It’s Wednesday, August 21, and the Boston Red Sox (65-58) and Houston Astros (67-56) conclude their 3-game series at Minute Maid Park this afternoon in Houston, TX.
The Red Sox took Game 2 of the series last night thanks to an 8th inning home run from Jarren Duran. That was just one of the Boston centerfielder’s 4 hits on the night. Triston Casas also went deep for the Sox who pulled back to within 3½ games of Kansas City for the final Wild Card spot in the American League. Houston still sits atop the American League West by 5 games over Seattle.
We’ve got all the info and analysis you need to know ahead of the game, including the latest info on the how to catch first-pitch, projected pitching matchup, lineup cards, recent team performance, player stats, and of course, our predictions, picks & best bets for the game from our modeling tools and staff of experts.
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Game details & how to watch Red Sox vs. Astros live today
● Date: Wednesday, August 21, 2024
● Time: 2:10PM EST
● Site: Minute Maid Park
● City: Houston, TX
● TV/Streaming: NESN, Space City Home Network, MLBN
Never miss a second of the action and stay up-to-date with all the latest team stats and player news. Check out our day-by-day MLB schedule page, along with detailed matchup pages that update live in-game with every out.
Game odds for Red Sox vs. Astros
The latest odds as of Wednesday morning:
● Moneyline: Red Sox +125, Astros -150
● Spread: Red Sox +1.5 (-165), Astros -1.5 (+140)
● Over/Under: 8.5 runs
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Recent team stats for Red Sox vs. Astros
● Boston is treading water. They are 5-5 in their last 10. Their record away from Fenway Park is now 37-27. Their overall run differential for the season is +25.
● The loss last night slowed down what has been a freight train in Houston. The Astros are 8-2 in their last 10. They are 35-28 at Minute Maid Park. Houston’s overall run differential for the season is +70.
Probable starting pitchers for Boston vs. Houston
● Today’s pitching matchup (August 21): Cooper Criswell vs. Justin Verlander
○ Red Sox: Criswell (5-4, 4.56 ERA) has allowed 38 earned runs and 81 hits while striking out 57 over 75 innings
○ Astros: Verlander (3-2, 3.95 ERA) has allowed 25 earned runs and 52 hits while striking out 51 over 57 innings
Rotoworld still has you covered with all the latest MLB player news for all 30 teams. Check out the feed page right here on NBC Sports for headlines, injuries and transactions where you can filter by league, team, positions and news type!
Top betting trends & insights to know ahead of Red Sox vs. Astros on August 21, 2024
● Rafael Devers has one hit in 8 career ABs against Justin Verlander…but that one hit was a Home Run
● Cooper Criswell has not started a game since July 23rd
● Who’s Hot? Jarren Duran has homered in two straight games
● Who’s Not! Justin Verlander. This is his first appearance since June 9th
If you’re looking for more key trends and stats around the spread, moneyline and total for every single game on the schedule today, check out our MLB Top Trends tool on NBC Sports!
Expert picks & predictions for Wednesday’s Red Sox vs. Astros game
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Our model calculates projections around each moneyline, spread and over/under bet for every game on the MLB calendar based on data points like past performance, player matchups, ballpark information and weather forecasts.
Once the model is finished running, we put its projection next to the latest betting lines for the game to arrive at a relative confidence level for each wager.
Here are the best bets our model is projecting for today’s Red Sox vs. Astros game:
- Moneyline: NBC Sports is recommending a play on Houston on the Moneyline
- Spread: NBC Sports is recommending a play on Houston on the Run Line
- Total runs: NBC Sports is recommending a play on the Total OVER of 8.5 runs
Want even more MLB best bets and predictions from our expert staff & tools? Check out the Expert MLB Predictions page from NBC Sports for money line, spread and total picks for each of the games on today’s calendar!
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- Jay Croucher (@croucherJD)
- Drew Dinsick (@whale_capper)
- Vaughn Dalzell (@VmoneySports)
- Brad Thomas (@MrBradThomas)
