There might not have been a single man in the entirety of Major League Baseball who needed the All-Star break more than Rick Porcello. After his disastrous first half of the season, he'll be back on the bump on Saturday for the Boston Red Sox (42-47 SU, -11.50 Units), who are looking to right the ship when they take on the Los Angeles Angels (48-40 SU, +4.45 Units).
PITCHING MATCHUP
Porcello was arguably the worst starting pitcher in the majors in the first half. Basically every metric was miserable for the righty. He had a dreadful 5.90 ERA, batters hit just under .300 against him, and he stranded just 64.8 percent of his base runners.
That said, live bettors should know that better times should be ahead for Porcello. His FIP of 4.47 and xFIP of 3.92 suggest a man who should be in a lot better shape in the second half of the year. He also surely won't have a BABIP against of .331.
Garrett Richards just hasn't panned out the way we figured that he would have this year. The righty has been good at 9-6 with a 3.53 ERA, but his velocity is down for sure, and batters are catching up to more of his pitches.
Richards struck out 164 men in 168.2 innings last year, but this season, he only has 77 strikeouts in 99.1 innings. Furthermore, he is allowing a lot more contact, and that got him in a lot of trouble against the Mariners in his last start before the break in which he allowed 12 hits.
The fact of the matter is that Richards is going to end up allowing more hits than ever before in his career thanks to the fact that his velocity is off. If he can't hit 94 MPH on the radar gun, live bettors need to stay away from him.
ADVANCED STATS
The Red Sox have been losing games because of their lousy pitching, not their hitting. At the outset of the season, they were incredibly unlucky with their bats, posting a BABIP under .250 and an ISO of less than .120.
In the last month though, Boston's bats have been humming. The team has had an ISO of .162 and a BABIP of .320. Mookie Betts has really turned things around at the top of the lineup, and there are now six players hitting at least .265, none of which is David Ortiz or Mike Napoli. If those two start to hit the ball, it's an added bonus going forward for the Sox. Live bettors should be kept aware that a big inning might always be right around the corner.
TALKING BULLPENS
Huston Street is dealing with a groin injury right now, and though we would bet that he ends up being available this weekend, we doubt that he would pitch on Saturday if he had to be called upon on Friday night.
Street might not be the only solid option in the bullpen, but there isn't another man on this team who has racked up a save all season long. The fact that Mike Scioscia can't call down to that pen for anyone who has thrown in the ninth inning in a save situation this year is frightening for live bettors, particularly in a higher scoring game where the Red Sox batters have some confidence.
The MLB odds for this game will be available first at 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!
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Click here, and start wagering today! First pitch for the game between the Boston Red Sox and the Los Angeles Angels is scheduled for Saturday, July 18, 2015 at 9:05 p.m. ET at Angel Stadium in Anaheim, CA. The contest will be televised live on the MLB Network.
