Rangers at Angels
The Texas Rangers are getting comfortable holding down the final wild-card spot in the American League, but they don't want to settle for that as they meet Los Angeles at Angel Stadium on Sunday in the rubber match of their three-game series. Texas has won seven of its last nine contests after a 2-1 victory Saturday and leads Minnesota by 1 1/2 games for the second wild card but is within two of first-place Houston in the AL West with seven left against its Lone Star State rival.
Los Angeles' postseason prospects took another hit as the Angels fell 3 1/2 games behind Texas and 5 1/2 back of Houston, but they'll try for their fourth win in five games Sunday before continuing their crucial homestand with three against the NL West-leading Los Angeles Dodgers and three versus the Astros. The Angels continue to struggle against teams with winning records as they are 5-16 in such games since the All-Star break and 20-27 overall during that span. Los Angeles' Mike Trout has gone a career-high 27 games without a home run and is stuck on 33, while Albert Pujols continues to be plagued by discomfort in his right foot and could serve as the designated hitter for the rest of the season. Texas' Colby Lewis tries again for his career-high 15th victory Sunday after dropping his last two starts as he opposes Hector Santiago, who has lost three straight turns and is winless (0-5) with a 6.46 ERA in his last eight appearances.
TV: 3:35 p.m. ET, FSN Southwest (Texas), FSN West (Los Angeles)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Rangers RH Colby Lewis (14-7, 4.50 ERA) vs. Angels LH Hector Santiago (7-9, 3.37)
Lewis allowed six runs (five earned) and seven hits in 5 2/3 innings of a 7-0 loss at San Diego on Monday after yielding five runs (four earned) and six hits in five frames of a 12-4 setback versus Toronto on Aug. 26. The 36-year-old Californian defeated Los Angeles 4-2 on July 24, when he permitted two runs while striking out nine in 7 2/3 innings, but is 2-6 with an 8.65 ERA in eight turns versus the Angels since the start of 2013. Lewis especially struggles with Pujols (9-for-23, three home runs, seven RBIs), Trout (10-for-26, three homers, nine RBIs) and Kole Calhoun (10-for-23, home run, five RBIs).
Santiago squandered a 3-0 lead when he allowed five runs, four hits and three walks in 2 2/3 innings of an 11-5 loss in Oakland on Monday and has yielded 10 runs over seven frames in his last two starts. “We’re in some uncharted waters ...,” Los Angeles manager Mike Scioscia told reporters about the 27-year-old New Jersey native and former reliever who has pitched a career-high 152 1/3 innings this season. “We’re not going to know until the season is done if it was just some bad outings or did he hit a wall.” Santiago's winless streak began July 25 as he received a no-decision after permitting four runs (three earned) in five innings of the Angels' 7-6 loss to the Rangers, against whom he is 5-2 with a 3.47 ERA in 14 games (11 starts).
WALK-OFFS
1. Texas RF Shin-Soo Choo is 7-for-15 with five walks over his last four games.
2. The Rangers have won a major league-best 39 games on the road.
3. Texas is 3-for-41 with runners in scoring position while going 3-2 on its 10-game road trip.