MLB ALCS Game 1 Preview: Astros Vs. Red Sox

The Houston Astros are once again in the ALCS, albeit to the chagrin of many fans due to the cheating during the Astros' 2017 World Series-winning season.

The Astros got revenge over the Chicago White Sox on Tuesday with a 10-1 thumping to take the series 3-1. This is the fifth time in a row that the Astros have made it to the ALCS and are now the first team to compete for five straight since the Oakland Athletics did it in 1971.  

“To come out this season and kind of have to face the music, so to speak, and play well and win our division and come out here to win on the road, it’s very cool and it’s very impressive from the group of guys we got and the guys that have come before,” Astros starter Lance McCullers Jr. commented.

They Keep Winning

The Astros continued their relentless offense, almost perfect defense, and strong pitching staff. They won a total of 95 games this season on the way to claiming their fourth A.L. West division title in five years. Throughout October, the Astros hitters led the league in scoring during the regular season and were the hardest to strikeout.

Many stars have come and left but the Astros' core of the first baseman Yuli Gurriel, second baseman Jose Altuve, third baseman Alex Bregman, and Correa, have been the winning formula and reason for the teams' success. Those four players have played together in more playoff games than any other foursome in the history of the MLB. 

ALCS Odds 

The ALCS is one of the most wagered-upon series' in the world and this year will be no different. At bet365 Sports, for an outright series win in the ALCS, the Astros are favored to win at 3.00. The Red Sox are a bit behind at 5.00. Either way, this will be an action-packed series and one you're not gonna want to miss.

The odds in this article at the bookmaker mentioned above were accurate at the time of writing on Wednesday at 20:30 GMT.