The Los Angeles Angels are trapped in baseball hell, having lost 14 straight games since May 25.
The Boston Red Sox have contributed three of those defeats and look to make it loss No. 15 for L.A. when they close out a four-game set with the Halos on Thursday night. Los Angeles sends two-way dynamo Shohei Ohtani to the mound, trying to stop the bleeding as a short home favorite.
Here are our free MLB picks and predictions for Red Sox at Angels on June 9.
Red Sox vs Angels odds
This odds widget represents the best odds available for each betting market from regulated sportsbooks.
Oddsmakers opened the Angels between -130 and -135 and the market consensus has leveled out to -130 with Ohtani on the bump with Boston coming back at +110. The total hit the board at 7.5 runs (Over -114) and has been bet up to 8 (Over EVEN) at some books.
Use the live odds widget above to track any future line movements right up until first pitch and be sure to check out the full MLB odds before placing your bets.
Red Sox vs Angels predictions
Picks made on 6/9/2022 at 11:00 a.m. ET.
Click on each pick to jump to the full analysis.
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Red Sox vs Angels game info
• Location: Angel Stadium, Anaheim, CA
• Date: Thursday, June 9, 2022
• First pitch: 9:38 p.m. ET
• TV: NESN, Bally Sports West
Red Sox vs Angels betting preview
Starting pitchers
Nick Pivetta (5-4, 3.50 ERA): After a bumpy start to the season, Pivetta has racked up five straight wins since May 15. The right-hander has a 1.54 ERA with 29 strikeouts and eight walks over 35 innings pitched during this steak. Opposing bats are hitting just .141 off Pivetta during this tear and he’s gone at least six innings in each of those five outings, getting fantastic run support from the BoSox’s bats.
Shohei Ohtani (3-4, 3.99 ERA): In the wake of Joe Maddon’s firing, Ohtani pointed the finger at himself and his teammates to turn the Halos’ season around. He gets to put his money where his mouth is tonight, with the club desperate for a win.
The righty was blasted in his most recent pitching stint, giving up four runs — including three home runs — in just three innings versus the Yankees. He had gone at least six innings in each of his four starts in May but has been beaten up by hard-hitting lineups recently, allowing nine earned runs and five homers in losses to Toronto and New York.
Weather
Be sure to monitor the gametime conditions with our MLB weather info.
Key injuries
Red Sox: Enrique Hernandez CF (Out).
Angels: Mike Trout CF (Questionable), Taylor Ward LF (Out), Anthony Rendon 3B (Out).
Find our latest MLB injury reports.
Betting trend to know
The Angels are 0-5 in their last five games as favorites. Find more MLB betting trends for Red Sox vs. Angels
Red Sox vs Angels picks and predictions
Our side and total predictions are based upon our analysis of the line and total in this game. Our best bet is our favorite pick across all markets.
Moneyline analysis
Ohtani carries a lot of sway with baseball bettors but you’re not going to find a better price on a starter as hot as Pivetta against a team as ice-cold as the Angels.
Los Angeles has come oh-so-close to snapping this skid in the first three games with Boston, losing 1-0 in Games 1 and 3 and falling 6-5 in extra innings in Game 2 on Tuesday. Those struggling bats are hitting just over .200 during this 14-game slide and finished with seven hits in last night’s shutout loss, all coming from the first six batters in the order.
Pivetta was lethal in his last start, at Oakland, giving up only two hits over seven shutout innings while striking out seven batters with only two walks. Now he faces a lineup that leads the American League in strikeouts and could be without its best bat, as Mike Trout is questionable with a groin injury suffered on Tuesday.
Boston’s bats have been inconsistent in this series, hitting just .255 in the first three contests, but have the capacity to do damage. The Red Sox are sixth overall in slugging percentage (.415) and posted 27 total runs in the four games before coming to Anaheim.
The last time they faced Ohtani, he shut the BoSox down with seven scoreless innings and only six hits with 11 strikeouts back on May 5 — which might as well be a lifetime ago for this L.A. club. That was the last time Ohtani won a game, and he carries a 5.14 ERA over his last 21 innings of work.
Even with some close calls coming in this series and the Angels’ ace on the mound, we spit in the face of the “due” factor and grab a great price on one of the hottest arms in baseball.
Prediction: Red Sox moneyline (+110 at bet365)
Over/Under analysis
Boston has backed Pivetta’s recent efforts with a surplus of scoring, which has been a piss-off to anyone playing the Under.
The Red Sox have given up run totals of zero, two, three, one, and one during the right-hander’s five-game streak, but complemented his efforts with a grand total of 48 runs and an Over/Under count of 2-1-2 in those contests.
This total is starting to tick up with early action on the Over, which means less faith in Ohtani to repeat his past efforts against Boston. As mentioned, the two-way talent has been roughed up in his last two starts, giving up just 14 total hits but five of those left the ballpark versus Boston’s AL East brethren New York and Toronto.
The Red Sox are the best lineup in the American League versus right-handers (.258 BA) and have left righty starters with a beefy 5.14 ERA over the past 30 days of action, according to Inside Edge. If they can chase Ohtani out early, Los Angeles will be forced to dig into a bullpen that has done plenty of the heavy lifting in this series and lugs a 4.24 ERA into Thursday.
Prediction: Over 8 (-105 at BetMGM)
Best bet
Pivetta is really starting to find his command after being all over the place to start the season. During this five-game run, the righty has recorded 29 total strikeouts in 35 innings of work and faces a Halos team that’s swinging and missing.
Los Angeles ranks third in strikeouts per game on the year and has whiffed 9.33 times per game through the first three contests in this series.
Trout’s potential absence for a second game shakes up the order and leaves less protection for those around him, as we saw the top of the order record five of the Angels’ total eight strikeouts last night.
Manager Alex Cora credits Pivetta’s resurgence to his four-seam fastball, which mowed through Oakland in his last outing, amassing six strikes and three strikeouts with that particular pitch. We like him to stay hot and go deep against a desperate L.A. lineup.
Pick: Nick Pivetta Over 5.5 strikeouts (-125)
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