Rangers at the Astros... the Silver Boot (pictured below)... probably a trophy that nobody really cares about outside of Texas, but still, it does make the six game series a bit interesting and gives both teams a bit of pride, not to mention something to focus on in the midst of the season.
Silver Boot standings go as followed:- Rangers lead this season series (2008) by two games to one.
- Rangers have outscored the Astros 26-15 this season.
- Since 2001: Astros have won more by an edge of 23-22.
- Since 2001: Rangers have outscored the Astros, 274-217.
- In seven seasons of the Silver Boot, the Rangers have won 4 to the Astros 3.
Go to Lone Star Series for the complete stats.
Today's matchup is Hurley vs. Moehler. Tomorrow's and Thursday's matchups have recently changed... It is now Feldman vs. Oswalt (hello lose column) and then Millwood vs. Rodriguez (win column).Today, I don't have a gut feeling right off the bat on this game. There really isn't too much pitcher vs. batter stats between these two pitchers, so I will simply go with what I got.
First we go to Hurley. He has two ML starts which the Rangers have both lost. Hurley got no-decisions, so he hasn't done bad, when you think about it. He did give up four runs in six innings in his ML debut, but followed up that performance with a really decent job of two runs in five innings. In his second game, he gave up only five hits and two walks. Here's a trend with Hurley: three homeruns in 11 innings. With the Atlanta game, he struck out five. Look for him to get better and better with striking out hitters. The more elbow grease, the more K's Hurley is going to get. And a 4.91 ERA in two ML starts is nothing to be ashamed of... by any means. Will he grab the win today? We'll see.
We still need to look at Moehler. Moehler has a career 5-4 record on the Rangers with two complete games and one shutout. The Ranges knock him for a .278 batting average, so he will give up some hits. He's also handed out eight homeruns in 61.2 innings and holds a 4.96 ERA against the Texas rivals. The Astros have lost four of his last six starts.
He is currently 3-3 with a 4.35 ERA and has started eight games this season all his wins and loses have come from the starting rotation. Opponents are hitting .271 against him this year. He has steadily gotten better over his last three seasons.
Rangers to Watch:
- Ramon Vazquez: 4-5 (800 BA); 2 doubles and 2 RBIs
- Frank Catalanotto: 2-5 (400 BA); 1 HR and 1 RBI
As a team, the current Ranger roster is 13-33 against Moehler.
Forecast: I do like the Rangers chances in this one. I am not terribly sure why, but I think Hurley is going to be very successful in the Majors. He may not be able to stop the HR ball against him this year, but he will figure it out. And even with him giving up the long ball, he still has the stuff to grab the win. He's getting better with each start. Today is a game the Rangers win, and it is a win with Hurley's name on it. Score: 7-4, Rangers.
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