Derek Lowe

Lowe cleared waivers after being designated for assignment by the Rangers, according to reports. Lowe can either accept the assignment to Triple-A Round Rock or he can choose to become a free agent.

Lowe could opt for free agency in the hopes of catching on with another major league team, but it’s unclear if any team would be willing to give him a big league opportunity. The right-hander struggled with the Rangers this season, and at 39 years old, he’s no spring chicken.

Lowe went 1-0 with a 9.00 ERA over 13 innings. All nine of his appearances with Texas came out of the bullpen, but he pitched as a starter as recently as 2012. Lowe went 8-10 with a 5.52 ERA in 21 starts for the Indians last season before Cleveland released him. He then signed with the Yankees and made 17 relief appearances, going 1-1 with a 3.04 ERA in 23 2/3 innings.

Have a question for Ricky Doyle? Send it to him via Twitter at @TheRickyDoyle or send it here.

Yu Darvish tossed 130 pitches in eight innings against the Tigers on Thursday despite the Rangers leading 10-4. Manager Ron Washington’s decision to leave Darvish in the game for so long has been a talking point ever since, but the whole debate is fruitless.

Baseball fans, coaches, players, pundits and statisticians have spent countless hours in recent years tossing in their two cents about the importance — or lack thereof — of hard-and-fast pitch counts and innings limits. Yet after sifting through all sorts of empirical data, bickering about individual scenarios and listening to plenty of stories about “how the game used to be,” we haven’t arrived at one universal rule or line of logic that makes total sense. We never will, and therefore making a firm determination on Darvish’s outing against the Tigers is downright impossible.

Every pitcher’s body is different. Every start, whether it be because of stressful situations or the types of pitches thrown over the course of the outing, is different. Every situation is different. Blah. Blah. Blah. Long story short: How long a pitcher stays in the game is something that should be determined on a case-by-case basis. No numbers, case studies, past scenarios or tall tales should override how a pitcher feels, how effective he’s been and what the situation in question calls for.

That’s why criticizing Washington as if he did something completely egregious is not only unfair, but it’s also ridiculous. We can hold Washington’s feet to the fire all we want, but then what is our end game? Are we simply making it a point to grill Washington on his managerial decision so that we have a leg to stand on if Darvish suddenly fizzles out in the second half?

Looking at the situation as a whole, there are a ton of people — myself included — who would have turned to the bullpen after Darvish threw 115 pitches through seven innings. That decision has nothing to do with pitch counts, per se, but a lot to do with whether rolling Darvish back out there with a six-run lead was all that necessary. Without being in the dugout alongside Darvish on Thursday, though, it’s stupid to definitively say, “Mr. Washington, you crossed the line.”

We can debate pitch counts and innings limits until the cows come home, and then keep a watchful eye on the cows’ workload once they enter the equation. But the topic, especially as it pertains to Darvish’s outing, is way too subjective to lay the hammer down on Washington.

Agreeing with or disagreeing with Washington’s decision is one thing. Making a big stink about a few extra pitches is another.

Have a question for Ricky Doyle? Send it to him via Twitter at @TheRickyDoyle or send it here.

All that being said, Thursday was definitely not Kinsler’s night on the basepaths.

Taking on the Detroit Tigers, Kinsler tried to go from first to third on a single by Elvis Andrus. Unfortunately, as Kinsler approached the third base bag, just about everything that could possibly go wrong did.

At some point Kinsler clearly stumbled, falling to the ground and beginning his slide much sooner than he would have wanted. With all that forward momentum, even a faceplant into the bag couldn’t stop Kinsler from oversliding, ending up well in foul territory.

Since Kinsler didn’t suffer from an injury from the mishap, yes, it’s OK to laugh. Check out the hilarity in the animation below.

GIF via Twitter/@DShep25

The Sandlot was his film debut, but Renna’s stayed in low-profile acting since, most recently doing some work in The Practice spinoff Boston Legal (Renna himself is a Boston native). However, Renna recently made an appearance in Texas as his old character, and it appears he really hasn’t changed at all.

The Rangers held a sleepover at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington over the weekend for about 2,000 fans, inviting them to set up their sleeping bags on the outfield grass. Besides the fun of sleeping under the stars in a big league stadium, The Sandlot was shown on the jumbotron, and Renna and the film’s director, David M. Evans, showed up in person to take part.

While Renna may be 34 years old now, it seems he still looks exactly the same as he did as a kid. Check out an image of him at the ballpark with two attractive young women below.

Photo via Twitter/@kid_KB

On Saturday, the now-Rangers relief pitcher expounded to Drew Davison of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram about his strong dislike of sabermetrics. According to Davison, what began as a yes-or-no question to Lowe turned into a six-minute lecture about the failures of applying math in baseball.

Lowe says that analytics don’t take into account the “human element” of baseball, and, at the end of the day, the only thing that matters is wins and losses. Lowe said players absolutely don’t pay attention to such statistics.

He also says that metrics have made it harder for him to find a gig in the big leagues.

“If you pump my numbers into the system compared to, let’s say, Tanner Scheppers, of course his stuff is going to outscore my stuff. I’m not naive,” Lowe said. “He’s a young kid who throws 98 mph with a great breaking ball. Listen, I know I don’t pass the test.

“But it doesn’t take into consideration the human element of sports. Don’t get me wrong, I think those stats can be beneficial. But I use more of a human element. Where has the guy had success? What cities has he had success? What cities has he failed at? Has he performed well when it matters?

“I’m a big believer in winners and losers. Guys that know how to win, and they’re not always the superstar players. There are guys that don’t perform well when push comes to shove, but those things don’t show up in statistical data.”

Not all other players share Lowe’s view — major leaguers such as Brandon McCarthy, Zack Greinke and Craig Breslow have said they use sabermetrics. Moreover, Lowe’s age and ERAs of 5.05 and 5.11, respectively, the last two seasons may have contributed to his trouble finding an MLB roster spot.

Final, Rangers 4-3:

The Rangers completed the sweep by winning in much different fashion than they did on Friday and Saturday. While Texas rolled in the first two games of the series, it was Boston that jumped out to an early lead on Sunday before the Rangers rallied.

The Red Sox led 3-0 after two innings following home runs by David Ortiz and David Ross. Yu Darvish settled down immensely from there, though, and he ended up going seven innings while striking out 14.

Nelson Cruz’s two-run home run off Jon Lester in the sixth inning tied the game, and both teams failed to gain an edge until the ninth inning. Elvis Andrus hit a two-out single into center field. He then advanced to second base on a wild pitch, and following an intentional walk to Lance Berkman, Beltre came up with the big hit.

The three straight losses are a season high for the Red Sox, who certainly didn’t pass what many called their first real test of 2013. Fortunately for the Sox, they’ll return home to the friendly confines of Fenway Park on Monday for the start of a seven-game homestand.

Mid 9th, 3-3: It wasn’t easy, but Joe Nathan held down the Red Sox in the top of the ninth. The Rangers will come up with a chance to win the game in the home half of the inning.

Mike Carp started off the ninth with a loud out. He turned on a pitch down in the zone and yanked it to right field. Carp gave it a pretty good ride, but Nelson Cruz hauled it in just before the warning track.

The Red Sox managed to spark a little rally after that. David Ross walked, which brought Shane Victorino into the game as a pinch runner, and Stephen Drew singled softly over the head of shortstop Elvis Andrus.

Nathan then had two hard-fought battles with runners at first and second, but he won both to close out the inning.

Jarrod Saltalamacchia pinch-hit for Pedro Ciriaco and struck out swinging. Nathan jumped ahead of Saltalamacchia 0-2 and missed with a few fastballs up and away. He pulled the string with a 2-2 curveball, though, and Salty was caught out in front.

Nathan ended the inning by getting Jacoby Ellsbury to hit a bouncer to first base. Mitch Moreland made the play and flipped to Nathan, who covered the bag.

Nathan had to throw 23 pitches in his second straight day pitching, but the end result was there.

End 8th, 3-3: Junichi Tazawa and Andrew Miller combined to keep Texas’ offense at bay in the eighth.

Tazawa started the inning and got Nelson Cruz, who homered earlier, to pop out to Mike Napoli in foul territory. Napoli really had to battle the shadows, but he ultimately shielded the sun with his glove enough to make the play.

Andrew Miller then came on and struck out A.J. Pierzynski with a slider on the outside corner. Pierzynski has now whiffed four times in this game. That’s right, the man is wearing a golden sombrero, and it has nothing to do with Cinco de Mayo.

Old friend David Murphy extended the inning with a softly hit single into left field, but Miller also got Mitch Moreland on a slider to pick up his second K.

