Texas Rangers Open Short Series With Tigers
Texas is expected to be without slugger Josh Hamilton, who is still nursing a rib injury, when the Rangers open a short, two-game series at home tonight versus Detroit.
According to the baseball standings page at ESPN, the Texas Rangers have a better chance than any other MLB club of making the postseason. The website lists the Rangers at 99.4 percent, just a smidge ahead of the Tampa Bay Rays heading into Monday's action.
With an 8½-game lead over Oakland in the AL West and a 9-10 split home and away over their final 19 games, it's no wonder the Rangers have such a high rating for playoff chances. What Texas fans and MLB bettors want to know is how much Josh Hamilton will be part of the team's final three weeks of play.
The latest word is Hamilton is definitely out for the short two-game series Texas opens at home against the Detroit Tigers. Hamilton has been MIA since Sept. 4 with injured ribs, and it's likely he will miss this entire week. Texas travels to Seattle for the weekend before heading to Anaheim.
MLB oddsmakers don't seem to mind Hamilton's absence. Texas came out as 150 chalk in the early odds release. Bookmaker.com and TheGreek.com both set their total at 10, evenly priced between the 'over' and 'under.'
Hamilton still leads the club in most of the big categories, losing his team lead in RBI now to Vladimir Guerrero. The club found itself in a bit of a rut when the All-Star outfielder was first sidelined, dropping the first three games he was out of the lineup with his most recent malady.
But Texas has since rebounded and will take a five-game winning streak into Tuesday's game. Starting pitcher Derek Holland (3-4, 4.31) began the run in Toronto last Wednesday, and the young southpaw will be pooping his cherry against the Tigers with his first-ever appearance versus the Motown 9.
Holland closed as a 105 money line underdog at Rogers Centre on Sept. 8, and tossed five scoreless innings before turning it over to his pen with a four-zip lead. He matched a season-high eight strikeouts while zipping through 88 tosses.
Detroit counters with Jeremy Bonderman (14-11, 5.03) who will be facing the Rangers for a third time in 2010. The right-hander has no-decisioned in each of the previous two assignments, an 8-6 win as a 125 'dog here in Texas on April 26 and an 8-6 loss in Detroit on July 19 as slight favorite.
The two starts combined found Bonderman working 10 innings and being charged with nine earnies. The April start in Arlington was his first in the ballpark since May 2004. He's made three career starts at the yard, with Detroit a perfect 3-0. The Tigers are also 3-0 in his last three trips to the hill, including a 5-1 win at home last Wednesday versus the ChiSox. Bonderman worked eight and allowed one run. Detroit closed plus 130.
April's four game series on this diamond was a 2-2 split. Texas took two of three when the teams got together at Comerica shortly after the All-Star break. The Tigers won seven of nine between the clubs in 2009, sweeping six from the Rangers in Detroit while Texas won two of three on its field.
Cloudy, warm and humid with a stray t-storm or two is the forecast for the metroplex on Tuesday. First pitch should find the thermometer in the mid-to-upper 80s.
Wednesday's second game to end this short set pits Rick Porcello (11-13, 5.10) for the Tigers against Texas' Colby Lewis (12-16, 3.86).
NOTE: W-L records displayed for starting pitchers are team records in games the pitchers start.
Texas is expected to be without slugger Josh Hamilton, who is still nursing a rib injury, when the Rangers open a short, two-game series at home tonight versus Detroit.
According to the baseball standings page at ESPN, the Texas Rangers have a better chance than any other MLB club of making the postseason. The website lists the Rangers at 99.4 percent, just a smidge ahead of the Tampa Bay Rays heading into Monday's action.
With an 8½-game lead over Oakland in the AL West and a 9-10 split home and away over their final 19 games, it's no wonder the Rangers have such a high rating for playoff chances. What Texas fans and MLB bettors want to know is how much Josh Hamilton will be part of the team's final three weeks of play.
The latest word is Hamilton is definitely out for the short two-game series Texas opens at home against the Detroit Tigers. Hamilton has been MIA since Sept. 4 with injured ribs, and it's likely he will miss this entire week. Texas travels to Seattle for the weekend before heading to Anaheim.
MLB oddsmakers don't seem to mind Hamilton's absence. Texas came out as 150 chalk in the early odds release. Bookmaker.com and TheGreek.com both set their total at 10, evenly priced between the 'over' and 'under.'
Hamilton still leads the club in most of the big categories, losing his team lead in RBI now to Vladimir Guerrero. The club found itself in a bit of a rut when the All-Star outfielder was first sidelined, dropping the first three games he was out of the lineup with his most recent malady.
But Texas has since rebounded and will take a five-game winning streak into Tuesday's game. Starting pitcher Derek Holland (3-4, 4.31) began the run in Toronto last Wednesday, and the young southpaw will be pooping his cherry against the Tigers with his first-ever appearance versus the Motown 9.
Holland closed as a 105 money line underdog at Rogers Centre on Sept. 8, and tossed five scoreless innings before turning it over to his pen with a four-zip lead. He matched a season-high eight strikeouts while zipping through 88 tosses.
Detroit counters with Jeremy Bonderman (14-11, 5.03) who will be facing the Rangers for a third time in 2010. The right-hander has no-decisioned in each of the previous two assignments, an 8-6 win as a 125 'dog here in Texas on April 26 and an 8-6 loss in Detroit on July 19 as slight favorite.
The two starts combined found Bonderman working 10 innings and being charged with nine earnies. The April start in Arlington was his first in the ballpark since May 2004. He's made three career starts at the yard, with Detroit a perfect 3-0. The Tigers are also 3-0 in his last three trips to the hill, including a 5-1 win at home last Wednesday versus the ChiSox. Bonderman worked eight and allowed one run. Detroit closed plus 130.
April's four game series on this diamond was a 2-2 split. Texas took two of three when the teams got together at Comerica shortly after the All-Star break. The Tigers won seven of nine between the clubs in 2009, sweeping six from the Rangers in Detroit while Texas won two of three on its field.
Cloudy, warm and humid with a stray t-storm or two is the forecast for the metroplex on Tuesday. First pitch should find the thermometer in the mid-to-upper 80s.
Wednesday's second game to end this short set pits Rick Porcello (11-13, 5.10) for the Tigers against Texas' Colby Lewis (12-16, 3.86).
NOTE: W-L records displayed for starting pitchers are team records in games the pitchers start.
