Boston Red Sox vs Texas Rangers Prediction and Betting Odds September 1
Boston Red Sox vs Texas Rangers Betting Preview
WagerTalk MLB handicapper Andy Lang offers his analysis of Thursday’s Boston Red Sox vs Texas Rangers clash at Fenway Park. Both the Rangers and Red Sox are almost all but out of the AL playoff race heading into September.
| Thursday, September 1 | MLB Betting Notes, Courtesy of Caesars |
|---|---|
| Moneyline: | Boston Red Sox -178 vs Texas Rangers +150 |
| Runline: | Red Sox -1.5 (+115) / Rangers +1.5 (-135) |
| Total: | 9 Runs (Over -110 / Under -110) |
| Game Time: | 7:10pm ET / 4:10pm PT |
| Where: | Fenway Park in Boston, MA |
| Weather: | 85 Degrees / Clear |
Boston Red Sox vs Texas Rangers Analysis
The Texas Rangers travel east to open a four game series against the Boston Red Sox from historic Fenway Park on Thursday evening. The Red Sox managed to salvage the third and final game of their series against the Minnesota Twins last night.
Meanwhile the Rangers were swept yesterday afternoon in a quick two game set against the Houston Astros. The 26 year-old righty Glenn Otto gets the nod for Texas while Boston counters with the leagues oldest current player in the 42 year-old Rich Hill. First pitch is scheduled for 7:10 PM EST/4:10 PST.
Rangers Play Out The String
The Texas Rangers sit 13 games below .500 after losing 5-3 to the Houston Astros yesterday afternoon. Martin Perez was hammered for for five runs on nine hits and four walks across five innings. Corey Seager hit a two run blast to give him 29 home runs on the season.
The Rangers had high hopes entering the season with the acquisitions of Seager and Marcus Semien. Since then they have played to a 58-71 record and have fired both their manager and general manager.
The Texas offensive attack does rank above average in key categories like 13th in OPS, 11th in runs scored and 15th in batting average. Glenn Otto will toe the rubber for Texas on Thursday night. He is 6-8 on the season with a 4.79 ERA and 1.39 WHIP.
Otto has been sharp in August with a 2-1 record and 2.93 ERA across 27.2 innings. However he has given up far too many free passes with 54 walks in 99.2 innings this season. Otto faced the Red Sox way back in May and was blasted for eight runs on eight hits in only four innings of work.
Not The Red Sox Season
The Boston Red Sox season of frustration continued with losses in two of three games against the Minnesota Twins. They did salvage the final game of the series with a 6-5 victory last night. Xander Bogaerts went 2 for 4 with a grand slam and RBI double.
Michael Wacha spun a brilliant six innings of two run baseball while striking out seven. The Sox entered the season with high hopes but they have been derailed by countless injuries to key players.
The Red Sox record currently sits at 63-68, which puts them 8 games behind in the American League Wild Card. Bostons lineup has fallen just outside the top ten in categories like runs where they rank 13th and OPS where they rank 11th.
Rich Hill will take the bump for Boston after tossing seven scoreless innings against the Tampa Bay Rays last time out. He is 6-5 with a 4.32 ERA and 1.25 WHIP on the season. The ageless wonder “Dick Mountain” faced the Rangers back in May and held them to three runs on seven hits across six innings.
Boston Red Sox vs Texas Rangers Prediction
The Boston Red Sox are favored at home with a money line set at -165 while the Texas Rangers sit at +140 with a total of 9. These teams averaged ten runs a game in a three game series back in May.
That was at pitcher-friendly Globe Life Field as opposed to Fenway Park being a hitters paradise. Fenway ranks 2nd in extra-base hits and 3rd in runs scored this season.
Bostons last ten games have averaged 10.3 while the Rangers last ten have averaged 10.2 a game. Prior to last start, 4 of 5 Rich Hill starts finishing with double digits. Back in May, Hill had the benefit of facing a watered-down Rangers lineup without powerful sluggers Nathaniel Lowe and Adolis Garcia.
Otto already got crushed by the Red Sox in Texas, they should feast on him at Fenway. Both teams also have horrible bullpens, especially the Red Sox who rank 2nd to last in ERA on the season and over the last 30 days.
On top of all this, both sides play abysmal defense, which should lead to extra scoring opportunities. Four runs by each side seems more than doable and that’s all we need here to guarantee a push at worst.
Prediction: Over 9 Runs Scored -110
First Pitch | MLB Predictions for Thursday, September 1
Join Drew Martin and a rotating panel of guests for First Pitch as we break down the daily baseball slate from a betting perspective. Join WagerTalk’s team of MLB betting experts every weekday at 1:45pm ET / 10:45am PT for First Pitch as we discuss the baseball betting slate.
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WagerTalk’s Live Odds Screen features up-to-the-minute lines from a variety of offshore and domestic sports books. Track the MLB moneylines, run lines and betting percentages for all of Thursday’s baseball games, including this Boston Red Sox vs Texas Rangers showdown, from your desktop or phone.
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Meet the Author
Andy Lang has lived in Indianapolis his whole life, and like most people from the Hoosier State, he became fascinated with motor sports. That interest in motor sports turned into a desire to make money off the sport through fantasy contests and sports betting. Like most, he took his lumps when he first got started, but now he is one of the most respected NASCAR bettors in the industry. Andy has expanded that sports betting experience to become profitable in a number of other sports, transforming this interest from a side hobby to a major source of income.
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