Houston Astros vs Boston Red Sox Prediction, Odds and Picks for Today, 08/01/25

The Houston Astros and Boston Red Sox square off this weekend in a battle between 2 playoff contenders. Neither team was very active at the trade deadline, aside from Houston reuniting with Carlos Correa. More than anything else, that is a sign that the Astros do not expect Isaac Paredes back. Otherwise, these teams mostly just stayed put. As they begin a series on Friday, both teams come in with a 2-game winning streak and are looking to build. I like the situation much more for the Astros, though, so my Astros vs Red Sox pick is Houston on the money line.

The Astros should have a significant advantage on the mound with Hunter Brown facing Cooper Criswell. Brown has had an excellent season, although he did hit a rough patch in July in which he gave up 13 runs across 3 starts. There was concern he might have hit the wall, but he seems to have self-corrected. I like him against the Sox. What makes him good is a deep mix of pitches, most of them with a ton of velocity or movement — so he is tough to square up. Criswell has spent most of the season in AAA, and he is just not a guy I want to be backing. Both bullpens are top-5 units, so things should stay fairly quiet once the starters leave, and I expect that to be the advantage for the Astros tonight.

Astros vs Red Sox prediction: Houston ML (-135) available at time of publishing. Playable at that number.

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