Henry Ownes is not the same caliber of prospect as Matt Barnes or Allen Webster right now, but he could be viewed as such in 2014. Photo by Kelly O'Connor, sittingstill.net.

Henry Ownes is not the same caliber of prospect as Matt Barnes or Allen Webster right now, but he could be viewed as such in 2014. Photo by Kelly O’Connor, sittingstill.net.

After a short two game series with the Reds, the Red Sox hit the road on Thursday night in preparation of a three game series with the Texas Rangers. Friday will mark Boston’s first trip to the Lone Star state this year, and their second meeting with the Rangers. In game one, the Red Sox offense will have their hands full as Yu Darvish will toe the rubber for Texas. Meanwhile Boston will counter with a righty of their own in Clay Buchholz. Both clubs have struggled to find a groove so far this season, as the Red Sox enter Friday 17-17, and the Rangers come in at 18-17. Friday will mark Boston’s first chance to climb above .500 since April 4th.

  • Now that the Red Sox are finally back to playing .500 baseball, the obvious next step is to separate themselves from baseball meritocracy. To this point, the Red Sox have have relied on their pitching to keep them above water, but some timely hits will contribute to a more healthy record. (The Red Sox are finally back to .500. Now what?)
  • If the Red Sox want to get over the .500 mark on Friday, they’ll need to figure out how to beat Yu Darvish. Overall, the Red Sox offense is coming around, but to beat Darvish two ex-Rangers could provide the inside track on the Japanese ace. (Yu Darvish a tough test for Red Sox)