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The Red Sox vs. Astros Game 1 American League Divisional series had Houston as a -130 favorite. Some books were as high as -161.
PITCHING MATCHUP: Red Sox LH Chris Sale (17-8, 2.90 ERA) vs. Astros RH Justin Verlander (15-8, 3.36)
Sale went 3-4 with a 4.30 ERA over his final eight starts and struggled to keep the ball in the park at times, including his final start against Toronto on Sept. 26 in which he served up four home runs. This will be his first career postseason start and is 5-1 with a 1.31 ERA in six career starts against Houston.
Verlander earned his spot at the top of the Astros postseason rotation by going 5-0 with a 1.06 ERA in five starts since joining the team. He allowed four runs (three earned) in 12 innings over two starts against Boston earlier this season, though he did not factor in either decision.
The Red Sox are 1-5 in their last 6 vs. a team with a winning record and 1-5 in their last 6 Divisional Playoff road games. They are 7-2 in Sale’s last 9 road starts.
The Astros are 11-2 in their last 13 home games and 22-8 in their last 30 overall. They are 5-0 in Verlander’s last 5 starts.
The two teams are split over ten meetings though Houston has won three of the last four.
Eight of the last ten meetings have resulted in 7 or more runs total.
- Dan Shapiro, Gambling911.com
