Texas Rangers Roundup – June 29, 2014

ARLINGTON, Tex. — The Texas Rangers shutout the Minnesota Twins Saturday night 5-0. The Rangers have clinched the season series and are now on a 2-game winning streak. Today’s game is no. 81, marking the official halfway point of the 2014 season. The Texas Rangers will head to north after the game and start a 4-game series with the Baltimore Orioles tomorrow. Here is what you need to know in today’s Texas Rangers Roundup.

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TEXAS RANGERS: (37-43, .463)

• The Texas Rangers have not gained ground with 2 straight wins as they are still in 4th place and 13.0 GB 1st place Oakland Athletics and 8.5 GB 2nd place Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
• If Texas wins today they could take all games of a series for the 2nd time this season (3-0 at OAK, April 21-23)
• The Texas Rangers (1972-2014) have never won all games of a series (3+ games) after having lost all games in each of its previous 2 series (3+ games)
• Last night’s game lasted 2 hours, 27 minutes, T3rd-shortest Texas Rangers game this season, shortest since 5/16 versus Toronto Blue Jays (2:27)

SHUTOUT:

• With the Texas Rangers shutout over the Twins last night the Rangers hold an A.L.-best at 14 and 2nd-most in MLB (STL 15)
• No other club has more than 10 shutouts
• The 2014 Texas Rangers are the first American League team with at least 14 shutouts in first 80 team games since the 1968 Cleveland Indians had 16 thru 80 games
• No other club in the A.L. has accomplished such a feat since the DH era (1973)
• Darvish has started 6 of the Rangers’ 14 shutouts
• The Texas Rangers have blanked 10 of MLB’s other 29 teams this season, multiple SHO against Houston Astros (3), Minnesota Twins (2) and Seattle Mariners (2)
• The only time in franchise history to ever have more than 10 shutouts through 80 games was in 1981 (11)

YU DA MAN:

• Yu Darvish tossed 8.0 shutout innings last night marking his MLB-high 5th scoreless outing of 8.0+ innings this season, only the St. Louis Cardinals’ Adam Wainwright has more than 3 such innings (4)
• The only American League pitchers with more than 2 such outings? Yu Darvish (5), Max Scherzer (3) and Martin Perez (3)
• Yu Darvish is the ONLY Texas Rangers pitcher EVER with 5 such outings in the team’s first 80 games
• Darvish has won 3 consecutive starts in Arlington and now has 20.0 consecutive scoreless innings at home
• Yesterday marked Yu Darvish’s 25th career game with 10+ strikeouts, passing Bobby Witt (24) for 2nd-most in club history, only Nolan Ryan (34) has more
• According to Elias Sports Bureau Yu Darvish had his 25th such outing in career start no. 76 noting that it is the 2nd-fewest starts in MLB history to reach that mark, trailing only Dwight Gooden (25th in 63rd start in 1985)

YO ADRIAN:

• Adrian Beltre went 3-for-3 and a walk yesterday
• Beltre’s .400 (36-90) average in June is T2nd in the majors behind only Houston Astros’ Jose Altuve (.414)
• He has 71 hits in his last 52 games since start of May
• Beltre was caught stealing yesterday for first time since 4/22/2011 versus Kansas City Royals

RARE FEAT:

• Luis Sardinas had a pinch suicide squeeze RBI sac bunt in the 8th inning last night, first RBI bunt by a Texas Ranger (hit/SH/error) since Craig Gentry on 9/28/2013 versus Los Angeles Angels

TODAY’S LINEUPS:

TEXAS RANGERS: RHP Colby Lewis (5-5, 5.94)

1. Shin-Soo Choo DH
2. Elvis Andrus SS
3. Carlos Pena 1B
4. Adrian Beltre 3B
5. Alex Rios RF
6. Leonys Martin CF
7. Robinson Chirinos C
8. Michael Choice LF
9. Rougned Odor 2B

MINNESOTA TWINS: RHP Kyle Gibson (6-6, 3.92)

1. Brian Dozier 2B
2. Joe Mauer 1B
3. Chris Parmelee CF
4. Josh Willingham LF
5. Kendrys Morales DH
6. Oswaldo Arcia RF
7. Eduardo Escobar 3B
8. Eric Fryer C
9. Jorge Polanco SS

ON DECK FOR TOMORROW:

• LHP Joe Saunders (0-4, 5.19) vs. Baltimore Orioles RHP Ubaldo Jimenez (2-8, 4.70)
• You can tune in to FSSW/ 103.3 FM/ 1540 AM at 6:05 (CDT)