Don’t Knock the Knuckle Ball – Red Sox at Angels

The Boston Red Sox continue their series versus the Los Angeles Angels on Wednesday night with the BoSox sending one of their top pitchers to the mound in Tim Wakefield. Boston beat L.A. on Tuesday night and is looking to make it two in a row. If Wakefield continues his torrid 2009 start, then the Red Sox can definitely do it. Wakefield is 4 and 1 on the season with a 2.93 ERA and fantastic 1.13 WHIP.

L.A. will try and counter the superstar Wakefield with pitcher Matt Palmer. The Angels might have the guy to do it because Palmer has been better than Wakefield on the year with his 3 and 0 record and 1.08 WHIP.

Here is the BetOnline online sportsbook betting line for this game.

Boston Red Sox
Tim Wakefield – R -1 ½ +140 -120 O 9 ½ Ev O 4 ½ -125/-105

Los Angeles Angels
Matt Palmer – R +1 ½ -160 Ev U 9 ½ -120 U 4 ½ -110/-120

Here are a few online wagering trends for this game.

The Boston Red Sox are 11 and 1 in their last 12 games versus a team with a winning record.

The Boston Red Sox are 5 and 0 in Tim Wakefield’s last 5 starts.

The Los Angeles Angels are 4 and 1 in their last 5 games at home.

The Los Angeles Angels are 5 and 2 in their last 7 games after a loss.

Bettors should just forget about making a wager on either one of these pitchers on the run line. The WHIP is too low for each pitcher in order for gamblers to get a good idea as to who is going to win or lose.

Because of that, it makes sense to simply look at the stats and then pick the straight up winner. The stats say that Boston wins but the key for bettors is to decide if risking the extra 20 bucks is worth it. Do the stats say that Boston is a 20 dollar favorite over the Angels?

I’m not sure that the stats do say that. The Angels lost last night’s game but should be able to bounce back and at least challenge in tonight’s game. L.A. has been hot recently going 7 and 3 in their last 10 games after a terrible start.

I see them bouncing back from the loss and beginning another winning streak in this. Also, I love the MLB odds for the home team.

I’m going to bet the Los Angeles Angels to win straight up at even money in this game.