The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim will be playing at Fenway Park against the Boston Red Sox Tuesday night for the second of a four-game series. The Angels will look to avoid a season-long six-game losing streak. They have their work cut out for them, however, as Boston’s offense appears to have momentum after laying 17 runs on the Angels Monday night.
The baseball odds list the Red Sox as heavy favorites at -185 and the Angels at +165 with an over/under of 9.5.
Despite losing four games in a row, the Los Angeles Angels (12-15, 4-6 away) are only 2.5 games out of first place in the AL West. The AL West is currently a log jam of mediocrity, with all four teams being separated by 2.5 games and with the Texas Rangers leading the division with a 14-12 record.
The 17 runs LA gave up Monday night contributed to a league-leading 138 earned runs given up by the pitching staff. Tuesday night’s starting pitcher, Ervin Santana (1-2, 4.59 ERA), will attempt to alter LA’s fortunes. The right hander struggled in his first two starts this season, giving up four home runs en route to an 0-2 record. He has fared much better since then. He has a 3.32 ERA in his last three starts and has lasted at least six innings in each. He is 0-2 with a 6.33 ERA in four regular season starts at Fenway.
With Monday night’s offensive outpouring, the Boston Red Sox (12-15, 6-8 home) were able to end a three-game skid. The 17 runs was a great site for Boston fans, as it represented 13 percent of their total runs this season. Left fielder Bill Hall and third basemen Adrian Beltre, both new acquisitions this season, hit their first home runs of the season Monday night. Former MVP second basemen Dustin Pedroia hit a three-run blast that capped off a seven-run sixth inning.
The Red Sox will start Jon Lester (1-2, 4.71 ERA). The left hander also had a slow start this season but appears back on track after pitching 12 2/3 scoreless innings and striking out 18 in his last two starts. He was especially impressive in his last start, in which he gave up 1 hit and struck out 11 in seven scoreless innings. He is 1-1 with a 7.78 ERA in four regular season starts against LA.
After a disappointing April that saw the Red Sox finish under .500, the Red Sox have played below expectations this season. They are currently 6.5 games out of first place in the hotly-contested AL East and will need more performances like Monday night’s to make the AL East a three-team race along with the New York Yankees and the Tampa Bay Rays.
