The Houston Astros are considered by online sportsbooks to be a contender in the AL as well as a bonafide World Series contender when taking a peek at their futures odds offerings. The same can’t and won’t be said for a Boston Red Sox outfit that’s dramatically failed to live up to expectations at the outset of the MLB betting season. After winning 92 games a season ago, the BoSox only hit the board with an 85.5 win total for 2022. It looks like oddsmakers overestimated! Through 31 games played, Alex Cora’s troops have only amassed 11 total wins to clock in as the second worst bet in the American League and third worst in the entire league. They’ll have their work cut out for them in the middle game of this three-game set with the ‘Stros set to send Luis Garcia out to the starting bump coming off his best start of the season against Detroit. With Michael Wacha recently testing positive for COVID, it’s unknown at the time of this writing as to who will start for the Red Sox.
First pitch for the AL non-divisional tilt between the Houston Astros and Boston Red Sox scheduled for Tuesday, May 17, 2022. Take it in live on FS1 at 7:20 p.m. ET from Fenway Park. Bet on MLB odds and player props at BookMaker.eu every day of the season.
MLB Betting Odds at BookMaker.eu
Odds Analysis
One of just four teams to have logged 19 wins or more to this point of the season, Dusty Baker’s Astros continue to get the job done. With Wednesday game against the Twins suspended, the team is still the owner of an eight-game winning streak that’s seen them take two straight series since dropping two of three to the Toronto Blue Jays. In doing so, the squad moved to 19-11 overall to rank out as the sixth most lucrative team to wager on in the game $340. The Astros have gotten the job done both at home 9-4, $150 as well as on the road 10-7, $190. It’s been anything but a work of art in Beantown through the first month of the season. The Red Sox have cost their wagering supporters upwards of $900 by way of playing .355 ball through their first 31 played games. They’ll more than likely be way up for this series however after Houston sent them packing in last year’s postseason.
Probable Pitchers
Luis Garcia: The right-hander has allowed three or less earned runs in four of his five made starts, and enters start No. 6 off his best showing of the young season. After taking a loss in his prior start at Toronto, Garcia would go on to throw seven innings of 1 ER ball at the Tigers to log his first win since April 18. It moved him to 2-1 overall with a 3.45 ERA, 0.97 WHIP, and .176 batting average against. While his 8.8 K/9 is nearly a full strikeout less than last season, he’s nearly trimmed a full walk of his 2.9 BB/9 average of a season ago. He’s also only surrendered 18 hits through 28.2 innings. Having put forth quality efforts in each of his last two turns, the youngster looks to be rounding back into his dominant form of a year ago in only surrendering 5.7 hits per nine innings. Boston stands 7-16 against right-handed pitching!
You’re guess is as good as mine as to whom the BoSox will ultimately send to the bump for this start. You have to figure this has bullpen game written all over it with Wacha on the COVID IL and Rich Hill coming off it to throw at the Texas Rangers over the weekend. Regardless of who ultimately takes the ball, Boston’s overall pitching is one of the reasons why it’s gotten out to such a wretched start. The starting staff has collected a grand total of five quality starts No. 27, while the bullpen has also struggled to shut things down when called upon No. 23.
Astros vs. Red Sox Prediction
It’s tough to give a recommendation on what to bet for this matchup not knowing who will actually get the ball for the Red Sox at the time of this writing. As such, I’ll concentrate on Luis Garcia and tout the under of his pitching outs prop. With him going the required six to log a quality start in each of his last two outings, I’m hoping linemakers inflate it just a bit. Should it come out in the 17 to 17.5 range, I’ll fade him logging a third straight start of quality in front of what’s destined to be a liquored up Fenway crowd. As bad the Red Sox have been to date, they’ve been much more competitive since getting blown out of the water in the final two games of the series with the Los Angeles Angels. They were just robbed of a potential win in Atlanta due to a horrendous called third strike, and I got a feeling they play with a chip on their shoulder moving forward; especially for this series with Cora running up against his former team!
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