TAMPA BAY RAYS NOTES:
ON TO THE NEXT — Tampa Bay was unable to complete the three-game sweep of Kansas City in yesterday’s series finale, falling to the Royals by an 8-4 final…RHP Zach Eflin conceded a season-high five runs while working a season-low 3.0 innings…3B Isaac Paredes (1-for-4, HR) homered for the fourth time in his last six games since 7/2…C Francisco Mejía (1-for-3, HR, 3RBI) has now homered twice in his last three games after having 3 HR through his first 44 games.
Tampa Bay’s 41 multi-homer games are tied with New York-AL for the most such contests in the AL and are tied for third most in the majors behind Los Angeles-NL (45) and Atlanta (44).
BEST OF THE BEST—Tampa Bay is 33-24 (.597) against teams currently at or above .500, tied with Baltimore for the best mark in the AL and trailing only Atlanta (33-18, .647) in all of MLB.
Despite owning the best overall record in the AL, Tampa Bay leads the AL East over Baltimore by just 1.0 game, its smallest lead in the division since 4/3…Tampa Bay is 13-17 over its last 30 games while Baltimore has gone 19-11 in its last 30, including its current eight-game winning streak.
RIDIN’ ON THE RALE-ROAD — Luke Raley has hit safely in eight straight road games, batting .414 (12-for-29) with two doubles, two homers, 10 RBI and four multi-hit games in that span…it marks the third-longest road hitting streak by a Ray this season, trailing runs by Yandy Díaz (11G: 4/18-5/14) and Josh Lowe (9G: 4/3-29)…the only longer active streaks in the majors belong to HOU Kyle Tucker (14G), LAA Mickey Moniak (10G), LAA Taylor Ward (10G), NYY Jake Bauers (10G) and CLE Josh Naylor (9G)…overall, Raley has reached base safely in 12 straight road games and recorded a hit in 14 of his last 16 since 6/4.
Raley has reached base safely in 39 of his last 44 starts overall since 5/6, slashing .309/.391/.577 (46-for-149) with 12 doubles, two triples, 23 RBI and nine Steals…his .959 OPS in that timeframe ranks fifth in the AL (min. 175PA).
SIRI-OUS POWER — Since 5/1, Jose Siri has recorded 16 home runs in 48 games…the 16 long balls in that timeframe are tied with TEX Adolis García for third most in the AL, trailing LAA Shohei Ohtani (27HR) and CWS Luis Robert Jr. (22HR)…over that stretch, 45.7 pct. (16HR, 35H) of his hits have been homers.
According to Baseball Savant, Siri’s 17.1 pct. barrel rate ranks in the 95th percentile of all major league batters.
ROLLING AGAINST THE RANGERS—In 24 career games against Texas, Yandy Díaz is slashing .372/.443/.488 (32-for-86) with five doubles, one triple, one HR, 7 RBI and 10 walks…min. 50 AB, his .372 AVG against the Rangers is fourth highest among all active players, trailing TOR Danny Jansen (.400), NYM Starling Marte (.391) and DET Miguel Cabrera (.381).
Wander Franco has hit safely in six of his seven career games vs. Texas, batting .346 (9-for-26) with one HR and 6 RBI.
In 10 career matchups with the Rangers, Isaac Paredes is 10-for-28 (.357) with five doubles, 2 HR and 10 RBI.
Jose Siri is hitting .320 (16-for-50) with 3 HR and 8 RBI in 15 games against the Rangers…Siri had a career-high four hits at Texas on 9/13/21.
CRUNCH TIME — Tampa Bay is batting .288 with runners in scoring position, the second-highest mark in the majors behind tonight’s opponent, the Texas Rangers (.301)…the Rays are also batting .282 with RISP/2 outs, the second-highest such average in the majors behind Houston (.283).
Josh Lowe is hitting .438 (14-for-32) with five doubles and 20 RBI with RISP/2 outs…his .438 AVG in such situations is the second-highest mark in the majors (min. 30AB), trailing only TEX Jonah Heim (.500).
Luke Raley is batting .583 (7-for-13) with one double, one HR and 10 RBI with runners in scoring position since 6/24.
HOLDING IT DOWN — RHP Kevin Kelly has thrown 20.1 scoreless innings spanning 21 appearances since 5/14, holding opponents to an .092 (6-for-65) batting average…it marks the second-longest streak by a rookie in club history, behind Álex Torres (25.0IP, 9/24/11-6/22/13)…Kelly has begun his career with 41.2 homerless innings, the second-longest such streak by a Rays rookie behind Torres. (42.2IP). LHP Jake Diekman has allowed just one earned run over his last 15.1 innings since 5/26, striking out 24 hitters while limiting opponents to an .096 (5-for-52) average during that span.
