Free MLB Pick: Red Sox vs. Astros Odds
Looking for Boston Red Sox vs. Houston Astros Free MLB predictions? MLB betting sees the Red Sox taking on the Astros in Game 2 of the American League Championship Series Saturday, October 16th, 2021 at Minute Maid Park in Houston, TX. Cappers Picks provides complimentary expert handicapping picks on all MLB baseball matchups all season long so stay tuned for more FREE daily MLB predictions like this Red Sox-Astros ALCS Game 2 free pick.
2021 MLB Handicapping: ALCS Game 2
(0-1) Boston Red Sox vs. Houston Astros (1-0)
Date: Saturday, October 16th, 2021
Time: 4:20 PM ET
Venue: Minute Maid Park, Houston, TX
Projected Pitchers: Nathan Eovaldi (BOS) vs. Luis Garcia (HOU)
MLB Moneyline Odds: Red Sox +118 Astros -128 (Bet Now!)
MLB run line Betting Odds: Red Sox +1.5, Astros -1.5
MLB Baseball Gambling Total: O/U: 8.5
The Red Sox will be in Houston to take on the Astros for Game 2 of the American League Championship series. Boston will look to get back to their winning ways.
Nathan Eovaldi is going for the Red Sox and Luis Garcia is going for the Astros.
Houston took Game 1 by a score of 5-4.
Boston Red Sox
The Red Sox lost game 1 to the Rays as well and then they fired off 3 wins in a row. I do not sense any panic on this team after dropping the first one.
Boston is definitely a resilient bunch. I would not be surprised to see them bounce back strong in game 2.
Friday was a game that they let get from them. I am sure they are kicking themselves because they know it could very well be 1-0 Red Sox in the series.
Chris Sale was not terrible on Friday, but he just did not go long at all. He lasted 2.2 innings and allowed1 earned run. After he left, a total of 7 relievers were used in the game.
The Red Sox will need a strong performance out of Nathan Eovaldi on Saturday. He has been their best pitcher the whole year and I look for him to be strong here. He will really need to be on his game in order to shut down this lineup.
The Red Sox bullpen, which is questionable, gave up some timely hits in game 1. I would not say they were awful, but they have to be better if they want to win games.
The offense was ok on Friday, but it definitely missed some opportunities. Someone who is not missing right now is Kike Hernandez, who is just on fire at the moment.
Boston had chances to score in Game 1, but they hit into some key double plays. I look for them to do a better job in those situations on Saturday.
Houston Astros
The Astros must like playing the Red Sox because they just continue to play well against them. Yes, it is just one game, but you cannot deny how well they have played against Boston.
Things did not look so good for the Astros on Friday, but they figured things out and got a victory.
The Astros were down 3-1 for a while, but they were eventually able to claw back and get a win. Given how good their offense is, I am not surprised by that.
Framber Valdez was not very effective on Friday. He went 2.2 innings and allowed 2 earned runs. Even with that, his team figured out a way to get a win.
Luis Garcia will be the starter on Saturday. During the year, he was 11-8 with an ERA of 3.47, but he was not great in the Divisional Series against the White Sox.
I thought the pitching did a very good job on Friday. Containing that Red Sox offense is no easy task and they will look to do it again in Game 2.
It took the offense some time to click on Friday, but they eventually got it going and never looked back. They certainly will be challenged by Eovaldi.
The home run ball definitely helped this team on Friday. Both Jose Altuve and Carlos Correa had key homers.
MLB Baseball Betting Trends:
- The Red Sox are 6-16 in their last 22 games as an underdog.
- The Red Sox are 5-14 in their last 19 games as a road underdog.
- The Astros are 5-0 in their last 5 playoff games as a favorite.
- The Astros are 6-1 in their last 7 games.
Boston Red Sox vs. Houston Astros MLB Prediction:
As far as entertaining baseball goes, Game 1 definitely did the trick. I expect the same to happen in game 2 with two good teams going at each other.
Even though the Astros are the better team, the Red Sox are not totally overmatched. Boston very easily could have taken the first game of the series. I expect another close one on Saturday.
Similar to what we saw on Friday, I think Saturday could be another one-run game. I just see it being neck and neck the whole time given how even these two teams are. For that, I like the Red Sox on the run line.
Give me Boston at +1.5 on the road.
4* Free MLB Betting Pick: Red Sox run line +1.5
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