-run home run to Kyle Tucker in the top of the fourth, it was an easy night for Rodriguez. The Boston bullpen gave up only two hits in the final three innings, which if you have a 9-3 lead, really shouldn’t take much to get done.

But for what it’s worth, the Red Sox should have a 3-0 lead in this series. The fact that they’ve responded in kind since their mini implosion in Game 1, to hitting two grand slams on Saturday and slamming the door on any hope Houston could’ve given, is unreal.

As a result, the Red Sox have all the momentum in the world in a series they would not have had if Game 1 was a trend. Since winning the wild-card game against the New York Yankees and a stunning gentleman’s sweep at the regular season-dominant Tampa Bay Rays, things are getting interesting as the days go by.

This is 100 percent putting the cart before the horse, but the fact the Astros have to play two more times in Fenway does not bode well. The Red Sox not only have stolen home-field advantage in a sudden fashion, but have a legitimate chance to end this series on Wednesday. As for Tuesday, it doesn’t matter who Houston throws on the mound. Boston is hitting everything in sight. If they don’t come crashing down Tuesday, they never will again. Red Sox win 8-4

Teams with Greinke starting are 11-10 all-time in October games.

The over is 5-2 in Boston’s last seven playoff games.

The Red Sox are 25-36 on Tuesday over the past three seasons.

Astros: SP Lance McCullers Jr. (forearm, day-to-day), SP Luis Garcia (knee, day-to-day)

Red Sox: None

Jose Altuve (R) 2B

Michael Brantley (L) LF

Alex Bregman (R) 3B

Yordan Alvarez (L) DH

Carlos Correa (R) SS

Kyle Tucker (L) RF

Yuli Gurriel (R) 1B

Jose Siri (R) CF

Martin Maldonado (R) C

Kyle Schwarber (L) 1B

Enrique Hernandez (R) CF

Rafael Devers (L) 3B

Xander Bogaerts (R) SS

Alex Verdugo (L) LF

J.D. Martinez (R) DH

Hunter Renfroe (R) RF

Christian Vazquez (R) C

Christian Arroyo (R) 2B

Probable starting pitchers: Zack Greinke (HOU) vs. Nick Pivetta (BOS)