Boston Red Sox (97-72) vs Houston Astros (99-69)
Monday, October 18, 2021 at 8:08 pm
This is a play on the BOSTON RED SOX for our MLB Monday Sweet Spot. The ALCS heads to Boston as the Red Sox and Astros split the two games in Houston with the Red Sox now possessing the home field edge with three of the next five games taking place at Fenway Park should the series go that far. Boston used a pair of grand slams in the first and second innings to jump out to a big lead and take Game Two and the Red Sox became the first team ever with two grand slams in a postseason game. Boston has the hottest hitter on the planet right now and if Kiki Hernandez can keep it going, the Red Sox offense will continue to flourish. In his last five games, he is 15-for-25 with four doubles, five homers and nine RBIs. Eduardo Rodriguez gets the ball for Boston. He faced the Astros twice this season and was hammered both times with nearly identical stat lines as he allowed six runs in 4.2 innings both times. He was having trouble with his changeup back then and he has been much more consistent recently, posting a 2.89 ERA over his last seven games. He came through in a big spot for Boston in clinching Game Four of the ALDS, holding the Rays to two runs over five innings. This will be the first action for Jose Urquidy since October 3rd and while his arm is rested, the time off in a concern. The Astros are 1-6 in their last seven road games against a team with a winning record while the Red Sox are 7-0 in their last seven games against right-handed starters. 10* (910) Boston Red Sox