Chickens on the Run: Game 135: Rangers at Angels

Here's the last time I talked about Jon Garland: August 30th, 2005 It seems remarkable that I have covered him in a Rangers game this season... Here is the scouting report on the two:

McCarthy made his first Major League start on Saturday, allowing one run on three hits and four walks in four innings against the Indians. He missed most of the season with severe inflammation in his right forearm/elbow and was 1-1 with a 3.38 ERA in five starts at Triple-A Oklahoma. He is 1-0 with a 6.23 ERA in nine career games against the Royals.

Garland was hurt by one bad inning against the Twins on Saturday, when he allowed four runs in the fifth . Before the fifth, he had allowed just one run on a solo homer by Alexi Casilla, but his start unraveled when he allowed three hits, a walk and a hit batter in the fifth. He lasted just 4 1/3 innings, allowing five runs on six hits while striking out one. Garland is 4-8 with a 5.87 ERA against the Rangers in 17 career starts.

Now, why did the McCarthy talk about the Royals? I have absolutely NO idea...

Garland comes into this one 11-8 with a 4.49 ERA, which is just a little higher than the ML average. He did pitch against the Rangers earlier this season in Anaheim and took the loss after pitching five innings and giving up seven runs on eight hits, two which left the park. At home, he is slightly better, with a 4.17 ERA. He has a career 4-8 record against Texas with a 5.87 ERA in 96.2 innings of work. The Rangers hit him for a .290 batting average.

This season, Garland is 4-5 at home with a 4.34 ERA and hitters knock him for a .290 batting average. Earlier this season, the Rangers hit him for a .381 batting average.

Rangers to Watch:

Frank Catalanotto: 12-39 (.308 BA) with 4 doubles and 2 RBIs
Hank Blalock: 8-27 (.296 BA) with a double, a HR, and 3 RBIs
Milton Bradley: 5-15 (.333 BA) with 2 doubles and 5 RBIs

The Ranger roster is 49-167 (.293 BA) with 11 doubles, 2 triples, 3 HRs, and 22 RBIs.

McCarthy, as we know, is making his second start of the season. He only pitched four innings of work in his debut, but gave up only three hits and four walks, which turned into a run. His ERA of 2.25 looks rather promising, as if his time away healing really did a lot of good for him.

He has two career starts and four relief appearances against the Angels, which tally up to a 0-1 record and a 4.38 ERA. The Angels hit him for a .278 BA in his 24.2 career innings against them. In Anaheim, he is 0-1 with a 5.68 ERA and they hit him well there, a whopping .340 for their batting average.

Angels to Watch:

Vlad "the Impaler" Guerrero: 4-12 (.333 BA); 1 double, 1 HR and 4 RBIs
Chone Figgens: 4-7 (.571 BA); 2 RBIs

The remaining roster is 9-46 (.196 BA) with a double, 2 HRs, and 5 RBIs against McCarthy. I like the batting average... but I do not care for the run support that goes with those numbers.

Forecast: This is the Angels the Rangers are playing. I would like for the Rangers to win, but I really do not see it happening. The numbers point to Texas, but gusto and a winning tradition seem to stick with the Angels. Rangers drop this one in a close one, 3-1.