Los Angeles @ Texas preview
Choctaw Stadium
Last Meeting ( Jul 22, 2010 ) LA Angels 2, Texas 3
Unless something unforeseen happens, the Texas Rangers or Los Angeles Angels will be atop the American League West standings at the end of the season.
The Rangers won the opener of a key four-game series against the Angels on Thursday night. Not surprisingly, the game was decided by one-run, which has happened in five of the six meetings between the two teams this season.
That victory gave Texas a six-game lead in the division, its biggest divisional lead since 1999.
The Rangers will go for win No. 2 on Friday night, sending left-hander C.J. Wilson to the mound. The Angels, meanwhile, will go with left-hander Joe Saunders.
Wilson has pitched well at home so far this season, going 6-2 with a 3.54 ERA at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington. Against the Angels, Wilson hasn’t done as well, going 0-1 with an 8.10 ERA in two starts against them.
In fact, Wilson gave up seven runs in 4 1/3 innings against the Angels back on May 18. In 30 lifetime appearances (three starts) against the Angels, he is 1-3 with a 5.27 ERA.
But Wilson is coming off one of his better outings this season against the Boston Red Sox on Sunday. He went 6 2/3 innings, allowing a run on three hits with five walks and a career-high 10 strikeouts to lead the Rangers to a 4-2 victory.
Over his past eight starts, Wilson is 4-2 with a 2.70 ERA. He has allowed three earned runs or less in nine straight starts, tied for the third-longest such streak in the American League.
Offensively for the Rangers, Michael Young belted his 150th career home run on Thursday, a solo shot in the first inning. Vladimir Guerrero had a double on Thursday and, more importantly, has gone 11-for-23 with three doubles, four home runs, nine RBIs and seven runs scored in six games against the Angels this season.
Saunders, meanwhile, has struggled in his past two starts, allowing five runs in both games. In his last start against the Mariners, Saunders went six innings, allowing five runs (four earned) on 10 hits with no walks and three strikeouts.
Saunders has yet to face the Rangers yet this season, but he is 3-6 with a 7.19 ERA in 10 lifetime starts against them.
Offensively, catcher Mike Napoli homered on Thursday, his fourth home run in his last five games. Maicer Izturis had an RBI double, as well.
Those two hits, however, were the only highlights the Angels had against newly acquired Rangers pitcher Cliff Lee.