Venue: Globe Life Field, Arlington, Texas.
First pitch: 8:05 p.m. ET (7:05 p.m. CT).
Probable starters: LHP Jake Bennett (Red Sox, 9-7, 3.69 ERA, 1.07 WHIP, 83 K in 105.0 IP) vs. LHP MacKenzie Gore (Rangers, 8-11, 4.62 ERA, 1.35 WHIP, 172 K in 161.2 IP).
Weather Forecast
Sunny and hot with highs near 98–100°F. Mostly clear in the evening with lows in the upper 70s to low 80s. South/southeast winds 5–10 mph. Globe Life Field is a retractable-roof stadium; the roof is expected to be closed given the heat, providing controlled indoor conditions.
Injury Reports
Red Sox: Ceddanne Rafaela (10-day IL, quadriceps), Curtis Mead (10-day IL, wrist/hand), Tanner Houck (60-day IL, elbow), Garrett Crochet (60-day IL, shoulder; recent bullpen progress), Tyron Guerrero (15-day IL), Anthony Seigler (10-day IL), and others including Johan Oviedo and Kutter Crawford.
Rangers: Joc Pederson (day-to-day, hand), Kyle Higashioka (10-day IL, forearm), Cole Winn (15-day IL, shoulder), Peyton Gray (15-day IL, elbow), Jack Leiter (60-day IL, ankle), Carter Baumler (60-day IL), and additional absences.
Current active groups feature Red Sox contributors such as Roman Anthony, Adley Rutschman, Willson Contreras, Wilyer Abreu, Trevor Story, and available depth. Rangers rely on Corey Seager, Jake Burger, Ezequiel Duran, Brandon Nimmo, Elias Díaz, and supporting pieces.
Recent Team Forms
Red Sox: 82-69 (third in AL East, strong wild-card position ~5.5 games ahead of the final spot contenders). Lost 2-4 on Tuesday. Last 10: 6-4. Road: 44-32. Solid pitching (team ERA ~3.59) and balanced offense (.248 AVG, 156 HR). Motivated for October.
Rangers: 75-76 (second in AL West, within 1 game of Houston and fighting for a wild-card berth). Won 4-2 on Tuesday (third straight win). Last 10: 5-5. Home: 41-32. Power present (173 HR) with a team ERA ~4.31. Still very much alive in the playoff race.
Series History
Season series tied 2-2 entering Wednesday (Rangers took the series opener 4-2 on Tuesday). Competitive matchups; earlier series in Boston was split. Current three-game set is underway with Texas leading 1-0.
Key Player vs. Player Matchups / Pitching Edge
Slight edge to Bennett, who has posted a lower ERA and much better WHIP in fewer innings. Gore offers higher strikeout volume but has walked more batters and carries a higher ERA. Both are lefties, so platoon advantages will be limited. Key hitters: Abreu, Contreras, Story, Rutschman, and Anthony vs. Gore; Seager (hot recently), Burger, Duran, and Nimmo vs. Bennett. Globe Life Field (roof closed) tends to play neutrally to slightly hitter-friendly at times.
Betting Trends
Close moneyline reflecting two playoff-contending clubs.
Recent series game stayed under.
Rangers have home success and series momentum.
Game Odds
Boston Red Sox – 107
Texas Rangers 8
Odds Courtesy of Sports Odds Direct as of Tuesday, September 15, 2026
