Monday’s MLB slate isn’t a loaded one, but there are a handful of games with the makings of fun affairs on the schedule. At 7:10 p.m. EST, the Boston Red Sox host the Los Angeles Angels at the iconic Fenway Park as these squads battle in a climb back to .500. With some stars in the lineup, this one’s worth tuning in for.
Here’s a Red Sox vs. Angels prediction and pick for tonight’s game.
Red Sox vs. Angels prediction, preview
Boston Red Sox
The Red Sox were swept over a three-game series against the Brewers to start last week, but they bounced back nicely by taking two of three contests against the Braves. While they’re 4-6 in their last 10 outings and 29-32 on the season, the Red Sox do have more talent than their record suggests, and they’re sure to win more games once Alex Bregman eventually returns to the lineup from a quad strain.
In the meantime, the Red Sox boast the 10th-best batting average in the MLB, the eighth-best OPS, the sixth-most runs scored, and eighth-most home runs on the campaign. Those numbers may be inflated from a hot start, and they’ve dropped off some over the last couple weeks (especially with Bregman out of the lineup), but they still have a very capable offense. Jarren Duran leads the team in hits, but Rafael Devers isn’t far behind with star-level production thanks to a .287/.408/.515 slash line, 12 home runs, and an MLB-best 52 RBIs. Wilyer Abreu’s 13 homers pace all Red Sox batters, and Carlos Narvaez has been surprisingly efficient in his first extended MLB action.
The pitching is what’s holding the team back — Boston’s staff sits 16th in ERA and 21st in WHIP, while opposing batters hit .254 against them.
Los Angeles Angels
The Angels are having a bit of a rougher time this season in what should be a pretty wide-open AL West. They’re 26-32 on the campaign and just 3-7 over their last 10 games, but their road record doesn’t look too bad at 16-17… something to note as they travel to Fenway this evening.
L.A. clearly doesn’t roster the same level of offensive firepower as their opponents. They’re 27th in team batting average, 20th in OPS, and 21st in runs scored. The good news is that they’ve hit a tad better over the last 15 days with the 19th-best AVG, but that’s still not a significant jump. There are bright spots, though. Nolan Schanuel paces all Halos in hits, batting average (.271), and OBP (.372). Zach Neto’s OPS of .815 is a team-high, followed by Logan O’Hoppe’s .799. However, neither of them reach base at a particularly high rate — a concerning trend since only three Angels hitters’ OBPs sit above the .300 mark (excluding two players with 10 or fewer at-bats). However, the infusion of Mike Trout back into the lineup after an injury absence looks like a godsend for the Halos, even with his poor slash line through his first 100-plus at-bats.
On a similar note to Boston, Los Angeles’ pitching staff underperforms. However, theirs looks much worse at 25th in ERA (4.82) and 28th in WHIP (1.51).
Red Sox vs. Angels pick, best bet
25-year-old Richard Fitts sees the starting nod for the Red Sox. He doesn’t have a large sample of MLB work, but his time on the bump looks quite good so far. In 20.2 innings last season, he logged a 1.74 ERA and 1.26 WHIP with nine strikeouts. This year, he’s practically matched the same sample size with 20.0 innings of work. In that span, Fitts struck out 15 batters with a 2.70 ERA and impressive 1.10 WHIP. He also pitched eight innings across his last two starts with seven strikeouts, just four hits, and no earned runs allowed.
Angels veteran Tyler Anderson has seen a lifetime’s worth of work compared to his opponent. The 35-year-old lefty has seen 61.0 innings this season with a 3.39 ERA, 1.21 WHIP, and 46 punchouts. Opposing batters are hitting just .216 against him, a career-best mark in his 10th MLB season.
The Angels’ 572 strikeouts this season are the worst of any team aside from the Rockies’ 577. Their plate process looks poor, and while Fitts isn’t a strikeout pitcher by any means, bettors can grab 4+ strikeouts for the second-year hurler at +155 odds on DraftKings Sportsbook. Fitts struck out four or more batters in three of four starts so far, and against a team which loves to chase, I like him to do it again today.
Best bet: Richard Fitts 4+ strikeouts (+155)
Click the odds to tail!