The Rangers’ closer, Joe Nathan, will come on to pitch the ninth inning in a tie game.

Mid 8th, 3-3: Michael Kirkman got two quick outs in the eighth inning, but things got very interesting from there.

Kirkman got Jacoby Ellsbury to ground out, and he then struck out Daniel Nava swinging. A couple of walks later, Kirkman found himself watching the remainder of the inning from the bench.

Kirkman quickly got ahead of Dustin Pedroia 0-2, but the Red Sox second baseman showed great patience as the left-hander tried to put him away. Pedey ended up working an eight-pitch walk.

Pedroia stole second base with David Ortiz batting. With a good throw, Pedroia would have been toast, but A.J. Pierzynski’s toss to second came up short.

Ortiz ended up walking, which prompted a pitching change. Jason Frasor came in to face Mike Napoli, who hasn’t done much against his former team. Frasor retired Napoli on a 6-4 force out to end the threat.

End 7th, 3-3: Koji Uehara found himself in some trouble, but he got out of it, and we have a tie ballgame through seven innings.

Craig Gentry kicked off the seventh by hitting a little roller to the left side of the mound. Uehara grabbed it and fired an ill-advised throw to first as Gentry reached. The Red Sox were very lucky that Uehara’s throw was backed up by Dustin Pedroia, as it wasn’t a very wise decision by the pitcher.

Ian Kinsler then dropped down a bunt. It got the job done in moving Gentry to second base, but it looked like Kinsler may have even been bunting for a hit. Nonetheless, Uehara made the play for the first out.

Elvis Andrus looked overmatched in his at-bat against Uehara. He fanned on a pretty nasty split-finger fastball for out No. 2.

The threat built up a bit from there, as the speedy Gentry stole third base with Lance Berkman at the dish. The Red Sox then decided to put Berkman on and take their chances with Adrian Beltre. The move paid off, as Beltre grounded back to the mound to end the inning.

Mid 7th, 3-3: It was clear Yu Darvish started to tire in the seventh inning, but he found enough in him to finish off a gritty performance.

Darvish, who gave three runs (two home runs) in the first two innings, kept the Red Sox off the scoreboard for the next five, and we have a tie game in the seventh as a result.

Darvish issued a one-out walk to David Ross on four pitches. It was at that point that you could really tell the right-hander was laboring, yet he bounced back to strike out both Stephen Drew and Pedro Ciriaco.

Darvish fell behind Drew, but he eventually battled back and struck him out swinging on a 94-mph fastball.

David Ross swiped second base without a throw with Ciriaco at the dish. It didn’t matter, though, as Darvish fanned Ciriaco with a filthy slider low and away.

Darvish threw 127 pitches (78 strikes) in his seven innings. He gave up three earned runs on four hits and struck out 14, which matches his career high. All in all, it was a very gutsy start.

Koji Uehara will come on to pitch the seventh inning for Boston, as Jon Lester’s day is indeed over.

End 6th, 3-3: Jon Lester worked around some brief struggles throughout his outing, but he couldn’t escape the sixth inning unharmed. Nelson Cruz tied the game with one swing of the bat.

Adrian Beltre delivered a one-out single, which paved the way for Cruz’s huge two-run blast.

Lester missed with a few high pitches during the at-bat against Cruz. The lefty missed with another one up in the zone with a 3-2 count, and the Rangers slugger jumped all over it. Cruz sent it sailing over the center-field fence for his seventh home run of the season.

Lester bounced back to strike out A.J. Pierzynski, who has fanned three times in this game, but it looked as if the left-hander began to tire. He walked Jeff Baker, which forced action to get stirring in the bullpen.

The inning ended with Lester striking out Mitch Moreland, but it’s clear the pitcher’s day is done. Lester has thrown 115 pitches (70 strikes).

Mid 6th, Red Sox 3-1: Yu Darvish’s outing has essentially consisted of two costly mistakes. He’s been sharp the rest of the afternoon.

Darvish struck out the side in the sixth inning, which increases his strikeout total to 12. He’s up to 105 pitches (67 strikes), so we’ll see if Ron Washington trots him back out there for the seventh. Regardless, Darvish has done a nice job of overcoming the three runs he surrendered in the first two innings.

Darvish struck out the heart of the Boston order in the sixth. He got Dustin Pedroia and David Ortiz swinging, and then got Mike Napoli looking at a nasty slider.

End 5th, Red Sox 3-1: Jon Lester was forced to throw some stressful pitches again in the fifth. But again he walked away unscathed.

Lester lost Jeff Baker after jumping ahead 1-2, and he gave up a leadoff walk to the Rangers left fielder.

Lester then got Mitch Moreland to fly out, and he struck out Craig Gentry on a nice looking cutter on the outside corner, but Ian Kinsler extended the inning by dropping a single into center field.

Lester and Elvis Andrus squared off in a seven-pitch, two-out battle, but Lester emerged victorious. With the runners going, Lester froze Andrus with a fastball down in the zone, and home plate umpire Brian Knight rung up the Rangers shortstop.

Mid 5th, Red Sox 3-1: Yu Darvish had to work a little bit in the fifth inning, but we’re still looking at a 3-1 game.

Pedro Ciriaco reached out and dropped a one-out single into right-center field after Stephen Drew struck out swinging to begin the inning.

The Red Sox then put Ciriaco in motion a few times. The first time around, Jacoby Ellsbury fouled off a 1-0 pitch on what looked to be a hit-and-run attempt. The second time, Daniel Nava fouled off a 1-0 cutter with Ciriaco going. Finally, Ciriaco took off and swiped second base, but Nava struck out swinging to end the inning.

Darvish, who has thrown 86 pitches (56 strikes), has nine strikeouts in this game.

End 4th, Red Sox 3-1: The third inning was a struggle for Jon Lester, but he escaped it with no harm done.

Lance Berkman got the threat going with a one-out double. Berkman turned on a double and drilled it into the left-field corner, where it one-hopped off the wall.

Adrian Beltre got into a favorable hitter’s count and put good wood on a 2-0 pitch. He didn’t get all of it, though, and Jacoby Ellsbury tracked down his fly ball in deep center.

Nelson Cruz walked and A.J. Pierzynski worked a full count, but Lester managed to escape the jam by striking out Pierzynski.

Mid 4th, Red Sox 3-1: Yu Darvish’s fourth inning wasn’t perfect, but he kept the Red Sox off the scoreboard for the second straight frame.

David Ortiz, who took Darvish deep in the first inning, hit a hot shot back to the Rangers hurler. Darvish snagged it and fired over to first for the first out.

Mike Napoli fell behind 0-2, but he battled back to work the count full and earn a free pass when Darvish missed with a 3-2 slider up and in.

Darvish settled back down after that brief lack of control. He struck out Mike Carp on a curveball for the second time in this game, and he then blew three fastballs by David Ross — who homered in the second — to end the inning.

End 3rd, Red Sox 3-1: The Rangers chipped away on a home run by Mitch Moreland.

Moreland went to the opposite field on a cutter from Jon Lester. It’s Moreland’s fourth home run of the season, and he has had a very nice series. Moreland is now 6-for-8 in the three games thus far.

Lester bounced back to retire Craig Gentry on a ground out and Ian Kinsler on a fly ball to center.

Mid 3rd, Red Sox 3-0: The third inning was much kinder to Yu Darvish.

Darvish, who gave up a home run in each of the first two innings, worked a 1-2-3 frame in the third.

Jacoby Ellsbury and Daniel Nava grounded out to begin the inning, and Darvish ended it by striking out Dustin Pedroia.

Darvish now has five strikeouts despite surrendering three runs. His slider has been particularly impressive when he’s been able to locate it. He struck out Stephen Drew on a slider in the dirt in the second inning, and he got Pedroia with a similar pitch in the third.

End 2nd, Red Sox 3-0: While the Red Sox’ offense is off to a hot start against Yu Darvish, Jon Lester is taking care of business on the mound.

Adrian Beltre grounded to third base to lead off the second. Pedro Ciriaco bobbled it initially, but he recovered to throw out Beltre for the first out.

Nelson Cruz flied out for the second out, and A.J. Pierzynski struck out swinging to end the inning.

Mid 2nd, Red Sox 3-0: Yu Darvish picked up two strikeouts in the second inning, but he also made another big mistake.

Darvish kicked off the inning by striking out Mike Carp, but he didn’t fare as well against David Ross. Darvish left a flat offspeed offering out over the plate, and Ross crushed it down the left-field line for his fourth home run of the season. The only question was whether it would be fair or foul, but Ross’ long ball traveled just to the right of the foul pole.

