The Texas Rangers (32-20), losers of three straight games will do battle with the Arizona Diamondbacks (30-22), currently the best in the National League West, at 2:05 p.m. today at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington. The game can be live streamed free here, while Rangers fans can hear the game at 103.3 ESPN and Diamondbacks fans can do the same on AZ Sports 620.
The Rangers have dropped three consecutive games, and are running into Arizona's hottest starting pitcher, Brandon McCarthy (2-3, 4.36 ERA) today. In McCarthy's last three starts, he has pitched a combined 24 innings while allowing on single, solitary run to cross the plate. In that same span he has struck out 12 batters, walked four, and not surrendered any home runs.
After McCarthy's last start, a seven-inning effort in which he gave up the aforementioned run, manager Kirk Gibson said, "That was his third (quality start) in a row, threw the ball the same way. Just really good command of what he was doing, pretty efficient."
The Rangers should know McCarthy well; he pitched for them from 2007-2009 before he headed to American League West rival Oakland for two seasons. McCarthy will need to beware of red-hot Rangers sluggers Adrian Beltre and Mitch Moreland. In his career against McCarthy, Beltre is hitting .419 with two home runs, while Moreland is 6-for-15.
News also broke recently that second baseman Ian Kinsler had a setback in his recovery from injury, when doctors discovered a stress fracture in his side that will sideline him for a few more weeks. While Texas likely is missing his pop, it offers more opportunity for MLB's top prospect, Jurickson Profar, to show his stuff at the Major League level.
In 25 plate appearances in 2013, Profar is batting .304 with one home run and five RBI while manning second base for Kinsler. Profar is a natural shortstop, but he's currently blocked by Elvis Andrus.
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