Astros vs Red Sox MLB Betting Odds, Pitchers, Prediction

An epic MLB Postseason continues into the new week with Game 3 of the American League Championship Series on tap for Monday night. After splitting the first two games of this series, the Houston Astros and Boston Red Sox will both be looking to gain an upper hand in tonight’s Game 3 matchup. Fenway Park will be rocking as two of the most potent offenses in baseball descend on one of the most hitter-friendly venues in all of baseball. Will the starting pitchers be able to provide any sort of length? The MLB betting odds offer a slight edge to the home team for tonight’s Astros vs Red Sox showdown.

This MLB betting preview for Astros vs Red Sox ALCS Game 3 includes game info, projected starting pitchers, betting odds, trends and a prediction for tonight’s postseason matchup.

Houston Astros vs Boston Red Sox Betting Preview and Prediction | MLB Playoffs Game 3

ALCS Game 3 (Series tied 1-1)
Houston Astros (95-67, 44-37 Away) vs. Boston Red Sox (92-70, 49-32 Home)
Date: Monday, Oct. 18, 2021
Time: 8:07 p.m. EST
Venue: Fenway Park — Boston, MA
Coverage: FS1

Astros vs Red Sox Starting Pitchers

Astros: Jose Urquidy (8-3, 3.62 ERA)
Red Sox: Eduardo Rodriguez (13-8, 4.74 ERA)

Houston Astros Preview

Offensively, the Astros played well in each of the first two games of this ALCS. Unfortunately, five runs on eight hits weren’t enough for Houston to hold serve in Game 2 at home. The highest-scoring lineup in baseball on a per-game basis will now have to do some damage on the road at Fenway over the next three nights. Yuli Gurriel was the star of Game 2 for the Astros. He had a home run as one of his two hits, driving in three of Houston’s five runs. After franchise cornerstones Jose Altuve and Carlos Correa came up huge in the series-opener, they combined for just a single hit on Saturday. Kyle Tucker had two hits in the loss.

Manager Dusty Baker is in quite a pickle the longer this MLB betting series goes due to Houston’s lack of starting pitching depth. For Game 3, he is turning to right-hander, Jose Urquidy. While he put up solid stats on the year, including a 3.62 ERA and 0.99 WHIP, Urquidy missed the months of July and August with an injury. He never went beyond six innings in any start since returning and saw his ERA steadily rise over the final month of the regular season. Urquidy did shut the Red Sox down to the tune of one run on three hits back in June. Then again, a lot has changed since then. Don’t be surprised to see the Astros turn to their bullpen early and often in Game 3 tonight.

Boston Red Sox Preview

The Red Sox tied an MLB Postseason record in Game 2 by scoring all nine of their runs via the long ball. Of course, eight of them came on a pair of grand slams in each of the first two innings. Rafael Devers and J.D. Martinez spotted the Red Sox to a quick 8-0 lead on Saturday and the rest was history. Both players accounted for two total hits in the win, as did Xander Bogaerts and the red-hot Kike Hernandez, who also homered in the 4th inning. Starter Nathan Eovaldi was solid over 5.1 innings. The Boston bullpen should be fresh and ready to roll in tonight’s MLB betting Game 3.

Drawing the start for Alex Cora in this home tilt is left-hander, Eduardo Rodriguez. After missing time early in the year, Rodriguez went on to win 13 games for Boston this season. He got knocked around by the Tampa Bay Rays in Game 1 of the ALDS but bounced back nicely in the series-clinching Game 4. Rodriguez rose to the occasion on that night, allowing just two runs on three hits over five innings of work. Unfortunately, the Astros are a team that the southpaw has struggled mightily against in the past. This includes a pair of outings back in June of this year. Rodriguez allowed six runs in both of those starts on 13 hits combined and failed to make it through five innings in either appearance.