Prediction, Best Bets & Odds Red Sox vs Angels (5/22)

After a successful start to their three-series road trip, the Boston Red Sox will look to start the second series of the trip with a win tonight over the Los Angeles Angels (9:38 pm ET, MLB Network).

Boston (26-21) took two out of three against the San Diego Padres, taking the first two games before being blanked by former Red Sox pitcher Michael Wacha and San Diego’s bullpen yesterday.

Now they are in Anaheim to take on the Angels (25-23), who took two out of three at home against the Minnesota Twins over the weekend to end a run of four series without a win.

Who will take the win tonight at Angel Stadium? Read on for our prediction and best bets for today’s Red Sox vs Angels game.

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Boston Red Sox vs Los Angeles Angels Odds

Moneyline

• Boston Red Sox -108
• Los Angeles Angels -108

Over/Under

• Over 9.5 (-114)
• Under 9.5 (-106)

Run Line

• Boston Red Sox -1.5 (+146)
• Los Angeles Angels +1.5 (-178)

Will Houck’s Generosity Continue Tonight?

While the Red Sox are five games over .500 and playing above expectations at present, starting pitching remains a concern for Boston.

The Red Sox won each of Houck’s first four starts, in which he compiled a 3-0 record. Only one of those starts was a quality start, but he didn’t allow more than three runs in any of them.

But he is winless in his last four starts, with the Red Sox winning only one of the four games. In those last four starts, he has allowed 17 runs (16 earned) and 23 hits in 21.2 IP, and he has given up four or more runs three times.

Last time out, he allowed four runs and five hits in five innings in a 10-1 loss to Seattle last Monday.

There have been ten or more runs in five of the eight games that Houck has started, and there is a positive trend that favors that number increasing tonight.

Yesterday’s 4-2 win over the Twins was the 18th time this season that the Angels had a game finish with seven or fewer runs. If you are considering backing the over in this matchup, that is a good thing, given that there were ten or more runs in the following game in 10 of the previous 17 instances.

Will a high-scoring game be good or bad for Houck and the Red Sox? They are 15-9 in games in which ten or more runs have been scored, while the Angels are only 10-12 in games in which ten or more runs have been scored.

In the four-game series that the two teams played at Fenway Park last month, there was only one such game, a 9-7 win for the Red Sox on April 15.

Boston Red Sox vs Los Angeles Angels Prediction and Best Bets

Prediction for Red Sox vs Angels: Red Sox to win

Best Bets for Red Sox vs Angels: Red Sox team total over 5 runs & Red Sox/Angels over 9.5 runs

The Red Sox have been held to five or fewer runs in three consecutive games only twice this season. By this point last season, it had already happened four times, and it would go on to happen 16 times all of last season.

They have needed to score consistently to offset the ups and downs with starting pitching, and though it remains to be seen if this approach will get them into or close to the playoffs, I’m striking while the iron is hot from a betting perspective.