TEXAS RANGERS NOTES:
WINS AND LOSSES: Texas lost the series opener against the Twins yesterday, 7-5, as club is 0-3 in this 9-G, 10-day road trip thru ARI (0-2), MIN (0-1 + 3 G), and NYM (3 G)… club’s 7 G losing streak is the longest this season by team and the longest since a 7 G losing streak last season from 9/28-10/4/22…after going 0-2 at ARI, club has lost all games of a series for the 4th time this season (also 4/24-26 at CIN, 0-3; 7/28-30 at SD, 0-3; and 8/18-20 vs. MIL, 0-3)…club has 72 wins, already most since 2019 (78)…team has dropped 8 of 10 and is 4-9 since a month-opening and season-best 8-G win streak (8/1-8), longest for club since going 10-0, 5/9- 19/17…Rangers are still 12-9 (.571) in Aug., T4th-best in A.L. (SEA: .762, 16-5; BAL: .667, 14-7; TB: .660, 13-7; MIN/TEX: .571, 12-9)…have gone 13-13 in last 26 G and 14-16 in last 30 G since a 6-G win streak (7/14-19) out of the break…team is 20-16 (.556) in the 2nd “half”, T5th-best record and T5thmost wins in A.L…TEX is 21-18 in last 39, 22-22 in last 44 G, and 23-24 in last 47 G…team was 12-19 over a 31-G span from 6/7-7/9 to end the 1st “half”…TEX is 67-51 last 118 G.
- At 72-55 (.567), TEX owns the 3rd-best record in the A.L., 5th-best in MLB (.651-ATL, .622-BAL, .619-LAD, .605-TB, .567-TEX)…72 wins rank T3rd in the A.L., T5th-most in MLB (82-ATL, 79-BAL, 78-LAD/TB, 72-HOU/TEX).
- The 72-55 mark is T7th-best 127-G start to a season in Washington/Texas franchise history (see chart below).
WITH A WIN TONIGHT, Texas would:
- Tie for 6th-best 128-G record in franchise history (at 73-55).
- Snap a season high 7 G losing streak (club’s longest since a 7 G losing streak from 9/28-10/4/22: 0-2 at SEA, 0-3 at LAA, 0-2 vs. NYY)…it is the longest losing streak for TEX since a 9 G losing streak from 8/27-9/5/22.
STANDINGS: Texas has a 1.0-G lead in the A.L. West over 2nd-place HOU for the 2nd straight day…have lost 2.5 G in division race during current 7 G losing streak…lead had been at least 2.0 G for 16 straight days from 8/5-21…also held leads of 2.0+ G in the division for 64 consecutive days from 5/23-7/24…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 for 111 straight, 118 of 119, and 131 of the last 133 days beg. 4/14.
- TEX has been alone or tied atop the division for 146 of the season’s first 147 days (exception: 4/8).
SERIES STUFF: Club dropped the series opener yesterday for the 3rd straight series (23-19)…has lost all games in 2 straight series for 1st time since 8/30-9/4/22 (0-2 vs. HOU; 0-4 at BOS)…TEX lost all games of a home series for the first time since 9/23-25/22 vs. CLE (0-3) after being swept by MIL from 8/18-20…it also snapped a span of 5 straight winning series (5-0-0) for the Rangers…it was club’s 2ndbest streak in ’23 (6-0-0, 5/19-6/7)…club is now 7-5-0 in series since break… The span follows a 2-6-1 stretch to end the 1st “half”…is now 24-15-2 overall in series in ’23: 13-6-2 at home; 11-9-0 on the road.
- TEX has lost all games of a series just 4 times in ’23…once at home: 8/18-20 vs. MIL (0-3) and 3 times on the road: 4/24- 26 at CIN (0-3), 7/28-30 at SD (0-3), and 8/21-22 at ARI (0-2).
