The Texas Rangers (64-45) and Boston Red Sox (55-56) will close out an American League series on Wednesday afternoon at Fenway Park, with the first pitch scheduled for 1:35 ET

Texas Rangers at Boston Red Sox

Texas snapped its two-game losing streak in coming away with a 6-3 victory over Boston on Tuesday night, as closer Joe Nathan secured his first save since July 29.  “It was a good bounce-back win after last night,” stated Rangers manager Ron Washington.  Offensively, the club finished with 10 hits, but just one of those went for extra bases.  Third baseman Adrian Beltre is the player to watch in the lineup this afternoon, ranking seventh in the majors with a .337 batting average in day games.  Texas is 15-12 in day games this year, with the “under” going 14-12 in that situation.

Rangers starting pitcher Matt Harrison (13-6, 3.17 ERA) snapped a personal two-game losing streak in picking up a 5-3 road win over the Kansas City Royals in his last outing, allowing two runs and eight hits over 6.2 frames.  The left-hander is 9-3 with a 2.99 ERA in 12 road starts, surrendering seven home runs in 84.1 combined innings.  In seven career games (five starts) versus the Red Sox, Harrison has compiled a 3-1 record and 6.10 ERA.

Boston is back under the .500 mark and sit 4.5 games back in the AL Wild Card standings after last night’s frustrating loss.  The Red Sox are a dismal 12-24 against the Rangers since the start of the 2009 campaign, while getting outscored by a significant 47-24 margin in losing five of seven games in the series this year.  Boston is 4-8 as a home underdog of +100 to +125 the last two-plus seasons, while the “over” holds a slight 6-5 advantage.

Red Sox starting pitcher Josh Beckett (5-9, 4.54 ERA) will be looking for his first victory since July 15, as he looks to improve upon his dismal 2-5 record and 4.50 ERA in 10 home starts this year.  The right-hander was handed a 5-3 setback on the road to the Rangers two outings ago, allowing four runs and nine hits over seven frames.  In 10 career starts in this series, Beckett has tallied a 3-4 mark and 4.91 ERA.

Sports bettors will likely back the Rangers due to their 12-2 record in Harrison’s last 14 starts as a road favorite, while the Red Sox are 2-7 in Beckett’s last nine efforts.

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