The Los Angeles Angels and Boston Red Sox begin a three-game set at Fenway on Tuesday night.
The BoSox will look to snap out of their early-season slump while the Halos will try to increase their lead atop the AL West. MLB betting lines opened with L.A. as a slim -125 road favorite for this contest with the Over/Under at 8.5.
Here are our best free Angels vs. Red Sox MLB picks and predictions for May 3, with the first pitch scheduled for 7:10 p.m. ET.
Angels vs Red Sox odds
This odds widget represents the best odds available for each betting market from regulated sportsbooks.
This line hit the board with the Angels installed as -125 favorites with the Over/Under at 8.5. As of 11:50 a.m. ET those numbers have stayed steady at most books although some have shifted the Under as high as -125 which suggests a move to 8 might be coming soon.
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.
Angels vs Red Sox predictions
Picks made on 5/03/2022 at 11:45 a.m. ET.
Click on each pick to jump to the full analysis.
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Angels vs Red Sox game info
• Location: Fenway Park, Boston, MA
• Date: Tuesday, May 3, 2022
• First pitch: 7:10 p.m. ET
• TV: Bally Sports Southwest, NESN
Angels vs Red Sox betting preview
Starting pitchers
Noah Syndergaard (2-0, 2.12 ERA): Like Thor at the finale of Avengers: Endgame, Syndergaard seems to have gotten back his mojo. The hard-throwing right-hander looks fully recovered from the Tommy John surgery that cost him most of the last two seasons. He has posted a 0.82 WHIP with a .167 OBA in 17 innings this season and is coming off an outing where he limited the Orioles to three hits and two runs with six punchouts in 5 2-3 innings.
Michael Wacha (1-0, 1.77 ERA): Wacha has been outstanding to begin the year, pitching to a 0.93 WHIP with a .143 OBA in 20 1-3 innings across four starts. In his previous start, he threw six innings of one-run ball against Toronto's potent lineup.
Weather
Be sure to monitor the gametime conditions with our MLB weather info.
Key injuries
Angels: Matt Duffy 3B (Out), Archie Bradley RP (Out).
Red Sox: Josh Taylor RP (Out).
Find our latest MLB injury reports.
Betting trend to know
The Angels are 7-2 in their last nine games overall while going 7-3 in their previous 10 contests on the road. Find more MLB betting trends for Angels vs. Red Sox
Angels vs Red Sox 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
The Angels lost 3-0 to the White Sox yesterday and now head to Boston to face off against the other Sox squad. The Halos are first in the AL West with a 15-9 record and look to make the postseason for the first time since 2014.
Despite getting shut out in two of their last three games, the Angels are second in the majors with an OPS of .749. The Halos have been mashing with reigning AL MVP Shohei Ohtani and three-time MVP Mike Trout, while Taylor Ward has been red-hot in the leadoff spot.
L.A. will send Noah Syndergaard to the mound today after he was scratched from his previously scheduled start last Friday due to a non-COVID illness. The towering right-hander has been dynamite in his first season with the club, allowing just 10 hits and four runs in 17 innings.
Syndergaard's biggest weakness this season has been stolen bases allowed but since the Red Sox are last in the majors in stolen bases attempted, don't expect them to take advantage.
The Red Sox respond with Michael Wacha, who on the surface has been just as effective with a sizzling 1.77 ERA across four starts. That said, Wacha has been subpar in recent years, pitching to a 5.11 ERA with a 1.45 WHIP in 66 games over the last three seasons. He has also struggled with his control and has an expected ERA of 3.37 which suggests regression is inevitable, while Syndergaard has a far more impressive xERA of 2.14.
The Red Sox also look like the inferior squad at the dish where they rank just 24th in the majors with an OPS of .622. With Boston going just 2-7 in its last nine games and struggling to get going at the plate, we're fading the home side in this spot.
Prediction: Angels moneyline (-125 at Caesars)
Over/Under analysis
Coming into this series, both teams have gone 4-1 to the Under in their previous five games. The Angels' bats have been hot to start the season but have been blanked in two of their last three games.
Despite having a stacked lineup on paper, the Red Sox have been ice-cold on the field. Over the last 15 days, the BoSox have an OPS of just .574 while plating a pathetic 2.77 runs per game. That's bad news for Red Sox fans with Syndergaard looking like he has rediscovered his early-career All-Star form with the Mets.
Factor in some cool weather tonight with temperatures expected to drop to 46 degrees, and we're leaning towards the Under here.
Prediction: Under 8.5 (-107 at SportsInteraction)
Best bet
The Red Sox look broken offensively. If it was proven sluggers like J.D. Martinez, Rafael Devers, or Xander Bogaerts who were struggling at the dish, I would assume that they were bound to break out eventually.
However, the truth is that those three have been very productive and it's the rest of the lineup that has been an absolute disaster batting just .186. Add in a starting pitcher in Wacha that has a poor track record and has been outplaying his analytics, and it's tough to see why this line is so close.
We'll gladly take the team in better form with the better hitting lineup and the superior starter at this price.
Pick: Angels moneyline (-125 at Caesars)
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