ON THE ROAD: TEX is 0-3 during current 9-G, 10-day road trip through ARI (0-2), MIN (0-1 + 3 G), and NYM (3 G)…it is the team’s third and final 3-city trip of the season (7-3 from May 5-14 at LAA/SEA/OAK, and 6-3 from May 22-31 at PIT/ BAL/DET)…club has lost 8 of 12, 12 of 17, 14 of 20, 16 of 23, and 20 of last 31 away games.
- Club has a 30-31 (.492) away record in ’23, but is 7-3 vs. A.L. Central on the road.
SETTING THE TONE: Marcus Semien launched his 6th leadoff HR of the season last night, now T5th-most in a single season in WSH/TEX franchise history (also David Dellucci, 2005)…his next leadoff HR this season would place him in a tie for the Rangers single season record w/ Ian Kinsler (’09, ’11, ’12) and Shin-Soo Choo (’19)…Semien’s 6 leadoff HR in ’23 lead the A.L./T2nd-most in MLB (LAD’s Mookie Betts-11, PHI’s Kyle Schwarber/TEX’s Marcus Semien-6).
- Semien’s 8 leadoff HR since joining TEX rank 3rd in the A.L./T5th in MLB and are T3rd-most in TEX history…in fact, Semien is the only player in WSH/TEX history who has compiled 8 leadoff HR in a span of less than 2 seasons.
MOST LEADOFF HOME RUNS,
TEXAS RANGERS HISTORY
HR Player Seasons
29 Ian Kinsler 2006-13
25 Shin-Soo Choo 2014-20
8 Marcus Semien 2022-23
8 Michael Young 2000-12
8 Oddibe McDowell 1985-94
8 Mike Hargrove 1974-78
ONE-TWO PUNCH: Marcus Semien and Corey Seager both homered in the same game last night for the 4th time this season (also 6/14 vs. LAA, 7/18 vs. TB, 8/2 vs. CWS, 8/24 at MIN)…Elias confirms that their 43 homers combined while playing as a 2B and SS are the most in the Majors for a middle infield duo this season, surpassing the 42 combined HR from ATL’s Ozzie Albies (28) and Orlando Arcia (14).
MOST COMBINED HR, 2023
PLAYING AS 2B AND SS
HR (TEAM) 2B (HR) SS (HR)
43 (TEX) Marcus Semien (20) Corey Seager (23)
42 (ATL) Ozzie Albies (28) Orlando Arcia (14)
35 (NYY) Gleyber Torres (18) Anthony Volpe (17)
SEEING 20/20: With Marcus Semien crossing the 20-homer mark for the season last night, he and Corey Seager (24 HR) are now only the second pair of 2B and SS to hit 20+ HR while playing in their respective positions in back-to-back seasons in WSH/TEX history, joining shortstop Michael Young (21 HR in 2004, 24 HR in 2005) and second baseman Alfonso Soriano (27 HR in 2004 and 35 HR in 2005)…Semien and Seager’s 5.8 bWAR each leads A.L. for position players this season.
LIKE A SECOND LEADOFF HITTER: Leody Taveras blasted his career-high 12th HR last night, as his last 3 hits have been for extra bases (1 HR, 2 2B)…Taveras is slashing .273/.333/.727/1.061 (3-11) on the current road trip…Elias confirms that yesterday was only the 2nd instance in ’23 where both team’s 9th hitter in the lineup has homered in the same game (also 8/23/23, MIN vs. MIL).
PICO POWER: José Leclerc tossed another scoreless outing yesterday (1.0 IP, 2 SO), and has now recorded 7.0 SHO IP in his last 6 app…in fact, Leclerc is 1 of only of 3 relief pitchers in MLB to toss 7.0+ innings and not allow more than 1 base hit and a runner to score since 8/6 (also TOR’s Genesis Cabrera and DET’s Tyler Horton)…Leclerc’s 1.17 road ERA (3 ER/23.0 IP) is 7th-lowest in A.L. in ’23 (min. 22.0 IP).
