MLB Lines – Red Sox vs Rangers
The Boston Red Sox will look to move up above .500 with a win over the struggling Texas Rangers when they open a three-game set in Arlington on Friday night.
BOS: Clay Buchholz (R) (2-2, 5.63 ERA) v TEX: Yu Darvish (R) (2-1, 2.87)
Date/Time: 8:05 pm ET Friday, May 9, 2014
Venue: Globe Life Park in Arlington, Arlington, Texas
Broadcast: Local
Line: -148 Texas
Total: 8.5
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The Red Sox (17-17) arrive in the Lone Star State after winning four of their last five, including a pair midweek 4-3 wins over Cincinnati. It was the eighth time in as many games that Boston’s pitching staff has given up three or fewer runs.
Nevertheless, the Sox are a meager 16-30 against the Rangers over the past six seasons, and are losers of four straight at the Rangers.
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They did however, take two of three last month at Fenway Park, and will send veteran pitcher Clay Buchholz to the mound in an effort to break their wireless streak in Arlington.
Buchholz earned his second win of the year after surrendering just one run and three hits in 6 1/3 innings in a 7-1 victory over Oakland on May 2.
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The 29-year-old has strung now together two successive quality starts and is starting to look like he did when he posted a 12-1 record back in 2013.
However, he is 1-3 with a lifetime ERA of 3.30 in five outings against the Rangers.
Opposing him will be Texas pitching ace Yu Darvish, who has yet to win at home in three tries while attempting to earn his first victory against the Red Sox.
Darvish sat down nine batters while allowing three runs and seven hits in 6 1/3 innings of Texas’ 14-3 victory at Anaheim on Sunday. He is 0-1 with a 5.93 ERA in two outings against Boston
The 27-year-old Japanese native will try to keep the Rangers (18-17) current streak alive, though, after they won for the third time in their last 11 games, beating Colorado on Thursday 5-0.
Texas was outscored 29-5 in the first three games of the series.
Darvish is a solid pitcher, and could just be the what the Rangers need to get their season going in the right direction, as he has pitched well at home and has held Boston’s current line up to a .222 average this year.
Notes
1. Rangers 1B Prince Fielder (.228, three homers, 12 RBIs) went deep Thursday for the first time since April 19.
2. Red Sox starters have yielded three or fewer runs in each of the last eight games.
3. Texas on Thursday placed INF Donnie Murphy on the 15-day disabled list with a neck strain and called up 20-year-old Rougned Odor (pronounced ROOG-ned o-DOOR), who went 0-for-4 in his big-league debut and is the youngest player in the majors.
MLB Gambling Trends
- BOS are 9-2 in their last 11 Fri. games.
- Under is 11-3-1 in BOS last 15 road games.
- BOS are 14-3 in Buchholzs last 17 Fri. starts.
- Over is 6-2-2 in TEX last 10 games following a win.
- Over is 6-2-1 in TEX last 9 home games.
- TEX are 3-8 in their last 11 overall.
Matt’s Free Prediction: Rangers
The Red Sox are not the favorite here and Texas with Darvish on the mound is at too good a price to pass up.
