Jul 29, 2015; Arlington, TX, USA; Texas Rangers second baseman Rougned Odor (12) and shortstop Elvis Andrus (1) and right fielder Shin-Soo Choo (17) and left fielder Josh Hamilton (32) congratulate each other after winning the game against the New York Yankees at Globe Life Park in Arlington. Texas won 5-2. Mandatory Credit: Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports
The Texas Rangers (50-53) will take on the San Francisco Giants (57-46) on Sunday Afternoon in Arlington. First pitch is scheduled for 2:05 pm CT from Globe Life Park in Arlington. Martin Perez (0-2, 10.50 ERA) will get the ball for the Rangers as they look to take the series from the red hot Giants. Mike Leake (9-5, 3.56 ERA) will toe the rubber for the visitors, his first start for the Giants since coming over at the trade deadline. Fox Sports Southwest will broadcast the game live locally, and MLB.tv subscribers can watch worldwide on connected devices.
Last night’s loss was a tough one for the Rangers. The Rangers were up 7-4 late into the seventh inning, and blew it and ended up losing in 11. The Rangers currently find themselves eight games behind the Houston Astros in the American League West, and just four games back in the wildcard. Winning this afternoon’s game would be huge for the Rangers, especially when you consider that the Giants came in on fire.
Rangers skipper Jeff Banister and Giants manager Bruce Bochy have announced the following lineups for tonight’s game:
Lefty Filled Lineup
As I am sure all of you are aware, MLB managers are all about matchups, and Jeff Banister is no exception. The Giants are trotting out a right handed pitcher, and the Rangers are countering with just about every left handed hitter they got. Six of the nine Rangers hitters are left handed, and that should come as no surprise. I love seeing Rougned Odor at the top of the lineup, and that middle of the lineup with Prince Fielder, Adrian Beltre, Mitch Moreland, and Josh Hamilton could be one of the best in baseball.
Pick To Click
Shin-Soo Choo has been a disappointment so far for the Rangers, but I expect him to have a big game this afternoon. Choo has been hot as of late, hitting .333 in the past week for the Texas Rangers. Choo is one of the few Rangers who has seen Mike Leake, and he has faired exceptionally well against him. Choo is 3-5 against Leake, and I expect him to continue his success against Leake this afternoon. Look for Choo to go 3-5 this afternoon, with 3 RBIs and an extra base hit.
Final Score Prediction:
The Rangers offense has been clicking this series, scoring six off of Madison Bumgarner and then seven in last night’s loss. I expect there to be plenty of fireworks again tonight, as Martin Perez has struggled since coming back off the DL. That being said, I think the Rangers will get the win by a score of 8-6 this afternoon and take a huge series from the Giants.
Next: Tanner Scheppers Lands on 15-Day DL
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