Free ALDS Series Prediction: Red Sox vs. Astros Odds
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2017 ALDS Free Series Picks & Odds
- Boston +140 / Houston -160
- Red Sox 8/1 To Win World Series
- Astros 9/2 To Win World Series
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The Red Sox and Astros finished the regular season together at Fenway Park. Now, the two teams will pick things up in Houston with more on the line.
The Astros enter the playoffs as the American League’s second-best team, despite their furious start and winning 100 games. Houston will taste playoff baseball once again after missing out in 2016. This is just the Astros’ second time in the playoffs since 2005.
The Red Sox didn’t make it easy on their fans, losing four out of five before finally clinching the American League East on Saturday.
They will miss Eduardo Nunez after his great six weeks with the team following the trade with the San Francisco Giants. Dustin Pedroia will be available, however, after missing a lot of time down the stretch simply to keep him as healthy as possible.
2017 ALDS Free Series Prediction: Offense
The Astros were, indisputably, the most potent offense in the American League for the first half of the season. George Springer, Carlos Correa and Jose Altuve at the top of the lineup and length after that to turn things over quickly had Houston scoring six, seven runs a night for most of April, May and June.
Then Correa went down, as well as Carlos Beltran and Evan Gattis. That’s when Houston slowed down and eventually gave way to the Indians, who claimed the top spot in the American League.
Those guys are all back now and swinging the bat well. But their earlier injuries gave playing opportunity to young Alex Bregman, who now has a stranglehold on the starting third baseman job.
He homered at Fenway earlier this week (his 19th of the season) and figures to contribute from the bottom half of the lineup.
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Of the three major facets of the game, I’m least concerned about Boston’s offense. The Red Sox have a deep lineup, even without Eduardo Nunez. And though they don’t play the home run game like the rest of Major League Baseball, Boston makes contact, runs, and moves the chain.
Xander Bogaerts is the hottest hitter in their lineup after a miserable stretch in August. It is imperative that Mookie Betts is healthy and producing, though. He is dealing with a painful wrist, but did hit a long homer on Saturday, well over the Green Monster in left-center.
Jackie Bradley Jr. enters the playoffs in a slump. He’s a streaky hitter because of how results impact his approach.
When he’s going well, he eventually sells out and tries to pull too many balls; it takes a slump for him to start using the whole field again. If he can get cooking and start taking the ball to left field, Boston’s lineup becomes much more dangerous.
Edge: Houston Astros
There isn’t any doubt Houston has the more potent lineup, but if the ball isn’t flying out of the yard, Boston’s aggressiveness will play.
2017 ALDS Free Series Prediction: Pitching
Dallas Keuchel and Justin Verlander match up in Houston with Boston’s Chris Sale and Drew Pomeranz and then it may be Lance McCullers and Charlie Morton against some combination of Doug Fister, Rick Porcello and Eduardo Rodriguez in games three and four in Boston.
Of everybody, Verlander is throwing the ball the best. He’s 6–0 as an Astro and looks to be getting stronger down the stretch while Chris Sale clearly is not.
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Boston has problems once Sale and Pomeranz take their turns. I think it has to be Fister first and that John Farrell should be ready to go to the bullpen as soon as he gets in any sort of trouble.
Fister has been good but things can also get out of hand when he’s on the mound faster than most. Farrell can’t give him a chance to give up a three-run homer.
Edge: Houston Astros
I think Boston has the better pitchers with Sale, Kimbrel, Pomeranz, Price, Kelly, Reed, Fister, Rodriguez, Workman and Porcello but I do not believe in John Farrell’s ability to utilize them optimally.
Houston has the more clear-cut plan. Both bullpens will be awful tough, though. Whichever offense can put some early runs on the board gives its team a big advantage.
2017 ALDS Free Series Prediction: Red Sox vs. Astros
Boston has to start fast to win this series. Perhaps I should believe in Chris Sale more than I do. He’s been fantastic and will get up for his first postseason start ever.
But it’s just looked to me like there’s a scouting report out on him. He really only throws three pitches to three different locations: fastballs arm side and up, changeups arm side and down and then breaking balls to the other side and down.
It’s as if batters are looking for one of those three pitches in the particular spot and hitting more homers as a result.
If Sale loses in Game One, Houston should cruise from there. And even if the ‘Stros don’t get that first one, they may exploit Boston’s starting pitching from there.
2017 ALDS Prediction: Astros in 4
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