Houston @ Texas preview
Choctaw Stadium
Last Meeting ( Jun 25, 2010 ) Houston 7, Texas 4
The winning streak may be over for the Texas Rangers, but Josh Hamilton is still working on a streak of his own.
Hamilton will be looking to push his hitting streak to an even 20 games when the Rangers face the in-state rival Houston Astros again on Saturday.
Not content with just one hit per game, Hamilton has been on an absolute tear ever since the calendar turned to June, putting together 13 multi-hit games - including four in a row. The All-Star outfielder had three hits on Friday, but it was not enough as Texas had its 11-game winning streak snapped in a 7-4 loss.
Batting .281 after an 0-for-3 day on May 31, Hamilton has brought his average all the way up to .350 - good for third in the American League. Hamilton is batting .495 in June with 27 RBIs, bringing himself to the top of the All-Star voting and leading Texas back to the top of the AL West.
The Astros are enjoying a little streak of their own, winning three straight after Friday’s triumph. Rookie third baseman Chris Johnson went 4-for-5 in the series opener with three RBIs and Lance Berkman hit a solo homer.
Carlos Lee added three hits in the series opener and is 6-for-12 over the last three games to key Houston. The Astros have totaled 20 runs over that span - a rarity this season for the club which ranks last in the National League with a .235 team batting average.
The Rangers will send left-hander C.J. Wilson to the mound on Saturday.
The converted closer has allowed two earned runs in each of his last three starts and has not allowed more than seven hits in any of his 14 outings this season.
While his raw stuff keeps hitters off balance and leads to plenty of ground balls and strikeouts, Wilson’s lone drawback as a starter has been an inability to harness his control at times.
The 29-year-old has issued 40 walks in 89 2/3 innings this season, though they have not inflicted too much damage due to Wilson’s ability to keep the ball in the ballpark. He has yielded only five home runs.
Against the Astros last weekend, Wilson surrendered four runs - two earned - and six hits while walking three and striking out four in seven innings. He did not factor in the decision.
Houston will counter with right-hander Josh Banks, who will be making his season debut. Called up to fill the slot left open when Felipe Paulino was placed on the disabled list, Banks was 8-5 with a 2.97 ERA for the Astros’ Triple-A affiliate.
The 27-year-old spent the last two seasons in the San Diego Padres organization, bouncing back and forth between Triple-A and the majors. In 23 games - 17 starts - for the Padres, Banks went 4-7 with a 5.25 ERA while striking out 52 and walking 36 in 108 total innings.