On Deck: Boston Red Sox

On Deck will be here all season to provide you with everything you need to know (and a few things you don't) about every Rangers series during the 2015 season. 

The Opponent: The Red Sox offense has been awful this year, and two big reasons are the possible onset of decline for David Ortiz and the horrendous May from shortstop Hanley Ramirez, who was probably baseball's hottest hitter in April. They're now in last place in the AL East and have won just three of their last 10 games.

Past 2015 Meetings: The Rangers took two of three games in Boston last week and will wrap up the season series this weekend.

Pitching Matchups: Thursday — Nick Martinez (4-0, 1.96 ERA) vs. Eduardo Rodriguez (MLB debut); Friday — Yovani Gallardo (4-6, 4.13) vs. Steven Wright (2-1, 3.68); Saturday — TBA vs. Wade Miley (4-4, 4.47); Sunday — Wandy Rodriguez (2-2, 3.60) vs. Joe Kelly (1-4, 6.24)

What's Hot: Prince Fielder could take the next four days off and probably still be the odds-on favorite for AL player of the week honors. He's far and away the hottest hitter in baseball over the past couple of weeks. Mitch Moreland is batting .345 with three homers over the past seven games, and the Rangers' bullpen has been lights out as the starting rotation has faltered a bit.

Perennial all-star Dustin Pedroia got off to an awful start, but is starting to swing a hot bat. He's batting .393 with two homers over his last seven games. Mike Napoli is joining the fun, sporting a .333 average with four bombs and nine RBIs over the same time. Wade Miley tossed a gem his last time out, working eight innings and allowing just one run.

What's Not: Josh Hamilton picked up his first hit of the season and is now 1-for-11 as a Ranger since rejoining the team on Monday in Cleveland. He has four strikeouts in those 11 at-bats.

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Joe Kelly gave up seven earned runs in 1 2/3 innings his last time out and has struggled for a while now. Ortiz is batting just .103 over his last seven games, and Ramirez isn't much better with a .167 average over that same time.

Familiar Faces: The list goes on for the former Rangers who are now in Boston, and now Carlos Peguero joins the likes of Mike Napoli, Koji Uehara, Alexi Ogando and Robbie Ross Jr. Adrian Beltre spent the 2010 season in Boston before signing a five-year deal with the Rangers.

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