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Red Sox-Rangers Preview

Jul 20, 2009 - 5:29 AM By MIKE LIPKA STATS Writer

Boston (55-35) at Texas (48-41), 8:05 p.m. EDT

Two straight defeats have the Boston Red Sox clinging to a small lead atop the AL East, but a four-game losing streak that straddled the All-Star break put the Texas Rangers in a more precarious position in the AL West.

The Rangers are hoping a walk-off victory in their last game will help turn them around, and they'll try for a second consecutive win Monday as former teammates Kevin Millwood and John Smoltz face off in the opener of Boston's three-game visit to Texas.

What had been a three-game division lead slipped to one this weekend as the Red Sox (55-36) dropped their last two games in Toronto. If Boston were to lose its third straight on Monday - something the team hasn't done since May 13-15 - it could drop into a tie with the New York Yankees.

The Rangers (49-41) would prefer to be even with the Los Angeles Angels atop the West, but their recent slide dropped them three games back. Texas, though, regrouped with a 5-3, 12-inning victory Sunday night on Ian Kinsler's second homer of the game.

Kinsler's hit was made possible by the Rangers' bullpen, which allowed two hits in eight shutout innings, lowering its ERA to 1.85 since June 26.

"Those guys continued to grind all night," manager Ron Washington said. "... They know how bad we needed it and they fought for us. This could be the game to get us back on track."

While poor pitching has often derailed Texas in the past, the Rangers' struggling offense has been the culprit lately, scoring a total of just eight runs prior to the win.

The Red Sox finished second in the AL - to Texas - in runs scored last year, but they've also been scuffling at the plate. Boston managed just seven runs and 18 hits in the three-game series against Toronto, losing 3-1 to Blue Jays ace Roy Halladay on Sunday.

If those trends continue, that could create a duel between Millwood and Smoltz, with the Red Sox hoping Smoltz's last outing is a sign of things to come from the 42-year-old.

Smoltz (1-2, 5.40 ERA) earned his first victory with Boston on July 11, allowing one run and striking out seven in five innings of a 15-9 win over Kansas City.

"I feel like I've checked in," Smoltz said. "It has been a long time, but this is not a feel-good story. I believe this team will be in position to win every time I go out there and the best is yet to come."

If anything, Millwood's season appears to be turning in the other direction. In three July starts, Millwood (8-7, 3.46) is 0-2 with an 8.83 ERA, with his ERA rising from 2.64.

Smoltz and Millwood pitched for the Braves together from 1997-2002, and Smoltz told the Red Sox's official Web site that it was a "unique twist of events" that they'll be going against each other in the AL.

"It will be fun to face him," Millwood said. "I learned a lot from him in Atlanta, and it will be fun to use some of that stuff to try and beat him on Monday."

Millwood will also be hoping to recapture the dominance he displayed in Boston on June 5, when he allowed one unearned run in seven innings of a 5-1 win. The Rangers took two out of three in that series after going 1-9 against the Red Sox last year.

Boston has still won six of its last seven games in Arlington, averaging seven runs over that span.