A big-time American League matchup will be in store on this Tuesday evening as the Boston Red Sox take on the Texas Rangers in an epic showdown! Let’s check out our MLB odds series where our Red Sox-Rangers prediction and pick will be made.
Entering Tuesday, Boston was able to snap a four-game losing skid by prevailing over the Texas Rangers by a score of 4-2 last night. At the moment, it appears the Red Sox will be sitting out on the postseason festivities, but this doesn’t mean that they can’t spoil the fun for the Rangers in back-to-back nights. Getting the Tuesday night start is expected to be RHP Tanner Houck who is 5-9 with a 4.94 ERA overall.
Meanwhile, the Rangers are officially streaking in a negative fashion. Clearly, Texas has been a streaky team for the better part of the last couple of weeks as they have currently lost four games in a row but had won six consecutive games before that. Simply put, Texas needs to put an end to their woeful ways as they trail the Astros by 1.5 games for the AL West lead and are also tied with the Seattle Mariners for second place in that division. With the hopes of snapping their losing skid, Texas will send out their ace in Nathan Eovaldi to save the day. So far, Eovaldi is 11-4 with a 2.96 ERA all together.
Here are the Red Sox-Rangers MLB odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
MLB Odds: Red Sox-Rangers Odds
Boston Red Sox: +1.5 (-154)
Texas Rangers: -1.5 (+128)
Over: 9 (-102)
Under: 9 (-120)
How To Watch Red Sox vs. Rangers
TV: Bally Sports Southwest
Stream: MLB.TV
Time: 8:05 ET/5:05 PT
*Watch MLB games LIVE with fuboTV (click for a free trial)*
Why The Red Sox Could Cover The Spread
Their playoff chances may be a long shot, but to say their 4-2 victory over the Rangers on Monday night was impressive is an understatement.
Above all else, the Red Sox did happen to strand five runners throughout the night, but they did just enough offensively to sink the Rangers’s ship. Even more so, the main reason why Boston was able to come out victorious was a steady pitching effort that will also need to be replicated later this evening. As a whole, the pitching numbers of the Red Sox have been sluggish all year long to say the least, but it was an encouraging thing to see for Boston fans that their team was able to hold a high-profile offense like Texas to only two runs on five hits. Indeed, the outing from pitcher Tanner Houck could ultimately determine whether or not the Red Sox cover the spread or not, as filling the zone with strikes and being on his A game will be a must.
Most importantly, the Red Sox have already begun a new era in their team history by letting go of their team president and general manager due to an inability to win. In the last four years, the Red Sox were only able to clinch a spot to the playoffs once. With a new culture in place, getting off to a hot start in the early frames of this one and proving that they have a different mentality about winning will be extremely vital for tonight’s outcome and how they fare in the future.
Why The Rangers Could Cover The Spread
On paper, Texas has endured quite a successful season and are attempting to reach the postseason for the first time since 2016. Then again, it was a disastrous weekend for the Rangers resulting in getting swept by the Cleveland Guardians, and Texas is beginning to run out of excuses for their shaky play out on the diamond.
Furthermore, these are the types of games that the Rangers cannot afford to let get away. In order to get back in the win column and cover the spread against the Red Sox in doing so, then a masterful performance on the mound from Nathan Eovaldi will need to occur. However, the bad news is that Eovaldi has scuffled since making his return from the IL in early September as he has thrown only a total of seven innings in his three starts back combined. In short, the Rangers cannot afford for Eovaldi to limp his way to the finish line and they need him to get back on track this evening.
Of course, this Rangers offense has only scored eight runs during their losing streak, and they are more than due to the breakout of their slump at the plate in an explosive way. Be on the lookout for this squad that ranks near the top three of every offensive statistical category to get after Houck from the opening pitch. If they don’t, then only trouble will ensue.
Final Red Sox-Rangers Prediction & Pick
Certainly, the Rangers aren’t doing bettors any favors lately, but they are at least 79-71 against the spread in 2023. With that being said, expect Texas to come out in full desperation mode en route to covering.
Final Red Sox-Rangers Prediction & Pick: Rangers -1.5 (+128)