Tigers at Rangers
Texas Rangers manager Chris Woodward recently suggested his team's lackluster play in July may have been affected in part by the uncertainty of the trade deadline, and the team's recent surge indicates he may have been correct. The Rangers attempt to move to 4-0 since the deadline passed on Sunday, when they vie for a sweep of their three-game set against the visiting Detroit Tigers - as well as their six-game season series.
Texas moved a season-high 10 games over .500 following a sixth straight victory on June 28 before going 7-18 over its next 25 contests through Tuesday. The Rangers halted their slide with a 9-7 triumph over Seattle on Wednesday and have posted consecutive 5-4 wins in this series - including Saturday's comeback victory, which was highlighted by a walk-off solo homer in the 10th inning by Rougned Odor that kept the team seven games behind Tampa Bay for the second wild card in the American League. Miguel Cabrera homered for the second time in four games on Saturday after hitting five over his first 91 contests, but his two-run shot wasn't enough to keep Detroit from losing for the 17th time in 21 games since the All-Star break. The Tigers (32-74) have recorded five fewer wins than any other team in baseball and are 3-18 against AL West opponents this season.
TV: 3:05 p.m. ET, FS Detroit, FS Southwest (Texas)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Tigers RH Jordan Zimmermann (1-8, 7.23 ERA) vs. Rangers RH Pedro Payano (1-0, 3.18)
Zimmermann ended his 17-start winless streak Monday in Los Angeles, holding the Angels to two runs over 5 1/3 innings for his first victory since Sept. 5, 2018. “It’s never a good feeling or a good look. Like I said all along, I was going to keep grinding until something good happened, and tonight was a good night," the two-time All-Star told MLB.com. Logan Forsythe (7-for-18, three RBIs) and Hunter Pence (8-for-20, two homers) have thrived versus Zimmermann, who took the loss against Texas on June 25 after permitting three runs in five frames.
Payano mostly cruised through the first five innings of his first major-league start but had to settle for a no-decision after yielding three runs in 5 1/3 frames as Jesse Chavez allowed both of his inherited runners to score. The 24-year-old New Yorker earned his shot in the rotation five days earlier as he registered seven strikeouts while allowing one run over five innings of relief in Seattle to notch the win. Payano, who will be making just his fourth major-league appearance, owns a 5-3 record and 4.40 ERA in 16 minor-league games (15 starts) this season.
WALK-OFFS
1. Odor has lifted his batting average 12 points to .212 during his four-game hitting streak - a stretch during which he is 7-for-14 with five extra-base hits.
2. Cabrera's two RBIs gave him 1,678 for his career, breaking a tie with Gary Sheffield (1,676) for sole possession of 25th place on the all-time list.
3. Texas ended its 0-6-3 skid over its last nine series with Saturday's win.