In 16 appearances since 5/31, LHP Colin Poche is 4-1 with a 1.76 ERA (15.1IP, 3ER) while holding opposing batters to a .122 (6-for-49) average.
RHP Jason Adam owns a 1.96 ERA (18.1IP, 4ER) while recording five saves over his last 18 appearances since 5/26.
TURNING THE CORNER — Tampa Bay has scored 24 runs (6.00 R/G) in its last four games since 7/19, slashing .267/.327/.504 (36-for-135) with seven doubles, two triples and 7 HR…in its previous seven games from 7/1-8, Tampa Bay scored 17 runs (2.43 R/G) while slashing .172/.232/.295 (39-for-227) with seven doubles and 7 HR.
BRILLIANCE ON THE BASEPATHS — The Rays pace the AL with 112 stolen bases, behind only Cincinnati (113SB) in all of MLB…it marks the third most steals through 96 games in club history, behind the 2009 (140SB) and 2010 (118SB) squads…Tampa Bay is tied with Atlanta for the major league lead with a 49.0 pct. extra-base taken percentage, which is defined as the percent of times a runner advances more than one base on a single or more than two bases on a double, when possible.
Rays baserunners have gone from first to third on singles an AL-leading 57 times, fourth most in MLB behind Atlanta (65), Colorado (63) and Cincinnati (58)…they have scored from first base on doubles 27 times, tied for second most behind Texas (33).
TEXAS TWO-STEP — Tampa Bay and Texas kick off a three-game set tonight in Arlington…the Rays took two of three from the Rangers from 6/9-11 at Tropicana Field.
Tampa Bay and Texas split a four-games series last season at Globe Life Field from 5/30-6/2.
Tampa Bay played at Globe Life Field during the 2020 World Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers, ultimately falling in six games.
The Rays won a franchise-best five straight games at Texas from 5/31/17-9/10- 19, and dropped a franchise-worst six consecutive contests at Texas from 8/4/05-
4/10/07.
TONIGHT’S STARTER: LHP SHANE McCLANAHAN (11-1, 2.53)
RETURN OF THE MAC-CLANAHAN — The southpaw makes his first start since 6/30 following a 17-day stay on the injured list…marks his 18th start of the season, including his 10th on the road…it marked the longest IL stint of his career (prev. 16 days, 8/31-9/15, 2022)…has been removed from each of his last two starts before completing 4.0 innings due to midback tightness…despite his time on the IL, he still paces the majors in ERA (2.53) and wins (T1st, 11) while ranking highly in run support per 9.0 IP (3rd, 7.31), opp. AVG (9th, .211) and quality starts (T11th, 11).
LAST TIME OUT — On 6/30 at Seattle, McClanahan worked 3.0 innings but was replaced to open the fourth frame due to mid-back tightness (3.0IP, 5H, 4ER, 3BB, SO)…faced the minimum in the opening frame before yielding a two-run homer to Teoscar Hernández and a two-run single to J.P. Crawford in the second…retired the side in order in the third prior to his departure…the Rays tied the game at 4-4 in the sixth inning before erupting for 11 runs over the final two frames for a 15-4 victory.
TALKIN’ TEXAS — McClanahan made his first career start against the Rangers earlier this season, earning the win in a 7-3 Rays victory at Tropicana Field on 6/11 (7.0IP, 4H, 3ER, BB, 5SO, HR)…he produced 20 swings-and-misses in the outing, his third most in any game this season (32 on 4/22 vs. CWS; 23 on 4/11 vs. BOS).
Paired with his 6/30 start at Seattle, he is 1-0 with a 6.30 ERA (10.0IP, 7ER), four walks and six strikeouts in two outings against AL West opponents this season…in 13 career starts against the AL West, he has gone 3-3 with a 3.82 ERA (66.0IP, 28ER), his highest against any division, ahead of the NL East (3.55)…this includes a 6.63 ERA (19.0IP, 14ER) over his last four outings dating back to 9/20/22 vs. Houston.
TO THE VICTOR… — McClanahan is the first pitcher in Rays history to win 11 of his first 12 decisions in a season, and the first major league pitcher to turn the trick since four hurlers did so in 2016, led by WSH Stephen Strasburg’s 12-0 mark…with a win tonight, he would become the first pitcher to start 12-1 or better since Strasburg (13-0) and SF Johnny Cueto (12-1) in 2016.
