The Boston Red Sox host the Texas Rangers in the second game of a four game series on Friday. Both teams are looking to keep their slim playoff hopes alive. The Red Sox took two out of three games from the Rangers when they played back in May. Nick Pivetta (9-10) takes the hill for the Red Sox while Dallas Keuchel (2-8) gets the start for the Rangers. First pitch is at 7:10 p.m. at Fenway Park in Boston.
The Rangers pretty much killed any chance of making the playoffs earlier this week with four straight losses, two to the lowly Tigers and two to the Astros. They came into this series with Boston 12 games out of the wildcard race and with 33 games left in the season, the playoff ship is at the dock and ready to set sail. The offense hasn't been the problem as they average 4.53 runs per game, which is 9th best in baseball. They are 8th in home runs and 12th in slugging percentage. The Rangers are led by Nathaniel Lowe, who is batting .301 with 22 home runs and 66 RBI, while Corey Seager is hitting .255 with 29 homers and 69 RBI.
Dallas Keuchel gets the start for the Rangers on Friday. Keuchel, a left hander, is 2-8 on the season with an ERA of 8.84 in 13 starts. He has 38 strikeouts and 28 walks in 56 innings pitched. Keuchel, who came over from Arizona last month. made his first start for the Rangers last week and it was not a good one. He gave up 7 runs on 11 hits in 5.1 innings in an 11-2 loss to the Tigers — yes, the Tigers — the worst offensive team in baseball. Keuchel is 1-1 with an ERA of 9.00 and 9 strikeouts in 2 appearances against Boston this season. In his career versus the Red Sox, he is 2-2 with an ERA of 8.27 and 24 strikeouts in 7 appearances. The Rangers have a team ERA of 4.01, which ranks 21st in baseball. The bullpen has an ERA of 3.71, which is 11th best in the league.