Boston Red Sox at Los Angeles Angels Betting Preview/Prop Picks

Today, the Red Sox have the chance to get over the .500 hump. They've worked hard, winning four straight games to finally hit the even record of 27-27.

Now, they can begin to work towards climbing to the top of the AL East. At the moment, the Red Sox ranks fourth in the AL East, but things are looking up. This is especially true since they're facing a team that is struggling.

The Los Angeles Angels have lost 11 games in a row this season. They've brought their record down to 27-28, one more loss than the Red Sox. These teams might be even in terms of record, but not in morale.

The Angels are falling apart, and it starts with pitching. In their last game, they lost 9-7 due to a walk-off home run in the ninth inning. So, who's the better pick in this game?

Boston Red Sox: Performance at the plate is key tonight

Over the recent games for the Boston Red Sox, we've seen their batters step up. At the moment, Boston has the third-best team batting average (.259) in MLB.

Their on-base percentage ranks 11th at .318, and they have a .420 slugging percentage. This team knows how to perform at the plate and needs to do so again against the Angels. The question is, can they?

On the mound tonight is Michael Wacha, who has a 3-1 record as a starter this season. Wacha has an ERA of 2.43 in 40.2 innings pitched. Today, he faces the batters of the Angels, who haven't been up to par.

Aside from the Angels' most recent game, they've only scored four runs in their last four games. Wacha definitely has the advantage over the Angels' batters tonight.

Los Angeles Angels: Better pitching and hitting are needed

To say the Angels are in a slump would be a massive understatement. They've struggled to get runs across the plate and are allowing hits and runs left and right.

These poor performances were highlighted in yesterday's loss to the Philadelphia Phillies. The interesting thing is the Angels rank well in team batting average at .244. The problem is, it hasn't resulted in wins.

Tonight, Noah Syndergaard will get the nod as the starting pitcher. Syndergaard has a record of 4-3 this season with an ERA of 4.02. Even though they've lost eleven games, the Angels are still the favorite tonight.

Still, Los Angeles will need more than just strong pitching from Syndergaard. They'll need an incredible performance from their reliever and closer as well.

Boston Red Sox at Los Angeles Angels Betting Pick

When you take a look at these teams, a few things stand out. For starters, the Red Sox have the better pitcher in tonight's game. Along with that, in recent weeks, the Red Sox have the better batters as well.

The only trouble the Red Sox will have is playing on the road tonight. Still, we don't think that will be much of a problem once the game begins.

The Red Sox come in as +108 favorites, and we frankly love those odds. They have a better track record recently than the Angels and are red hot at the moment. We'll pair this pick with the over, considering how poor the Angels pitchers have been late in the game.

DunkelIndex Free Pick: Boston Red Sox +108, OVER

Prop Picks

Boston (+110) OVER 4.5 Runs

Boston is averaging 4.89 runs per 9 innings on offense, which ranks No. 5 in the league, while hitting .259 as a team, which ranks No. 3. Scores have gone OVER in four of the Red Sox’ last five during Game 1 of a series.

With Dunkel predicting a Boston victory by the score of 7-3, take the Red Sox (+110) to finish OVER their Vegas team total of 4.5 runs against the Angels.

Trevor Story (+140) OVER 0.5 Runs Scored

Story has 29 runs scored in 48 games this season, which ranks No. 4 on the Red Sox. The veteran second baseman has as many runs scored on the road (15 in 93 at-bats) as at home (14 in 90 at-bats), while also having a higher batting average and OBP.

With Dunkel predicting a Boston road win while going OVER its Vegas team run total, take Story (+140) to finish OVER 0.5 Runs Scored against LA.

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