Darvish struck out Stephen Drew on a pitch in the dirt, and then got Pedro Ciriaco to ground out, but the Red Sox’ offense is off and running in this one.

End 1st, Red Sox 2-0: Jon Lester’s first inning was a lot smoother than Yu Darvish’s.

Lester induced two ground-ball outs before striking out Lance Berkman to cap off a 1-2-3 inning.

Ian Kinsler and Elvis Andrus both slipped coming out of the box after grounding to the left side. I’m not sure if there’s a slippery patch in front of home plate or if it’s simply a coincidence that both players stumbled, but the Rangers’ fans aren’t happy with what they may believe is a lack of hustle.

Lester struck out Berkman looking on a cutter.

Mid 1st, Red Sox 2-0: Yu Darvish only allowed one home run before this game. He also hadn’t run into the buzz saw that is David Ortiz.

Ortiz jacked a 3-1 offering over the fence in right field for his fourth home run of the season. It came with two outs, and it was of the two-run variety.

Jacoby Ellsbury led off the game by rolling over a cutter to second base. He was easily retired by Ian Kinsler, who hit a leadoff home run for Texas on Saturday.

Darvish then struck out Daniel Nava despite a pretty good at-bat by the Red Sox outfielder. Nava fouled off three straight pitches, including a pair of two-strike sliders, but Darvish eventually blew him away with a 96-mph fastball.

Darvish got ahead of Dustin Pedroia with two outs. He failed to put him away with a fastball, though, and Pedroia managed to reach out and slap a 2-2 slider to the left side of the mound. Darvish came off and grabbed the slow roller, but he put it in his pocket when he realized he had no chance to retire the hustling Pedroia.

That was huge, as it set the table for Ortiz’s two-run bomb. Ortiz has been absolutely destroying opposing pitchers since returning, and his home run in the first inning was crushed.

Jon Lester will now have the benefit of taking the mound with an early lead.

2:08 p.m.: Yu Darvish’s first pitch misses for a ball, and we’re under way.

1:45 p.m.: Jon Lester’s overall resume this season is impressive, but the left-hander enters Sunday’s game on the heels of his two worst starts of the season.

Lester issued six walks and allowed three runs on six hits in 5 2/3 innings despite defeating the Athletics on April 24. He then struggled a bit against the Blue Jays on Tuesday, surrendering five earned runs in six innings while receiving a no-decision.

It won’t be easy for Lester to bounce back in this one, as the Rangers’ offense has looked comfortable through the first two games of the series.

Lester, who had a difficult season all-around in 2012, really struggled against Texas last year. He was 0-2 in two starts. He gave up 11 earned runs on 14 hits in 8 2/3 innings (11.42 ERA). In his career, Lester is 3-3 with a 4.57 ERA in 10 career starts against the Rangers.

12:30 p.m.: Will Middlebrooks has really been struggling, both in the field and at the plate. The Red Sox third baseman will be given the day off on Sunday.

Middlebrooks is 3-for-19 on Boston’s current road trip, which negates the strides he appeared to be making at the plate toward the tail end of the team’s recent homestand. Making matters worse is that Middlebrooks made an error in each of the last two games.

Filling in for Middlebrooks will be Pedro Ciriaco, who will bat ninth. That bumps Stephen Drew up to eighth.

Shane Victorino, who played in back-to-back games on Friday and Saturday after returning from a back issue, will be out of the lineup on Sunday. Daniel Nava will bat second and play right field, while Mike Carp will start in left field and bat sixth.

The rest of Sunday’s lineup is below.

Red Sox (20-10)
Jacoby Ellsbury, CF
Daniel Nava, RF
Dustin Pedroia, 2B
David Ortiz, DH
Mike Napoli, 1B
Mike Carp, LF
David Ross, C
Stephen Drew, SS
Pedro Ciriaco, 3B

Jon Lester (4-0, 3.11 ERA)

8 a.m. ET: The Red Sox had a chance to flex their muscles against a fellow American League division leader. Instead, it’s the Rangers who have done all the flexing.

After another convincing victory on Saturday, the Rangers will send their ace, Yu Darvish, to the mound as they look to sweep the Red Sox right out of Texas. The man asked to stop the bleeding for the Sox is Jon Lester.

Clay Buchholz has been Boston’s best pitcher through the early part of the season, but Lester is still considered the team’s ace in the minds of many. The lefty has a chance to prove he can be a stopper on Sunday, although the Red Sox’ offense will need to be better than it has been through the first two games of the series.

The Red Sox have been outhit 28-13 and outscored 13-1 in the series thus far. Their biggest issue has been their inability to take advantage of their scoring chances. They’ve been leaving runners on base at an alarming clip, and that’s something that simply can’t happen when you’re facing a good team like the Rangers.

Boston’s quest to salvage the series with a win begins at 3:05 p.m. Be sure to tune in on NESN and follow along right here.

Shane Victorino

Mike Carp will be inserted into the lineup for Victorino as Daniel Nava will take his spot in right field and in the two hole. Victorino is 1-for-7 since returning to the field from a back injury.

Pedro Ciriaco will start at third base in place of Will Middlebrooks, who continues to struggle. Middlebrooks is just 4-for-23 in the last seven days with no extra-base hits.

Check out the lineups for both teams below.

Boston Red Sox (20-10)
Jacoby Ellsbury, CF
Daniel Nava, RF
Dustin Pedroia, 2B
David Ortiz, DH
Mike Napoli, 1B
Mike Carp, LF
David Ross, C
Stephen Drew, SS
Pedro Ciriaco, 3B

Jon Lester, LHP

Texas Rangers (19-11)
Ian Kinsler, 2B
Elvis Andrus, SS
Lance Berkman, DH
Adrian Beltre, 3B
Nelson Cruz, RF
A.J. Pierzynski, C
Jeff Baker, LF
Mitch Moreland, 1B
Craig Gentry, CF

Yu Darvish, RHP

Final, Rangers 5-1:

Joe Nathan enjoyed a 1-2-3 ninth inning, and Texas has now taken the first two games of what was supposed to be a very competitive series between two of the American League’s best teams.

Sure, we’re still looking at two of the AL’s best, but the Rangers have had their way with the Sox thus far. On Saturday, Ian Kinsler’s leadoff home run set the tempo, and Texas seized control with a two-run fourth inning, during which John Lackey struggled with his control. Craig Gentry later extended the lead with a two-run home run in the eighth inning.

Alexi Ogando went six solid innings for Texas. He allowed one run on six hits while walking two and striking out four. Lackey surrendered three runs on six hits while walking three and striking out four in five innings of work.

The Red Sox had some chances, including a second-and-third situation in the seventh inning, but they simply couldn’t cash in. The Sox finished 1-for-9 with runners in scoring position.

We have quite the pitching matchup on tap for Sunday. Jon Lester and Yu Darvish will square off in a clash of two aces. Sunday’s first pitch is scheduled for 3:05 p.m. ET.

Good night, everyone.

End 8th, Rangers 5-1: We’ve seen Craig Gentry use speed in this series. In the eighth inning, he used power.

Gentry drilled a two-run home run into the seats in left, and the Rangers look like they’re on their way to another victory. Mitch Moreland set the table with a broken-bat double off the right-field wall.

Koji Uehara struck out Leonys Martin and got Ian Kinsler to fly out to right field to end the inning.

The Red Sox will send up Will Middlebrooks, Stephen Drew and Jacoby Ellsbury against Joe Nathan in the ninth.

Mid 8th, Rangers 3-1: The Rangers are three outs away from taking the first two games of this series.

David Ortiz drilled a fly ball to center field to lead off the eighth inning. In July or August — when the ball travels better in the Texas summer heat — it might have left the yard. This time, it was just a long out, as Craig Gentry made the catch near the edge of the warning track.

Tanner Scheppers, who recorded the final out of the seventh inning, then drilled Mike Napoli. Napoli didn’t look too pleased about the pitch. He gave Scheppers a glance and tossed his bat to the ground before taking his base.

The hit batter meant the Red Sox had the tying run at the plate. Neither Daniel Nava nor Jarrod Saltalamacchia could come through. Nava flied out to left field, and Saltalamacchia lined out to Elvis Andrus, who was to the right of the second base bag because of the shift.

Koji Uehara will come on for Boston. This marks the first time this season he’ll enter a game with the Red Sox trailing.

End 7th, Rangers 3-1: Junichi Tazawa gave up a leadoff single and then struck out the side.

Elvis Andrus started the inning with a single into center field, and he even advanced to second base after stealing with Adrian Beltre at the plate. Tazawa was very effective, though, and the Red Sox will head to the eighth inning trailing by just two runs.

