The Texas Rangers will continue their weekend series with the Boston Red Sox as the two AL squads face off at Fenway Park on Saturday afternoon. It's time to continue our MLB odds series with a Rangers-Red Sox prediction and pick.
The Red Sox destroyed the Rangers 9-1 on Friday night in front of a packed house at Fenway. It was tied 1-1 when Kike Hernandez doubled to left, driving in Rafael Devers, making it 2-1. Then, Christian Arroyo singled to center to drive in two, making it 4-1 for Boston. Devers added to the tally in the fifth inning with an RBI double. Next, Martinez singled to center to give the Sox a 6-1 advantage. Hernandez finished off the scoring in the inning with an RBI double. Boston added another home run later in the game to finish a dominant victory.
Dallas Keuchel was not efficient, lasting 4 2/3 innings while allowing seven earned runs on seven hits with three walks. Also, his game unraveled in the fourth inning when the Sox began to hit everything he threw at them.
Today, Kohei Arihara will go for the Rangers. Arihara is 1-2 with a 5.40 ERA. Arihara has had an up-and-down start to the year and allowed 20 hits over three games. Recently, he struggled, lasting 3 1/3 innings while allowing six earned runs on eight hits. Now, he hopes to bounce back from the lousy outing and take down the Sox.
Brayan Bello will go for the Red Sox tonight. Bello is 0-4 with a 7.27 ERA. In his last outing, he lasted four innings, allowing three earned runs on five hits with two strikeouts and three walks. Bello went 0-1 with a 4.66 ERA in August. To succeed, he must control his pitch count and limit walks.
The Red Sox currently lead the season series 4-1 and have won both games in this series thus far. They hope to win a third in a row against the Rangers.
Here are the Rangers-Red Sox MLB odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
MLB Odds: Rangers-Red Sox Odds
Texas Rangers: +1.5 (-152)
Boston Red Sox: -1.5 (+126)
Over: 9.5 (-115)
Under: 9.5 (-105)
Why The Rangers Could Cover The Spread
The Rangers struggled to stay competitive yesterday, allowing the Red Sox to tee off on them. Also, they struggled to do anything offensively. Everything that could go wrong did go wrong last night. Now, they hope to correct the issues.
The top of the order did reasonably well but could not connect on opportunities simultaneously. Marcus Semien went 2 for 4 with a double, while Corey Seager went 1 for 4 with an RBI. Additionally, Nathaniel Lowe went 2 for 3. However, Adolis Garcia, Jonah Heim, and Leody Taveras combined to go 0 for 10. Their inability to capitalize prevented Texas from taking advantage of scoring opportunities. In total, the Rangers left seven runners on base.
The Rangers must do better on defense. They must avoid it to prevent Boston from creating significant scoring innings. Last night, they committed two errors.
The Rangers will cover the spread if they get a good outing out of Arihara. They must also convert on their scoring opportunities and take an early lead to beat the Red Sox.
Why The Red Sox Could Cover The Spread
The Red Sox left nine runners on base and still scored nine runs and 13 hits. Additionally, eight of their nine hitters had a hit.
Tommy Pham went 2 for 5 at the top of the lineup. Also, Bogaerts and Devers both went 2 for 5. Martinez contributed by going 2 for 4. Subsequently, even the bottom of the lineup got in on the action. Trevor Story went 1 for 5, while Hernandez went 2 for 3. Moreover, the offense produced continuously at will. The lineup made a fantastic effort, as the Red Sox delivered at every turn.
The bullpen also excelled, tossing six shutout innings. Subsequently, Boston relievers only allowed two hits. If their relievers can do that again, they will have a chance to win every night. Likewise, the bullpen could also use some rest, and their starting pitching needs to do more than three innings on Saturday.
The Red Sox will cover the spread if Bello can last five to six innings and keep the game close. Additionally, the bullpen must protect him and replicate the performance from last night. The offense must keep pace and deliver another quality performance.
Final Rangers-Red Sox Prediction & Pick
Neither team is going anywhere. However, the Red Sox have dominated this series so far. They are in last place but playing like a contender against the Rangers. Alternatively, their starting pitcher is not great. Both teams will have mediocre arms on the mound. Thus, expect some scoring in this showdown. The Rangers and the Red Sox will put on a scoring show, and the over will prevail.
Final Rangers-Red Sox Prediction & Pick: Over 9.5 (-115)
Follow Us
Subscribe