The Los Angeles Angels (48-40, $445) will look to keep hold of first place in the AL West while hosting the Boston Red Sox (42-47, -$1,150) in a four game weekend set with Game 2 on Saturday.
ODDS ANALYSIS
It took the whole first half, but going into the All-Star break, the Angels were in first place in the AL West after winning seven of their last nine games.
The Red Sox, however, weren’t as fortunate. Their starting pitching has been abysmal all year and has led to their placement in the cellar of the AL East, though they, too, had been playing better of late, winning five of their last seven.
Despite the improved played play, they’re still just 20-24 away from Fenway while the Angels are 25-18 at home.
Head-to-head, the Sox got the best of the Angels in their only series of the year, winning two of three.
PITCHING MATCHUP
Neither team has announced their starters for this series, though the Angels have better options than the Red Sox.
Boston’s rotation’s ERA is 4.75, the worst mark in the American League and more than a full run worse than the Angels’.
To make matters worse for Boston, they are without Clay Buchholz (3.26 ERA) their only starter pitching well outside of rookie Eduardo Rodriguez (3.59 ERA) who has had a few bumps in the road.
If E-Rod gets the ball, the Sox are in a better position than if anyone else takes it. After all, Wade Miley has the next best ERA amongst active starters and it sits at a disappointing 4.80 while Rick Porcello’s is 5.90 after posting a 8.18 ERA in eight starts prior to finally putting together a good outing in his last start before the break.
While the Red Sox’s rotation has struggled top to bottom, the Angels’ has pitched pretty well top to bottom, even without Jared Weaver. Matt Shoemaker is the only one with an ERA over 4 and rookie Andrew Heaney has a 1.32 ERA in four starts, Hector Santiago has a 2.33 ERA and was an All-Star and the other two, C.J. Wilson (3.83 ERA) and Garrett Richards (3.53 ERA) are arguably the team’s best arms.
If E-Rod gets the start that changes things, but otherwise the advantage should go to the Angels regardless of the actual matchup.
QUOTE TO NOTE
The Sox lost their game leading into the break, but manager John Ferrell was still optimistic about how his team has played of late, saying:
“The one thing we have shown with greater frequency over the past three to four weeks is creating opportunities late, playing with a lot of energy.”
That is true and a big reason why, despite the rotation, they are still just six and a half out of the AL East.
LIVE/SITUATIONAL BETTING
Offense has been a bit of an issue for the Angels all season. They have the reigning MVP in Mike Trout who has a .312 average, 1.019 OPS and is tied for the league lead in homers with 26. Interestingly, the player that he is tied with in the long ball category is his teammate: Albert Pujols.
Pujols is back to form from his younger days in St. Louis and has a solid .855 OPS. His average is down a bit at .255, but he is still getting on base and driving the ball.
Neither player has been an issue for the team this year, but Los Angeles has struggled finding players to compliment the two. Right fielder Kole Calhoun is likely the third best hitter on the team, but the youngster cannot protect the two thumpers and set the table for them at the same time.
Fortunately, C.J Cron (.715 OPS) has started to step up his game, hitting .533 with a 1.465 OPS and three home runs in eight July games, helping the Angels rank second in baseball with 66 July runs.
The Red Sox, meanwhile, have scored a solid 55 in July in the same number of games (10). On the year, Boston has scored eight more runs while playing one more game.
The two teams’ bats match up quite well, but with Cron and company waking up the Red Sox will hope a return of Dustin Pedroia off the disabled list will help boost the Sox.
Pedroia, when healthy, was the team’s best bat in the first half with a .819 OPS and .306 average. Of course, Xander Bogaerts (.304 average), Mookie Betts (.792 OPS) and Brock Holt (.791 OPS) did well, too.
The youngsters are key for the Sox, but so are some of the vets. They will need Pedroia to be back in form quick and will look for more in the second half from David Ortiz (.762 OPS) and Pablo Sandoval (.691 OPS) along with more consistency from Hanley Ramirez (.816 OPS).
If they’re to win on Saturday, they need that improved second half production to start this weekend.
PROP TALK
Go ahead and bank on Trout for any prop bets. The superstar is hot right now. Having homered off of Zack Greinke in the All-Star game, he won the MVP. He is also hitting .378 in 10 July games with six home runs. Add in a 5 for 14 showing against the Red Sox this year and a .351 average with five homers against them in his career and he should be a pest for Boston’s lackluster rotation.
ANALYSIS AND PREDICTION
Pitching wins games and the Angels have the edge there, both starting and in the bullpen where they sport a 3.49 ERA compared to the Red Sox’s 3.89.
Of course, good pitching cannot win alone. You still need to be able to put runs on the board and the Angels have shown an ability to do that, too. They are a bit shallow at the plate, but still have two All-Star starters and the two guys tied for the league lead in home runs.
Los Angeles 6, Boston 4
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 Saturday, July 18, 2015, at 9:05 p.m. ET at Angel Stadium of Anaheim. You can watch the contest live on the MLB Network.
