Saturday, June 25, 2016

Globe Life Park

For Updated Odds on This Game Click Here

Probable Pitchers: Steven Wright vs. A.J. Griffin

The Boston Red Sox head to Globe Life Park on Saturday to take on the Texas Rangers. The probable pitchers are Steven Wright for the Red Sox and A.J. Griffin for the Rangers. The opening line for this game has Boston at -138 and Texas at +128. The over/under is 10. The Red Sox have a 38-29-5 over/under mark and a 38-34-0 run line record, meaning they cover 53% of the time. The Rangers are 46-27-0 against the run line and have a 37-33-3 over/under record. They cover the spread 63% of the time.

The Red Sox head into this game with a 40-32 record, and they are 17-14 on the road. Starting pitcher Steven Wright has a 8-4 record with an ERA of 2.01 and a WHIP of 1.10. He has 80 strikeouts during his 98.1 innings pitched and he has given up 71 hits so far this year. He has surrendered 6.5 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 3.3. The bullpen this season has an earned run average of 3.60 and they have allowed 181 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .222 against the pen while they've been struck out 243 times and walked 88 times this year. As a unit, Boston has given up 8.17 base hits per nine innings while striking out 8.6 hitters per nine. They are 16th in the Majors in team earned run average at 4.21. The Red Sox pitchers have collectively given up 586 base hits and 302 earned runs. They have allowed 84 home runs this season and they allow 1.2 homers per nine innings as a staff. Boston as a pitching staff has walked 240 batters and struck out 618. They walk 3.3 men per 9 innings while striking out 8.6 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.28 and their FIP as a unit is 4.17.

As a team, Boston is hitting .289, good for 1st in the league while putting together a .282 average on the road. The Red Sox have a .472 team slugging percentage and an OBP of .356 which is good for 1st in the league. They rank 1st in baseball with 10.31 hits per contest. Xander Bogaerts comes into this game hitting .351 and his on-base percentage is at .401. He has 106 hits this season along with 56 runs scored and 50 runs batted in. He's struck out 49 times and has walked 25 times. Mookie Betts is hitting .290 and he has an on-base percentage of .333. He has totaled 92 hits so far while scoring 64 runs and he's driven in 51. He has walked 21 times and has struck out 48 times. The Red Sox have 742 hits, including 176 doubles and 85 home runs. They've stolen 47 bases while they've been thrown out stealing 8 times. Boston has walked 253 times this season and they've struck out 523 times as a unit. They've left 537 men on base and have a team OPS of .828. They score 5.64 runs per contest and have scored a total of 406 runs so far this year.

Texas comes into this game with a 26-11 home mark and a 47-26 overall record. With an ERA of 2.94, A.J. Griffin has a 3-0 record and a 1.13 WHIP. He has 28 strikeouts over the 33.2 innings he's pitched during which he has given up 24 hits. He has allowed 6.4 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 3.48. So far this season the bullpen has an earned run average of 4.71 and they have given up 242 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .274 against the Rangers bullpen while being struck out 183 times and walking 77 times this season. As a team, Texas has allowed 8.73 hits per nine innings while striking out 6.7 batters per nine. They are 12th in the league in team earned run average at 3.96. The Rangers pitchers as a team have surrendered 637 base knocks and 289 earned runs so far this season. They have given up 87 home runs this year and they give up 1.2 home runs per nine innings as a staff. Texas as a staff has walked 229 hitters and struck out 489. They give up a walk 3.1 times per 9 innings while they strike out 6.7 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.32 while their FIP as a staff is 4.53.

As a team, they are batting .264, good for 9th in the league while putting together a .277 average at home. The Rangers hold a .427 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .319 which is good for 18th in baseball. They rank 11th in baseball with 8.95 hits per contest. Ian Desmond comes into this matchup batting .316 and he has an OBP of .367. He has 89 hits this year along with 52 runs scored and 47 RBI. He's struck out 70 times and has walked on 22 occasions. Nomar Mazara is hitting .288 and he has an OBP of .333. He has collected 72 hits so far while he's scored 30 runs and drove in 30. He has earned a walk 18 times and has punched out 46 times. The Rangers as a unit have 653 base hits, including 117 doubles and 90 homers. They have 45 stolen bases while they've been thrown out 14 times. Texas as a team has walked 186 times this year and they have struck out 520 times. They've had 449 men left on base and have an OPS of .746. They score 4.77 runs per game and have totaled 348 runs so far this season.

Boston Red Sox Betting Trends

The Boston Red Sox are 38-29-5 against the over/under so far this season

The Boston Red Sox are 38-34-0 against the run line so far this season

Texas Rangers Betting Trends

The Texas Rangers are 37-33-3 against the over/under so far this season

The Texas Rangers are 46-27-0 against the run line so far this season

Injuries to Watch

Boston Red Sox

06/24/16 LF Chris Young Hamstring 15-day DL (6/23)
06/23/16 3B Travis Shaw Shin "?" Friday vs. Texas Rangers
06/17/16 2B Josh Rutledge Knee 15-day DL (6/15)
06/07/16 P Carson Smith Elbow 60-day DL (5/15)
06/06/16 C Blake Swihart Ankle 15-day DL (6/5)
06/06/16 C Ryan Hanigan Neck 15-day DL (6/5)
06/05/16 LF Brock Holt Concussion 15-day DL (6/2)
05/03/16 3B Pablo Sandoval Shoulder 60-day DL (4/11); out for season
04/04/16 P Brandon Workman Elbow 60-day DL (3/25)

Texas Rangers

06/22/16 P Colby Lewis Back expected to miss 2 months
06/22/16 P Derek Holland Shoulder 15-day DL (6/21)
06/22/16 P AJ Griffin Shoulder 15-day DL (5/8); expected to be activated and start Saturday vs Boston Red Sox
06/14/16 P Yu Darvish Shoulder 15-day DL (6/9)
05/28/16 P Tanner Scheppers Knee 60-day DL (3/25)
05/24/16 CF Drew Stubbs Toe 15-day DL (5/23)
04/21/16 P Keone Kela Elbow 60-day DL (4/20)
04/04/16 RF Josh Hamilton Knee 60-day DL (3/25)

Josh's Pick: Take the Rangers

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