Tazawa struck out Lance Berkman, Beltre and then A.J. Pierzynski.

Berkman, who has now fanned twice, struck out swinging on a fastball, as did Beltre and Pierzynski. Tazawa showed off some good offspeed  in the inning as well.

Mid 7th, Rangers 3-1: Tanner Scheppers came on and got the job done.

Dustin Pedroia bounced a 1-1 fastball to first base. Mitch Moreland made the play and flipped to Scheppers, who was covering the bag, to retire the hustling Pedroia and end the threat.

The Red Sox really need to start cashing in on these opportunities, as they’re down to their final six outs.

10:17 p.m., Rangers 3-1: The Rangers will make their second pitching change of the inning with the Red Sox threatening.

Robbie Ross entered the game and immediately got Stephen Drew to ground into a force out. Jacoby Ellsbury singled into center, and Shane Victorino then made a productive out. The Flyin’ Hawaiian bounced to first baseman Mitch Moreland, which moved Drew to third and Ellsbury to second.

Tanner Scheppers will enter the game for Texas with Dustin Pedroia at the plate and two runners in scoring position.

10:11 p.m., Rangers 3-1: Alexi Ogando started the seventh inning, but he was greeted with a Will Middlebrooks single.

The Rangers will turn to the bullpen. Robbie Ross is coming in to pitch.

End 6th, Rangers 3-1: Andrew Miller has had some mixed results this season. In the sixth inning, he was effective.

Miller gave up a leadoff single to Mitch Moreland, but then recorded three straight outs.

Miller nearly induced a double play after Moreland’s single. Dustin Pedroia made a nice diving stop and quickly flipped to Stephen Drew for the first out, but Craig Gentry was just way too fast for the Red Sox to execute the twin killing.

Leonys Martin flied out to left field for the second out, and Ian Kinsler grounded back to the mound to end the inning. Miller almost threw the ball away after fielding Kinsler’s comebacker, but Mike Napoli stretched out and hauled it in.

The book is officially closed on John Lackey. He gave up three earned runs on six hits and three walks. Lackey struck out four and threw 98 pitches (61 strikes) in five innings.

Mid 6th, Rangers 3-1: Two runners, but zero runs.

The Red Sox have had at least one baserunner in every inning except the first, but they still have just one run to show for it. In the sixth inning, Mike Napoli and Daniel Nava reached with two outs, but Alexi Ogando escaped any further trouble.

Dustin Pedroia and David Ortiz each grounded out to begin the inning.

Pedroia hit a hard comebacker that Ogando actually knocked down with his bare hand. That brought the Rangers’ trainer out, but everything checked out OK.

Ortiz then grounded into the shift. Ian Kinsler made the play on the outfield grass to the right of the second base bag.

Napoli, who has hit the ball hard a couple of times, now has a hit to show for his effort. He stayed back on a curveball and drove it into center field to kick off Boston’s mini rally.

Daniel Nava was then hit by a pitch, but Jarrod Saltalamacchia struck out swinging to end the inning.

Home plate umpire Gerry Davis ruled that Saltalamacchia went around on a check swing on the first pitch, which frustrated the Red Sox catcher and some players in the Boston dugout. Salty never rebounded from there, and he struck out on three pitches.

End 5th, Rangers 3-1: John Lackey wasn’t always sharp, but he made it through five innings with only three Texas runs on the scoreboard. Boston’s bats now need to wake up.

The Rangers still forced Lackey to work in the fifth inning despite not adding anything in the runs column. Lance Berkman and Adrian Beltre hit back-to-back singles with one out, which further increased Lackey’s pitch count, if nothing else.

Lackey got out of the inning by inducing a pair of fly outs to A.J. Pierzynski and Nelson Cruz.

Lackey has thrown 98 pitches (61 strikes), so it’s highly unlikely we’ll see any more of him in this game.

Mid 5th, Rangers 3-1: Stephen Drew led off with a walk, but unlike the Rangers, the Red Sox couldn’t take advantage of the free pass.

Jacoby Ellsbury ripped a line drive down to first base, but it was right at Mitch Moreland. Moreland made the play and stepped on the bag for the unassisted double play.

Shane Victorino ended the inning by skying a fly ball to center that had the makings of some trouble. The Rangers exhibited good communication, though, and center fielder Craig Gentry hauled it in.

End 4th, Rangers 3-1: Walks kill. And in the fourth inning, they got the best of John Lackey.

Lackey was very careful with Adrian Beltre, who worked a one-out walk on five pitches. The righty showed a good mix of pitches to A.J. Pierzynski, but Pierzynski went to the opposite field — something he rarely does — to beat the shift and set up runners at first and second.

Lackey got Nelson Cruz to fly out to right field, during which Beltre advanced to third base, but more trouble ensued from there.

Lackey walked Mitch Moreland, who also had a solid game on Friday, to load the bases for Craig Gentry. Gentry bounced a ground ball to third base that Will Middlebrooks backed up and made a backhanded play on. Middlebrooks’ throw to first was a bit off the mark, though, and it got away from Mike Napoli, allowing two runs to score.

Middlebrooks has two errors in this game and three in the series. But Gentry can really fly, and speed certainly played into the rushed throw. Even with a good pitch and catch by Middlebrooks and Napoli, Gentry may have reached. The error was assessed because of the second run that came around.

Lackey issued his third walk of the inning to Leonys Martin, which loaded the bases for Ian Kinsler — the guy Lackey least wanted to see with the bags packed. Kinsler, who has had tremendous success against Lackey, went deep earlier in the game, and he threatened to do so again, but his shot down the left-field line sailed just foul. Kinsler eventually grounded out to second base.

All things considered, it could have been a lot worse for Lackey, but the Rangers still managed to grab the lead. The righty has thrown 80 pitches (47 strikes) thus far, but the fourth inning required plenty of high-stress pitches, so that could play a factor in how much longer he goes.

Mid 4th, 1-1: Jarrod Saltalamacchia drove a two-out double into the right-field corner, but the Red Sox again failed to capitalize with a runner in scoring position.

Mike Napoli led off the inning with a hot smash back at Alexi Ogando. The Rangers starter made the play, though, and he fired to first for the out.

Daniel Nava then flew out to center, as did Will Middlebrooks after Salty’s double.

End 3rd, 1-1: Leonys Martin led off the bottom of the third with a single, but a big caught-stealing benefited John Lackey.

Ian Kinsler popped out for the first out, and Martin took off for second base with Elvis Andrus at the plate. Jarrod Saltalamacchia delivered a strong throw, and Martin was ruled out on the attempted steal.

Replays show that Martin got his foot in ahead of the tag, so the Sox certainly caught a break.

Andrus grounded out to end the inning.

Lackey also stumbled off the mound a bit during a pitch in the inning. He was given a warmup throw, and everything seems to be OK. It’s always scary when something like that happens, though, especially when it’s someone with an injury history like Lackey’s.

Mid 3rd, 1-1: The Red Sox threatened a bit in the third inning, but they couldn’t gain an edge.

After Stephen Drew led off the inning with a ground out, Jacoby Ellsbury singled into right-center field. Ellsbury then stole his 12th base of the season. It was a close play, but Ellsbury’s heal got in ahead of the tag.

Shane Victorino, playing in just his second game since returning from a back injury, increased the threat by working a walk. Alexi Ogando bounced back, though. Ogando struck out Dustin Pedroia and got Davie Ortiz to fly out to left.

Ortiz, who doubled in his first at-bat, actually gave Ogando’s offering a pretty good ride to left, but Leonys Martin was able to backtrack and snag it.

End 2nd, 1-1: John Lackey looked a lot sharper in the second inning.

Lackey picked up two K’s while tossing a perfect frame. He got Nelson Cruz swinging at a fastball, and he got Craig Gentry looking at a fastball to end the inning.

Lackey had some first-inning struggles in his last start before settling down in a big way. We’ll see if his impressive second inning can pave the way for similar success in this game.

Mid 2nd, 1-1: The Red Sox are already in a better position than they were at any point on Friday. Daniel Nava’s RBI single tied the game in the second inning.

David Ortiz led off the inning with a rocket to left-center field that ended with him cruising into second base with a standup double.

Mike Napoli struck out swinging on an offspeed offering that Alexi Ogando actually left up in the zone. It certainly wasn’t an ideal location for such a pitch, but Napoli came up empty.

Daniel Nava ensured the Red Sox would take advantage of Ortiz’s leadoff double, though. Nava drilled a single into center  field. Craig Gentry came up firing to the plate, but his throw was off the mark, and it’s a good thing. A good throw would have had Ortiz dead to rights.

