Texas @ Colorado preview

Last Meeting ( Mar 26, 2016 ) Texas 6, Colorado 8

Not long ago, the Texas Rangers appeared to be on the verge of losing their lead in the American League West, while the Colorado Rockies seemed to be drifting toward yet another unsuccessful season. The Rangers attempt to continue their recent winning ways since getting off to a miserable start in the second half of the campaign when they begin a four-game, home-and-home interleague series in Colorado on Monday.

Texas (65-47) came out of the All-Star break flat, dropping seven of its first 11 contests to watch a 10-game division lead shrink to 2 1/2 before rebounding with six victories in its last nine games. The Rangers took two of three from Houston over the weekend to move seven games ahead of second-place Seattle and improve to 3-3 on their eight-game road trip. The Rockies (55-56) were eight games below .500 following the Midsummer Classic but have trimmed their deficits in the National League West (eight games, trailed by 16 at the break) and wild-card race (four, seven) significantly by winning 15 of 23. Colorado failed in its bid to make up even more ground over the weekend as it dropped two of three at home to Miami, which holds the NL's second wild-card spot.
TV: 8:40 p.m. ET, FSN Southwest (Texas), ROOT (Colorado)

PITCHING MATCHUP: Rangers LH Cole Hamels (12-3, 2.89 ERA) vs. Rockies LH Tyler Anderson (4-3, 3.25)
Hamels fell to 3-1 with a 1.59 ERA in four starts since the All-Star break following Wednesday's loss at Baltimore in which he permitted three runs on four hits and four walks over seven innings. The rough road outing was a rare one for the 2008 World Series MVP, who still holds a sparkling 8-2 record and 1.90 ERA in 12 turns away from Rangers Ballpark. Hamels split his two starts versus the Rockies last season as a member of the Philadelphia Phillies and is 4-4 lifetime with a 3.21 ERA against them.
Anderson logged his third straight quality start and sixth in his last seven trips to the mound on Wednesday, when he yielded two runs while registering six strikeouts in seven innings of a victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers. The 26-year-old Las Vegas native has won each of his last four decisions after dropping the first three of his big-league career. Anderson has fared better than most hurlers at Coors Field thus far, going 4-1 with a 3.32 ERA while allowing only three home runs in seven home starts.

WALK-OFFS
1. Hamels is one of 180 opposing pitchers who have made at least five career starts at Coors Field and one of only 14 who have a sub-4.00 ERA there (3.94).
2. Colorado OF David Dahl hit in his 13th consecutive game Sunday, giving him the second-longest streak by a Rockies player to start a career (Juan Pierre, 16-game run in 2000).
3. Rangers RF Carlos Beltran (left quad contusion) was out of the starting lineup Sunday but appeared as a pinch-hitter and is considered day-to-day.

PREDICTION: Rangers 4, Rockies 3