Chicago @ Texas preview
Choctaw Stadium
Last Meeting ( May 21, 2010 ) Chi. Cubs 1, Texas 2
The Texas Rangers have never been better at home, and on Saturday they get another golden opportunity to keep rolling when they continue their interleague series with the Chicago Cubs.
After posting a 2-1 victory over the Cubs on Friday night, the Rangers improved to 18-7 at home, matching their best 25-game home start. The other two times Texas started this hot at home, it resulted in postseason appearances in 1996 and 1998.
The Rangers have won five straight overall and are riding a seven-game win streak at home. The 18 home wins are four more than any other team in the majors and Texas has been victorious in 13 of its last 15 games in Arlington.
While the Rangers have been feasting on home cooking, the Cubs have found life on the road to be pretty miserable. Chicago is 8-14 away from Wrigley Field and only the New York Mets and Houston Astros have fewer road wins among National League teams than the Cubs.
The road in May has been particularly unkind to the Cubs. Chicago is 2-7 away from home this month and have scored two runs or fewer in five of those losses.
Friday marked another feeble offensive performance from the Cubs, who left nine runners on base and scored their only run of the game in the second inning when Geovany Soto grounded into a double play.
Derek Holland (2-0, 2.38 ERA) hopes to take advantage of Chicago's road woes when he makes his third start of the season on Saturday.
Making his first career start against the Cubs, Holland started the season at Triple-A Oklahoma City and was 4-1 in six starts before being recalled May 12.
He has continued that success in the big leagues so far this campaign and is coming off Monday's start against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim in which he yielded three runs in 5 1/3 innings of a 4-3 victory.
Randy Wells (3-2, 4.13 ERA) gets the assignment of trying to help the Cubs turn things around after two straight losses. He will be making the first start of his career against the Rangers.
While the Cubs would like to be anywhere but on the road, Wells would like nothing more than to move on from the month of May.
After going 3-0 in five April starts, Wells has not found the same success in May with an 0-2 mark and an ERA over five in three outings. However, Wells is coming off a solid start on Monday in which he surrendered just one run in 6 2/3 innings of a 4-2 victory over the Colorado Rockies.