The Rays are 14-3 in his starts, the best team record through a pitcher’s first 17 starts in club history…the previous mark of 13-4 was achieved by three pitchers (Matt Moore, 2013; Jeff Niemann, 2010; Andy Sonnanstine, 2008).
TROUBLING TRENDS — McClanahan has tossed 4.0 or fewer innings in consecutive starts for the third time in his career (also: 3GS – 4/29-5/9, 2021; 2GS – 6/2-9, 2021)…has struck out five or fewer batters in a career-high tying five straight starts (also 8/30-10/1, 2022)…has issued multiple walks in each of his last nine road starts, the longest streak of his career and longest by a Rays starter since Jake Odorizzi (9GS) from 5/27-9/23, 2017.
He has issued multiple walks in five of his last six and 12 of his last 17 Start…he has just one walk-free outing this season (5/24 vs. TOR)… in 2022, McClanahan issued one or zero walks in 16 of his 28 starts (0BB in 8GS).
DIVING DEEPER — McClanahan’s 33.2 pct. whiff rate ranks third in the majors behind ATL Spencer Strider (40.0%) and SD Blake Snell (36.3%)…he has registered a 52.1 pct. whiff rate on his changeup, third highest on any pitch in MLB (min. 150 pitches swung at), trailing only NYM Kodai Senga’s forkball (60.1%) and Strider’s slider (56.1%)…opponents are batting just .139 against his changeup, third lowest on any pitch in the majors (min. 100AB ending with pitch) behind TOR Erik Swanson’s split-finger (.118) and TOR Trevor Richards’ changeup (.126).
He averages 96.6 mph on his four-seam fastball, the fifth-fastest mark among MLB starters (min. 500 4SFB thrown).
Opposing hitters have offered at 32.4 pct. of his pitches outside of the strike zone, the eight-highest chase rate in the AL…opponents have missed on 24.3 pct. of their cuts on his pitches in the strike zone, the third highest in-zone whiff rate in majors behind Strider (28.7%) and CWS Lance Lynn (25.3%).
TEXAS RANGERS NOTES:
WINS AND LOSSES: Texas beat the Guardians yesterday, 6-5, and club has a 3-0 record to begin this 9-G, 10-day homestand against CLE (3-0), TB (3 G), and LAD (3 G) including an off day on Thursday…Texas is one of 6 MLB clubs that is undefeated since the All-Star break (also 3-0; BAL/ MIL/MIN/SF/TOR)…team has won 3 straight games for 1st time since 6/17-19 and is 4-2 in last 6 G, but is 5-6 in last 11 G and 6-8 in last 14 G…team is 15-19 (.441) beg. 6/7, 6th-lowest win pct. in the A.L. and 10th-lowest in MLB…this stretch came after club reached season high point at 20-over on 6/6 (40-20)…team’s 41-28 (.594) record since 4/28 is still 2nd-best in A.L. (BAL is .597, 40-27) and 5th-best in MLB… TEX is 45-33 in last 78 G and 50-35 last 85 G (beg. 4/9).
- At 55-39 (.585), TEX owns the 3rd-best record in the A.L. (TB: .625, 60-36; BAL: .620, 57-35) and 4th-best in MLB…55 wins rank 3rd in A.L. and 4th-most in MLB (61-ATL, 60-TB, 57-BAL, 55-TEX).
- The 55-39 mark is T2nd-best 94-G start to a season in Washington/Texas franchise history (see chart below).
WITH A WIN TONIGHT, Texas would:
- Claim 4 straight victories for the 1st time since season-best 5-game winning streak from 6/2-6 (5-0).
- Go 4-0 to open the 2nd “half” for the 1st time since 2011… longest post-break win streaks in TEX history: 6-1977, 5-2011, 3-1973/1978/1990/1998/2004/2023.
- Win 4 straight games at Globe Life Field for the 1st time since season-best 8-G home win streak from 5/19-6/6 (8-0).
- Improve to 56-39 in 2023, which would be the 2nd-best 95-G start in WSH/TEX franchise history (57-38 in 2012).
STANDINGS: TEX owns a 3.0-game lead in A.L. West over 2nd-place HOU for a 2nd straight day…TEX has owned a lead of 2.0+ G in the West for 55 consecutive days beg. 5/23, as last smaller lead was thru 5/22 (+1.0 GA)…season-best 6.5-G lead in West after win 6/23 at NYY, which was largest division lead since winning the West by 9.0 G in 2016… TEX has had sole possession of 1st place in the West for 72 straight, 79 of 80, and 92 of the last 94 days beg. 4/14.
