Game Preview: Sox @ Texas Game 3

Tavarez (3-4) vs. Loe (1-4)
3P EST Arlington, Tx

The Sox will attempt to sweep the reeling Rangers when the final game of the series gets underway in a couple of hours in Arlington.

Boston is on a tremendous roll, having won 17 of 23 games in May to push its division cushion to a mind-blowing 11 games, while the Rangers have been one of the biggest disappointments of the season so far, toting the worst record in the American League into the finale.

Julian Tavarez will attempt to complete the sweep when he takes the hill for his ninth start of the season, and the way he has pitched recently has to give him confidence that he can go out and win at any time. In his last two starts he has allowed just three earned runs on seven hits in 12.2 innings, winning both games and lowering his ERA from 6.60 to 5.27 in the process.

Rangers starter Kameron Loe, meanwhile, has been going in the opposite direction. Pressed into the rotation when starter Jamey Wright went on the DL in April, Loe has made seven starts and has allowed 48 hits and 29 earned runs in 39.2 innings, good for a devilish 6.66 ERA and a 1-4 record.

Since blanking Oakland over 5 innings and earning his first win in his first start on April 21st, Loe has had games where he has allowed 1, 6, and 7 runs and he has given up 5 earned runs in each of his last three starts.

So while one former reliever heads in the direction of being a quality 5th starter, the other is experiencing the bumps and bruises that Tavarez suffered in making the transition from relieving to starting.

But we all know that Julie could explode quicker than Nicole Ritchie at a hot dog eating contest at any time, and with these two potential gascans on the mound, expect another wild & woolly slugfest deep in the heart of Texas.

Go Sox!