Prizing:

1st Place: $25 Amazon gift card

2nd-5th Place: $10 Starbucks gift card

Top 5 Winners:

1. Tammy Rose
2. John Ouellete
3. rrt***@aol.com
4. long***@outlook.com
5. lj10232***@gmail.com

Overview:

On Sunday, June 18th, the (37-28) Boston Red Sox will be on the road to take on the (45-22) Houston Astros.

The Crowd:

“The Crowd” projects a final score of Astros 6.0 – Red Sox 4.4 with an over/under of 10.3.

Starting Pitchers:

BOS: David Price (1-1, 5.09) vs HOU: Joe Musgrove (4-5, 4.81)

Batting Stats:

Runs per game: Astros 5.46 (2^nd) > Red Sox 4.82 (11^th)

Batting Average: Astros .277 (1^st) > Red Sox .270 (4^th)

On Base Percentage: Astros .344 (2^nd) > Red Sox .342 (3^rd)

Total Bases: Astros 1083 (1^st) > Red Sox 933 (5^th)

Baserunning Stats:

Stolen Bases: Red Sox 37 (10^th) > Astros 32 (17^th)

Pitching Stats:

Team Earned Run Average: Astros 3.72 (4^th) > Red Sox 3.94 (5^th)

Batting Average Against: Astros .232 (3^rd) > Red Sox .256 (16^th)

Walks/Hits Per Innings Pitched: Astros 1.21 (3^rd) > Red Sox 1.28 (7^th)

Strikeouts: Astros 686 (1^st) > Red Sox 618 (4^th)

Saves: Astros 20 (5^th) > Red Sox 19 (7^th)

Fielding Stats:

Errors: Orioles 25 (11^th) > Astros 32 (20^th)

Summary:

The Astros enter the game 2^nd in the league in runs per game (5.46) and 4^th in team earned run average (3.72).  Boston ranks 11^th in runs per game (4.82) and 5^th in team ERA (3.94).  Boston is (7-3) in their last ten games while Houston is (4-6).  The Red Sox really seem to miss the big bat of David Ortiz as they rank 28^th in the league in home runs (63). These two teams have yet to play each other this season but Boston was (5-2) against Houston a year ago.  The Red Sox would appear to have the pitching advantage on paper, but David Price (1-1, 5.09) has struggled with injuries and inconsistency in the early part of the season.

The Astros hitters are batting a combined .290 off Price.  Brian McCann, in particular, has had great success against Price with a .345 average and 3 home runs in 29 at-bats.  Astros starter Joe Musgrove (4-5, 4.81) has never faced the Red Sox in his career.  With two struggling starters, I would anticipate this being a high scoring affair.  Houston is (22-14) at home this season whereas Boston is (16-17) on the road.  Although Houston has the advantage in most statistical categories, Boston is playing better ball right now.  With Price on the mound I like the Red Sox to win this one on the road.

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