August 20, 09:10 MLB Houston Boston Overseas Baseball Analysis Sports Analysis
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Valdez's excellent performance led the Houston Astros to a winning streak, and now Yusei Kikuchi (6 wins, 9 losses, 4.49 ERA) is aiming for his 7th win of the season. Kikuchi pitched impressively in the Tampa Bay game on the 14th, throwing 5.2 innings, allowing 3 hits and 1 run, securing the victory. Since joining Houston, his batting average against has drastically improved to .167. Although his ability to eat innings is a concern, Kikuchi should be able to hold Boston to 6 innings without much trouble. Despite winning the previous game, Houston's lineup is struggling, having only scored 2 runs from 2 home runs against Bush and Brebbia. Thankfully, Jose Altuve has contributed significantly over the past two games, and the bullpen seems to be gradually overcoming the 8th-inning jinx.
The Boston Red Sox's inability to score has brought their winning streak to an end, with Tanner Houck (8 wins, 8 losses, 3.01 ERA) aiming for his 9th win of the season. After a solid outing of 6.2 innings and allowing 2 runs in the game against Texas on the 15th, the bullpen unfortunately squandered the win. Houck has shown improvement in his last two games, but the key will be how he deals with his recent struggles in away games. The Red Sox offense had difficulties against Suarez, managing only 2 runs against the Baltimore bullpen, including a solo home run from Refsynder. Their hitting has been too inconsistent, as evidenced by a mere 1 hit in 14 at-bats with runners in scoring position, making it hard to envision a victory.
In the second half of the season, the Red Sox's struggles against left-handed pitchers have reached a serious level. It will be extremely difficult to tackle an awakened Kikuchi. The recent decline in Houston's offense is crucial, but considering Houck's away performance, there is a high probability for a rebound, especially since the bullpen shows signs of gradually gaining an advantage. With superior pitching, the Houston Astros are closer to victory.
Predicted score: 4-2 in favor of Houston.
Handicap: Houston wins.
Over/Under: Under.