Red Sox vs. Angels MLB Odds, Picks, Predictions: Bet the Halos Snap the Losing Streak (Thursday, June 9)
Ronald Martinez/Getty Images. Pictured: Shohei Ohtani #17 of the Los Angeles Angels.
- The Los Angeles Angels are seeking their first win since May 24 as they host the Boston Red Sox tonight.
- Is Shohei Ohtani the answer for the Angels? Or will the losing streak continue?
- Kenny Ducey breaks down the matchup below and gives his top pick.
Red Sox vs. Angels Odds
| Red Sox Odds | -106 |
| Angels Odds | -110 |
| Over/Under | 8 (-112 / -108) |
| Time | 9:38 p.m. ET |
| TV | MLB.TV |
| Odds via FanDuel. Get up-to-the-minute MLB odds here. | |
The talk of the league for all the wrong reasons, the Los Angeles Angels will look for their first win since May 24 when they look to salvage something from this four-game set against the Boston Red Sox on Thursday.
With Shohei Ohtani scheduled to go for the Halos, is this the moment they've been waiting for? Let's get into the matchup.
Red Sox Beating Up On Bad Teams
The Red Sox can't relate to how the Angels are feeling right now. They've now won seven in a row, taking full advantage of the soft schedule ahead of them. After dispatching the Reds to start the month, the Sox took three in Oakland then traveled to Anaheim to prey on the suffering Angels in three of the first four here.
Now comes the tricky part, the Nick Pivetta start. The right-hander has continued to pitch true to the form we've seen him in for the entirety of his career, registering a 3.50 ERA with a 4.11 xERA so far this season. While Pivetta has never reached the 43.8% hard-hit rate he's achieved this season, his walks are at least back down to the league average of 8.4%.
The bottom line here is that Pivetta has been victimized by good contact all year long, more so than in any other year, but other than that he's been a perfectly average pitcher.
Pivetta will be a vital component on Thursday considering the Red Sox have done little to impress at the dish during this winning streak. They sit 13th in wRC++ in the month of June, making contact on just 77.4% of swings to rank 18th in the league.
Shorthanded Angels Looking for Answers
The Angels are trying everything to get out of this funk, from firing the manager to going exclusively to Nickelback for walk-up songs. Now, they'll try to snap out of their 14-game losing streak by sending Shohei Ohtani to the bump.
The right-hander hasn't been at his best this season with a 3.99 ERA in nine starts, but he's still been pretty great. His 33% strikeout rate currently sits in the top 6% of the league and would be a career best for him.
For all the talent he and the Angels possess though, this losing streak has taken everyone prisoner. Ohtani has allowed nine runs in his last two starts combined, spanning nine innings. He's allowed 14 hits all told, including five home runs. Barrels have never seemed to allude Ohtani, who has always allowed hard-hit balls, but what's been missing in the last two outings has been whiffs.
The Angels are also currently dealing with injuries to Anthony Rendon and Mike Trout, though the latter is considered day-to-day and could play here against Boston.
Red Sox-Angels Pick
If you chose to ignore the trajectory of both teams and the streaks they're on, focusing instead on the season as a whole, you'd probably think the Angels are mispriced here. I'm going to go ahead and grab them as short favorites.
In a vacuum, Ohtani is a much better pitcher than Pivetta, and as down as the Angels' offense is it is still plenty capable of mashing against a pitcher this mediocre considering the plethora of left-handed power it has.
Ohtani has also been an expert at generating swings and misses, and if this last week or so has told us anything it's that the Red Sox are not making consistent contact with the ball.
Yes, I know what I am getting myself into here. I don't really care. The Angels are going to win this game.
Pick: Angels ML (-120)
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