Rangers at Indians (Game 2)
The Texas Rangers still have a ways to go before contending for an American League wild card spot is realistic, but they can build a season-high winning streak Wednesday in a single-admission doubleheader against the host Cleveland Indians. The Rangers have won five in a row after taking the series opener 1-0 on Monday, before inclement weather postponed Tuesday’s scheduled contest.
Nomar Mazara extended his hitting streak to eight contests (13-for-30, two homers, six RBIs) with a single Monday while knocking in the only run with a sacrifice fly as Texas moved within a win of its best run of the season (six) from June 22-28. “We didn’t know what was going to happen, so now that the (trade) deadline is in the past, we know this is the team we’re going to have,” Rangers pitcher Mike Minor told reporters after earning the win Monday. “Before, we thought some guys would be gone, but since then, we kind of came together a little more and we’re just going out to play baseball.” The AL wild card-leading Indians were 16-5 over the previous 21 games thanks in part to a productive offense, but left eight on base and were 0-for-7 with runners in scoring position in Monday’s setback. Jason Kipnis extended his hitting streak to six games (9-for-23, three homers, nine RBIs) with a single in the series opener for Cleveland.
TV: 4:40 p.m. ET, FS Southwest (Texas), STO (Cleveland)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Rangers RH Lance Lynn (14-6, 3.71 ERA) vs. Indians TBD
Lynn won his last two starts while allowing three runs (two earned) on eight hits and four walks with 18 strikeouts combined over 13 innings. The 32-year-old Ole Miss product, who has not won 15 games since 2014 with St. Louis, is 8-2 with a 2.91 ERA in 12 starts since the end of May - including seven innings of one-run ball against Cleveland on June 17. Francisco Lindor is 3-for-6 with a homer versus Lynn, who is 3-0 with a 0.95 ERA in three career starts against the Indians.
Mike Clevinger will be pushed back to open the big AL Central showdown series at Minnesota on Thursday, so the Indians are expected to use the bullpen exclusively in Game 2. A.J. Cole has not pitched since Aug. 1 and fellow right-hander Hunter Wood, who opened some games with Tampa Bay before being acquired late last month, could get some work before the back-end relievers enter. Cleveland’s relief staff leads the majors with a 3.24 ERA after finishing 25th last year (4.60).
WALK-OFFS
1. Cleveland placed OF Jordan Luplow (hamstring) on the 10-day injured list and recalled OF Greg Allen on Tuesday.
2. Texas SS Elvis Andrus had a pair of hits in the series opener and is batting .370 with 41 RBIs in 72 career games against the Indians.
3. Indians OF Yasiel Puig had two hits in the series opener and is 6-for-18 with two doubles, two stolen bases and two RBIs in five games since being acquired.