There are only six games on MLB’s Monday card, but we’ll see a great game at Angel Stadium in Anaheim, California, with the first pitch at 9:38 PM ET. Boston and Los Angeles meet for the second and final time in 2022, so we’ve prepared the best Red Sox vs. Angels betting pick and odds.  

In the first week of May, the Sawx dropped a three-game home set after beating the Halos 4-0 in the opener. They start a four-game series this time around, and the Angels are slight -127 moneyline favorites on BetOnline Sportsbook. The Red Sox are +117 road dogs, while the totals sit at 8.5 runs. 

The Sawx hope to get another strong start from Michael Wacha                               

The 26-27 Boston Red Sox were looking to sweep a three-game road set against the Oakland Athletics on Sunday. They’ve outscored the A’s 15-2 through the first two contests, and at the time of writing, the Sawx and Athletics were tied at 1-1 in the closer. 

Michael Wacha will take the mound Monday at Angel Stadium, coming off his first loss in 2022. The 30-year-old right-hander allowed one unearned run across 5.2 innings last Tuesday and took a tough loss in a 2-1 defeat to the Cincinnati Reds. 

Wacha is doing a great job in his first year with the Red Sox. He’s 3-1 with a sparkling 2.43 ERA and 1.01 WHIP in eight starts (40.2 innings) this season. Still, Wacha has only 27 strikeouts on his tally, and his 4.13 FIP suggests regression in future days. 

The Angels are on a free fall                            

The 27-27 Los Angeles Angels were trying to stop their horrible ten-game slide on Sunday. At the time of writing, the Halos were tied with the Philadelphia Phillies at 6-6, blowing a four-run lead in the bottom of the eighth inning. 

Los Angeles has been a complete disaster over the last couple of weeks. The Angels’ offense has recorded the fifth-lowest OPS (.663) and the fourth-highest ERA (5.84) in the majors. Mike Trout is in the midst of the longest slump of his career, going 0-for-26 over his previous six appearances. 

Noah Syndergaard will toe the slab Monday, hoping to bounce back from his rough outing at Yankee Stadium this past Wednesday. The 29-year-old righty was obliterated for five earned runs on seven hits in just 2.1 frames of work. He’s now 4-3 with a 4.02 ERA, 1.21 WHIP, and 27/9 K/BB ratio in eight starts (40.1 innings) this season. 

Trends:

Boston: 

  • N/A  

LA Angels:

  • 4-1 in the last five games against Boston 

Boston Red Sox vs. Los Angeles Angels Pick 

The Angels desperately need a win to get things going, and I’m backing them to beat the in-form Red Sox. The current Halos have eight hits in 34 at-bats against Michael Wacha, while Mike Trout is 3-for-6. Wacha had a rough outing on May 26 when he yielded five earned runs across 4.1 frames in a 16-7 dismantling of the Chicago White Sox. 

Of course, the Angels will need a solid display from Noah Syndergaard. Neither bullpen can be trusted, as the Red Sox’s relievers have posted a 4.91 ERA and 4.21 FIP over the last ten days, while the Halos’ bullpen has registered a 6.00 ERA and 5.10 FIP in that span. 

Pick: Take Los Angeles Angels at -127                             

The Total:

If the bullpens continue to struggle, we should see a high-scoring affair Monday at Angel Stadium. I’m expecting the Angels to hit well against Michael Wacha. On the other side, the current Sawx are slashing .354/.383/.434 in 52 at-bats against Noah Syndergaard, who should do a better job than he did last time out. 

The Halos have allowed six or more runs in nine of their previous 11 outings. The Red Sox have recorded a 3.50 ERA in their previous 13, but they’ve played the lowly Athletics, Orioles, and Reds in that stretch. 

Pick: Go over 8.5 runs at -105