Astros vs Red Sox Game 5 Odds, Betting Lines, and Probable Pitchers

• The Houston Astros visit the Boston Red Sox in Game 5 of the ALCS on Wednesday (October 20th, 5:08 pm ET)
• Boston will give the ball to Chris Sale (0-0, 14.73 ERA), while Houston will counter with Framber Valdez (0-0, 7.71 ERA)
• Read below for odds, analysis and a betting prediction

Don’t count out the Houston Astros just yet. Despite getting less than 3 innings from their starting pitcher for the fourth consecutive game, the Astros still found a way to even the ALCS versus the Boston Red Sox at two games apiece.

Houston scored eight unanswered runs over the final two innings to take Game 4 by a score of 9-2, setting up a crucial Game 5 on Wednesday (October 20th).

Astros vs Red Sox Game 5 Odds

Odds as of Oct. 20th at FanDuel.

The Red Sox opened up as a -130 moneyline favorite, in a game that features a total of 9.5. First pitch is scheduled for 5:08 pm ET at Fenway Park, with a cold, windy night for baseball on deck. The forecast currently calls for clear skies, 12 mph winds and 52 degree night time temperatures.

Probable Pitchers

Boston will give the ball to Chris Sale, who’s been awful through two playoff starts. The 32-year-old hasn’t made it out of the third inning in either outing, surrendering nine hits and six runs combined to Houston and Tampa Bay.

Sale was the Game 1 ALCS starter in Houston, and while he only yielded a single run, he allowed six baserunners and was yanked after 2.2 innings.

Chris Sale after loading the bases with only one out in the second inning: pic.twitter.com/AJWqpQApvL

— theScore (@theScore) October 16, 2021

Dating back to the regular season, he’s failed to make it out of the third inning in three consecutive starts, and he hasn’t posted a quality start in any of his past seven outings.

The lone bright spot is he should be fresh. He’s thrown just 91 pitches during the playoffs, and will be operating on his normal amount of rest.

Valdez vs Sale 2021 Playoff Stats

Houston will counter with Framber Valdez, who’s been as big a disappointment in the postseason as Sale. Valdez was rocked for six hits and three runs in Game 1 versus Boston, lasting just 2.2 innings. That follows an underwhelming performance in the ALDS, when he coughed up seven hits and four runs to the Chicago White Sox over 4.1 innings.

Prior to this year, he’d been lights out in the playoffs. In four appearances during the 2020 postseason, Valdez posted a 3-1 record, with a 1.88 ERA.

He pitched very well during the regular season, and the Astros will be desperate for a lengthy start. The bullpen logged 7.2 innings on Tuesday, bringing their four game total to 28 so far this series.

Batting Average vs Starting Pitchers

Tuesday marked the first time since Game 1 of the ALDS that the Red Sox failed to score at least four runs, and it was just the second time that’s happened over their past 13 contests.

Astros vs Red Sox Pick

Simply put, Boston let Houston off the hook in Game 4. They chased starter Zack Greinke early and were in excellent shape to tee off on a tired Astros bullpen. Credit to the Houston relievers for a masterful performance, but we shouldn’t expect an encore in Game 5.

Buckle up, we've got ourselves a series.#ForTheH pic.twitter.com/oA9dVzld2J

— Houston Astros (@astros) October 20, 2021

The bullpen arms are vulnerable, and so is Valdez. The Astros can’t keep asking their relievers to throw 7+ innings, but there’s no reason to believe Valdez is going to keep the Red Sox bats at bay.

On the other hand, yes, Sale has been a disaster the last few times out, but each of those outings were on the road. He pitched much better at Fenway Park this season, posting a 5-0 record with a 2.48 ERA, compared to an 0-1 mark with a 4.61 ERA away from home.

Pick: Boston Red Sox Moneyline (-130)