Red Sox vs Astros Odds: Houston Is Fighting to Keep Their Playoff Hopes Alive

• The Red Sox are seven games above .500 with a 65-58 record
• The Astros are 16 games above .500 with a 70-54 record
• Boston is 30-30 in away games, while Houston is 33-28 at home. 

On Monday night, the Red Sox will travel to Houston to play the first game of a four-game series against the Astros at Minute Maid Park. With the end of the regular season approaching, the Red Sox will look to make one last push for a Wild Card spot. 

Meanwhile, Houston is also fighting to keep their playoff hopes alive. The first pitch is scheduled for 8:10 p.m. ET and can be seen on ESPN+.

Red Sox vs Astros Odds

Odds via FanDuel Sportsbook. See different MLB betting sites for more betting opportunities!   

Red Sox vs Astros Picks

The Red Sox are fresh off a three-game series win against the Yankees. Boston has won eight of their last twelve and is churning in the right direction at the best time. This series will surely be Boston's first test in the month of August, but it seems they are putting a small run together to steal a spot in the postseason.

The Red Sox are expected to bring out left-handed pitcher James Paxton to lead off this series. Paxton will be making his 17th start of the year and has shown he can get it done or at least keep games close.

In his last outing against the Nationals, Paxton pitched six innings, gave up five hits, two earned runs, and managed three strikeouts on the night.

Houston is bringing out Cristian Javier to face Boston. Javier has been very inconsistent this season. He last pitched 4.2 innings against the Marlins and allowed four earned runs. In the five games before that, Javier allowed 14 earned runs with just one quality start.

With Paxton pitching consistently and Javier coming off a bad start let's take the Red Sox to win game one. We fully expect Rafael Devers to stay hot and the rest of the Boston lineup to get things going extremely early in this one.

• OUR PICK: Red Sox ML (-108)

Red Sox vs Astros Predictions

The Red Sox are hot as of late, and nothing says they are ready to slow it down. Paxton has managed a solid season thus far.

Coming into this game, he has a 7-3 record with a 3.34 ERA through 86.1 innings. He’s also recorded 93 strikeouts in this span. The Red Sox have shown confidence in Paxton and have worked with him through rough patches, but it has been smooth sailing as of late. 

Houston is one of the teams that everyone is chasing in the American League because of their recent dominance. The Astros are 10-7 in August, but with Javier taking the mound, anything can happen.

Javier is 8-2 with a 4.49 ERA through 122.2  innings. Javier has been much better at home than on the road, but the Red Sox still have value in this spot. If Paxton can limit the runs he allows, Boston has a great chance to hit Javier and win the opener. 

Houston Astros Preview

Houston is in control of their own destiny with a 1.5-game lead in the American League Wild Card race. They are only 2.5 games back from leading the AL West over the Texas Rangers. The Astros are not going to make it easy for Texas to keep their Cinderella run alive. 

Houston has been an above-average club all season. For most of the season, the Astros have ranked in the top ten in home runs, RBI, and batting average. The 2023 campaign has been nothing short of promising, and it never seemed like the Astros wouldn't be relevant come postseason baseball.

They've also seen their share of success on the mound this year, giving up the fifth least earned runs. They’re also ninth in the league in strikeouts and fifth in the league in team ERA with a solid 3.82. 

Boston Red Sox Preview

Boston Currently sits fourth in the AL East and they’re 11 games back from a mere impossible division win. On the other hand, they are just a few games back in the wild-card race behind the Mariners.

While three games back don’t sound like much, Boston must be perfect throughout the season's final quarter to sneak into the playoffs. 

Rafael Devers has been the player leading the club as of late. In his last five games, he has managed a .368 batting average. Devers is 7-19 over this span, and we expect him to continue his dominance in the final portion of the regular season.

After a slow start to the season, Boston has still managed to be fifth in total hits and eighth in RBI. The Red Sox bullpen has been solid as well, ranking eighth in the league in saves. Yet, they have struggled severely in home runs allowed as they rank in the bottom ten teams in the league. However, there is still plenty of time for the group to improve, but it must happen sooner or later. 

How to Watch Red Sox vs Astros 

• What: Boston Red Sox vs Houston Astros
• Where: Minute Maid Park in Houston, Texas
• When: August 21st @ 8:10 p.m. ET
• How to Watch: MLB.TV and ESPN+