- TEX has been alone or tied atop the division for 108 of the season’s first 109 days (exception: 4/8).
SERIES STUFF: Texas yesterday secured a series sweep over Cleveland (3-0), club’s 5th time to win all games of a series this season (1st since 3-0 from 6/2-4 vs. SEA)…the series win vs. CLE ended span in which club had gone 0-3-0 in last 3 series and 0-4-1 in prev. 5…longest drought since 0-6-3 span from 8/23-9/18/22…team is now 3-6-1 in last 10 series following a stretch of 6 straight series victories from 5/19-6/7, longest span for team since club-record 10 straight series victories from 5/20-6/20/16…club is 18-10-2 overall in series this year, going 9-4-2 at home and 9-6-0 on the road… is 14-7-2 in last 23 series and 17-8-2 in last 26…TEX has gone 8-3-2 in last 13 series at GLF, just 2-2-1 in last 5.
AT HOME: TEX is 30-18 (.625) at home, T4th-best home record in MLB: TB (.700, 35-15), ATL (.646, 31-17), LAD (.644, 29-16), MIA/TEX (.625, 30-18)…marks TEX’s best 48-G start at home since 2019 (31-17)…club has won 3 straight at home, but has lost 4 of 8 and has a 8-11 mark in Arlington beg. 6/7…has still won 17 of 27, 18 of 29, 22 of 35, and 27 of last 43 at GLF (beg. 4/5)…TEX owns a 116-124 all-time record at GLF (2020-23), 36-25 last 61 G here beg. 9/11/22.
- TEX leads MLB in R (304) and R/G (6.33) at home in 2023, and has scored 28 more runs at home than 2nd-place TB (276) despite playing 2 fewer home games…club has 10-ormore runs in 2 of 4 and 8 of last 26 G at home (beg. 5/20)… has A.L.-high 81 HR at home, 2nd-most in MLB (86-ATL).
NEVER EVER QUIT: The Rangers utilized a 4-run 8th inning to erase a 3-run deficit and claim a 6-5 victory over the visiting Guardians yesterday…Texas entered the bottom of the 8th behind, 5-2, as yesterday’s win marked club’s 1st of the season when trailing after the 7th inning (prev. 0-27).
- The Rangers rank T3rd in MLB with 162 runs scored in the 7th-or-later this season (165-LAD, 164-HOU, 162-TEX/ TOR)…TEX also ranks among A.L. clubs in 7th-or-later in OBP (2nd, .339), BA (3rd, .262), and OPS (3rd, .761).
START ME UP: Cleveland’s Steven Kwan and Texas’ Marcus Semien each connected for leadoff home runs in the in the 1st inning of yesterday’s game…it marked the 2nd MLB contest this season in which both teams hit leadoff homers in the 1st inning (also Lane Thomas/J.P. Crawford on 6/26/23 WAS at SEA)…additionally, it was just the 3rd game in Rangers history in which the 1st batter for both teams hit leadoff HRs in the opening frame, with the other instances coming on 8/1/01 at NYY (Michael Young/Chuck Knoblauch) and 7/27/85 vs. NYY (Rickey Henderson/Oddibe McDowell).
SIMMY SZN: Semien’s 4 leadoff HR this season are tied for most in the A.L. (also LAA’s Mickey Moniak/TOR’s George Springer) and T3rd-most in MLB (10-LAD’s Mookie Betts, 5-PHI’s Kyle Schwarber)…he is the 1st Ranger to hit as many as 4 leadoff HR in a single season since Shin-Soo Choo matched the club record with 7 leadoff blasts in 2019.
MAKE IT A DOUBLE: With Adolis García’s 8th-inning RBI double yesterday, the Rangers have now recorded at least one 2B in a season-high 24 straight games (beg. /18)…it is the T5th-longest doubles streak in WSH/TEX franchise history, and club’s longest since a 27-G run from 4/7-5/7/15…TEX has totaled an MLB-best 61 2B over that span, and 214 2B overall in ’23 are 2nd-most in the Majors (214-BOS).
- TEX has tallied an extra-base hit in 53 consecutive contests (beg. 5/16), 15th-longest such streak in team history.
