New era for offense begins as Rangers travel to Boston to open road trip

ARLINGTON, Texas — The 2025 season is just over a month in the books, and the paths have been similar between the two teams that opened the season back in late March. 

After that opening series, the Texas Rangers sat at 3-1, looking like a team primed for the rebound effort that they sought. The Boston Red Sox, meanwhile, faced an uphill climb in a notoriously difficult division. 

Since then, however, both teams have been on trajectories that mirror each other, with Texas now arriving in Boston for a series with the franchises sporting nearly the same record and questions about their ability to reach their goals after coming into the season as two of the favorites in the American League.

Texas Rangers (17-18, 4th Place AL West, 4.0 GB) @ Boston Red Sox (18-18, 2nd Place AL East, 2.0 GB)

Boston faces Texas for the second time this season, but this time comes on their field at Fenway Park. Back in March, Texas ominously lost a heartbreaker on Opening Day to the Red Sox, as Luke Jackson gave up a three-run homer in the ninth to break a tie. Afterwards, however, the Rangers claimed the final three games of the series behind some great starting pitching.

Following that first foray, the Red Sox have won just five series and, at 18-18, sit behind the Yankees for the top spot in the AL East. Boston has not suffered an immense amount of injuries, but the ones they have endured have all been major, including losing their first baseman Triston Casas for the season with a ruptured patellar tendon. 

Their other major injury has been to pitcher Walker Buehler, who signed a one-year deal with Boston over the winter after winning the World Series with Los Angeles. Buehler hit the IL with inflammation and will not see the Rangers on this trip. The righty faced Texas in the opening series, giving up four runs in 4 ⅓ innings.

Similar to how the Rangers performed last season, Boston’s two biggest issues have been their bullpen and their late-inning offense. Their relievers, particularly Justin Slaten, have not been able to hold leads given to them by the rotation. At eight blown saves, the Red Sox lead the American League. 

The Boston offense has also made a habit of emptying their clips early in the game. Scoring a majority of their runs before the third inning and not being able to provide the bullpen with additional insurance runs has been keeping the Red Sox at a .500 record.

The Rangers come to Boston with much bigger concerns on offense, however. The Red Sox – 5th in baseball in runs scored – are outpacing Texas by 66 runs so far in 2025 with the Rangers dead last in the AL in runs scored. 

To help with that, the Rangers have brought in former big league All-Star Bret Boone as their new hitting instructor after letting go of offensive coordinator Donnie Ecker. In addition, the Rangers could get a boost by the return of former playoff hero Evan Carter, who will be making his 2025 MLB debut in this series after starting the year in Round Rock.

Texas would also appear to have the edge with their bullpen, something that they haven’t been able to say very often over the past few years.

• Game 36, 5:45 PM CT – RHP Nathan Eovaldi (2-2, 2.11 ERA) vs. RHP Lucas Giolito (0-0, 4.50 ERA)

• Game 37, 5:45 PM CT – RHP Tyler Mahle (3-1, 1.19 ERA) vs. RHP Tanner Houck (0-2, 6.38 ERA)

• Game 38, 12:35 PM CT – RHP Jack Leiter (2-1, 4.58 ERA) vs. RHP Brayan Bello (2-0, 2.55 ERA)

The Rangers will be sending two of their best out to the hill at Fenway and another who could use a rebound effort. Nathan Eovaldi and Tyler Mahle have been consistent in their performances, especially the former Red Sox hurler Eovaldi, who has thrown six innings in each of his last three starts while giving up three runs total in that time. 

Mahle earned the club’s March/April Player of the Month honors and has thrown the same number of innings and given up the same number of runs as Eovaldi in his last three outings, although the production was spread a bit differently. Last time, though, Mahle allowed just one run in six innings to the Athletics, taking a hard-luck loss. 

Leiter, meanwhile, will be making his third start since returning from a blister issue that sidelined him for much of April. Last time, against Seattle, Leiter surrendered six runs in 4 ⅓ innings, getting knocked around for eight hits. 

The Rangers are hoping to see more of the pitcher that faced the Red Sox during the opening weekend of the season, as Leiter earned a win by giving up just one run in five innings against Boston back in March.

The Red Sox will send Lucas Giolito to the mound to open the series against Texas. Giolito will be making his second start of the season after opening the year on the injured list with a hamstring strain. The former White Sox righty allowed five hits and three runs over six innings in his season debut against the Toronto Blue Jays. 

Tanner Houck will start the game for the Red Sox on Wednesday and he’s coming off his best start of the season. Against Toronto, Houck allowed just one run in seven innings and was in line for the win before the bullpen blew the lead. 

Right-hander Brayan Bello will close out the series in an early afternoon game on Thursday having pitched well in his initial three games since beginning the season on the injured list with shoulder soreness. Bello’s last start, against the Minnesota Twins, saw him throw 6 ⅔ innings and allow just one run on four hits.

Both teams need to break through in some form or fashion – the Rangers are coming off a homestand in which they only had only two games where they scored more than a run and the Red Sox are trying to put together the bullpen pieces that can help them hold their early game leads. 

Texas is hoping the offense from Sunday’s 8-1 finale victory against the Mariners will become a sustainable practice instead of the miserably low output that has become the theme for the Rangers in 2025.

Do you think the Rangers will start the Bret Boone era with a series win? Share your predictions with Matt on Twitter @FisherWritesMLB.