Red Sox vs. Rangers: Picks, predictions, how to watch Friday’s game

The Boston Red Sox and Texas Rangers square off on Friday with first pitch set for 8:05 PM ET. The game takes place at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas and will only be available on local TV or through an MLB.tv subscription. Nick Pivetta gets the start on the mound for the Red Sox, while Dane Dunning will start for the Rangers.

Boston (11-20) continues to fall down the American League East standings, losing six of their last seven games. Pivetta has not gotten off to a very good start to the 2022 season with an 0-4 record and 6.08 ERA through six appearances. The Red Sox have one of the worst offenses in baseball, though they do have some pop in the lineup with Xander Bogaerts, Rafael Devers and JD Martinez all hitting with at least a .298 batting average.

Texas (13-17) took two of three games over the Kansas City Royals earlier this week, and they’ve been playing much better recently after a slow start, going 7-3 in their last 10 games. Dunning has been solid in Year 2 with the Rangers with a 3.38 ERA heading into his seventh start. Texas is not a very good hitting team, and Corey Seager leads the team with 7 home runs despite a relatively poor batting average.

Red Sox vs. Rangers

Pitchers: Nick Pivetta vs. Dane Dunning
First pitch: 8:05 PM EST
Red Sox local broadcast: NESN
Rangers local broadcast: Bally Sports South
Live stream: MLB.tv (subscription)
Moneyline odds: Rangers -120, Red Sox +100

Picks & predictions

Moneyline pick: Rangers -120

With two struggling offense, this bet is solely based on the pitching matchup, which is where the Rangers have the advantage. Pivetta was excellent with 6 scoreless innings in his last time out, but Dunning has the potential to be an ace in the Rangers rotation early on in his MLB career.

Player prop pick: Brad Miller O0.5 strikeouts (-145)

The Rangers second baseman’s numbers don’t jump off the page with a .236 batting average, but he saw the ball well in the series against Kansas City. Miller hit a home run in the last two games and recorded 5 hits in 8 at-bats during the series.

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