Rangers at Tigers
By making plays both at the plate and in the field, Will Venable is introducing himself quite nicely to his new Texas Rangers teammates. Venable looks to continue to make a favorable impression when the Rangers play the third contest of their four-game series versus the host Detroit Tigers on Saturday.
Acquired in a trade with San Diego earlier in the week, Venable ripped an RBI double to open the scoring and threw out Miguel Cabrera at home to end the fourth inning in Texas' 2-0 triumph on Friday. While the Rangers evened the series with their seventh win in nine contests to remain within striking distance of both the American League West lead and the wild-card spots, the Tigers saw their three-game winning streak come to a halt. Speaking of Cabrera, the slugger recorded three doubles on Friday to improve to 6-for-9 in the series and 13-for-23 with eight runs scored in his last six games overall. Cabrera is 2-for-3 in his career versus Saturday starter Yovani Gallardo and is batting a blistering .388 (104-for-268) lifetime against the Rangers.
TV: 7:08 p.m. ET, FS1
PITCHING MATCHUP: Rangers RH Yovani Gallardo (9-9, 3.39 ERA) vs. Tigers LH Randy Wolf (2014: 1-3, 5.26)
Gallardo recorded his second win in three outings despite allowing three runs on 11 hits in 5 1/3 innings of a 5-3 triumph over Tampa Bay on Sunday. The 29-year-old avoided serious damage by walking just one batter, marking the first time he didn't issue multiple free passes in a game since June 21. Gallardo has struggled on the road, posting a 3-5 record in 13 starts this season.
Acquired from Toronto on Thursday, Wolf will make his third career AL start with Anibal Sanchez (shoulder) and Daniel Norris (oblique) both on the disabled list. The veteran posted a 9-2 mark with a 2.58 ERA for Triple-A Buffalo prior to being traded for cash. Wolf, who will be pitching on his 39th birthday on Saturday, last pitched in the majors with Miami in 2014.
WALK-OFFS
1. Texas SS Elvis Andrus is 4-for-10 with a home run and three RBIs in his last three games.
2. Detroit 2B Ian Kinsler has collected nine hits, five runs scored and three RBIs in his last four contests.
3. The Rangers traded OF Michael Choice to Cleveland for cash prior to Friday's game.