ANYTHING BUT MUNDANE: Dane Dunning has posted a QS in 3 of 4 GS during August, totaling a 1-1 record with a 2.81 ERA to lower his season ERA to 3.19, 6th-lowest among A.L. qualifiers…his 17 GIDP induced this season are T2ndmost in the A.L. and his 1.15 GIDP per 9.0 innings is highest among A.L. qualifiers.
VS. MINNESOTA: Teams play each other 7 times in a span of 11 days (also 3 G vs. TEX: 9/1-3)…TEX went 5-2 vs. MIN last season, winning a season series against them for the 1st time since 2018 (4-2)…TEX is 9-13 vs. MIN since the start of 2019 and 18-24 since the start of 2016…TEX has won 6 of 8 and 7 of last 10 G at Target Field…TEX slightly trails 282- 283 all-time, with the Twins holding the lead in games in MIN (151-129) and Target Field (24-22).
TONIGHT’S STARTING PITCHER – #33 Dane Dunning, RHP (9-5, 3.19)
TONIGHT: The 28-year-old right-hander is scheduled to make his 28th appearance/20th start of the season in tonight’s 2nd game of this 4-G set in Minneapolis…has posted quality starts in 3 of his 4 outings this month: 1-1, 2.81 ERA, (8 ER/25.2 IP), 5 BB/33 SO, and a .225 opp. BA, to lower his season ERA from 3.28 to 3.19, 6th-lowest among A.L. qualifiers…is still 1-4, 4.27 (22 ER/46.1 IP) over his last 8 G/GS to raise his season ERA from 2.61…took loss in last start on Sat. vs. MIL, a 6-1 TEX defeat (see below)…has logged at least 7.0 IP in 5 of his last 11 starts, and has pitched 5.0+ innings in 18 of 19 starts this season…no more than 3 ER allowed in 16 of 19 GS, as his 10 quality starts are T2nd-most on club (11-Eovaldi, 10-Dunning/Gray)…has made 19 starts since joining the rotation on 5/5, going 7-5, 3.45 (43 ER/112.1 IP) with 30 BB/90 SO…has allowed just 14 HR this season, as 0.95 HR/9 figure is 6th-lowest in A.L…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 18-22 with a 4.04 ERA (179 ER/398.2 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 has gone 10-9 over Dunning’s 19 starts this season.
AMONG THE LEADERS: Dunning enters today’s start ranked 6th among A.L. qualifiers with a 3.19 ERA, and his career-high 9 wins are T13th-most in A.L…his 17 GIDP induced this season are T2nd-most in the A.L. behind only BAL’s Kyle Gibson (18), and his 1.15 GIDP per 9.0 innings figure is the highest among A.L. qualifiers…has held right-handed batters to a .218/.265/.332/.597 (59-271) slash line in 2023, the 9th-lowest opp. OPS vs. RHB in the A.L.
K-MART: While he had 4 SO in his last outing on Sat. vs. MIL, Dunning posted the 2 highest SO totals of his career over his 1st 3 starts in August (12 SO, 8/13 at SF; 11 SO, 8/2 vs. CWS)…his 33 SO this month rank 3rd in the A.L., most SO in any month in his ML career…had 29 SO over his 1st 3 starts this month, the most by any TEX pitcher over a single-season 3 G span since Lance Lynn from 9/17-29/19 (30 SO)…allowed no BB w/ career-high 12 SO on 8/13 at SF, becoming the 8th pitcher (11th instance) in WSH/TEX franchise history to post 12+ SO/0 BB in a game (also Jon Gray, 6/7/23 vs. STL).
