The Boston Red Sox and Los Angeles Angels will square up late on Tuesday night. The Angels took the first game of this series by a one-run margin with a go-ahead run in the eighth last night. Let’s take a look at the betting odds for Tuesday night’s Red Sox-Angels action to make our MLB predictions and identify the best bet — we’re siding with the sharps with this pick.
Readers looking for all the best MLB bets and predictions throughout the season should check out OddsShopper’s tools, including our Parlay Builder!
Best Red Sox-Angels Bet & Prediction: Sharps Backing Shohei Ohtani & L.A.
Boston Red Sox-Los Angeles Angels Odds
Odds via FanDuel Sportsbook
Boston Red Sox: -116 | Los Angeles Angels: -102
Over 9.5: -104 | Under 9: -118
The Red Sox may not have a meaningful edge on the mound Tuesday night, but the betting market is treating them like they do. They’ll start RHP Brayan Bello (3-1), whose 4.45 ERA slots in well above his 5.36 xERA. The Angels will start RHP Griffin Canning (2-2), whose 6.14 ERA is a bit worse than his 5.06 xERA. Both pitchers fare poorly in FiveThirtyEight’s rolling game score and own grades below 50. Although offense came at a premium in the first game of this series, don’t expect another low-scoring game on Tuesday night.
Once the starters exit, the numbers show that the Angels should have an edge on the mound. Los Angeles ranks seventh in bullpen ERA (3.57), well ahead of 13th-ranked Boston (3.84). Several of Boston’s relievers, including LHP Richard Bleier and RHP John Schreiber, are out with injuries. RHP Kutter Crawford, the team’s second-leading reliever by innings pitched, just pitched a pair last night. The Angels have a comparatively healthier, fresher and better bullpen.
These offenses are neck-and-neck in several advanced metrics, although the splits actually favor the Angels. The Red Sox and Angels are tied in expected weighted on-base average, or xwOBA, at .330. The Red Sox have overachieved relative to this expectation while the Angels have underachieved. Boston’s hitter-friendly Fenway Park may account for some of their performance, as Boston’s OPS falls from .845 at home to .687 on the road. The Angels own an OPS of .778 on their home field.
Let’s trust the Angels to score another home win at odds of -102 at FanDuel Sportsbook. The Angels are 13-10 at home and 2-1 as a home underdog this season. This is a great opportunity to fade the public, as VSiN, which indexes bets placed at DraftKings Sportsbook, is reporting that 55% of the handle has come in on the Angels but on only 34% of the tickets. Trust the sharps and lock this one in at FanDuel. If you’re yet to sign up for FanDuel, you can get a no-sweat first bet worth up to $1,000!
Best Red Sox-Angels MLB Bet: Angels Moneyline -102 at FanDuel