LOWE PLACES: Nathaniel Lowe keyed yesterday’s 4-run 8th inn. with an RBI single to cut Cleveland’s lead to 5-3…Lowe has gone 6-for-11 (.545) with a HR, 2B, and 3 RBI in Texas’ first 3 G of the 2nd “half”, and is batting .308/.419/.477/.895 (33-107) with 3 HR, 9 2B, 11 RBI, and 19 BB/19 SO over his last 28 G (beg. 6/13)…he has reached base safely via H/BB/ HBP a team-high 156 times in ’23, 2nd-most among A.L. batters (158-LAA’s Shohei Ohtani) and 7th-most in MLB.
CO-CLOSERS: Aroldis Chapman (Sat.) and Will Smith (Sun.) notched each notched saves in the Rangers’ last 2 wins…the 2 veterans have combined to go 425-for-502 (84.7%) in save opportunities in their respective careers, with both hurlers counting themselves among the 16 active MLB pitchers with 100+ career saves (3rd, 318-Chapman; 16th, 107-Smith)… Texas is the only MLB club that currently holds multiple pitchers with 100-or-more career saves on its active roster.
VS. TAMPA BAY: The Rays are in Arlington for a 3-G series from Mon.-Wed. this week…Texas and Tampa Bay were MLB’s top 2 teams (by winning pct.) when they met from 6/9- 11 at The Trop (TEX went 1-2)…while both teams continue to hold division leads, they now have the 2nd (TB) and 4th (TEX) best records in the Majors entering today’s games… both clubs own the highest (+159, TEX) and 2nd-highest (+152, TB) run differentials in MLB…TEX has lost 6 of 8, 9 of 17, and 12 of last 22 G vs. TB, and is 3-4 vs. Rays all-time at Globe Life Field (beg. 2020).
SHORTS: Travis Jankowski’s .421 OBP in 2023 ranks 2nd among MLB batters with 150+ PA (.431-MIA’s Luis Arraez)… Adolis García’s MLB-leading 80 RBI this season are the most by a Ranger over their first 93 G of a campaign since Josh Hamilton in 2012 (84 RBI)…TEX is 24-22 (.522) vs. above .500 teams this season, 6th-best win pct. vs. .500-or-better teams in MLB (TB is 33-24 vs. above .500 teams in ’23).
TONIGHT’S STARTING PITCHER – #33 Dane Dunning, RHP
(8-2, 2.84)
TONIGHT: The 28-year-old Florida native is scheduled to make his 13th start/21st appearance of the season in tonight’s series opener against the Rays…his 2.84 ERA (25 ER/86.1 IP) is 4th-lowest in A.L. and 8th-lowest in MLB among pitchers with 90.0+ IP this season…remains just shy of qualifying for league leader status, although he has briefly qualified after his past 3 starts…career-high 8 wins are T8th in A.L., and 14 GIDP’s induced rank 3rd-most…has made 12 starts since joining the rotation on 5/5, going 6-2, 3.14 (25 ER/71.2 IP) with 19 BB/48 SO…has allowed just 6 HR this season, as 0.59 HR/9 figure is 2nd-lowest in A.L. (min. 90.0 IP) to MIN’s Sonny Gray (0.27)…will pitch on 7 days’ rest after taking loss in Rangers’ 1st “half” finale on 7/9 at WAS (see below)…that loss ended span in which Dunning had produced 4 straight quality starts (3-0, 2.28, 7 ER/27.2 IP)…just 23 of 80 hits allowed this season have gone for extra bases (6 HR, 16 2B, 1 3B), and .342 opp. SLG figure is 3rd-lowest in A.L. (min. 90.0+ IP) while .620 opp. OPS is 7th-lowest…established career highs in many categories last season, ranking 2nd on the Texas staff in starts (29), innings (153.1), and strikeouts (137)…had season-ending surgery on 9/26/22 for a right hip labral repair, with the surgery performed by Dr. William Robertson in Arlington…is 17- 20 with a 4.07 ERA (164 ER/363.0 IP) for the Rangers over the last 3 seasons (2021-23) since being acquired from the Chicago White Sox in a 3-player trade involving RHP Lance Lynn on 12/8/20…pitched 3 seasons at the University of Florida, helping the Gators to College World Series appearances in both 2015 and 2016…Texas is 7-5 in his 12 starts in 2023.
LAST START: Took loss in Rangers’ 7-2 defeat last Sun. at WAS (L, 5.2 IP, 7 H, 4 R-ER, 2 BB, 4 SO, 1 HR, 88 pitches/59 strikes)…held Nats scoreless thru 4 innings then gave up 2 runs in the 5th…exited with 2 on and 2 outs in the 6th, at which point Josh Sborz entered and permitted both IR to score, the victim of some soft contact hits…was just Dunning’s 2nd loss of ’23, ending span of 4 straight quality starts.
