The Los Angeles Angels and Boston Red Sox wrap up a three-game set at Fenway Park on Thursday afternoon. These sides split the first two games in this series and MLB betting lines opened with the Halos as -150 road favorites with reigning AL MVP Shohei Ohtani on the mound for today's clash.
Here are our best free Angels vs. Red Sox MLB picks and predictions for May 5 with the first pitch scheduled for 1:35 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 at around -150 with the Over/Under at 8.5. As of 9 a.m. ET, the line has stayed steady at most books with some dealing closer to Angels -145. Early money has come in on the Under, lowering the total to 8.
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 5/5/2022 at 9:15 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: Thursday, May 5, 2022
• First pitch: 1:35 p.m. ET
• TV: Bally Sports West, NESN
Angels vs Red Sox betting preview
Starting pitchers
Shohei Ohtani RHP (2-2, 4.19 ERA): Ohtani saw his previously scheduled start on Tuesday pushed back after groin tightness earlier in the week. He has an impressive 1.09 WHIP with 30 punchouts in 19 1-3 innings this season and is coming off a win against the Guardians where he allowed a pair of runs through five innings. Ohtani went 9-2 with a 3.18 ERA and 1.09 WHIP in 23 starts last season and that combined with his slugging prowess earned him the AL MVP award.
Rich Hill LHP (0-1, 3.71 ERA): The 42-year-old continues to be a reliable option in the rotation. After a couple of shaky starts to begin the year, Hill hasn't allowed a run in his last two outings, pitching a total of eight shutout innings against the Orioles and Rays. The southpaw had a 3.86 ERA and 1.21 WHIP in 158 2-3 innings with the Mets and Rays last season.
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 8-0 in their last eight road games versus left-handed starters. 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 Red Sox blew a ninth-inning lead last night and went on to lose 10-5 in extra innings. It's been a tough season for the Red Sox who have just three wins in their last 11 tries and are in fourth place in a very competitive AL East.
A big reason for their lack of success has been poor hitting with Boston ranking just 22nd in the majors with an OPS of .634.
Rich Hill will toe the rubber for Boston today. At this point in his career, you know what you're getting with the 42-year-old Hill: the occasional solid start peppered in with some subpar outings.
However, regardless of how well he pitches he almost never makes it past the fifth inning anymore and that's bad news for the BoSox with how unreliable their bullpen has been.
The Angels are atop the AL West with a 16-10 mark and will send Shohei Ohtani to the mound this afternoon. Don't be thrown off by Ohtani's 4.19 ERA this year since that's mostly due to a single terrible performance three weeks ago.
Ohtani was sharp in his other three starts this season, including a pair of brilliant outings against Houston's loaded lineup where he totaled 21 strikeouts and didn't allow a single run across 10 2-3 innings.
The Halos have also been hitting the ball much better than the Red Sox. Despite getting shut out in three of their last five games, the Halos are still third in the majors in OPS (.740) and fourth in scoring (4.62 runs per game). They've been even better against lefties like Hill, batting .271 with a .757 OPS.
With the Angels having the edge at the plate and on the mound, there's little reason to fade them at this price.
Prediction: Angels moneyline (-145 at DraftKings)
Over/Under analysis
The total opened at 8.5 before immediately ticking down to 8 and it's easy to see why. Both teams have been very profitable to Under bettors lately with L.A. going below the total in seven of its last 10 games and the Red Sox 9-2-1 to the Under in their previous 12 contests as an underdog.
We mentioned that the Angels have been shut out in three of their last five games but the Red Sox have been ice-cold at the plate for weeks, averaging just 3.19 runs per game in their last 16 contests.
While both teams combined for 15 runs last night, keep in mind that most of those were scored after the start of the ninth inning and that both lineups struggled to make contact. The Halos went deep four times but were just 8-38 at the plate while the Red Sox went 8-35.
Go with the line movement and take the Under.
Prediction: Under 8 (-115 at SportsInteraction)
Best bet
The hitters for both teams took a while to get going last night and that's been a theme for Boston all season, with the Red Sox 26th in the majors with 1.68 runs per game in the first five innings.
Meanwhile, over their last six games, the Angels have generated just 1.33 runs per game in the first five innings. Take the Under on the first five innings.
Pick: First five innings Under 4.5 (-135 at bet365)
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