Texas Rangers: Andrew Cashner Opens Big Series Against Houston

The month of April didn’t go perfect for the Rangers, but May is a new month. On Monday, Texas opens an important series against the first place Houston Astros. What should fans expect during this intrastate rivalry?

To kick it off the Texas Rangers will start veteran Andrew Cashner in Minute Maid Park on Monday. The Rangers hope he can improve from his last start where he allowed a career high six walks in just four innings of work.

It’s been an odd couple of starts for Cashner as his stat line is misleading. Through three starts, Cashner has posted a 2.93 ERA, but has managed a walk 13 batters in 15.1 innings. He’s been able to work out of danger, but how long will that last?

According to Anthony Andro and Ben DuBose, Cashner had this to say about his lack of command this season. “I thought my misses were just right outside the zone,” Cashner said. “A lot of it has to do with how aggressive a team is. I think Houston is a pretty aggressive team, so we’ll find out.”

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Luckily for the Rangers they will go up against right-handed starter Lance McCullers. In three career starts against Texas, McCullers is 0-3 with a 8.03 ERA. He gave up five runs to Cleveland in his last start, but does have better numbers in his home park.

The Rangers desperately need to have a good series in Houston. April did not go as planned and pulling off a series victory against the first place team is always a morale booster. The action kicks off on Monday as Texas looks to gain ground on division rival Houston.