(971) RANGERS @ RED SOX (Rodriguez/Buchholz)
Take: UNDER 8.5 +100
The Red Sox were supposed to be a team with questionable pitching but a productive offense. The first part of that equation has certainly held up. But it’s now the anemic Boston attack that has the Fenway faithful frustrated.
The Red Sox have put up some abysmal offensive stats this month, and the stickout is a mind numbing inability to get anything done with runners in scoring position. Boston is now back to two games below .500, and while they’re still very much in the thick of things in the shaky AL East, this is not a good baseball team right now.
The Rangers have done a little better lately, but they’re still not much of a team, and I still find it hard to believe this team will win more than maybe 70 games.
Tonight’s game could be another pitching duel. Wandy Rodriguez has been a bit of a pleasant surprise for Texas, and the Red Sox are having an bad time of it against opposing southpaws. Clay Buchholz will go for Boston. Buchholz has been better on the road than at Fenway, but I like the way he’s throwing the ball and the Rangers don’t fare well offensively against righties.
The first two games in this series have each stayed Under the number, with only 10 runs total crossing the plate in two games. I see more of the same in store tonight. Buchholz is pitching healthy and his ERA is totally misleading when looking at the metrics. Rodriguez is no great shakes, but he’s done well in a small sample on the road and southpaws are chewing up the Red Sox hitters this season. The total looks a shade high to me, and with the Over currently favored as I’m writing this, I can make a decent case for playing the Rangers and Red Sox to stay Under once again tonight.
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