Ogando struck out Jarrod Saltalamacchia for out No. 2. He went with a curveball down and out of the zone, and Salty couldn’t lay off.

Nava advanced to second when Ogando threw a wild pitch with Will Middlebrooks at the plate, but Middlebrooks couldn’t take advantage of having a runner in scoring position. Middlebrooks put up a nice-bat, fouling off three straight pitches, but it ended with him lifting a lazy fly ball to right field.

End 1st, Rangers 1-0: It didn’t take long for Ian Kinsler to continue his assault on John Lackey.

Kinsler — who, as I mentioned, entered the game hitting .438 in his career against the right-hander — jumped all over Lackey’s first pitch of the night. He drove it into the seats in left-center field for his sixth home run of the season.

It was actually a rather weird home run. It was obvious off the bat that Kinsler made good contact, but Daniel Nava initially acted as if he had the ball sized up. Nava then threw his palms to the sky, making it clear that he lost the ball in the sun. And when the ball landed, it came down over the fence.

Elvis Andrus struck out for the first out, and John Lackey then froze Lance Berkman with a 3-2 fastball on the inside corner for the second out.

The inning was extended when Adrian Beltre grounded to third base. Will Middlebrooks made the play, but his throw brought Mike Napoli off the first base bag.

Middlebrooks, who also made an error in Friday’s game, bounced back, though. A.J. Pierzynski hit a broken-bat ground ball to third that Middlebrooks took care of to end the inning.

Mid 1st, 0-0: Derek Holland pitched eight shutout innings in the Rangers’ 7-0 victory on Friday. Alexi Ogando is off to a good start in this one.

Ogando fell behind Jacoby Ellsbury after throwing a first pitch strike. He got the Red Sox’ leadoff man to pop out into shallow left field, though.

Shane Victorino then grounded out to second, and Dustin Pedroia lifted a lazy fly ball to right field that Nelson Cruz hauled in to end the inning.

8:06 p.m.: Alexi Ogando’s first pitch is a strike, and we’re under way.

7:30 p.m.: John Lackey is the man asked to turn this series in Boston’s favor, but he hasn’t exactly had the best success against Texas in the past.

Lackey, who faced the Rangers quite a bit while with the Angels, enters Saturday’s start with a 12-14 record in 36 career starts against Texas. He owns a 6.16 career ERA in those 36 starts.

Ian Kinsler has had the most success against Lackey. He enters the game with a .438 average (14-for-32), three home runs and eight RBIs against the right-hander. David Murphy (.438, 7-for-16) has also had success.

6:30 p.m.: As mentioned, Game 2 of the Bruins-Maple Leafs series will air on NESN, while the Red Sox-Rangers game will air on NESNplus. The link to Saturday’s NESNplus channel listings is at the bottom of this blog.

If you’re looking to keep up with the B’s while watching the Sox, you can also follow NESN.com’s Bruins live blog. My good friend Mike Cole will be covering the action, and he’s quick on his feet.

Click here to read the Bruins live blog >>

5:50 p.m.: The Red Sox will roll out a pretty standard lineup on Saturday. Daniel Nava and Stephen Drew will both be back in the lineup after getting the night off on Friday.

Check out Saturday’s complete lineups below.

Red Sox (20-9)
Jacoby Ellsbury, CF
Shane Victorino, RF
Dustin Pedroia, 2B
David Ortiz, DH
Mike Napoli, 1B
Daniel Nava, LF
Jarrod Saltalamacchia, C
Will Middlebrooks, 3B
Stephen Drew, SS

John Lackey, RHP (1-1, 2.61 ERA)

Rangers (18-11)
Ian Kinsler, 2B
Elvis Andrus, SS
Lance Berkman, DH
Adrian Beltre, 3B
A.J. Pierzynski, C
Nelson Cruz, RF
Mitch Moreland, 1B
Craig Gentry, CF
Leonys Martin, RF

Alexi Ogando (2-2, 3.38 ERA)

8 a.m. ET: The Rangers took Round 1, but there are still two rounds to go.

Texas got to Felix Doubront for a big five-run fourth inning and coasted to an impressive 7-0 victory on Friday. Now, it’s up to John Lackey to get the Sox back on track in the second game of a three-game set between two of the American League’s elite teams.

Leading the way for Texas on Friday was old friend Adrian Beltre. He racked up four hits, including a bases-clearing double in the fourth, while the Sox were only able to muster up a total of six hits. Rangers starter Derek Holland was locked in, tossing eight shutout innings and striking out a season-high nine batters in the process.

Lackey takes the ball for his third start of the season. He went down with a biceps strain in his first start, which forced him to the disabled list, but he was very impressive in start No. 2. Lackey escaped any trouble that came his way on Sunday, and he pitched six innings of one-run ball. That was even more than Lackey or manager John Farrell expected in the right-hander’s first start after a DL stint.

Going up against Lackey will be Alexi Ogando. Ogando started off the season 2-0 and was very impressive in his first three starts. He now enters the contest with a 2-2 record and a 3.38 ERA.

Saturday’s first pitch is scheduled for 8:05 p.m. The Bruins will be in playoff action on NESN, but you can find all of Saturday’s Red Sox-Rangers action on NESN plus. If you’re unsure of your NESNplus channel, click the link below.

Click here for Saturday’S NESNplus listings >>

John Lackey

The Red Sox’ right-hander will look to improve on that mark Saturday night in his third start of the year, coming off of his best outing since 2011. Against the Houston Astros last Sunday, Lackey tossed six innings and allowed just one run while striking out four batters. He will be out to build on that strong performance and continue his comeback from Tommy John surgery that kept him out all of 2012.

Alexei Ogando will take the mound for the Rangers, and he has enjoyed some good success against the Red Sox. Jacoby Ellsbury, Mike Napoli and Dustin Pedroia are all hitless against the righty in limited at-bats.

Check out the lineups for both teams below.

Boston Red Sox (20-9)
Jacoby Ellsbury, CF
Shane Victorino, RF
Dustin Pedroia, 2B
David Ortiz, DH
Mike Napoli, 1B
Daniel Nava, LF
Jarrod Saltalamacchia, C
Will Middlebrooks, 3B
Stephen Drew, SS

John Lackey, RHP

Texas Rangers (18-11)
Ian Kinsler, 2B
Elvis Andrus, SS
Lance Berkman, DH
Adrian Beltre, 3B
A.J. Pierzynski, C
Nelson Cruz, RF
Mitch Moreland, 1B
Craig Gentry, CF
Leonys Martin, LF

Alexi Ogando, RHP

Adrian Beltre turned in a monster game against the Red Sox on Friday. He went 4-for-5 and delivered a bases-clearing double that broke the game open in the fourth inning. It’s exactly the type of performance that can bust a veteran out of a prolonged slump, and if that happens with Beltre, the Rangers could become even more dangerous.

Meanwhile, Boston’s third baseman, Will Middlebrooks, went 0-for-3 and committed an error, continuing what has been a difficult start to the season.

Round 1 clearly went to Beltre, but both third basemen can turn to each other as a source of inspiration throughout this series.

Beltre entered Friday’s game in the midst of a horrendous stretch. He was 4-for-31 (.129) over his last eight games, 2-for-20 (.100) over his last five, and he made some crucial outs in the Rangers’ 3-1 loss to the White Sox on Thursday. The groans in Arlington were beginning to grow louder and louder, and it was somewhat reasonable to wonder whether the 34-year-old might be in line for a season-long setback in a lineup that lost plenty of offensive firepower — Josh Hamilton, Mike Napoli and Michael Young — during the offseason.

With all of that considered, a marginal performance out of Beltre would have been an encouraging sign, never mind an offensive clinic like Friday’s.

“Beltre has got a track record, and the guys in my lineup have got a track record,” Rangers manager Ron Washington said after Friday’s game. “Beltre is a run producer, there wasn’t anyone more upset about it than Beltre. But I’m happy that he said he’s not frustrated because when you get frustrated you go blind. And undoubtedly, tonight he wasn’t blind.”

Beltre must now ensure Friday’s performance wasn’t a fluke, though. May has historically been Beltre’s worst month — lowest batting average, on-base percentage, slugging percentage and OPS — so he must build on his big game and generate momentum, rather than expect it to come simply because he put together a solid four-at-bat stretch against Felix Doubront and Alex Wilson. If Beltre is looking for some added motivation in his quest to right his ship, he need not look any further than across field.

