The Red Sox and Angels both closed the first half of the season on impressive runs and they look to continue their stretch of strong play when they meet in a four-game set starting Friday.
ODDS ANALYSIS
The Red Sox showed a little bit of fight closing out the first half by winning nine of 13 games up 6.25 units on the moneyline, though they did drop two of three at home to the first place Yankees last weekend, blowing a chance to gain some ground in the AL East. Still the Red Sox are within six games of first place and in a weak division a continued run of wins could get them even closer. The Sox continue to be a shaky bet, in the red 11.5 units overall and need so show us more in the second half before we can lay coin on them. The Sox took two of three from the Halos and scored 19 runs when the clubs met in Boston in late May.
A closing first half run with wins in 11 of 14 games propelled the Angels into the top spot in the AL West, a half game in front of the surprising Astros, who had held the lead in the division since Apr. 19. The Halos did the bulk of the work on the road going 7-2 in their last nine prior to the break and return home where they are 7-3 in their last 10 and 25-18 overall, up 3.04 units on the moneyline. The Angels picked it up offensively heading into the break averaging 7.2 runs per game over their last nine while reaching double-figures in runs four times. The Angels cashed the over seven times during those nine games and the over is 23-20-2 at Angel Stadium this season.
PITCHING MATCHUP
Neither team has set its rotation for the second half of the season. The Red Sox put their most reliable starter Clay Buchholz on the 15-day disabled list with a right flexor strain suffered last Friday in has start against the Yankees.
Rick Porcello (5-9, 5.90 ERA) and rookie Eduardo Rodriguez (5-2, 3.59 ERA) are the likely candidates to get the ball but with Buchholz sidelined the rotation takes a big hit.
Angels’ manager Mike Scioscia has a full arsenal of starters to pick from after All-Star Hector Santiago didn’t take the mound in Tuesday’s All-Star Game/
Garrett Richards has struggled against the Sox during his young career while C.J. Wilson has enjoyed some success and could be in line for the starting nod on Friday. Also, don’t count out Santiago. All three will throw during the four-game set, it just depends on what order Scioscia wants use them.
QUOTE TO NOTE
“Granted, we can’t deny where we stand. But I will focus on the way we’ve been playing of late and that is much improved. We’ve got some guys that have come back to us. Young players have taken a major step forward. But to add some arms to the group that we have, obviously with Clay’s situation and him going down, that would go a long way to stabilize things.” – Red Sox manager John Farrell.
LIVE BETTING or SITUATIONAL BETTING
The Red Sox and Angels rolled into the All-Star break on nice runs and both teams are expected to get key players back on the roster when the second half opens up. Sox second baseman Dustin Pedroia used the break as a final recovery period from his hamstring injury and will be in the starting lineup. Pedroia hasn’t played since June 24 and the Sox went 10-6 without him. But it would be hard for them to continue playing at that level without their fiery leader, who’s hitting .306 with nine home runs. Huston Street will be back in the Angels’ bullpen after missing last weekend’s series in Seattle with a groin injury. Street’s 24 saves are second in the AL and he owns a 2.27 ERA and 0.93 WHIP over 35.2 innings of work. He’s solidified the Angels bullpen with 41 saves since arriving last July from San Diego.
PROP TALK
Mike Trout cemented his stature in MLB by winning his second straight All-Star Game MVP award. The guy is flat out the best player in the game. Trout closed out the first half hitting .444 over a seven-game hitting streak to raise his average to .312. He tagged five homers during the streak, scored nine runs and drove in 11 while the team averaged 6.3 runs. Trout has five hits in 14 at-bats against the Sox this season and is a career .351 hitter off Sox pitching.
ANALYSIS AND PREDICTION
An inconsistent first half ended with the Angels right where most expected them to be. It wasn’t easy and holding on to first place will be a chore with the Astros seemingly not going away. But the Halos were able to take the lead in the AL West even after their many struggles. Outside of Trout and Albert Pujols, there hasn’t been much offense from a group that can supply some punch. It’s scary to think the Angels can be better and their surge at the end of the first half is a glimpse at what they can do. The Red Sox just happened to be next in line.
Los Angeles 6, Boston 3
The MLB lines for this contest will first be released by BookMaker Sportsbook. Gamble on the game between every half inning with BookMaker’s live betting feature. Along with an adjusted in-game moneyline, you can wager on what will happen in the next at-bat or how many runs will be scored in the next inning. Live betting is the most exciting way to play!
Access live betting lines from your mobile device at BookMaker Sportsbook! You can wager on sporting events as they unfold on television with BookMaker’s live betting platform. Real-time spreads, totals, props and moneyline odds are all available by clicking here so start betting with BookMaker today! The ballgame pitting the Boston Red Sox versus the Los Angeles Angels will commence Friday, July 17, 2015, at 10:05 p.m. ET at Angel Stadium of Anaheim. The game will be televised live on NESN and FSW.
