MLB picks: Red Sox vs. Blue Jays, Angels vs. A's

It’s a fairly busy Monday night for baseball, with 10 games on the docket. Fortunately for bettors, we’ve narrowed things down to the two wisest wagers of the evening!

Leading off is our look an all-AL East series opener between the Boston Red Sox and the Toronto Blue Jays. Then we’ll preview an AL West battle between the Los Angeles Angels and the Oakland A’s.

Boston Red Sox (56-38) at Toronto Blue Jays (48-42), 7:07 p.m. ET

Over bettors have cashed in six straight games in which the Blue Jays’ lineup faced a right-handed starter, and that trend should continue on Monday night.

The Red Sox will send out Nick Pivetta here, and he sports a 9.00 ERA and 1.700 WHIP against the Blue Jays over two starts this year (10 innings). Since starting the season 6-0 with a 3.86 ERA, Pivetta has gone 1-4 in an eight-start sample with a 4.85 ERA.

Bettors should expect Toronto’s Vladimir Guerrero Jr. to stay hot, as he’s 3-for-5 lifetime off Pivetta with a homer and three RBI.

Ross Stripling counters for the Blue Jays, and his first two starts against Boston this year could not have gone much worse (9.64 ERA). The Red Sox lineup has a collective .940 career OPS against Stripling over 67 at-bats.

Neither bullpen should inspire much confidence for Under bettors – Toronto’s relief corps ranks 18th by ERA this month (5.09), while Boston’s is 19th (5.28).

MLB pick: Over

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Los Angeles Angels (46-46) at Oakland A’s (53-42), 9:40 p.m. ET

“Sho Time” returns to Oakland Coliseum on Monday night as Shohei Ohtani and the Angels visit the A’s. The visitors should walk away with the victory, or at least take an early lead.

Ohtani recovered from a disastrous effort against the New York Yankees on June 30 (seven earned runs in less than an inning or work) by limiting the Red Sox to two runs over seven frames on July 6. He threw just one inning in the All-Star Game since then, so he should be fresh. Ohtani has already recorded a quality start against Oakland this year.

Cole Irvin counters for the A’s, and his first two starts against the Angels this year have left much to be desired, as he’s pitched to a 6.17 ERA (11 2/3 innings). Ohtani took him deep when these teams met on June 16. David Fletcher – who just lost his 26-game hitting streak on Sunday – can start a new streak against Irvin, whom he’s 2-for-4 lifetime against.

The difference in bullpens makes a full-time wager dubious – Oakland is second by ERA this month (2.34), while L.A. is 14th (4.24). Angels backers should look to cash in early and avoid any late-inning drama.

MLB pick: Angels -118 (first five innings)