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The Boston Red Sox were on their way to stealing a game on the road to start the ALCS. Jose Altuve and Carlos Correa had other plans. The duo homered in back-to-back innings to give the Astros a lead, eventually going on to win 5-4 in Game 1 of the series on Friday night. Altuve also added the insurance run (which was needed in the end), on a sac fly in the bottom of the 8th to secure the victory.
Let’s take a look at the moneyline on DraftKings Sportsbook and make a pick.
Red Sox vs. Astros Game 2 moneyline odds
Red Sox: +100
Astros: -120
So we head into Game 2 with a much different outlook on the pitcher matchup. The Red Sox have the clear edge with Nathan Eovaldi on the hill. He has a 2.61 ERA through 10.1 IP in the 2021 postseason so far. Despite Eovaldi being the Sox best pitcher in the playoffs, he may not be the one they want on the mound right now. Houston shelled Eovaldi during the regular season or 5 ER over 5.2 IP in his lone start vs. the ‘Stros in the regular season.
On the other hand, Luis Garcia pitched well against the Red Sox in the regular season, allowing 1 ER over 7.0 IP with 6 Ks in his lone start. The thing is, we should feel better about the veteran Eovaldi than Garcia, who has two career playoff appearances under his belt. This makes the game a bit tricky to figure out. Which pitcher will show up for both sides?
As for the offenses, both showed up in Game 1. Well, Kike Hernandez showed up for Boston. That’ll be the big thing for the Red Sox: Can the big bats get going against Garcia? My guess is the answer is yes. The Red Sox left plenty of runners on base in Game 1, going 1-for-9 with RISP. Xander Bogaerts and JD Martinez will need to get the ball in the gaps and drive in runs to keep Boston ahead of Houston’s bats.
The Astros are a contact hitting team and will be sitting fastball on Eovaldi, who has good movement. Houston also has a few dangerous lefty batters (Yordan Alvarez, Kyle Tucker) who could give Eovaldi some problems. Plus, the RvL matchup usually doesn’t matter much for Jose Altuve and Alex Bregman.
As tough as this is, I think the Red Sox steal their game here. Eovaldi needs to go deep into this game and if Boston can get to Garcia early, the Astros will have to go deep into their bullpen again, which isn’t ideal after Game 1. I’ll bank on Eovaldi showing up and the Red Sox getting to Garcia.
Pick: BOS +100
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