Rangers at Twins
Joey Gallo is on a power spree and looks to add to his impressive resume of tape-measure blasts when the Texas Rangers visit the Minnesota Twins on Friday for the second contest of their four-game set. Gallo has belted four homers in his last three games, including a shot estimated at 430 feet in Thursday's series-opening 4-1 win.
Gallo has hit eight homers over his last 13 games to raise his season total to 29, and Thursday's blast was just his third-longest of the week after hitting 456 and 460 shots at home against Seattle. "Just trying to put the bat on the ball," Gallo told reporters after Thursday's victory. "I think good things will happen if I do that. That's my approach right now." Minnesota recorded just three hits in the opener while losing for the eighth time in 10 contests. Both teams are 4 1/2 games behind Kansas City for the American League's second wild-card spot.
TV: 8:10 p.m. ET, FSN Southwest (Texas), FSN North (Minnesota)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Rangers LH Martin Perez (5-9, 5.13 ERA) vs. Twins RH Bartolo Colon (2-9, 7.70)
Perez has dropped three consecutive starts, posting an unsightly 8.31 ERA during that stretch. He was torched for a career high-tying eight runs and nine hits in 4 1/3 innings of a loss to Baltimore in his last turn. The 26-year-old Perez is 0-2 with a 3.32 ERA in three career starts against the Twins, including a loss on April 24 in which he gave up three runs and six hits over six frames.
Colon is 0-1 with a 5.87 ERA in three starts since joining the Twins after being an abysmal 2-8 with an 8.14 ERA in 13 outings with Atlanta. The 44-year-old did not factor in the decision against Oakland in his last turn, when he gave up three runs and eight hits over 6 1/3 innings. Colon is 20-9 with a 3.57 ERA in 34 career starts against the Rangers but has served up six homers to Adrian Beltre (20-for-74).
WALK-OFFS
1. Twins 2B Brian Dozier was hitless in four at-bats on Thursday and is 5-for-37 with 13 strikeouts over his last eight contests.
2. Texas SS Elvis Andrus is 5-for-8 with a homer in back-to-back victories.
3. Minnesota 1B Joe Mauer went 0-for-4 in the opener and remains tied with Tony Oliva (1,917) for the third-most hits in franchise history.