LA Angels (32-47) at Boston (42-36)
When: Friday, July 1st 2016
Where: Fenway Park, Boston, MA
Time: 7:10 ET | TV: FSN West, NESN
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Two teams who want to forget the month of June will start July with a three-game series in Fenway Park as the Boston Red Sox host the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim on Friday night. Boston began the month with a three-game lead in the A.L. East, but slumped to 10-16 and are now 5.5 back. The Angels have been worse dropping nine of their last ten and have scored four runs or fewer in eight of those contests. OF Mike Trout isn’t one of those that is slumping, however. The future Hall-of-Famer is batting .571 with three home runs, five RBIs and nine runs scored during a seven-game hitting streak. He’ll look to feast on a Boston pitching staff that has surrendered an average of seven runs over an eight-game span. The Red Sox will get their next nine games at home to finish the first half, while the Angels will finish up with ten straight on the road against A.L. East opponents.
Pitchers: Angels – Jhoulys Chacin (3-6, 5.64 ERA) | Red Sox – Steven Wright (8-5, 2.18)
Angels starting pitcher Jhoulys Chacin ended up May with a complete-game win over Detroit, but went 1-3 with an 8.59 ERA in June. He has given up 12 hits and walked nine batters while striking out only one in 6.2 innings over his last two starts – both losses. Chacin is 2-1 with a 5.17 ERA in three career starts versus the Red Sox.
Steven Wright comes into tonight’s contest as the American League ERA leader (2.18) despite a short outing last time out. He allowed eight runs (three earned) and seven hits in 4.2 innings Saturday in Texas. Wright has given up eight runs in 11.1 innings in two starts against the Angels, serving up home runs to both Mike Trout and Albert Pujols in the last encounter just under a year ago.
The pitching edge goes to Boston, but the Angels seem to have the Red Sox number lately. Anaheim has won four straight meetings and nine of the last 11. I’m going to take the conservative approach to this one and take the Angels +1.5.
Pick: Angels +1.5 -110
