The Boston Red Sox and the Texas Rangers meet on Thursday in MLB action from Globe Life Field. This will be the opener in a four-game weekend series. Here’s a Rangers vs Red Sox prediction. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best Rangers vs Red Sox pick.
Boston Red Sox Betting Preview
Boston wasn’t looking too bad in the first half of the 2024 season. The team was 10 games above the .500 mark at 53-43 by the All-Star Break but stumbled from there. The Red Sox would officially be eliminated from playoff contention on September 25 and finished with an 81-81 record overall. That would put Boston in third place in the American League East Division. At least some of that came from poor play in the field, as Boston led the league in errors. The Sox have now missed the playoffs for three straight years, but after an aggressive offseason helped reload the roster, hopes are high. Boston brought in Alex Bregman, Walker Buehler, and Aroldis Chapman via free agency—three names with championship resumes. The Red Sox will meet the Orioles after this series.
For the Thursday starter role, the Sox will send out Garrett Crochet. In Spring Training, Crochet did very well, notching a 1-0 record with a sterling 0.57 ERA in five starts. Crochet put up 30 Ks in 15.2 innings total. Over the 2024 season, Crochet went just 6-12, however, with a 3.58 ERA in 32 starts. In his MLB career, Crochet is 9-19 with a 3.29 ERA in 104 games (32 starts) total.
Texas Rangers Betting Preview
Over on the Rangers’ side, they came into last year as the defending World Series champions and were riding high. That enthusiasm ultimately dissipated, however, as Texas would be riddled with injuries along the wya to a disappointing 78-84 overall record and a third-place finish in the American League West. The Rangers were the 12th team in the last 25 years to win the World Series and then miss out on the postseason the following year. The Rangers will take on the Reds following this series.
The good news is that most people are bullish on the Rangers, and hopes are high that they’ll be able to bounce back. Texas could do some major damage with a healthy Jacob deGrom and some developing young players.
It’ll be Nathan Eovaldi in the start for the Rangers on Thursday. This spring, Eovaldi put up a 0-1 record with a 5.54 ERA in four starts. He struck out nine total batters in 13.0 innings. Over his career, Eovaldi is 91-81 with a 4.07 ERA in 294 games (275 starts). Last year, Eovaldi went 12-8 with a 3.80 ERA in 29 starts.
Why the Texas Rangers will win
- The Red Sox have lost six of their last seven season openers as favorites against American League opponents.
- The underdogs have won nine of the Red Sox’s last 12 games.
- The Red Sox have failed to cover the run line in six of their last seven season openers as favorites against American League opponents.
- The Rangers have covered the run line in four of their last five games.
- The Rangers have led after 3 innings in four of their last five season openers as underdogs.
- The Red Sox have trailed after 5 innings in six of their last seven road games.
Why the Boston Red Sox will win
- The Red Sox have won each of their last eight games as road favorites against AL West opponents.
- The Rangers have lost each of their last seven season openers as underdogs.
- The Rangers have failed to cover the run line in each of their last eight season openers against American League opponents.
- The Red Sox have covered the run line in each of their last five road openers.
- The Rangers have lost the first inning in four of their last five home openers against American League opponents.
- The Red Sox have led after 5 innings in each of their last four games against the Rangers.
- The Rangers have trailed after 3 innings in each of their last four home openers.
Total Runs Facts
- Seven of the Rangers’ last eight games as underdogs against AL East opponents have gone OVER the total runs line.
- Six of the Red Sox’s last seven road games against AL West opponents have gone OVER the total runs line.
- The ‘Inning 1 UNDER 0.5 runs’ market has hit in each of the Red Sox’s last nine road games.
- The ‘Inning 1 OVER 0.5 runs’ market has hit in each of the last five day games between the Red Sox and Rangers.
Rangers vs Red Sox Prediction
I’m going to stick with the Red Sox in this one. That said, this will be one of the more intriguing opening series in all of the MLB. Boston is rearing to go following a lot of activity in the offseason, and their top addition (Crochet) will be on full display in this one. Optimists are calling for a return to form for the Sox this season, followed by a playoff appearance and—just maybe—a division title. Still, there are plenty of things that need to break correctly for Boston in order for any of that to happen—most notably, a reliable bullpen and contributions from young players like Kristian Campbell. Regardless, there’s plenty to look forward to in Boston this season. It’s sure to be a heck of a ride.
As for Texas, their hopes are justifiably high as well. That said, while the Rangers do possess a high ceiling, they’ve also got a low basement. It wouldn’t be a stretch to see Texas finish below the .500 mark—nor would it be a stretch to see a deep playoffs run. We’ll just have to see. I like the Red Sox to take this opener, but I also think the Rangers will land some blows over the weekend.