Clay Buchholz (2-4, 4.93 ERA) and the Boston Red Sox (19-21) meet Wandy Rodriguez (1-2, 3.86 ERA) and the Texas Rangers (17-23) in the last of a three-game series at Fenway Park. The Rangers won the last game 2-1 and the series is currently tied 1-1. The game starts at 7:10 p.m. ET on Thursday, May. 21 and will air on FSN-SW and NESN.
Buchholz is 1-4 with a 4.46 ERA against the Rangers in his career, and faces a struggling Texas offense that’s hitting just .237 on the year. Pablo Sandoval (.270, 17 Rs, 5 HRs, 16 RBIs) went 1 for 3 yesterday. The Rangers were unsuccessful to the Indians 8-3 the last time Rodriguez pitched. He went 4.2 innings, allowing five runs, striking out two and walking one. Adrian Beltre (.264, 21 Rs, 5 HRs, 15 RBIs, 1 SB) has been doing well, going 2 for 4 yesterday with one run.
Boston, a -170 favorite, will look to capitalize at home against Texas. The Over/Under (O/U) for the matchup is nine runs. The Red Sox are 10-11 as the favorite and have an overall money line of -338. They have SU record of 6-4 and are unbeaten as the favorite (1-0) over their last 10 games. Boston has averaged 2.7 runs per game over the last 10 games, lower than its season average of 4.0. They have been very patient at the plate, leading the AL with an average of 3.6 walks per game.
On the other side, the Rangers have a record of 15-20 when they are the underdog and are -220 overall with the money line.
The Red Sox will take on a left-hander (Rodriguez) in this game and have a 5-6 record against left-handed starting pitchers this season. The right-handed Buchholz will take the mound against the Rangers, who have an 11-14 record against righty starters this season.
Predictions: SU Winner – BOS, O/U – Over
Notes
Texas has won 35% (7-13) of its games when leading after 7 innings. However, Boston has won 44% (7-9) of its games when taking a late lead.
Having scored one run in their last game, the Red Sox are going to have to up their game if they want to win this matchup. The Rangers have a 9-0 record in games where opponents scored that many runs or fewer.
When they are outhit, the Red Sox are 4-19. The Rangers have a 4-18 record when opponents outhit them.
Ranking 11th in home runs, Texas has hit 39 this season. Boston ranks 10th with 41 home runs.
Boston and Texas both rank in the top half of the league in hits. Boston sits at 12th with 8.00 hits per game and Texas ranks 11th with 8.08.
Boston and Texas both rank near the bottom of the league for their on-base plus slugging percentage. Boston sits at 23rd with an OPS of .682 and Texas ranks 22nd with an OPS of .695.
The Rangers are 7-19 when they allow at least one home run. The Red Sox perform similarly when they allow one or more homers with an 8-20 record.