Middlebrooks put together a four-hit performance of his own back on April 7. (In fact, Middlebrooks’ four-hit effort was even more impressive, as he launched three home runs while guiding the Red Sox to a 13-0 victory over the Blue Jays at the Rogers Centre.) Since then, however, Middlebrooks has struggled mightily. He began to make some strides during the Red Sox’ final series of their recent 10-game homestand, but he’s made a couple of errors the last few nights, he’s 2-for-15 since heading back out on the road and his season average is down to .193.

There’s a huge difference between Beltre and Middlebrooks, obviously. (One has been an All-Star each of the last three seasons, while the other is a 24-year-old still developing.) However, the considerable drop-off that Middlebrooks experienced following his “breakout performance” earlier this season can still serve as a cautionary tale for any major leaguer looking to build off a big game.

And just as Beltre can look to Middlebrooks’ slump as motivation for stringing together consecutive big games, Middlebrooks can also turn to the veteran as a little source of inspiration. Beltre is one of Middlebrooks’ Boston predecessors, and no one in their current position of employment wants to hear how good the old guy used to be, right?

Have a question for Ricky Doyle? Send it to him via Twitter at @TheRickyDoyle or send it here.

Sometimes, it’s just not your night — and it certainly wasn’t on Friday night for the Red Sox.

Derek Holland pitched eight shutout innings and Adrian Beltre had all the RBIs the Rangers needed to come away with a 7-0 win over the Sox. Felix Doubront was shaky early and was burned for it eventually, but the Red Sox offense never got going in a significant way anyway.

NESN Nation’s Dan Duquette is awarding Holland our “Shutout Shrug” player of the game award. Who gets your vote?

Join NESN Nation: In-game home page | Twitter | Facebook

Final, Rangers 7-0:

Adrian Beltre’s four hits, which included a bases-clearing double, spearheaded Texas’ offensive attack. The Rangers scored five of their seven runs in the fourth inning, and that was more than enough for Derek Holland.

Holland pitched eight shutout innings. He gave up six hits, walked one and struck out a season-high nine. The left-hander was in control throughout, which is something that can’t be said for Red Sox starter Felix Doubront.

Doubront struggled with his control and the Rangers made him work. They also made him pay. Doubront gave up six runs on 12 hits in 3 2/3 innings. He walked one and struck out two while throwing 96 pitches (58 strikes).

The Red Sox will have a chance to exact some revenge on Saturday night, when John Lackey goes up against Alexi Ogando in the second game of a three-game set. Saturday’s first pitch is scheduled for 8:05 p.m. ET. See you then.

Good night, everyone.

End 8th, Rangers 7-0: Adrian Beltre must have decided enough was enough.

Beltre, who has four hits, was retired for the first time in the eighth inning. He grounded back to Clayton Mortensen for the second out.

Mortensen then walked Nelson Cruz, who has reached safely three times, and gave up a single to A.J. Pierzynski. David Murphy struck out swinging, though, and we head to the ninth.

Old friend Derek Lowe is coming on to pitch for Texas.

Mid 8th, Rangers 7-0: That’ll likely do it for Derek Holland, and he was very sharp overall.

Holland gave up a two-out single to Jacoby Ellsbury in the eighth inning, but he once again made sure things didn’t get too dangerous.

Holland threw 112 pitches (76 strikes) in his eight shutout innings. He gave up six hits, walked only one and struck out a season-high nine hitters.

Holland’s slider and sinker were excellent, and when he wasn’t striking guys out, he did a great job of keeping the ball down, which enabled him to record plenty of ground ball outs.

End 7th, Rangers 7-0: Tick, tock. Tick, tock. That’s the way this game feels right now.

The Rangers jumped out to a commanding lead in the fourth inning, and we’ve had a series of relatively uneventful frames since.

The biggest thing to come from the bottom of the seventh was a pitching change. Clayton Mortensen relieved Alex Wilson, who pitched 2 2/3 innings of relief after Felix Doubront was lifted in the fourth.

Mortensen came on after Leonys Martin walked with one out, and he retired both Ian Kinsler and Elvis Andrus. Prior to exiting, Wilson did retire Mitch Moreland — who had been 3-for-3 — for the first time.

Wilson surrendered one run on five hits in his 2 2/3 innings. He struck out one and walked one.

Mid 7th, Rangers 7-0: Derek Holland turned in another solid inning in the seventh. He worked around a two-out single, and the Red Sox are running out of outs to make noise.

David Ortiz and Mike Napoli both grounded out, which has been a trend for Holland throughout the evening. The lefty has recorded eight ground ball outs, which speaks to the downward movement of his slider and sinker — both of which have been fantastic in this game.

Will Middlebrooks actually chased a slider in the dirt to end the inning. A.J. Pierzynski blocked the nasty offering and fired down to first to finish off the out. Middlebrooks’ average is now down to .193 with his 0-for-3 night thus far.

Holland has eight strikeouts in the game.

End 6th, Rangers 7-0: The Rangers’ offense was held down in the sixth inning, but Adrian Beltre now has four hits.

Beltre, who delivered a crushing three-run double in the fourth inning, singled into left field in the sixth. Nelson Cruz, who has a pair of hits, grounded into a double play for the inning’s first two outs.

A.J. Pierzynski grounded to third base, and it should have ended the inning. Will Middlebrooks bobbled the ball, though, and the Rangers stayed alive for another batter. David Murphy then flied out to left field.

Mid 6th, Rangers 7-0: The Red Sox got a mini threat going, but it was quickly squashed.

Pedro Ciriaco and Jacoby Ellsbury hit back-to-back singles with one out. That doubled Boston’s hit total for the game, but Derek Holland settled down following a mound visit.

Shane Victorino popped out and Dustin Pedroia grounded out to end the inning.

End 5th, Rangers 7-0: The Rangers are in the driver’s seat. They tacked on another run in the fifth, and their lead is now 7-0.

Mitch Moreland and Leonys Martin (who pinch-hit for Craig Gentry) hit back-to-back singles to set the table for Ian Kinsler. Kinsler then doubled, bringing home Moreland with Texas’ seventh run.

Alex Wilson managed to escape the inning without any further damage inflicted, as he got Elvis Andrus to fly out and Lance Berkman to ground out with two runners in scoring position. The Rangers are still in complete control, though, so it’s hard to find many positives for Boston thus far.

David Murphy, who pinch-hit for Jeff Baker to lead off the fifth, will stay in the game as the new left fielder. Martin will stay in the game in center field.

Mid 5th, Rangers 6-0: Derek Holland was forced to sit a long time while the Rangers’ offense made life difficult for the Red Sox. It didn’t make Holland any less sharp, though.

Holland issued a one-out walk to Jonny Gomes, but he bounced back and got Will Middlebrooks to ground into a 6-4-3 double play to end the inning. Elvis Andrus made a nice backhanded play while going up the middle to start the twin killing.

End 4th, Rangers 6-0: Alex Wilson took over for Felix Doubront with two outs in the fourth inning, and he was greeted with an RBI single from Nelson Cruz.

Wilson got A.J. Pierzynski to pop out to end the inning, but what a disastrous frame for the Red Sox.

Doubront is responsible for all five runs that came across in the fourth inning, and the book is officially closed on him. Doubront gave up six earned runs on 12 hits in 3 2/3 innings. He struck out two, walked one and threw 96 pitches (58 strikes).

It was a total struggle for Doubront from the start. The Rangers made him work — often running the count full — and he was never able to establish any sort of rhythm. Sometimes, Doubront can work his way through such periods of inefficiency, but that was not the case in this game.

9:45 p.m., Rangers 5-0: Have yourself a game, Adrian Beltre.

Felix Doubront has been forced to work all night, and the fourth inning was no different. Doubront exits with two outs in the fourth after Beltre cleared the bases with a three-run double.

Mitch Moreland hit a one-out single into left field to kick off the offensive attack. Doubront bounced back to strike out Craig Gentry, but following the K, things turned rather eventful.

Ian Kinsler singled to set up first and second for Elvis Andrus. Andrus jumped on the second pitch he saw and sent it into left field, bringing home Moreland with Texas’ second run.

Doubront then walked Lance Berkman on four pitches to load the bases for the always dangerous Beltre. Beltre responded by working a full count before driving the bases-clearing double into left-center field.

Beltre is now 3-for-3 in this game.

Mid 4th, Rangers 1-0: The inning started off promising for the Red Sox, but it ended rather abruptly.

Shane Victorino, who struck out in his first at-bat after the layoff, had a very impressive at-bat against Derek Holland. Victorino fouled off six pitches, including five in a row, before yanking a base hit into left field on the tenth pitch of the at-bat.

