Two cornerstone figures of the Houston Astros’ success over the last decade return to Houston for the first time this season when Carlos Correa and the Astros host Alex Bregman and the Boston Red Sox on Monday at Daikin Park.
Correa, who played for Houston from 2015 to 2021 before signing with the Twins, will be making his first appearance in Houston since being reacquired by the Astros at the trade deadline from Minnesota. He has been playing mostly third base for the first time in his career and is hitting .405 with a 1.098 OPS in nine games with Houston.
Meanwhile Bregman, who played nine seasons with the Astros (2016-24), will be playing his first game in his former park since signing with the Red Sox in the offseason. He is hitting .298 with a .911 OPS this season for Boston.
Both the Astros and Red Sox enter the three-game series in the thick of the American League playoff race. Houston (66-52) leads the AL West by a half game over the red-hot Mariners, who have won seven in a row. Boston (65-54) sits in second place in the AL East, four games behind the Blue Jays. If the season ended today, the Red Sox would earn the second of three wild card berths in the AL.
Monday’s pitching matchup features Boston ace Garrett Crochet (13-4, 2.24 ERA) against Houston’s Cristian Javier, who will be making his first start in almost 15 months after having Tommy John surgery.
The Red Sox are -172 favorites, according to the latest MLB odds, while the Astros are +144 underdogs. While the Astros-Red Sox game is the marquee attraction on the sporting landscape on Monday, there are other options on an 11-game MLB slate and Valkyries-Sun in the WNBA.
Below is a snapshot of what to watch and bet for Monday, Aug. 11. All times Eastern
MLB best bets, where to watch
Twins at Yankees
Time: 7:05 p.m. | Location: New York | TV: MLB Network | Stream: Fubo (start watching, save $20!)
SportsLine pick — Model: Over 9 runs -127 | Expert: Yankees money line -154 (Matt Severance)
The New York Yankees will try to turn their season around when they host the Minnesota Twins on Monday in the first game of a three-game series at Yankee Stadium. Once up by seven games in the AL East, the Yankees (62-56) are 20-31 over their last 51 games and are now 6½ games behind in the division. They still, however, own the third and final wild card spot in the AL. Meanwhile, the Twins (56-61), who unloaded several key players at the trade deadline, sit in fourth place in the AL Central, 11 games behind the division-leading Tigers. Matt Severance, who is 7-3-1 in his last 11 MLB picks, notes that the Minnesota bullpen was blown out on Sunday in an 11-inning game. In addition, Twins starter Zebby Matthews has a 5.63 road ERA.
Pirates at Brewers
Time: 7:40 p.m. | Location: Milwaukee | Watch: MLB Network | Stream: Fubo (start watching, save $20!)
SportsLine pick — Model: Brewers money line -202 | Expert: Brewers -1.5 +105 (Matt Snyder)
No team is hotter than the Milwaukee Brewers, and on Monday they will look to win their 10th straight game when they host the Pittsburgh Pirates at American Family Field. The Brewers (73-44) own the best record in baseball by five games over the Phillies (68-49). During the winning streak, Milwaukee has outscored its opponents 70-33. On Monday the Brewers will face a Pirates team that occupies the basement in the NL Central, 23 games behind Milwaukee. The pitching matchup pits two lefties: the Brewers’ Jose Quintana (9-4, 3.57) against Pittsburgh’s Andrew Heaney (5-9, 4.77). “The Brewers are an auto-tail at this point, having won nine in a row. They’ve gone 24-4 in the last month,” Snyder says. “The Pirates are a bad team, and Paul Skenes isn’t pitching.”
More MLB best bets
WNBA best bets, where to watch
Sun at Valkyries
Time: 10 p.m. | Location: San Francisco
SportsLine pick — | Expert: Valkyries -8 -112 (Max Meyer)
The Golden State Valkyries continue their push for the playoffs when they host the struggling Connecticut Sun on Monday. With one month remaining in the regular season, the Valkyries (15-15) own the eighth and final playoff spot. They are coming off a 72-59 win over the Sparks. Meanwhile, the Sun (5-25) have lost four in a row and sit at the bottom of the 13-team WNBA standings. They are playing the second half of a back-to-back, as well as the last game of a four-game West Coast road trip. “This seems like a spot where the Sun could be exhausted after a good amount of travel and spending the weekend in Vegas,” Meyer says.
Looking ahead: Cubs at Blue Jays
Time: 7:07 p.m., Tuesday | Location: Toronto | TV: TBS | Stream: Fubo (start watching, save $20!)
There are only six MLB teams to record at least 67 wins this season ahead of Monday’s slate, and two of them square off in Toronto this week. The 69-50 Blue Jays are 4 games ahead of the Red Sox for the AL East lead, while the 67-50 Cubs trail the Brewers by 6 games in the NL Central race. Both teams are coming off a road series loss, with Toronto dropping two of three to the Dodgers and Chicago doing the same against the Cardinals. Kevin Gausman (8-8, 3.85 ERA) is the projected Blue Jays starter for Tuesday, while the Cubs are slated to send out Cade Horton (6-3, 3.18 ERA).
Add Comment