Twins at Rangers
The Texas Rangers have utilized their home field and dominant pitching to turn around a slow start. They will try to follow up an impressive four-game sweep when they play the first of three contests against the visiting Minnesota Twins on Monday.
Behind eight strong innings from Yu Darvish and homers from Joey Gallo and Robinson Chirinos, the Rangers picked up a 5-2 triumph over the Kansas City Royals on Sunday to cap the sweep and to win for the sixth time in their last seven home games. Texas starters owns a 3.04 ERA, second in the American League, and the staff as a whole boasts a 3.06 mark in 10 games at Globe Life Park in Arlington. Lefty Martin Perez will look to continue that trend against the struggling Twins, who have dropped six of their last seven after Sunday's 13-4 loss to the Detroit Tigers at home. Minnesota has won four of the past five meetings in Texas and scored 38 runs in a four-game series at Arlington last year.
TV: 8:05 p.m. ET, FSN North (Minnesota), FSN Southwest (Texas)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Twins RH Phil Hughes (2-1, 5.40 ERA) vs. Rangers LH Martin Perez (1-2, 3.60)
Hughes has regressed since a solid start in his 2017 debut and he was reached for six runs (four earned) on eight hits in 3 1/3 innings last Tuesday against Cleveland. The 30-year-old has allowed three homers and three doubles over his last two starts. Hughes has a 2.92 ERA in his career against Texas and a 2.89 mark in seven appearances (six starts) at Globe Life Park.
Perez boasted a 2.20 ERA through his first three starts before struggling at Oakland on Wednesday, when he gave up four runs in 3 2/3 frames. He yielded three runs in 11 1/3 innings over his first two home outings and has a quality 3.68 mark in 48 career appearances in Arlington. Current Twins hitters are a combined 6-for-34 with no extra-base hits and seven strikeouts against the 26-year-old Perez.
WALK-OFFS
1. Gallo boasts four home runs in his last five games while Chirinos has gone deep three times in his last two contests.
2. Rangers RHP Matt Bush picked up his first save Sunday and has seven strikeouts in four scoreless innings over his last four outings.
3. This series represents the only three games the Twins play out of division over their first 25 contests.