Boston travels to Houston for inter-league play on Friday, hoping to secure a victory over the Astros.

The Astros will rely on Bud Norris to turn in a quality outing on the mound in this one, while Tim Wakefield will be his counterpart for the Red Sox. Bud Norris is 4-6 this season, and Tim Wakefield is 4-3.



View Boston vs Houston Odds and Stats.

Betting Line:
The visitors opened as 120 moneyline favorites in this one at most online sportsbooks tracked at Odds Shark. The total opened at 8.5 for those preferring over under wagers.

Power Rankings:
The Odds Shark MLB Power Rankings have the Astros at No. 15 in the National League and the Red Sox at No. 1 in the American League heading into this contest.



How They Match Up:
Scoring stats point to some edges in this matchup. The game features Houston's National League No. 9-ranked scoring average of 4 runs per game, against a Red Sox offense rated No. 2 and scoring 5.2 runs per game in the league. The Astros have averaged 9 hits per game to date this season, less than the Red Sox hitters have managed (9.6 per nine innings).

Houston owns the National League's No. 16 defense, allowing 5 men per game to cross the plate. That contrasts with Boston's American League No. 7-rated defense.

Last time out for Boston, they were a 5-2 Sportsbook as they battled the Phillies on the road. Moneyline bettors who got the Red Sox at +115 were rewarded, while the 7 combined runs moved the game UNDER for totals bettors. The Red Sox grabbed a win last time out, defeating Cole Hamels and the Phillies 5-2 on Thursday at Citizens Bank Park.

The Astros were a 7-0 Sportsbook in their most recent outing at home against the Rangers. That made Sportsbooks of bettors who got Houston at -103 on the moneyline, while the total score (7) was good news for UNDER bettors. Wandy Rodriguez chucked 7 shutout innings at the Rangers in their last game, striking out 4 in a 7-0 win against Texas in baseball action at Minute Maid Park.


Boston Red Sox Trends:
When playing on Friday are 7-3
Before playing Houston are 4-2
After playing Philadelphia are 7-3
After a win are 6-4

Houston Astros Trends:
When playing on Friday are 7-3
Before playing Boston are 2-4
After playing Texas are 3-7
After a win are 4-6

A few Red Sox at Astros trends to consider:
The total has gone UNDER in 7 of Boston's last 9 games on the road
Boston is 18-7 SU in its last 25 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Boston's last 7 games
Boston is 16-8 SU in its last 24 games
The total has gone OVER in 17 of Houston's last 25 games at home
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Houston's last 6 games when playing Boston
Houston is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games when playing Boston
Houston is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games


Next up:
Boston at Houston, Saturday, July 2