Dustin Pedroia began posting a similar at-bat, fouling off off four pitches to further wear down Holland, but he eventually struck out swinging on the seventh pitch he saw.

David Ortiz still had a chance to do some damage in the inning. He rolled a sinker over to second base, where Ian Kinsler started up a 4-6-3 double play.

Holland has done a nice job of keeping the ball down thus far, and he’s picking up plenty of strikeouts and ground ball outs as a result.

End 3rd, Rangers 1-0: Felix Doubront has certainly had to work.

Elvis Andrus started the third inning with a single, but he was forced off the basepaths before he could begin causing havoc.

Lance Berkman grounded into a tailor-made 4-6-3 double play after Andrus’ leadoff single. Double plays are always a pitcher’s best friend, but they’re even more welcome when there’s a guy like Andrus — who has eclipsed the 30-steal mark three times in his career — standing on first base.

The Rangers didn’t go quietly from there, though.

Adrian Beltre put up an eight-pitch at-bat before ripping a single into left field. Nelson Cruz followed up by dropping a hit of his own in front of Jonny Gomes, and that brought Red Sox pitching coach Juan Nieves out of the dugout for a mound visit.

A.J. Pierzynski, sticking with the trend of the evening, worked a full count against Doubront, but the left-hander struck him out on an inside fastball.

Doubront has thrown 68 pitches (40 strikes) thus far.

Mid 3rd, Rangers 1-0: Derek Holland was very sharp again in the third inning.

Holland retired Jarrod Saltalamacchia and Pedro Ciriaco via ground ball outs before striking out Jacoby Ellsbury for the second time in this game.

Ellsbury chased a slider low and away in the first inning. He went down looking at a slider this time around.

End 2nd, Rangers 1-0: Felix Doubront almost escaped the inning unscathed, but the Rangers pushed across a run with two outs and now hold 1-0 lead.

Doubront retired Nelson Cruz and A.J. Pierzynski to begin the second, but Jeff Baker kicked off a rally with a two-out double down into the left-field corner.

Baker advanced to third base when Mitch Moreland singled into left field. Rangers third base coach Gary Pettis opted to hold Baker at third, which was an iffy decision given there were two outs in the inning.

Pettis’ cautious decision didn’t matter, though, as the Ranger scored when Craig Gentry hit a slow ground ball just past the mound. Pedro Ciriaco fielded the grounder cleanly, but he was forced to rush the throw because of Gentry’s speed. Ciriaco threw it in the dirt, and Mike Napoli was unable to scoop it, which allowed Baker to score. (Gentry was credited with a hit, while Ciriaco was handed an error because Moreland advanced to third on the play.)

Ian Kinsler flied out to end the inning.

Mid 2nd, 0-0: David Ortiz reached to lead off the second inning, but Derek Holland then settled into the rhythm he had going in the first.

Ortiz led off by hitting a groundball to the right side. Ian Kinsler had to range over and play it on the backhand in shallow right field — as the Rangers were in the shift — and that allowed Ortiz to reach.

Holland bounced back to strike out both Mike Napoli and Jonny Gomes swinging. Napoli fanned on a changeup, while Gomes fell victim to a slider. Holland now has four K’s through two innings.

Will Middlebrooks ended the inning with a lazy fly ball to right field. 

End 1st, 0-0: The first inning was a classic Felix Doubront inning.

Doubront found himself locked in three full counts, gave up two hits and threw 22 pitches, but he ultimately kept the Rangers from scoring.

Ian Kinsler led off the game by singling into center field on the seventh pitch he saw.

Elvis Andrus then grounded back to the mound. Initially, it looked to have “double play” written all over it, but Doubront stepped off the mound before delivering his throw, and the speedy Andrus was able to reach at first.

Lance Berkman popped out, and Adrian Beltre fell behind 0-2. Beltre battled back, though, and he lined a base hit into right field. The only problem was that Andrus rounded the second base bag too far, and Shane Victorino’s throw to the cutoff man, Pedro Ciriaco, resulted in Andrus getting tagged out.

Victorino now has four outfield assists this season, which leads the Red Sox.

Mid 1st, 0-0: Derek Holland was pretty nasty in the first inning.

Holland has a lot of downward movement on his pitches, and he had both Jacoby Ellsbury and Shane Victorino off-balance.

Ellsbury looked at two strikes before laying off a ball in the dirt. Holland threw a sick 1-2 slider down and out of the zone, though, and Ellsbury didn’t stand a chance. The Red Sox leadoff man fanned at it for the first out.

Holland also went to the slider to strike out Victorino, who is seeing his first game action since April 24. Victorino may have to shake off some rust, but it’s hard to imagine any hitters coming away from that at-bat with favorable results.

Dustin Pedroia grounded out to short to end the 1-2-3 inning.

8:08 p.m.: Derek Holland’s first pitch is right down the middle, and they’re off to the races in Arlington.

7:55 p.m.: Before we get started, I’d like to wish a happy 36th birthday to Ryan Dempster. It’s probably a joyous one, considering he allowed just one run over six innings while picking up the win on Thursday night.

7:30 p.m.: Friday’s game marks a homecoming of sorts for Mike Napoli, who played two seasons with the Rangers (2011 and 2012). In fact, Texas is where Napoli really started to blossom, although the slugger is elevating his game to another level in Boston.

Napoli has 22 extra-base hits and 31 RBIs through 28 games this season, and he joins some impressive company when it comes to putting up those types of numbers to begin a season. This is only the ninth time since 1916 a player has posted at least 22 extra-base hits and 31 RBIs through a team’s first 28 games. Napoli joins Babe Ruth (1921, 1926), Hack Wilson (1926), Lou Gehrig (1927), Joe Medwick (1937), Willie Mays (1964), Kevin Mitchell (1989) and Alex Rodriguez (2007). Gehrig, Medwick, Mitchell and Rodriguez went on to earn MVP honors in the season that they started off on such a hot streak.

6:30 p.m.: Well, at this point, you may have tuned out the whole situation. Regardless, there are still some new developments concerning the allegations made against Clay Buchholz.

Dirk Hayhurst, the Toronto broadcaster who accused Buchholz of doctoring the baseball during his start against the Blue Jays on Wednesday, is sticking to his guns. He even took some time to respond to Dennis Eckersley, who was very critical of both Hayhurst and fellow broadcaster Jack Morris on Thursday.

Oh yeah, and Kevin Millar weighed in. You can check all that out at the links below.

Click here to read Hayhurst’s most recent comments >>

Click here to read Millar’s opinion >>

6:10 p.m.: Shane Victorino is ready to return. He’ll assume his usual role, which entails playing right field and batting second.

Victorino has missed the last seven games with a back injury. He’s had his sights set on a Friday return, and it looks as if he’ll get his wish.

Jonny Gomes will also be in the lineup with the left-hander Derek Holland pitching for Texas. Gomes will play left field and bat sixth, while Daniel Nava will get the night off.

Pedro Ciriaco will start at shortstop in Stephen Drew’s place.

The rest of Thursday’s lineups are below.

Red Sox (20-8)
Jacoby Ellsbury, CF
Shane Victorino, RF
Dustin Pedroia, 2B
David Ortiz, DH
Mike Napoli, 1B
Jonny Gomes, LF
Will Middlebrooks, 3B
Jarrod Saltalamacchia, C
Pedro Ciriaco, SS

Felix Doubront (3-0, 4.24 ERA)

Rangers (17-11)
Ian Kinsler, 2B
Elvis Andrus, SS
Lance Berkman, DH
Adrian Beltre, 3B
Nelson Cruz, RF
A.J. Pierzynski, C
Jeff Baker, LF
Mitch Moreland, 1B
Craig Gentry, CF

Derek Holland (1-2, 3.38 ERA)

8 a.m. ET: Thursday’s 3-1 victory over the Blue Jays wasn’t exactly pretty, but it ensured the Red Sox will enter their three-game set with the Rangers on a high note.

The Sox dropped the first game of their three-game series against the Jays, but they finished off with back-to-back wins, and they’ll now look to make it three in a row in Texas on Friday. Tasked with extending Boston’s winning streak is Felix Doubront, who is a perfect 3-0 this season.

Doubront will go up against Derek Holland in the opener of what should be a very interesting series. The Red Sox and Rangers have looked like two of baseball’s elite squads through the first month of the season, so it’ll be a true test to see what each team is made of at this point in the year.

Friday’s first pitch in Arlington is scheduled for 8:05 p.m., so be sure to tune in on NESN. I also encourage everyone to follow along right here with NESN.com’s live blog. (Then again, I’m pretty biased.)

Adrian Beltre killed the Red Sox on Friday night, because of course he’s going to be the one to do it.

