Steven Wright (1-1, 4.02 ERA) and C.J. Wilson (2-2, 3.06 ERA) take the hill in the second of a three-game series between the Boston Red Sox (19-23) and the Los Angeles Angels (22-20) at Fenway Park. The Angels won the last game 12-5 and Los Angeles leads the series 1-0. Action begins at 7:15 p.m. ET on Saturday, May. 23 and can be seen on FOX.
Wright pitched 5.0 innings in his most recent start, surrendering two runs (one unearned), striking out four and walking one in a 5-0 defeat to the Mariners. Brock Holt (.294, 8 Rs, 1 HR, 11 RBIs, 1 SB) continued his strong play yesterday, going 2 for 3 with one run and two RBIs. Wilson is 6-3 with a 2.62 ERA when pitching against the Red Sox. He takes on a below-average Boston offense which is hitting just .235 this season. Mike Trout (.303, 34 Rs, 11 HRs, 23 RBIs, 8 SBs) has been successful at the plate for the Angels, going 3 for 6 yesterday with one run, one RBI, and one stolen base.
Boston is a -119 favorite against Los Angeles and the Over/Under (O/U) for this game is sitting at nine runs. The Red Sox have an overall money line of -675 and a record as the favorite of 10-13. The Red Sox have seen a decline in scoring as of late, averaging 2.2 runs during the last 10 games compared to their season average of 3.8 runs per game. Boston’s batters do not strike out very often at home, with only 6.4 per game. Boston’s pitching staff has been doing better against opposing offenses during the last 10 games, only allowing an average of 3.1 runs per game, well under their season average of 4.7.
In games where it is the underdog, Los Angeles has a 8-8 record and an overall money line of -94. They played solid baseball as the underdog over their last 10 games with a 4-1 record, and a 7-3 record SU. Los Angeles’s pitching staff is one of the top in the AL, with a 3.57 ERA. When it comes to preventing batters from getting on base, the Angels are one of the best in the league with a WHIP of 1.18 for the season.
The Angels have the edge in the season series, 1-0. The Red Sox have a 5-7 record against left-handed starting pitchers on the year, which is what they’ll be facing when Wilson takes the mound. Wright (RHP) will be on the hill against the Angels, who have a 14-17 record against right-handed starting pitchers.
Predictions: SU Winner – LAA, O/U – Under
Notes
Boston has won 41% (7-10) of its games when leading after 7 innings. However, Los Angeles has won 60% (12-8) of its games when taking a late lead.
The Boston batters brought in a solid 11 hits last game. Los Angeles has a record of 1-6 when their opponents get that many hits or more.
When they are outhit, the Red Sox are 4-21. The Angels have a 5-14 record when opponents outhit them.
Both falling in the top half of the league based on total home runs this season, Boston ranks 11th with 42 homers and Los Angeles is 13th with 40.
Boston and Los Angeles both rank in the top half of the league in hits. Boston sits at 13th with 7.98 hits per game and Los Angeles ranks 15th with 7.56.
Boston and Los Angeles both rank near the bottom of the league for their on-base plus slugging percentage. Boston sits at 24th with an OPS of .681 and Los Angeles ranks 28th with an OPS of .659.
The Angels are 10-17 when they allow at least one home run. The Red Sox perform similarly when they allow one or more homers with an 8-22 record.
