Yankees at Rangers
The New York Yankees, who lead the major leagues in runs scored and also own the best record (30-13), look to feast on another struggling team when they visit the Texas Rangers on Monday for the opener of their three-game series. The Yankees posted 18 runs over the weekend to win the final two games of a three-game set against Kansas City (14-32) and prepare to play Rangers (18-30), who reside in the American League West cellar.
Slugger Giancarlo Stanton continues to turn around his season, going 10-for-20 with a pair of home runs over his last five games to raise his batting average to .263, while Aaron Hicks went 7-for-12 with a homer for New York in the series versus Kansas City. Masahiro Tanaka gets the start in the series opener for the Yankees and will oppose the ageless Bartolo Colon, who is coming off his best performance of the season. The Rangers arrive home after losing three of four to the White Sox in Chicago, including a 3-0 defeat on Sunday in which they recorded only two hits. Shin-Soo Choo registered one of them and is 9-for-28 with four walks and six RBIs over his last seven games for Texas, which is just 7-16 at Globe Life Park as it begins a seven-game homestand.
TV: 8:05 p.m. ET, MLB Network, WPIX (New York), FS Southwest (Texas)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Yankees RH Masahiro Tanaka (4-2, 4.73 ERA) vs. Rangers RH Bartolo Colon (2-1, 2.82)
Tanaka is winless in his last three starts, permitting 10 runs and 17 hits - three homers - over 16 1/3 innings, although his last outing was a shortened one as Tuesday's contest at Washington was suspended after 5 1/2 frames. The 29-year-old native of Japan gave up one run in three of his first six starts of 2018 but has not worked more than 6 2/3 innings this year. Robinson Chirinos is 4-for-8 with a pair of doubles versus Tanaka, who is 0-2 with a 6.38 ERA in four career starts against Texas.
Colon recorded his second victory of the season last time out as he limited Seattle to four hits over a season high-tying 7 2/3 scoreless innings. The 44-year-old Dominican, who has notched 242 career wins, has completed at least seven frames in four of his last six starts while issuing a total of three walks in that stretch. Stanton is 6-for-16 with two homers against Colon, who is 6-9 with a 6.11 ERA in 21 career appearances (20 starts) versus the Yankees.
WALK-OFFS
1. New York 3B Miguel Andujar finished a double shy of the cycle on Sunday and has hit safely in nine of his last 10 games (13-for-41).
2. Texas RHP Chris Martin was activated from the 10-day disabled list Sunday and struck out two in a scoreless inning of relief.
3. The teams split six games in 2017 after the Rangers won the previous two season series.