Red Sox vs Angels Prediction, Odds & Best Bet for May 23 (Back a Low-Scoring Showdown at Angel Stadium)

Two teams in early position to compete for American League playoff spots meet head-to-head on Tuesday, May 23, as the Boston Red Sox (26-22) travel to take on the Los Angeles Angels (26-23).

Red Sox vs Angels Game Info

• Date: Tuesday, May 23, 2023
• Time: 9:38 p.m. ET
• Venue: Angel Stadium -- Anaheim, CA
• Coverage: NESN and BS-W

This will be the second game of a three-game set between these AL squads after the Angels came out on top by a score of 2-1 on Monday. A home run by Mickey Moniak in the eighth inning gave LA the lead in an intense pitching duel before reliever Chase Silseth shut the door with a great ninth inning.

Red Sox vs Angels Odds & Spread

• All MLB betting lines, odds and prop bets are from FanDuel Sportsbook.
• Moneyline: BOS: (-116) | LAA: (-102)
• Spread: BOS: -1.5 (+140) | LAA: +1.5 (-170)
• Total: 9.5 -- Over: (-105) | Under: (-115)

The Red Sox enter this contest as slight road favorites on the moneyline per FanDuel Sportsbook's odds. This 9:38 p.m. ET clash also features an over/under of 9.5 runs with the Under favored at -115 odds.

Red Sox vs Angels Betting Trends

• Boston is 8-2 straight up in its last 10 games against an AL opponent.
• The total has hit the under in each of Boston's last five away games.
• The Angels are 3-6 straight up in their last nine games against Boston.
• The total has hit the under in five of the Angel's last six home games.

Red Sox vs Angels Prediction & Pick

The emergence of starting pitcher Brayan Bello has served as one of several surprising factors helping the Red Sox rack up wins. The 24-year-old has given up 2 or fewer earned runs in each of his last four starts as his strikeout per nine innings mark has improved from 8.6 in 2022 to 9.8 in 2023.

LA starter Griffin Canning is not on the same trajectory right now. He has struggled over his last three starts, giving up 13 earned runs on 20 hits and 6 walks in 14 innings pitched. Getting back on track against a Boston offense that ranks fourth in MLB in runs per game (5.40) will be far from an easy task.

I like the Red Sox to get to Canning with a few early runs and cruise behind the newfound confidence of Bello. After all, they had won six of their last eight games against LA prior to Monday's close loss. Boston also owns a dominant record of 9-3 across their last 12 games against AL West opponents.

Final Score Prediction: Red Sox: 5 | Angels: 3

Red Sox vs Angels Best Bet

I like the Red Sox to chase Canning early on, but I don't like them to do much damage against an Angels bullpen that ranks seventh in ERA (3.57). That's why the Under is the best bet here. The total has hit the Under in each of Boston's last five away games as well as in five of LA's last six home games. Keep in mind that the Under has also cashed in five of the last seven meetings between these two teams.

Bet: Under 9.5 Total Runs (-115)

Larry Rupp is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Larry Rupp also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username phillyfan424. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel. 

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.