Worth noting

• The Red Sox are coming off their first winning homestand of the season after going 5-3 at Fenway Park.
 
• Before Wednesday, when they evened their record to 17-17, the Red Sox had lost eight consecutive games in which they had a chance to return to .500.
 
• Two of Boston's three starting pitchers in the Texas series hail from the Lone Star State: Clay Buchholz, from Lumberton, and John Lackey, an Abilene native. Lackey's start Sunday will be his 20th at Globe Life Park, the most by any visitor (Seattle's Felix Hernandez has 19).