The Boston Red Sox continue their road trip by heading to Texas to face the Texas Rangers in a three-game series. The Red Sox have 12 games left in their season entering this series and are coming off being swept at the hands of the Toronto Blue Jays; the Blue Jays walked off the Red Sox on Saturday and Sunday to complete the sweep. The Rangers have had an interesting week sweeping the Blue Jays in a four-game series, then proceeded to get swept by the Cleveland Guardians over the weekend. The Red Sox against the Rangers this season are 2-1 after the Red Sox won that series back in early July; the Red Sox outscored the Rangers 16-14.
Boston Red Sox (74-76) vs. Texas Rangers (82-67)
Game 1:
Date: Monday, September 18
Time: 8:05 pm EST
Broadcast: NESN
Game 2:
Date: Tuesday, September 19
Time: 8:05 pm EST
Broadcast: NESN
Game 3:
Date: Wednesday, September 20
Time: 2:05 pm EST
Broadcast: NESN
Probable Starting Pitchers
Game 1: Kutter Crawford (6-7, 3.68 ERA) vs. Jordan Montgomery (9-11, 3.47 ERA)
Crawford will get the series started for the Red Sox, making his 29th appearance and 21st start of the season. He posts a 4.10 FIP, a 1.17 WHIP, a 1.3 HR/9, a 2.7 BB/9, and a 9.2 K/9. When he started, he is 6-6 with a 4.88 ERA, he has a 4.13 FIP, a 1.28 WHIP, a 1.3 HR/9, a 2.9 BB/9, and an 8.4 K/9. His last start came against the Yankees, in which he went 4.2 innings, giving up one run on three hits; he walked three and struck out seven. In his career against the Rangers, he has made two appearances, with one being a start, and he is 0-0 with a 4.50 ERA, a 1.67 WHIP, and a 6.0 K/9. Crawford will face Jordan Montgomery, who is making his ninth start since being traded to the Rangers at the trade deadline from the St. Louis Cardinals. Since joining Texas, Montgomery is 3-2 with a 3.69 ERA, a 3.55 FIP, a 1.15 WHIP, a 0.9 HR/9, a 1.7 BB/9, and a 7.4 K/9. In his career against the Red Sox, he is 1-2 in 14 starts, posting a 3.95 ERA, a 1.23 WHIP, and a 7.9 K/9.
Game 2: Tanner Houck (5-9, 4.94 ERA) vs. Nathan Eovaldi (11-4, 2.96 ERA)
Houck will get the middle game, making his 19th start of the season. He posts a 4.32 FIP, a 1.33 WHIP, a 1.2 HR/9, a 3.3 BB/9, and an 8.4 K/9. His last start came against the Yankees, going six innings, giving up no runs on four hits; he walked three and struck out seven. In his career against Texas, he has made one appearance coming out of the bullpen, going three innings, giving up one run on one hit; he walked one and did not record a strikeout. Houck will face former Red Sox pitcher Nathan Eovaldi, who is making the 23rd start of the season, posting a 3.56 FIP, a 1.08 WHIP, a 0.8 HR/9, a 2.8 BB/9, and an 8.1 K/9. In his career against the Red Sox, he is 3-0 in eight appearances, seven of which were starts; he posts a 4.78 ERA, a 1.43 WHIP, and a 4.8 K/9. He faced the Red Sox earlier this season, going 5.1 innings, giving up four runs on five hits; he walked four and struck out three.
Game 3: Brayan Bello (12-9, 3.71 ERA) vs. Jon Gray (8-8, 4.05 ERA)
Bello gets the finale, making his 27th start of the season. He posts a 4.19 FIP, a 1.26 WHIP, a 1.2 HR/9, a 2.4 BB/9, and a 7.7 K/9. In his last start, he faced the Blue Jays going six innings, giving up three runs on four hits; he walked one and struck out a career-high ten batters, but he would take the loss. He has made two starts in his career against Texas, going 2-0 with a 1.38 ERA, a 0.92 WHIP, and a 5.5 K/9. He faced them earlier this season, going seven innings, giving up two runs on eight hits; he didn’t issue a walk and struck out three. Bello will face Jon Gray for the Rangers, who is making his 28th season start. He posts a 4.37 FIP, a 1.29 WHIP, a 1.1 HR/9, a 3.2 BB/9, and an 8.1 K/9. He made two starts in his career against the Red Sox, going 1-1 with a 4.05 ERA, a 1.50 WHIP, and a 5.4 K/9. This season, he pitched against the Red Sox, going six innings, giving up three runs on nine hits; he walked three, struck out two, and took the loss in that game.
Red Sox vs. Rangers Batting Leaders
Series Prediction
The Boston Red Sox will face the Rangers’ top pitchers, who are currently healthy, making this a difficult series. The Rangers are on such a roller coaster, going 7-4 in their last 11 after being swept by the Guardians over the weekend. The Red Sox will win one game in this series, with that game coming in the finale as Bello looks to improve off his most recent start against the Blue Jays, and Gray has struggled as of late. The Red Sox need to eliminate mistakes if they want to start winning games and at least finish above .500 for the season.
