Leiter Faces Gray as Rangers Vs Red Sox Opens June 12
Jack Leiter took the ball for the Rangers vs Red Sox opener on June 12, with Sonny Gray lined up on the other side as Texas opened a three-game road series in Boston. The Rangers entered at 34-34 and 2.0 games behind the Mariners in the AL West while holding a wild-card spot.
Leiter, Gray Set the Tone
Leiter came in after a 4.2-inning outing in which he allowed 5 runs in a loss to the Cleveland Guardians. He had 76 strikeouts in 71 innings, but also 31 walks, and that split has shaped his season as Boston tried to take the first game behind a starter who had worked 6.1 innings and allowed 3 runs against the Yankees in his previous outing.
Gray’s assignment gave Boston a chance to control the opener from the mound. The matchup also mattered because the Red Sox were trying to compete through a season in which their offense had struggled, while Texas arrived with a winning record and a place in the wild-card picture.
DeGrom and Eovaldi Follow
The series did not stop with June 12. Jacob deGrom was scheduled to start for Texas on June 13 against Ranger Suarez, then Nathan Eovaldi was lined up for June 14 against Connelly Early.
DeGrom brought 84 strikeouts in 70.2 innings, but he had only two outings longer than 6.0 innings. Eovaldi’s recent line showed more volatility, with 15 home runs allowed in 13 starts and three straight outings of 4 runs in 5.2 innings, 4 runs in 6.0 innings, and 5 runs in 7.0 innings.
Texas Bats Need More
Texas entered the series with a bottom-five offense in runs scored, and its power and speed numbers reflected the gap behind the pitching. Jake Burger led the club with 11 home runs, with no other Ranger reaching double digits, while Evan Carter paced the team with 10 steals and no other Ranger had more than 5.
That left the Rangers leaning on run prevention as much as rotation depth in Boston, where the first three matchups offered different tests each night. Connelly Early added another layer to the series on June 14 after allowing just 12 home runs this season and striking out at least 6 batters in four of his last five starts.
Sunday’s game was also scheduled as a night game on Peacock, giving the series another national stage while Boston and Texas worked through a stretch that could shape each club’s position in the standings. For the Rangers, the opener in Boston was the first chance to prove that a.500 record can still hold up in a tight race.
