Huddle up, sports fans! Let's talk some baseball, specifically the Boston Red Sox against the Texas Rangers match-up. Now, despite the Rangers being the home team at the submissive Globe Life Field, they are the underdogs, but we have seen stranger things.
Twirling for the Sox, we have Nick Pivetta, his 4.60 ERA isn't exactly the stuff of legend, but... alright, fine, folks, it kinda stinks. On the flip side, you've got Nathan Eovaldi whose 3.42 ERA for the Rangers is respectable but not exactly composed of fairy dust either.
A quick squint at the players reveals some real eye-tumblers. Standouts for the Sox include the heavy hitter Rafael Devers, whose last season was a true eye-popper with a batting average of 0.351 and 7 home runs. Every pitcher's nightmare, this. Similarly Jarren Duran and Tyler O'Neill didn't allow the grass to grow under their feet either.
For the Rangers, Robbie Grossman's batting average is as impressive as the final twist in a murder mystery, hovering at a whopping 0.409. Corey Seager and Marcus Semien are delivering solid numbers too and could provide some belting moments as they've been running up the scoreboard for Texas.
The past few games say that the Rangers are carrying some wood, winning 4 out of their last 5 clashes with the Red Sox. But let's not forget, Boston did just clinch the last game.
The Rangers' regular season looks as weary as a tired mule with a 53-58 record that is bound to deflate their spirits, while the Red Sox were marginally better, river-dancing their way to a 58-51 record.
In the recent past, the Red Sox did manage a win against the Rangers, but their game with Seattle seemed like a seesaw of performance.
So folks, by a whisker and a whiff, considering home advantage, pitcher match-up, star players in form, recent h2h duels, and regular season records...
Albert’s Prediction: Texas Rangers by 2