After posting their largest comeback win of the season, the Texas Rangers will look to carry that momentum into the second contest of a three-game set with the San Diego Padres on Saturday afternoon in Arlington, Texas.
Texas, which had dropped five of its last six games, trailed 5-0 in the first inning on Friday before answering with six runs in the bottom of the inning en route to a 9-7 win.
With his team in the American League postseason picture as the halfway point of the regular season approaches, Texas manager Skip Schumaker said he hopes his club’s tenacity in the series opener is a sign of things to come.
“It was a much-needed win, and the comeback was what this team needed to show that they can do this and that they’re capable of doing this,” Schumaker said. “Because that’s going to happen again. I promise you there’s going to be a couple runs given up again in the first inning. What are we going to do about it? How are we going to respond? Today was a big day.”
The Rangers scratched right-hander Nathan Eovaldi from his scheduled start on Saturday due to left knee soreness.
Instead, left-hander MacKenzie Gore (4-6, 4.27 ERA) will get the nod on Saturday.
Gore, 27, is 1-3 with a 7.04 ERA in five career appearances (all starts) versus the Padres.
Following a solid performance in Boston on Sunday, Eovaldi (6-7, 4.23 ERA) was hoping to continue making life easy on his fellow pitchers.
“I always feel like I try to think about that,” Eovaldi said. “I think about the bullpen. I think about where we are in the standings. Everybody says it’s too early, but that’s what I focus on. I feel like I haven’t really been doing my part lately. I haven’t been going deep into games, or if I do, I give up a lot of runs.”
The Padres have dropped three of their past four games and 16 of their last 23. San Diego on Saturday will turn to right-hander Walker Buehler (4-3, 4.14 ERA), who will make his 15th start of the season.
Amid his best stretch of the season, the two-time All-Star is 1-0 with a 1.72 ERA in his last three outings and has seen his ERA drop from 5.05 since May 27.
Buehler earned a win over the Baltimore Orioles on Sunday, allowing just one run on six hits across five innings while striking out five in a 5-2 victory.
“It was a very impressive outing for Walker,” San Diego manager Craig Stammen said. “He keeps impressing us with his competitiveness and his ability to make pitches when he needs to.”
Buehler has faced the Rangers four times (all starts), compiling a 1-2 record and a 3.72 ERA.
–Field Level Media
