The Houston Astros returned to winning ways Wednesday with a thrilling 5-3 victory over the Cleveland Indians. Marwin Gonzalez hit a two-run homer in the 17th inning to lift the Astros to their third win in their last four games. The Astros will look to carry the momentum of that huge victory when they take on the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park tonight.
Pitching for the Astros in the series opener is left-hander Dallas Keuchel (2-4, 4.70 ERA). He is looking for his first victory since April 15, when he defeated the Detroit Tigers with eight shutout innings. Keuchel has struggled since then, going 0-3 with a 6.94 ERA in his last four outings. He has allowed 34 hits in 23.1 innings during that span.
With Keuchel still a big question mark at this point, the onus is on the Houston hitters to provide some much-needed runs tonight. The Astros left a season-high 17 runners on base in Wednesday’s win against the Indians. Expected to lead the Astros’ offense in this game against the Red Sox is Jose Altuve. He is 13-of-31 (.419) in his last eight games with two homers and eight RBIs. Altuve is 4-of-14 (.286) lifetime against Boston starter David Price.
The Astros are 2-8 in their last 10 road games. They are pegged at +1,500to win the American League pennant.
The Boston Red Sox extended their winning streak to four games with a comprehensive 13-3 victory over the Oakland Athletics on Wednesday. Rick Porcello was solid once again for Boston, allowing just three run on six hits in 6.2 innings of action. He has now pitched six or more innings in his last 15 starts – extending the longest active streak in the majors. The Red Sox will look to sustain the momentum of that series sweep when they square off with the Houston Astros tonight.
Pitching for the Red Sox in the series opener is left-hander David Price (4-1, 6.75 ERA). He has been struggling mightily of late, surrendering six runs or more in three of his last four starts. Price will look to turn things around against the Astros, a team he has had some success against in the past. He is 3-2 in six starts against Houston, with a 2.89 ERA and 49 strikeouts.
That being said, the Red Sox will need to pull their weight on the offensive end if they are to beat the Astros in the series opener. The Boston offense will rely on the red-hot Jackie Bradley Jr. to carry them through tonight. He had two home runs and six RBIs on Wednesday to extend his hitting streak to 17 games. Bradley is 26-for-54 with 14 extra-base hits during that span.
Also expected to contribute for Boston this evening is Dustin Pedroia. He is slashing .306/.351/.500 with six homers in 144 at-bats this season. He is 1-of-4 lifetime against Astros starter Dallas Keuchel with one RBI.
The Red Sox are 8-2 in their last 10 home games. They are priced at +1,200to win the World Series this year.
