Could This Hard-Throwing Righty Shatter Strikeout Records Tonight?

Ever had one of those mornings where you think you’re all set—only to find out your game’s been wiped out by a rainout? Yup, that was me yesterday, chalking up the first washout of the season. But hey, the good news? We get a do-over tonight with the same pitchers on the mound. It’s Rangers versus Red Sox at 6:45 ET, and man, if you’re into betting, this could be your second wind. Both teams have been limping through the early grind—Texas stuck right around .500 but struggling mightily away from home, and Boston, despite some flashy offseason moves, still can’t seem to find their footing in the pitching department. The twist? Nathan Eovaldi, the Rangers’ ace and a familiar face in Boston, is striding out there again with a 2.11 ERA that’s making hitters sweat. So here’s my question—can Texas break their road blues, or will the Red Sox’s bats finally roar enough to bounce back? I’ve got a sneaky feeling Eovaldi’s strikeouts will be the story tonight. Ready to dive deeper? LEARN MORE.

Rangers vs. Red Sox, 6:45 ET

We ended up hitting our first wash out of the season. I’ve had one before, but it was before the play was published so I won’t count that. The game takes place today, and has the same pitchers, so if you want to bet it, go for it. I feel the same way about the game as I did yesterday. Today, we have a new game, this time between the Rangers and Red Sox that I want to lock something in on.

The Rangers are hovering around that .500 mark, where they have lived the majority of this young season. Maybe I should rephrase that – they started the season strong at home, but lost the majority of that momentum as soon as they headed out to the road and had to don their visiting gray uniforms. They are just 5-10 on the road, but should be able to turn that around as well. And, if you look at their last home stand, they might actually be looking forward to taking the road clubhouse. They lost four of their past five games and are not playing very well. Their offense was non-existent in the four losses. They scored a combined three runs in the four losses. They did score eight in their most recent win over the Mariners. The good news for them is that they get their Ace, Nathan Eovaldi to start this series against the Red Sox. Eovaldi, a former Boston team member, should be familiar with the territory. He has been great this season with a 2-2 record, 2.11 ERA, and a 0.77 WHIP, best in the league. He has three consecutive quality starts and five of his seven overall. He did face the Red Sox to start the season allowing two earned runs on three hits over six innings while striking out nine hitters. Overall, Red Sox hitters have been pretty good against him, hitting .271 over 85 at-bats.

The Red Sox are not faring much better than the Rangers despite significantly more offseason moves and involvement in the market. They signed Alex Bregman to join the roster and he has been very good for the team, hitting .317 with eight homers and the fourth best OPS in baseball. The problem was always likely to be the pitching staff, but they also added Garrett Crochet to help alleviate some of those issues. Currently the team has a 3.99 ERA collectively, which really isn’t that bad. Opponents are hitting .248 against them and their WHIP is 1.28, which could mean they are getting action on the bases, but limiting the damage. Today, Lucas Giolito takes the mound. Giolito is making his second start of the season. He was solid in his debut, going six innings and allowing three earned runs on five hits and two walks. Two of the hits did leave the yard, but overall, not a bad outing for Giolito. Rangers hitters aren’t spectacular against him, hitting just .231 over 65 at-bats. 

This is likely to be a game that the Rangers should have an edge. With Eovaldi on the mound, they should be able to get a win. The problem is that Texas is not hitting at the moment. Sure, the bats finally broke the slump in the last game, but they immediately had a day off. I’m going for a prop here as I think we are getting a good discount on it. I’ll take Nathan Eovaldi to have 6+ strikeouts at -135. He is dependable for innings and you’re asking him to get three fewer than the first time he faced the Red Sox. He has hit seven or more strikeouts in five of his seven starts, and the Red Sox strikeout more than every team except the Rockies who are historically bad. I would be willing to play this up to eight strikeouts at +275. 

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