Angels vs. Red Sox Thursday MLB probable pitchers, odds: Shohei Ohtani's first career outing on mound at Fenway Park

The first game on Thursday's 10-game schedule around the majors is the Los Angeles Angels closing their series in Boston with a 1:35 p.m. ET first pitch. Shohei Ohtani will be on the mound for the Halos and it's his first time pitching at historic Fenway Park; he obviously has hit there plenty. Los Angeles is a -145 favorite at Caesars Sportsbook. Click here for model picks. 

The Japanese right-hander has made 39 big-league starts on the mound and has pitched in just eight parks other than Angel Stadium: Chase Field (Diamondbacks), Comerica Park (Tigers), Minute Maid Park (Astros), Oakland Coliseum (A's), Camden Yards (Orioles), T-Mobile Park (Mariners), Yankee Stadium (Yankees) and Globe Life Field (Rangers).

Ohtani perhaps would have pitched in Wednesday's game, but he was out of the lineup completely on Monday in Chicago with a minor groin issue. The 2021 AL MVP is +400 to repeat even though his batting and numbers are all quite down from last year. On the mound he's 2-2 in four starts with a 4.19 ERA, 1.09 WHIP and 30 strikeouts in 19.1 innings. He has allowed two earned or fewer in three of four outings and those numbers are skewed from allowing six runs in 3.2 innings on April 14 in Texas. As a hitter, he's at .230 with four homers and 12 RBIs after an 0-3 performance Wednesday.

In two career starts vs. the Red Sox, obviously both in Anaheim, Ohtani is 1-1 with a 5.00 ERA and 1.22 WHIP in nine innings. Xander Bogaerts is 0-for-3 off him. Rafael Devers has a single in four at-bats.

Veteran lefty Rich Hill, at 42 the second-oldest player in the majors (Albert Pujols) will start for the Red Sox but won't be out there very long and will be piggybacked by former starter Tanner Houck. Hill (0-1, 3.71) has yet to last five innings in four starts but hasn't allowed a run over eight in his past two. Prior to Hill, the last pitcher to make consecutive scoreless starts at 42 or older was Bartolo Colon (2015). Ohtani doesn't have an official at-bat off Hill with a walk. Ohtani hasn't hit against Houck (2-1, 2.41).

The Red Sox are 14-7 against the Angels since the start of 2018. That should be 15-6 but the Sox blew three leads in Wednesday's game, including in the top of the ninth, and lost 10-5 in 10 innings. 

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