VS. TAMPA BAY: The Jacksonville-area native has no record and 9.0 SHO IP over 2 G/GS in his career vs. TB, starting Texas losses on 4/12/21 at TB (1-0 loss) and 6/6/21 at GLF (7-1 loss)…both outings came while he was on pitch count limits in a 2021 campaign that followed an abbreviated 2020 season and a missed 2019 year due to ‘Tommy John’ surgery…in the 4/12/21 game, his 2nd start/app. with Texas, was his 1st MLB start in his home state…Taylor Hearn had back half of tandem with Dunning that night, allowing a solo HR to Willy Adames in the 7th for the game’s only run…in the 6/6/21 start, took ND despite exiting with a 1-0 lead…Texas led 1-0 entering the 8th, but Rays scored 7 times in 8th/9th innings as Rangers lost for 1st time all year when leading after 7 inn
AS A STARTER: Has gone 6-2, 3.14 (25 ER/71.2 IP) with 19 BB/48 SO in his 12 starts for TEX in 2023, spanning his last 12 outings…has exited 9 of 12 starts with the Rangers holding a lead…made 8 straight relief app. to open the year, but a majority of Dunning’s Major League appearances (73 of 83) have come as a starter…he owns a lifetime 17-20 record and 4.19 ERA (174 ER/373.2 IP) in those 73 career starts, with opponents batting .257/.329/.405/.734 (389-1514)… he went 4-8, 4.46 ERA (76 ER/153.1 IP) in 29 starts for Texas in 2022, registering an A.L.-high 17 no-decisions…Dunning’s 66 starts in a Texas uniform over the last 3 seasons (beg. 2021) are the most among Rangers.
AT HOME / GLOBE LIFE FIELD: Dunning is 5-0 with a 2.89 ERA (14 ER/43.2 IP) in 9 G/5 GS in Arlington this season, with Texas going 7-2 in his appearances here…last start in Arlington was a near-CG SHO (see below)…has earned wins 4 of his last 5 starts at home this season…throughout his career, has seen far better results in his outings at home (15-5, 3.31 ERA in 43 G/38 GS) than on the road (4-15, 4.97 ERA in 40 G/35 GS).
- Owns a lifetime 14-5 record and 3.27 ERA (72 ER/198.1 IP) in 39 games/34 starts at Globe Life Field…he is the facility’s all-time leader (including 2020 postseason) in wins (14), starts (34), innings (198.1), and strikeouts (182).
SO CLOSE: Earmed win in Rangers’ 10-2 victory on 6/28 vs. DET (W, 8.2 IP, 4 H, 2 R-ER, 0 BB, 10 SO, 1 HR, 100 pitches/75 strikes)…was within one out of a CG shutout, but gave up a 2-R HR after Nathaniel Lowe could not make a play on a popup with 2 outs in the 9th…still set a career high for innings and matched his career best with 10 SO (also 5/9/21 vs. SEA)…his 78 game score was 2nd-highest of his career (80 game score on 8/6/22 vs. CWS – 7.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R).
2023: Opponents have batted .236/.296/.342/.639 (80-339) with 23 extra-base hits (6 HR, 16 2B, 1 3B), incl. opp. BA’s of .257 (38-148) vs. LHB and .220 (42-191) vs. RHB…opp. BA by time thru the order: 1st (.197, 30-152), 2nd (.244, 29-119), 3rd (.292, 19-65), 4th (.667, 2-3)…8 wins are 2nd-most on club (10-Eovaldi)…20.1 relief innings still rank 8th for TEX…has 3 relief app. of 3.0+ SHO IP…earned win on 4/17 at KC (4.1 SHO IP, 1 H, 1 BB, 5 SO), as he and Jacob deGrom (4.0 SHO IP) became just the 2nd Rangers duo in the last 40 years (beg. 1984) to each have at least 4.0 SHO IP in the same game (also 5.0-Kameron Loe, 4.0-C.J. Wilson on 8/26/05 vs. MIN)…his win on 5/10 at SEA ended a span in which he had gone winless in 27 consecutive road starts with CWS and TEX, the 2nd-longest winless road span as a starter in modern era behind only COL’s Scott Elarton (29 from 2001-05)…earned win 7/4 at BOS, when he ended outing with 5.0 SHO IP after Sox scored following triple to lead off game.
