Boston @ Texas preview

Last Meeting ( Apr 9, 2014 ) Texas 2, Boston 4

The Boston Red Sox are in position to win or tie a season series against struggling Texas for the first time in six years when they visit the Rangers on Friday to start a three-game set. Boston (17-17), which has won four of its last five contests, is 16-30 against Texas since the start of 2009 after taking two of three last month at Fenway Park and has lost four straight in Arlington. Clay Buchholz is rounding into the form that produced a 12-1 record in 2013 with two consecutive quality starts for the Red Sox as he opposes Rangers ace Yu Darvish, who has yet to win in three home outings and tries for the third time to earn his first victory over Boston.

Will Middlebrooks was 5-for-27 during the Red Sox's eight-game homestand but produced an RBI single in his last at-bat with two outs in the eighth inning that gave Boston a 4-3 victory over Cincinnati on Wednesday. "Even though the average might not show it, the quality of at-bats are good,'' Red Sox manager John Farrell told the Boston Herald. "He's not expanding off the plate away. I think for his own confidence, in that key spot, good to see him come through." Texas won for the third time in its last 11 games, posting a 5-0 victory over Colorado on Thursday after it was outscored 29-5 by the Rockies in the first three games of the series.

TV: 8:05 p.m. ET, NESN (Boston), TXA-21 (Texas)

PITCHING MATCHUP: Red Sox RH Clay Buchholz (2-2, 5.63 ERA) vs. Rangers RH Yu Darvish (2-1, 2.87)

Buchholz yielded one run and three hits in 6 1/3 innings of Boston's 7-1 victory over Oakland on May 2 and works on two extra days' rest because the Red Sox were off Monday and Thursday. The 29-year-old Nederland, Texas, native is 0-2 with a 4.15 ERA in three starts in his home state - 1-3, 3.30 in five outings overall against the Rangers. Players on Texas' active roster are hitting .116 against Buchholz in 69 at-bats, with J.P. Arencibia 0-for-20 and Shin-Soo Choo 1-for-10.

Darvish struck out nine while allowing three runs and seven hits in 6 1/3 innings of Texas' 14-3 victory at Anaheim on Sunday. The 27-year-old Osaka, Japan, native has pitched well at home - 0-1 with a 2.95 ERA - and the Rangers are 2-1 in his starts at Global Life Park after he allowed all four runs in a 4-0 loss to Oakland on April 28. Dustin Pedroia is 4-for-7 with three doubles versus Darvish, who is 0-1 with a 5.93 ERA in two outings against Boston but holding today's roster to a .222 average.

WALK-OFFS

1. Rangers 1B Prince Fielder (.228, three homers, 12 RBIs) went deep Thursday for the first time since April 19.

2. Red Sox starters have yielded three or fewer runs in each of the last eight games.

3. Texas on Thursday placed INF Donnie Murphy on the 15-day disabled list with a neck strain and called up 20-year-old Rougned Odor (pronounced ROOG-ned o-DOOR), who went 0-for-4 in his big-league debut and is the youngest player in the majors.

PREDICTION: Red Sox 3, Rangers 2