Chickens on the Run: Game 38: Rangers at Tigers

I don't know what the Angels and Mariners will do, but I can't see Oakland coming back to win this one, so they will move to nine games back.

At worst, the Rangers will be four games over the Angels when tomorrow's game starts. And that's not bad, especially since they are winners of seven straight games. There are several hot teams out there. The Yankees have won five straight. So have the Brewers. The Phillies, Rays, and Blue Jays have all won four games in a row. The Brewers and Rangers are winners of eight of their last ten games. Dodgers and Blue Jays are the only teams with a better winning percentage. Things are looking great for my team in Texas. I find it easy right now to love baseball. And I really love baseball.

Brandon McCarthy is looking more and more like the player he gave up John Danks for a few seasons back. In his career against Detroit, McCarthy is 1-2 in eleven games (four starts) and has a 5.11 ERA against them. In his last two starts this season, McCarthy is 0-1, giving up eleven runs in eleven innings. His ERA has gone up from 4.67 to 5.92 in that stretch. He is 0-2 in Detroit.

Rangers to Watch:

Andruw Jones is 15-48 (.313) with six doubles and six RBIs.
Marlon Byrd is 6-18 (.333) with two doubles, a HR, and two RBIs.

The Rangers current roster is 26-95 (.274) with nine doubles, a HR, and ten RBIs.

Detroit is first in their division with a 20-16 record. They have a game lead on the Royals, who have lost seven of their last ten. You could call it fading early... but it is a stretch to call it fading. More like plummeting. Still, the Tigers are now a first place team. Willis has two career starts against the Rangers and is 0-1 with a 6.52 ERA. He has only one start (game) this season in which he took the loss of a 14-10 slugfest in Minnesota. He gave up four runs in 4.2 innings, which will account for his 7.71 ERA I don't expect any miracles against the Rangers. In fact, I expect his first start to continue its woes.

Tigers to Watch:

Magglio Ordonez is 4-10 (.400) with two RBIs.
Brandon Inge is 3-8 (.375) with a HR and three RBIs.

The Tigers current roster is 10-47 (.213) off McCarthy with a double, a triple, a HR, and six RBIs. Forecast: It is really easy to pick the Rangers. This game has me a little leary in doing so, though. My concern mostly comes from McCarthy's record in Detroit. He's 0-2 in Tiger Town. So, I'm a bit nervous. I like his numbers against the current Tiger roster. And the Rangers are hot, but coming to play with an a day of rest. Does rest kill momentum? In football, definitely not. Baseball? It can at times. Will it for the Rangers? I think just changing the scenary could cause a bit of a problem. Tough to say why I feel this way. Maybe it's the cold I've been carrying around... Rangers win it, 6-4.