Baltimore @ Texas preview
Choctaw Stadium
Last Meeting ( Sep 6, 2009 ) Texas 0, Baltimore 7
As a member of the Los Angeles Angels, Vladimir Guerrero enjoyed his visits to Rangers’ Ballpark. So much so that he decided to relocate there.
In doing so, he has rejuvenated his career.
Guerrero looks to continue his comeback season today when the Texas Rangers host the Baltimore Orioles in a brief two-game series.
The 2004 American League MVP, Guerrero spent the last six seasons terrorizing Rangers’ pitchers while he was with the Los Angeles Angels.
Guerrero entered Monday as the all-time leader in batting average (.395) and slugging percentage (.697), and was second in on-base percentage (.458) at Rangers' Ballpark for players with at least 50 games played in the hitter-friendly venue.
Naturally, the Rangers pursued Guerrero as a free agent this offseason. And when negotiations broke down the Angels, the injury-prone slugger signed a one-year, $6.5 million deal with Texas.
So far, the move is working wonders for his career. Guerrero has eight homers and is tied for second in the American League with 32 RBIs. He is well on his way to erasing the memory of a terrible 2009 campaign.
The 35-year-old was limited to 100 games due to a torn pectoral muscle and a hamstring pull last season. As a result, he suffered his worst offensive year since 1997. Guerrero, who has also been hampered by a bad back for most of his career, hit just 15 homers and drove in a measly 50 runs.
At this rate, he may surpass those numbers by the All-Star break.
On Tuesday, Guerrero, Ian Kinsler and Michael Young homered in an 8-7 victory over the Angels. The AL-West leading Rangers swept the two-game series after dropping three in a row to Toronto over the weekend.
Texas may need Guerrero and the offense to carry the load with Rich Harden (2-1, 4.93) on the hill.
Once considered one of the best young pitchers in baseball, Harden has been sidetracked by a bevy of injuries the past few seasons. The 28-year-old right-hander has made seven trips to the disabled list since 2005.
Though he’s fully healthy, Harden has struggled with his control this season. He leads the majors with 31 walks in just 38 1/3 innings.
Harden tied a season-high with six walks in a 16-10 loss to Toronto on Friday in which he lasted just 2 2/3 innings. He was rocked for a season-high seven runs on four hits, but was spared the loss when the Rangers rallied.
Harden is 0-0 with a 0.69 ERA in two career starts vs. the Orioles, who snapped a three-game skid with a dramatic win on Tuesday. Nick Markakis singled in the winning run in the 10th inning, helping Baltimore to a 4-3 victory over the Royals.
Harden will need to beware of Luke Scott, the Orioles’ hottest hitter. Scott blasted a pair of homers in Tuesday’s win and is hitting .433 (13-for-30) with five homers and 10 RBIs over his last seven games.
Meanwhile, Jeremy Guthrie (2-4, 4.13) takes the hill for Baltimore looking to improve to 4-0 in his career vs. Texas.
The 31-year-old right-hander is coming off his finest outing of the season. He allowed just one run and two hits in eight innings of an 8-1 victory over Cleveland on Friday. Guthrie is 3-0 with a 3.48 ERA in seven appearances – five starts – against Texas.