It always seems like former Red Sox players do the most damage against their former club whenever they meet again, whether it’s Josh Reddick, Brandon Moss, Beltre or someone else from Boston’s past.

NESN Nation’s Dan Duquette does have one thing to feel positive about during Friday night’s game, though. Check it out in the above video.

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Felix Doubront hasn’t been particularly sharp in the early goings of Friday night’s game in Texas, but the Red Sox haven’t been burned by that … yet.

There’s always the chance that the Rangers could break out for a big inning, but through three frames, Doubront was able to limit the damage and keep the Sox hanging around. Contrast that to how the Red Sox were the ones playing that game from the opposite end on Thursday and, well, you’ve got something for NESN Nation’s Dan Duquette to talk about. Check it out in the above video.

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Shane Victorino makes his return in right field for Boston after missing seven games with a back injury, and he’ll attempt to recreate the production that his replacement, Daniel Nava, has put up in his absence. Nava, meanwhile, will start the game on the bench — his first off night in nearly three weeks.

Friday will also mark former Ranger Mike Napoli‘s first trip back to Texas since being acquired by the Red Sox this past offseason. Napoli has been on an absolute tear this season, leading the majors with 31 RBIs, tying for the team lead with six home runs and more than doubling the nearest Red Sox hitter with 15 doubles.

Check out the full starting lineups below.

Boston Red Sox (20-8)
Jacoby Ellsbury, CF
Shane Victorino, RF
Dustin Pedroia, 2B
David Ortiz, DH
Mike Napoli, 1B
Jonny Gomes, LF
Will Middlebrooks, 3B
Jarrod Saltalamacchia, C
Pedro Ciriaco, SS

Felix Doubront, LHP

Texas Rangers (17-11)
Ian Kinsler, 2B
Elvis Andrus, SS
Lance Berkman, DH
Adrian Beltre, 3B
Nelson Cruz, RF
A.J. Pierzynski, C
Jeff Baker, LF
Mitch Moreland, 1B
Craig Gentry, CF

Derek Holland, LHP

Texas is the 11-2 second-favorite to win the AL pennant for the third time in four years, just ahead of Boston (6-1). The Rangers lead the American League West and are big -140 favorites to take that division for the third time in four seasons — they led the West most of last year before coughing it up on the final day of the season to Oakland. The Rangers were then upset in the wild-card game by Baltimore.

Instead of giving injury-prone former AL MVP Josh Hamilton a massive contract, the Rangers watched him walk to the Angels, which is looking like a good non-signing by Texas these days. They didn’t do much to replace Hamilton’s bat, adding free agents A.J. Pierzynski and Lance Berkman. The Rangers are middle of the pack in the AL in runs after leading the league with 808 in 2012.

Texas leads the AL in ERA despite injuries to starters Matt Harrison, a 2012 All-Star, and Colby Lewis. The Rangers are scheduled to start lefty Derek Holland (1-2, 3.38 ERA) on Friday. He has four quality starts in five tries and an excellent 0.95 WHIP and .195 batting average against. Holland was 2-0 with a 3.07 ERA against Boston in 2012 as the Sox hit just .176 off him and struck out 14 times in 14.2 innings. Dustin Pedroia has the most career at-bats of any Boston player against Holland with 14 but is hitting .143. Right-handers are batting .187 this year against Holland.

On Saturday, righty Alexi Ogando (2-2, 3.38) gets the call. The Rangers have lost his last three starts, with the former reliever allowing 12 runs in 15.1 innings in that stretch. He was practically unhittable in his first three starts. Ogando pitched four innings of relief against Boston last year, allowing no runs and no hits while earning one victory. No Red Sox hitter has more than five career at-bats against Ogando. David Ortiz and Jarrod Saltalamacchia each have a homer.

In the finale, Texas starts Japanese ace Yu Darvish (5-1, 2.33), a top Cy Young contender. Darvish leads the majors with 58 strikeouts in just 38.2 innings and is 3-0 with a 1.89 ERA in his last three starts. Right-handers are hitting a scant .115 off Darvish this year with no homers in 61 at-bats.

Darvish faced Boston once last season as a rookie, getting rocked for six runs and 11 hits in 6 2/3 innings in a loss at Fenway. That 9-2 win on August 6 was notable for Boston as it reached .500 (55-55) for the final time in 2012. Texas won six of eight meetings last year, including two of three at home.

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Hamilton and his new team, the Angels, went to Oakland on Monday for a three-game set, and the A’s used the occasion to honor the player who has found a special place in their hearts. As a member of the Texas Rangers, Hamilton blew a catch in the final game of last year’s season to help Oakland clinch the American League West.

A’s fans showed their thankfulness Monday night, dubbing the evening “Josh Hamilton Appreciation Night” and bringing some Butterfingers to commemorate Hamilton’s feat.

Hamilton, who is batting just .219 this year with two home runs and eight RBIs in 24 games, played along and used the Butterfingers as a nice before-game snack.

OAK fans held Josh Hamilton Appreciation Day, booed LAA players, cheered Josh+threw him Butterfinger candy bars in RF http://t.co/1orUiW0DBh

—
  (@TexRangersFan34) April 30, 2013

Perhaps Hamilton should have passed on the candy. He ended up going 0-for-8 in the 19-inning game.

Check out the A’s fans in the video below.

Nelson Cruz broke his bat in the sixth inning of Saturday night’s Rangers-Mariners game, according to GoldAndOrSmith.com. The top half of the bat wound up back in the Rangers’ dugout, the bat was passed to Yu Darvish, and for some reason, he sniffed it multiple times.

I’m no expert lip reader, but it appears that the man standing to the Japanese righty’s right asks “Doesn’t it smell?” Then there are nods all around. Do broken bats smell weird? Was this some sort of prank on Darvish? Why is the player to Darvish’s left afraid he will get stabbed with the shard end of the bat?

Whatever happened, it seemed to work. The Rangers beat the Mariners 3-1.

Check out Darvish sniffing a broken bat in the animation below.

Ryan was in his customary front-row seat Wednesday near the Texas dugout during the coldest day game ever at the park, and he plans to keep sitting there for a while.

Even after the long, cold day that ended with a 2-0 loss to Tampa Bay, there was good news for Texas afterward when Ryan ended weeks of speculation about his future with the team. The Hall of Fame pitcher is staying as chief executive officer.

“After productive discussions the last several weeks with [co-chairmen] Ray Davis and Bob Simpson about the structure of our organization, together we are moving forward,” Ryan said in a news release issued by the team after the completion of its first homestand.

Tampa Bay left-hander Matt Moore (2-0) combined with four relievers on a five-hitter, and the Rays got their only runs on a fielder’s choice grounder and a sacrifice fly. It was only 39 degrees when the game started after a rain delay of 1 hour, 29 minutes. That was 40 degrees colder than Tuesday night.

Ryan has remained quiet publicly about his plans since it was announced March 1 that general manager Jon Daniels and chief operating officer Rick George had been promoted with new presidential titles. Ryan had been president and CEO.

Nine days after that announcement, Ryan issued a statement that he had met in person with Davis and Simpson but offered no clue as to what he planned to do. Now a month later, there is finally a resolution.

“In my role as CEO, I am focused on working closely with ownership and with Jon Daniels and Rick George to build on the success of the past five years and to bring a championship to Arlington,” Ryan said Wednesday.

Since Ryan became the team’s president in February 2008, the Rangers have made their only two World Series appearances. Those AL pennants came after he helped lead the team through a bankruptcy and was a primary figure in the ownership group that bought the team.

“We’ve had meaningful conversations with Nolan Ryan over the past several weeks and are pleased that our focus is now on working together to win a championship for our fans,” Davis and Simpson said in a statement also issued by the team. “Over the years Nolan has made extraordinary contributions to the Texas Rangers organization, both on and off the field, including providing valuable guidance to Jon Daniels and Rick George.

“His leadership as our chief executive, with both baseball and business operations reporting to him, has been vital to our success and offers us a bright future,” they said.

Texas has won all three of its series this season, taking two of three at home against both the AL West-rival Los Angeles Angels and Tampa Bay. The Rangers play at Seattle on Thursday night.

Photo via Facebook/NBCDFW

The Texas A&M phenom, who took home the Heisman trophy in his freshman season this year, was invited to Arlington, Texas, to throw out first pitch on Sunday. Manziel got it to the plate, which is half the struggle, but he left it a little — or a lot — wide right.

Manziel talked about the toss afterward, admitting that he was “a little nervous.”

Hear what he had to say about that — and his prospective baseball career — in the video below.