The Rangers remain in first place, despite losing three straight. The Angels have won three straight and move to a 1/2 game behind second place Oakland and 2 1/2 behind the Rangers.
The Angels (18-21), winners of three consecutive AL West titles, trail the Rangers by 2 1/2 games heading into the opener of this two-game series. That deficit will grow if Los Angeles - which plays 21 of its next 27 away from home - plays like it did on its last road trip. The Angels dropped seven in a row to open a 10-game trek earlier this month before winning two of three in Seattle.
Scott Kazmir (2-3, 6.82 ERA) will try to continue that momentum, but will need to improve his control. The left-hander has walked 16 batters over his last four starts, and has compiled a 9.64 ERA while losing his last two. Kazmir has produced much better results against the Rangers, going 6-1 with a 2.05 ERA in 10 career starts. The Houston native is 3-1 with a 2.03 ERA all-time at Arlington, where he threw six innings in a 2-0 victory Sept. 18.
Michael Young: 5-19 (.263 ave); 1 double; 4 RBIs
Vlad the Impaler: 4-11 (.364 ave); 2 RBIs
Ian Kinsler: 2-22 (.091 ave); 1 double; 1 HR; 2 RBIs
After a 6-1 homestand, Texas (20-18) got swept in three weekend games at Toronto, culminating in a 5-2 defeat on Sunday. The Rangers allowed 27 runs over the weekend, increasing the staff ERA from 3.57 to 4.03.
Derek Holland (1-0, 0.00) will try to send that ERA back in the other direction and aim for an encore of his season debut - six scoreless innings in a 10-1 victory over Oakland on Wednesday.
Erick Aybar: 5-11 (.455 ave); 1 double; 1 HR; 1 RBI
Hideki Matsui: 4-7 (.571 ave); 2 HRs; 4 RBIs
Howard Kendrick: 1-7 (.143 ave); 1 HR; 1 RBI
The left-hander, who struggled at the end of his 8-13 rookie campaign, opened the season in Triple-A Oklahoma City after suffering a mild knee sprain in spring training. He responded by going 4-1 with a 0.93 ERA in six starts and earning a call-up.
Forecast: I like the Rangers to at least split this two game series. I definitely like Wilson over Weaver tomorrow. Kazmir has done well historically against the Rangers, who are cold right now, since scoring 10 runs in the first four innings in a loss to Toronto to open the three game series. Since that time, they have scored two runs in 23 innings. Angels take this one, score 3-1.
2 Random Thoughts:
what's happened to the predictions of who's going to win and what the final score will be? you pick 'em better than the ESPN analysts.
Thank you for pointing something out to me. As I went to the newer format and the new template at the same time, the little "more" icon disappeared. You click on the post title to read the full post.
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