Both teams are coming off disappointing defeats in starting a crucial three-game series in Arlington.
Boston Red Sox at Texas Rangers
Boston will look to rebound from a disappointing 6-5 loss to the Toronto Blue Jays on Thursday in Toronto, as closer Jonathan Papelbon suffered his sixth blown save of the season. “I didn’t have much power or energy in my delivery today,” said Papelbon. The Red Sox are now 4-3 on their current 10-game road trip and have fallen four games back in the wild card race behind the Rays. The collapse of the bullpen was unusual, with the unit posting a 1.57 ERA over its last 15 games and the closer’s 0.75 ERA in 24 previous appearances against the Blue Jays. The club is 10-5 as a road underdog of +100 to +125 this season (+600) and the total is 7-7 O/U in those contests. Boston is just 7-6 over the course of this month, but is a fantastic 41-27 in August the last three years (+900).
Los Angeles has dropped the first two games of a crucial four-game set in Arlington, failing to score a single run in a 1-0 defeat on Friday night to the Texas Rangers. “I made one mistake in the first inning and it kind of cost us,” starting pitcher Joe Saunders said. Since opening the break with a 3-0 mark, the club has dropped three straight and four of five. “We’re still a little unsettled in a couple of areas on the offensive end,” manager Mike Scioscia said. After plating 16 runs on 29 hits in two games versus New York, the Halos have been held to just two runs and batting .145 in the first two games of this series. Los Angeles now trails Texas in the 2010 series 2-5, as six of the seven meetings this season have been one-run affairs. The Angels are 3-6 after three or more consecutive losses this season (-310) and 12-8 in this situation the last three years (+320)
Los Angeles fell to 1-2 on its current six-game road trip after dropping a 3-2 contest to the AL West-leading Texas Rangers on Thursday night in Arlington. “Each game with these guys is important,” last night’s starting pitcher Jered Weaver said. “Six back is not where we want to be.” The Angels are 4-3 since the All-Star break, but 7-11 this month (-480). An important trend to pay attention to this weekend is the Halos propensity to perform at a high level over the weekend. Los Angeles is 28-17 in games played from Friday-Sunday this season compared to 23-29 the rest of the week. The team will find itself a +175 to +200 road underdog for just the third time in three years, posting a 1-2 mark (-20) with the total being 2-1 O/U in those games.
Los Angeles comes into this series having a chance to gain ground on the AL West Division leaders, as they currently sit five games back of the Texas Rangers. “We’ve been sitting four, five games back for a while now,” tonight’s starter Jered Weaver said. “When you’re playing those games, you pick up a game or lose one. Simple as that.” The Angels are now 4-2 since the All-Star break after dropping the series finale against the New York Yankees on Wednesday afternoon and the team is 7-10 this month (-380), after losing just nine games in June (18-9). The team trails 3-2 in the season series against Texas, as four of the five meetings this year have been one-run affairs. Los Angeles has dropped eight of the last 11 meetings in Arlington.
Texas has won 13 of its last 16 games on the road and snapped an 11-game losing streak in Detroit with an 8-6 victory. Outfielder Nelson Cruz’s 14th inning home run allowed the Rangers to win their fourth in five games and extend their lead to five games in the AL West. The club is 7-9 in July (-1,100), but still carry the league’s third-best overall record and fifth in the Majors. Despite Monday’s victory, it’s important to note the team has still been outscored 90-35 in its last 12 games at Comerica Park. The Rangers have been a road favorite of -125 to -150 just seven times this season (4-3, Even) and 15 times over the last three years (8-7, -130).
Texas had lost 11 of its last 14 games before this important series against the Boston Red Sox, including four straight to the Baltimore Orioles. The Rangers ended up taking three of four at Fenway Park with Sunday’s 4-2 victory. “We played well and we pitched well,” third baseman Michael Young said. The last few games, we’ve pitched especially well.” It doesn’t get any easier to start the week for the Rangers, heading to a place where they’ve lost 11 straight games. “It’s good to come back and take three of four here because we know our recent history in Detroit isn’t that good.”
Texas missed out on having an opportunity to possibly sweep the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park, dropping a 3-2 decision in 11 innings last night. “That was a well-played game,” third baseman Michael Young said. The club is 5-9 in July (-1,360) and has lost 10 of the last 16 games beginning on June 29. The Rangers total is also 5-9 O/U this month, with the team averaging just 4.1 runs over the past seven games. Texas is 8-16 versus AL East clubs this season, dropping six of the last eight. Ironically enough, the team is 3-9 on the road against the East clubs, with all wins coming at Fenway Park. The Rangers have dropped 11 of 14 road games against the division since September 5, 2009. Offensively, outfielder Josh Hamilton remains hot in going 12-for-27 (.444) in his last seven games and is hitting an MLB-best .429 in 40 games since June 1. During his hot streak, the Rangers lead the Majors with a 13-5 record away from Arlington.
After looking at the 
With news about George Steinbrenner passing away rocking the baseball world only two days after former Yankees’ public address announcer Bob Sheppard died, it seems almost wrong to look at the business side of the sport.