LAST START: Took loss in last start Sat. vs. MIL (L, 5.0 IP, 7 H, 3 R-ER, 1 BB, 4 SO, 2 HR, 99 pitches/63 strikes), a 6-1 Rangers defeat that was club’s 3rd straight loss…gave up solo HR in the 1st (Carlos Santana) and 6th (Willy Adames, last BF) innings, and another run on Adames’ RBI single in the 3rd…the 1st 2 runs scored after he had retired the 1st 2 BF in each inning…marked just 3rd start in ‘23 to allow multiple HR and his 4 SO were fewest in August.
VS. MINNESOTA: Has gone 1-2, 4.74 (10 ER/19.0 IP) in 4 G/GS over his career vs. MIN…took ND in only start last year vs. Twins, a 6-5 TEX loss on 7/10/22 at Globe Life Field (2.1 IP, 6 H, 4 R-ER)…remains the shortest start of his MLB career, allowed a HR to Buxton in the 1st inning and opened the 3rd frame with following sequence before his exit: L3, BB, BB, BB, HBP…placed on 15-day IL the next day w/ right ankle impingement…had one career start at Target Field, a 6-5 TEX loss on 5/3/21 at MIN (5.2 IP, 3 H, 3 R-2 ER).
ON ROAD: Dunning is 3-3, 2.98 (22 ER/66.1 IP) in 14 G/10 GS on the road in ‘23, going 2-3, 3.09 (20 ER/58.1 IP) w/ 5 QS in his 10 away starts…his 2.98 road ERA is 4th among A.L. qualifiers…has allowed 3-R-or-less in 9 of 10 away starts w/ 5 quality starts…has received one-or-zero runs of support in 3 of his last 4 road starts and 5 of last 8 away starts, as he has a 3.24 RSA in his 10 road starts… took ND despite career-high 12 SO in last road outing 8/13 at SF (7.0 IP, 1 R-ER), when he posted highest game score (71) of any away start in his ML career…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).
AS A STARTER: Has gone 7-5, 3.45 (43 ER/112.1 IP) with 30 BB/90 SO in his 19 starts for Texas in 2023 (spanning his last 19 outings)…has logged at least 7.0 IP in 5 of his last 11 starts, and has pitched 5.0+ innings in 18 of 19 starts this season…no more than 3 ER allowed in 16 of 19 GS, as his 10 quality starts are T2nd-most on club (11-Eovaldi, 10-Dunning/Gray)…has exited 10 of 19 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 (80 of 90) have come as a starter…he owns a lifetime 18-23 record and 4.17 ERA (192 ER/414.1 IP) in those 80 career starts…Dunning’s 73 starts for TEX last 3 seasons (beg. 2021) are the most among Rangers.
SO CLOSE: Earned 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 10 SO remain T3rd-most in any outing…his 78 game score is 3rd-highest of his career (80 GS on 8/6/22 vs. CWS, 79 GS on 8/2/23 vs. CWS).
2023: Opponents have batted .240/.298/.372/.669 (119-495) w/ 36 XBH (14 HR, 21 2B, 1 3B)…opp. BA by time thru the order: 1st (.221), 2nd (.251), 3rd (.252, 27-107), 4th (.400, 2-5)…20.1 relief innings still rank 8th for TEX…Dunning (W, 4.1 SHO IP) joined Jacob deGrom (4.0 SHO IP) 4/17 at KC as just 2nd Rangers duo in the last 40 years (beg. 1984) to each have at least 4.0 SHO IP in same game.
MINNESOTA TWINS NOTES:
THE TWINS: After completing their two-game roadtrip in Milwaukee with two losses to the Brewers, the Twins began their seven-game homestand with a victory over the Rangers last night…tonight, they will play the second of four against Texas through the weekend…after this series, Minnesota will host the Guardians for three games from Monday-Wednesday… the Twins have gone 37-26 at home and 29-36 on the road.
after a win last night and two Guardians losses to the Dodgers yesterday, the Twins enter today with a 6.0-game lead over Cleveland, the biggest division lead in the AL.
