Rockies at Rangers
Ian Desmond made his last All-Star Game in his only season with the Texas Rangers, and he wasted no time feeling right at home in his first game back in Arlington. The 32-year-old first baseman will try to build upon his most productive game of the season at the plate Saturday when his Colorado Rockies attempt to extend the Rangers' season-high seven-game skid in the middle contest of a three-game set.
Desmond batted .285 with 22 home runs to go along with 86 RBIs and stole 21 bases with the Rangers in 2016 before signing with the Rockies the following season. Despite some recent success at the plate, he was still hitting a meager .195 until Friday, when he homered in two of his first three at-bats and added a single in the ninth inning to record his first three-hit performance of 2018. The Rangers appeared to be in good shape to end their losing streak in the opener after putting up five runs in the first inning but managed only two hits thereafter as Colorado responded with six runs in the next frame. Texas, which is already 19 games out of first place in the American League West, will try to avoid its longest slide since dropping eight in a row on three separate occasions during the 2014 campaign.
TV: 4:05 p.m. ET, AT&T SportsNet Rocky Mountain (Colorado), FS Southwest (Texas)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Rockies LH Kyle Freeland (6-6, 3.68 ERA) vs. Rangers LH Mike Minor (4-4, 5.65)
Freeland fell to 5-2 since the beginning of May in Sunday's defeat versus Arizona, giving up four runs on four hits while tying season highs in walks (four) and strikeouts (eight) in six frames. The Evansville product has yielded at least three runs in each of his last four turns but logged six or more innings in eight of his last nine outings. Freeland has struggled a bit on the road (3-4, 4.15 ERA) and will face Texas for the first time but is 4-0 with a 2.03 in four career interleague starts.
Minor recorded his first quality start he's registered since May 3 in last Saturday's no-decision versus Houston, permitting three runs on six hits and a walk over six innings. The 30-year-old Tennessee native has shown good control so far (15 walks in 12 starts) but is allowing opponents to bat .281 overall and has surrendered 10 homers over his last seven turns. Desmond is 7-for-27 with two doubles and a home run versus Minor, who is 3-2 with a 5.73 ERA in eight appearances (six starts) against Colorado.
WALK-OFFS
1. Desmond is batting .298 with six home runs and 16 RBIs in his last 17 games.
2. Since joining Texas in 2011, 3B Adrian Beltre is batting .411 with five homers and 15 RBIs versus the Rockies.
3. Colorado SS Trevor Story is 15-for-30 with three home runs, 11 RBIs and six multi-hit efforts in the last seven contests.