Cleveland @ Texas preview
Choctaw Stadium
Last Meeting ( Jul 5, 2010 ) Cleveland 9, Texas 3
The Texas Rangers needed 196 pitches to get through a grueling game that lasted more than 3 1/2 hours on Monday night. The Cleveland Indians endured it, too, but at least left Rangers Ballpark with a 9-3 victory.
Both clubs will be back Tuesday night for the second of their three-game series. Texas will send left-hander C.J. Wilson to the mound, while Cleveland will counter with right-hander Justin Masterson.
So far this season, Wilson has made a smooth transition from reliever to starter. And Wilson could provide his old bullpen mates a much-needed break.
In his last start against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim on Thursday, Wilson took the loss after going 5 2/3 innings, allowing two runs and five hits with four walks and four strikeouts.
That loss snapped a three-game winning streak for Wilson. Still, the hurler leads the team with 11 quality starts, and has gone 1-1 with a 2.76 ERA over his last five outings.
In 19 career games against the Indians, including one start, Wilson is 0-1 with a 3.92 ERA.
Offensively, the Rangers struggled Monday, going 3-for-13 with runners in scoring position and leaving 11 men on base. Elvis Andrus did have two hits, and Justin Smoak snapped a 0-for-25 streak with a single in the sixth inning.
Nelson Cruz had a potential three-run homer in the seventh inning overturned by replay. Regardless, the Rangers still have lost five of their last seven after a stretch of winning 13 of 14 games.
Masterson, meanwhile, is finally starting to come around for the Indians. He took a shutout into the ninth inning in his last start against the Toronto Blue Jays on Thursday before giving up a run on three hits.
He still won the game, going 8 1/3 innings, allowing just the one run and eight hits with no walks and five strikeouts.
Masterson tossed his first career complete game shutout in leading the Indians to an 11-0 victory over his former team, the Boston Red Sox, on June 9.
Before that, Masterson couldn’t buy a victory. After winning a game on Aug. 20 last year, he didn’t earn another victory until June 2 of this year. In fact, Masterson went 17 games without a victory, the longest such stretch in franchise history.
When Masterson faced the Rangers on April 14 earlier this season, he took the loss after going six innings, allowing four runs and nine hits with no walks and nine strikeouts.
In five lifetime games against the Rangers, Masterson is 0-1 with a 1.86 ERA.
Offensively, the Indians saw three players belt home runs on Monday. Jayson Nix blasted a pair of homers, while Matt LaPorta and Carlos Santana also went deep.