Of the Twins’ 34 remaining games, they have an opponent winning percentage of .470, the fourth-lowest strength of schedule in Major League Baseball…however, the combined winning percentage of opponents over the next 18 games is .525 (Texas, Cleveland, New York-NL and Tampa Bay).
TEXAS LONG BALLS: The Twins beat the Rangers last night at Target Field by a score of 7-5, scoring three runs in the bottom of the eight for their 30th comeback win
this season…Pablo López was the starter but did not factor into the decision, allowing five runs on 10 hits in 5.0 innings pitched, including three home runs…Minnesota’s offense answered with five home runs of their own, including one from Royce Lewis (6), Kyle Farmer (8), Ryan Jeffers (10) and two from Michael A. Taylor (18, 19)…Taylor recorded the fourth multi-homer game of his career (2nd this season) and Jeffers recorded his second career pinch-hit homer (4th for a Twin this season)…the Twins finished with 11 hits, marking their seventh time with double-digit hit totals in their last 10 games.
RANGER THINGS: The Twins and Rangers are playing each other tonight for the second of seven meetings in 2023…the Twins went 2-5 against the Rangers last season, going 1-2 from July 8-10 at Globe Life Field and 1-3 at Target Field from August 19-22.
Since the start of 2021, 14 of 15 games between these two have been decided by three runs-or-fewer, while eight games have been decided by one run.
Since the start of 2019, the Twins have scored 5.3 runs-per-game in 22 games against the Rangers…marks the second-most against any AL club in that span, trailing Seattle (5.8).
Carlos Correa has 20 career home runs vs. the Rangers (99 games), his most against any opponent…20 homers are the fifth most among actives, trailing Mike Trout (44), George Springer (28), Jose Altuve (27) and Nelson Cruz (23).
Joey Gallo was selected by the Rangers 39th overall in the 2012 MLB Draft and spent his first 10 professional seasons in the Rangers organization, seven with Texas…in 568 games for Texas (2015-21), Gallo hit .211 (385-for-1826) with 74 doubles, 145 home runs, 317 RBI and an .833 OPS…he was an All-Star in 2019 and ’21 and an AL Gold Glove Award winner in 2020 and ’21…he homered as a 20-year-old this ballpark during the SiriusXM Futures Game in 2014 and won the game’s MVP…he ranks 17th on the Rangers all-time home run list.
STARTERS ONLY: Twins starters have combined to go 4-1, 3.11 ERA (55.0 IP, 19 ER) with 19 walks and 56 strikeouts in their last 10 games…below is a look at the Twins starting staff through games of August 24 last season, compared to this season…in parentheses are the MLB rankings:
ERA BAA OPS FIP WHIP K/9.0 BB/9.0
2022 4.00 (18) .240 (12) .705 (15) 4.04 (16) 1.20 (10) 7.64 (21) 2.63 (11)
2023 3.84 (6) .240 (4) .693 (3) 3.75 (2) 1.17 (2) 9.79 (1) 2.32 (3)
WET HOT MINNESOTA SUMMER: The Twins have gone 11-4 in 15 home games since the All-Star break for a .733 winning percentage, the third best in baseball, trailing Washington (.778 — 14-4) and Los Angeles-NL (.737 — 14-5)…Twins batters have slashed .253/.329/.453 with a .782 OPS and 4.7 runs-per-game in 63 home games this season, compared to .228/.308/.391 with a .699 OPS and 4.2 runs-per-game in 65 road games.
ROOKIES THAT RAKE:
After starting the season hitting .182 (6-for-33) with a .576 OPS in his first eight games, Royce Lewis has hit .380 (35-for-92) with a .984 OPS in his last 26 games, including seven three-plus-hit games.
Edouard Julien is hitting .321 (36-for-112) with 19 walks, a .421 on-base percentage and a .903 OPS in his last 36 games, since July 8.
Matt Wallner has four doubles, nine home runs, 21 RBI, nine walks, 20 runs scored, a .347 on-base percentage, a .547 slugging percentage and an .894 OPS in his last 35 games.
