BOSTON -- Missed opportunities sunk the Rangers on Tuesday night, when they fell to the Red Sox, 8-4, at Fenway Park. But it didn't look that way at first.
When Rougned Odor crushed Hector Velazquez's 91-mph sinker over the right-field wall for a home run to give the Rangers a 1-0 lead in the top of the second inning, only Andrew Benintendi had reached base for the Red Sox, thanks to a first-inning walk. And he was erased on a double play.
Odor said the key to his success at the plate has been persevering in his approach. He said he is seeing the ball better and feels more confident in his growth at the plate.
"I don't feel good yet, but I feel happy because I'm getting there," Odor said of his homer that was projected by Statcast™ to travel 447 feet. "And now I'm feeling like me. I go there to hit aggressive. … I don't chase too much, and that's why I'm feeling better at the plate."
But then came the Rangers' first missed chance. The Red Sox held a 3-1 lead in the third when Xander Bogaerts stepped up to bat. Manager Jeff Banister said Yovani Gallardo was struggling with offspeed pitches that inning -- particularly his breaking ball and changeup in the third inning -- resulting in the burst of Red Sox runs. Not ideal, but a surmountable deficit. Bogaerts drilled a liner deep into center field, but it looked like Delino DeShields could make the catch.

Unfortunately for DeShields, the ball bounced off his glove and Bogaerts was credited with a two-run triple to give the Sox a 5-1 lead.
Another close call came in the fifth inning, with the Rangers trailing, 5-2. Nomar Mazara stepped up to bat and sent the ball soaring towards Boston's bullpen in right field, but Mookie Betts made a leaping catch to rob Mazara of a two-run homer.
"That's a homer -- maybe -- in a little bit different situation," Banister said.

It was the second time in four games that the Rangers were robbed of a home run by an exceptional outfield catch. Banister said he was more impressed by the first against the Tigers -- when JaCoby Jones made a jaw-dropping grab of Adrian Beltre's liner to left-center on Saturday.
Betts' catch was disappointing, but not surprising.
"You've got a very athletic guy in right field who, this is his home ballpark," Banister said. "He knows how to play it. We've seen that before in this ballpark. That's one of those things, you just know it has a chance to happen."

Joey Gallo's two-run double brought the Rangers within two runs in the sixth inning, but the Sox would answer back with a run in the bottom half of the frame and another run in the seventh to close out the scoring.
YOU GOTTA SEE THIS
After drawing a walk against Hector Velazquez in the second inning, Shin-Soo Choo extended his franchise-record on-base streak to 48 games. Choo has recorded a hit in 17 of his last 18 games. Ted Williams holds the record for the longest on-base streak in the Majors at 84 games, which he set in 1949.

SOUND SMART
Choo went hitless against the Red Sox on Tuesday, snapping an 18-game road hitting streak. That stretch tied C.J. Cron for the Majors' longest this season. Choo's road hitting stretch also tied for the fourth-longest in Rangers history.
HE SAID IT
"Very pleased. Really challenged [Odor] to really lock in, use his lower half, stay balanced in the batter's box. You see that. He's been selective in the pitches that he's swinging at, aggressive when he needs to, jumped on a first-pitch fastball [and] hit it out of the ballpark. Then what I liked was he was able to get another base hit the other way." -- Banister, on Odor's strong performance
UP NEXT
Bartolo Colon (5-6, 4.65 ERA) will take the mound in the Rangers' series finale against the Red Sox on Wednesday night. On Friday against the Tigers, Colon struck out three while allowing three runs in eight innings. Boston will counter with ace Chris Sale (9-4, 2.36 ERA), and first pitch is set for 6:10 p.m. CT.