The Detroit Tigers and Texas Rangers combined for 20 runs in Monday night’s series opener and get ready to due battle again at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington
Detroit Tigers at Texas Rangers
Detroit came away with a resounding 13-7 win over Texas at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington, led by the offensive exploits of Brennan Boesch. He notched his first career multi-homer game, while also setting career marks with five hits and five RBIs. “He had a huge, huge night,” said Tigers manager Jim Leyland. “Good for him.” The Tigers offense as a whole had its best game of the season, setting highs in homers (four), extra-base hits (10), runs (13) and hits (18). All 10 batters recorded base hits in helping the club capture its third straight win. Detroit also leads the Majors with 14 home runs in June. The club has now won 20 of its last 30 games, which has positioned it just 1 1/2 games behind division leader Cleveland. The Tigers will be facing a left-hander starter for the 19th time tonight, coming in with a 13-5 mark in that particular situation.
Tigers starting pitcher Rick Porcello has compiled a 5-3 record and 3.79 ERA in 10 starts this season and comes off a quality outing. He picked up a 4-2 home win over Minnesota, giving up just two runs and six hits over 6 2/3 innings. The right-hander has produced a tremendous 2-1 road record and 2.31 ERA, as opponents are managing to hit just .228 against him. Porcello has struggled during his career in the month of June, registering a 3-4 mark and 5.71 ERA. He has made just one lifetime appearance versus the Rangers, giving up six runs and 10 hits in four innings in a 8-4 road loss in Arlington.
Texas had its five-game win streak snapped in Monday’s loss, but still leads the American League West division by 2 1/2 games. The Rangers have allowed 21 runs while losing three in a row to the Tigers in 2011, including starting pitcher Colby Lewis surrendering nine in his 3 1/3 innings of work last night. “I didn’t throw the ball well,” said Lewis. “I didn’t do the things that I needed to do, so it didn’t turn out well.” The club still possesses hope in turning things around in this three-game set, winning its last four series. Texas also maintains the second-best home mark in the American League with a 19-12 record. After allowing 10 or more runs in a particular contest the last three years, the squad stands at 11-10 in the following game.
Rangers starting pitcher Matt Harrison is 5-4 with a 3.26 ERA in 10 starts this season and enters on a two-game winning streak. He will be working on nine days rest due to dealing with a blister on his left index finger and also being diagnosed with a kidney stone over the weekend. Harrison has thrown 16 1/3 scoreless innings over a span of two-plus starts, lowering his ERA from 4.59 to 3.26, while opponents are batting just .187 against him. The left-hander has gone 1-2 with a 7.17 ERA in five career games against Detroit, including an 0-2 mark and 8.10 ERA in three starts.
Bettors will likely back the Tigers due to their 4-1 mark in Porcello’s last five road starts, while the Rangers are 2-5 in Harrison’s last seven home outings
