The Texas Rangers and Boston Red Sox wrap up a three-game series at after a rain out on sunday at Fenway Park in Boston on Monday, August 23, 2021, so we’re taking a closer look at this American League showdown to get the best Rangers vs. Red Sox betting pick. 

Boston blanked Texas in the opener last Friday, 6-0, playing as a massive -300 moneyline fave. According to Bovada Sportsbook, the Red Sox are heavy favorites for Sunday’s closer, while the totals sit at 9.5 runs (Saturday’s middle game has been excluded from the analysis).

The Rangers extended their losing streak to four games on Friday

The Texas Rangers fell to 42-80 on the season following that 6-0 defeat at the Sawx. It was their fourth loss in a row and 15th over the last 16 games on the road. Also, the Strangers have dropped 13 of their previous 16 contests at any location.

Texas owns the second-lowest scoring offense in the majors, averaging 3.73 runs per game. The Rangers are slashing .210/.248/.342 in August which tells you enough about their offensive woes. Over their previous 18 games, the Rangers have slugged only 16 home runs and 28 doubles.

Kolby Allard will toe the slab Sunday at Fenway Park, and the 24-year-old lefty is 3-10 with a 4.88 ERA and 1.19 WHIP in 14 starts and ten relief appearances this season. Allard had a terrible July, posting a 9.13 ERA and a .291 batting average against in five starts and 23.2 innings of work. He turned the corner in August and registered a 3.44 ERA and a .268 batting average against through three starts and 18.1 frames.

The Red Sox bounced back from a tough loss at Yankee Stadium 

The Boston Red Sox stopped a three-game slide and improved to 70-54 on the season following an easy victory over the Rangers on Friday. They got swept by the Yankees last Wednesday and desperately needed to get back on the right track, so Chris Sale tossed five scoreless innings in his second appearance since Tommy John surgery, while the Sawx bullpen finished the job against the hapless Rangers.

The Red Sox have struggled mightily on the mound so far this month, tallying 11 losses in 18 outings while posting a 4.68 ERA and 1.40 WHIP. Nathan Eovaldi will get the nod Sunday, and he’s had some ups and downs in 2021.

The 31-year-old hard-throwing righty has allowed just three earned runs over his previous two starts (12 frames), but he also has a pedestrian 5.13 ERA in his last seven starts (40.1 frames). Eovaldi is 10-8 with a 3.91 ERA and 1.20 WHIP in 24 starts this season

Trends:

Texas:

  • 3-13 in the last 16 games overall
  • 1-15 in the last 16 games on the road

Boston:

  • 12-6 in the last 18 games against Texas

Texas Rangers vs. Boston Red Sox Pick

Interestingly, the Rangers won a four-game home set against the Red Sox in April, and Nathan Eovaldi took a win in Boston’s 6-1 victory over Texas. He tossed six innings of a one-run ball while yielding just four hits and a couple of walks.

The current Rangers have a .218/.288/.218 slash line against Eovaldi, so the Red Sox shouldn’t have any problems winning this game by two or more runs. Their offense will be all over the Rangers’ pitching staff, and the Red Sox are slashing .277/.351/.464 in August.

Pick: Take Boston Red Sox -1.5 at -160  

The Total:

I would stick with the hosts to cover, as Texas’ offense is awful, while the Red Sox are capable of scoring in double digits. Anyway, the Sawx had a 6-0 lead at the end of the sixth last Friday, and they allowed only seven hits and eight total bases to their opponents.

Even if we get a high-scoring affair, Boston should have enough firepower to outscore the Rangers. The Sawx bullpen has registered a 6.00 ERA over the last ten days and will look to improve in this favorable matchup. On the other side, Texas ‘pen has a solid 3.40 ERA in that span.

Pick: Go under 9.5 runs at -115