deGrom (5-4, 3.18) draws Suarez (2-3, 3.18) at 4:10 PM ET for the middle game of the series, and the ERAs lining up to the hundredth is the kind of thing that makes the pitching graphic do a double-take. deGrom is coming off a 6-inning shutout of Cleveland on June 7 — 6 strikeouts, 3 hits, looked like vintage deGrom. Suarez was sharp too, going 6.1 against the Yankees with 1 earned and zero walks.
The bigger story is that Texas needs deGrom to be exactly that guy, because Friday was ugly. Boston rolled them 10-1 behind a Ceddanne Rafaela 3-RBI night and a Sonny Gray gem, and the Rangers are also limping in with Corey Seager listed day-to-day after taking shots to the ribs and jaw against Kansas City on Thursday. Evan Carter is also day-to-day. Lose Seager for any stretch in a road series at Fenway and the lineup gets thin in a hurry.
- Day-To-DayEvan Carter CF — Carter is not in the Rangers' starting lineup against the Guardians on Friday.
- Day-To-DayCorey Seager SS — Rangers manager Skip Schumaker said Friday that Seager is considered "day-to-day" due to rib and jaw injuries that he sustained during Thursday's game against the Royals, Shawn McFarland of The Dallas Morning News reports.
- Day-To-DaySebastian Walcott SS — Rangers GM Ross Fenstermaker said Tuesday that Walcott could be ready for game action in August, "if all things according to plan" in his rehab from the internal brace procedure he underwent on his right elbow, Shawn McFarland of The Dallas Morning News reports.
- 10-Day-ILJosh Smith 2B — Smith (glute/wrist/illness) moved his rehab from Double-A Frisco to Triple-A Round Rock.
- 10-Day-ILDanny Jansen C — Jansen is not in the Rangers' starting lineup against the Guardians on Friday.
- 15-Day-ILJalen Beeks RP — Beeks (2-1) earned the win in relief Saturday against the Cubs after tossing 1.1 scoreless innings. He struck out one with no hits or walks allowed.
- 15-Day-ILChris Martin RP — The Rangers placed Martin on the 15-day injured list Monday with a right shoulder impingement.
- 60-Day-ILJordan Montgomery SP — Montgomery (elbow) threw a 20-pitch live batting practice session Wednesday, MLB.com reports.
- Day-To-DayHobie Harris RP — Harris was optioned to Triple-A Rochester on Saturday, Jesse Dougherty of The Washington Post reports.
- 10-Day-ILNick Sogard 3B — Sogard (oblique) told reporters Friday that he plans to start swinging a bat Monday, Gabrielle Starr of the Boston Herald reports.
- 10-Day-ILRoman Anthony LF — Red Sox interim manager Chad Tracy said Monday that Anthony (finger) remains shut down from swinging a bat, Christopher Smith of MassLive.com reports.
- 15-Day-ILJovani Moran RP — The Red Sox placed Moran on the 15-day injured list Saturday, retroactive to Friday, with left elbow inflammation, Tim Healey of The Boston Globe reports.
- 60-Day-ILGarrett Crochet SP — Crochet clarified Friday that his lat strain is asymptomatic, but his shoulder is taking longer than expected to recover, Gabrielle Starr of the Boston Herald reports. The left-hander also said he doesn't expect to come off the injured list until after the All-Star break.
- 60-Day-ILPatrick Sandoval SP — Sandoval (biceps) will make his next rehab start for Triple-A Worcester on Thursday, MLB.com reports.
- 60-Day-ILTrevor Story SS — Story underwent surgery to repair a sports hernia Thursday and will be sidelined 6-10 weeks, Tim Healey of The Boston Globe reports.
- 60-Day-ILRomy Gonzalez 1B — Gonzalez (shoulder) took batting practice at Fenway Park on Wednesday, WEEI reports.
Boston is the team riding a wave despite a roster that reads like a hospital chart — Garrett Crochet, Trevor Story, Triston Casas, Roman Anthony, Tanner Houck, all on the shelf. They came into Friday having lost 4 straight, then dropped a 10-spot on Texas. At 28-39 they're still a long way from contention, but the home crowd will take any sign of a pulse, and a Saturday afternoon at Fenway with the Green Monster in play is as good a spot as any.
The matchup tilts on whether deGrom can keep Rafaela and Wilyer Abreu in the yard — both went deep on Friday — and whether Suarez can navigate a Rangers lineup that may or may not have Seager penciled in. Texas has won 3 of their last 5 and was a totally different team before walking into Fenway. Boston has been allergic to home games all year (worst home record in the AL coming into this series), so even after Friday's blowout, this isn't a spot to assume the Red Sox suddenly figured it out.
The total opened at -127 on the Over 7.5 and has drifted all the way to -104, which is a meaningful pivot toward the Under given the two starters' ERAs and the wind likely playing in this time of year at Fenway. Two guys with matching 3.18 ERAs working in the afternoon is a script that usually doesn't crack 8 runs unless someone breaks early.