NCAA football betting players know all about teams trying to get through the season without injuries, but it rarely happens. In the majors, Boston has been destroyed by injuries all season, but they’re still in the thick of things when it comes to the wild-card race in the American League. On Thursday, they’ll wrap up a three-game set with the Angels at home. Angels Red Sox Betting – Thursday, August 19, 7:10 PM ET
Ervin Santana (12-8, 3.99) has won four of his last five starts, and he put in a good shift in a 7-2 win at home over Toronto in his last outing, scattering a run on three hits over seven strong innings, but he struggled with his command a bit, walking four along with four strikeouts. NFL betting players would compare this to a quarterback who mixed touchdowns with picks during a game, but overall, Santana did what he needed to do. Santana earned a no-decision against the Red Sox back in May, and he’s now 1-2 in seven career starts against them with a 4.61 ERA. The 27-year-old righthander is also 0-2 at Fenway Park with an ERA of 5.08 ERA in five starts.
Josh Beckett (3-2, 6.51) has been hit hard in his last couple of starts, giving up 13 runs in his last 9.2 innings of work. He took a no-decision in a 10-9 loss at Texas, allowing seven runs on 11 hits over five innings, striking out four and walking one. The Rangers also went deep off Beckett three times, and he hasn’t been able to establish his fastball, which leaves him in deep trouble against a power team like Texas. Beckett beat the Angels in Los Angeles last month, taking his career record against them to 3-3 in nine starts with a 4.10 ERA.
MLB betting odds should have the Red Sox favored at home, as they had won eight of their last 10 at Fenway Park against the Angels heading into Wednesday’s game. But the Red Sox have now lost Mike Cameron for the year, and Jacoby Ellsbury is probably gone for the rest of the season as well, which is par for the course in Boston in 2010. The Red Sox have a ton of championship experience, but all of these injuries may be too much for them to make the playoffs. On top of that, Beckett looks nowhere near the guy who has been one of the best pitchers in baseball over the last 5-7 years. Look for the Angels to tee off on Beckett, who may be best to shut down for the year while he works on some things for next year.
Online sports betting pick: Los Angeles Angels
