Boston Red Sox @ Los Angeles Angels / MLB 2022 Game Four Predictions & Preview
The Los Angeles Angels will welcome the Boston Red Sox back to the West Coast for the final matchup in a four-game series Thursday.
The first pitch is scheduled for 9:38 p.m. ET in Angel Stadium in Anaheim, California. Check out these top ranked sportsbooks to make your MLB betting picks.
Game Prediction
The Angels’ awful losing streak immediately feeds into Boston being favored in the game, a sentiment which has been confirmed by the oddsmakers; however, LA isn’t a typically terrible team, like the Arizona Diamondbacks were in 2021 or like the Kansas City Royals are this season. With Trout and Ohtani in the lineup, they’re never truly out of a matchup.
With all of that being said, Boston’s three-headed monster of Martinez, Bogaerts, and Devers has been out-performing LA’s duo and could compete with them even if they were both at their individual best. Many teams cannot say this, which is what makes Boston such a pesky betting prospect despite their nearly .500 record.
Because one team has been in much better form than the other, the Red Sox earn the distinction of being the best bet in Wednesday’s game but don’t count the Angels out from rebounding at some point in the season. Fanduel is a great place to make wagers on this game, so go check out their site!
Boston Red Sox Overview
The Red Sox have done a complete 180-degree turn since the start of the season, winning six straight games to move to 29-27 on the season (at the time of publication). However, despite being two games above .500, they’re still fourth in the packed-out American League East, headlined by the league-topping New York Yankees. Boston bettors shouldn’t fret, however, as their team has won 15 of its last 20 games and looks much more competitive than it did before.
J.D. Martinez deserves plaudits for his extreme consistency at the plate, although Rafael Devers and Xander Bogaerts haven’t been far off. All three are hitting between .320-.359 and have 23 home runs between them, led by Devers’ 12. Unfortunately, the rest of the offense is a clear tier— maybe two or three— under these three, but they’ve got the top-end talent to compete for the postseason with a trade deadline move potentially in their future.
Ohtani (3-4, 3.99 ERA) will see double-duty as he takes the mound following a three-inning, four-earned-run performance against the Yankees in his last outing.
Los Angeles Angels Overview
The Angels are much the opposite of the Red Sox; a promising early season stage had many wondering if the Angels were future American League World Series representatives, but since that time, they’ve lost 13 straight games and fired their manager as a result of the performances. If anything positive can be said about how they’ve looked in this series, it’s that they lost both of the games by one run apiece, but that doesn’t overshadow the horrendous trajectory that they’re on.
Leader Mike Trout finally refound his swing in the past couple of days but is still on a downswing over the course of the past month, which has largely been attributed to the team’s decline in performance. Shohei Ohtani’s also not hitting home runs at the ridiculous rate he was last season, which has limited the team’s offensive ceiling. With no other catalyst or totally stable contributor in the lineup, LA’s completely defined by a combination of its stars and its pitching, neither of which have been performing that well over recent weeks.
Nick Pivetta (5-4, 3.50 ERA) will get the start after he dished a seven-inning shutout against the Oakland Athletics in his last start.