Below are AL rookie rankings among hitters with a minimum of 125 plate appearances:
AVG OBP OPS OPS+ wOBA SLG
Lewis – .328 Noda – .380 Gelof – .970 Gelof – 167.3 Gelof – .402 Gelof – .610
Yoshida – .295 Julien – .379 Lewis – .880 Lewis – 141.5 Lewis – .381 Y. Díaz – .367
Gelof – .294 Caballero – .371 Julien – .852 Julien – 135.2 Wallner – .378 Lewis – .512
Julien – .287 Lewis – .368 Wallner – .845 Wallner – 130.8 Julien – .371 Wallner – .504
Y. Díaz – .287 Gelof – .360 Y. Díaz – .843 Y. Díaz – 127.4 Y. Díaz – .367 Jung – .489
AMERICA’S NEXT TOP JEFF: Since the All-Star break, Ryan Jeffers is hitting .329 (25-for-76) with four doubles, six home runs, 17 RBI, 10 walks, a .420 on-base percentage, a .618 slugging percentage and a 1.039 OPS…he has raised his OPS 95 points since the break, going from .778 to .873…since the break, he ranks ninth in the American League in OPS.
Among all primary catchers in baseball with a minimum of 225 plate appearances, Jeffers ranks first in on-base percentage (.380); second in OPS (.873), OPS+ (140.5) and wOBA (.375); third in batting average (.282) and slugging percentage (.493); and fifth in runs created/27 (5.64).
10,000 RAKES: The Twins have hit 62 home runs since the All-Star break, the most in the AL and second most in baseball, trailing Atlanta (71)…on the season, they have homered 177 times, tied with Texas for third most in the AL and tied for fifth most in baseball.
Twins have 20 homers in their last 11 games, averaging 1.8-per-game in that span.
TWINS ON A STICK: The Minnesota Twins Experience is now at the Minnesota State Fair through Monday, September 4…interactive games, giveaways and special appearances are part of the team’s daily lineup…the Minnesota Twins Experience is located on the south end of Cooper Street at Judson Avenue, next to the International Bazaar, and is open from 9:00 am to 9:00 pm daily, rain or shine…below are some of the ways fans can engage with the Twins at the Great Minnesota Get-Together (subject to change).
Royce Lewis and Jose Miranda will visit Monday, August 28 from 12:00 to 1:00 pm.
Hall of Famer Bert Blyleven appeared at the fair earlier today and will be there again tomorrow from 10:30 to 11:30 am.
Hall of Famer Tony Oliva will be at the Experience on Thursday, August 31 and Friday, September 1 from 10:30 to 11:30 am.
DID SOMEONE ORDER A HAMBURGER? ….WELL DONE: On this day in 2008, the Twins acquired old friend and left-handed pitcher Eddie Guardado from the Rangers in exchange for minor league right-handed pitcher Mark Hamburger…Guardado appeared in nine games for
the Twins down the stretch, allowing six runs on 12 hits in 7.0 innings pitched…Eddie signed back with the Rangers the next offseason
where he finished his major league career.
STARTING PITCHER – #54 SONNY GRAY
2023: 6-6, 3.15 ERA CAREER: 96-83, 3.52 ERA
MakIng his 273rd career appearance and 264th career start…also his 26th start/appearance this season.
Owns the fifth-lowest ERA (3.15)among qualified American League pitchers, trailing NYY’s Gerrit Cole (3.03), BAL’s Kyle Bradish (3.03), LAA’s Shohei Ohtani and SEA’s Luis Castillo (3.15); ranks 10th in baseball.
Facing Texas for the first time since August 22, 2022 (L, 6.0 IP, 5 H, 2 R/ER, 1 HR, 1 BB, 6 K)…is 9-5, 3.17 ERA (105.0 IP, 37 ER) with 32 walks and 89 strikeouts in 17 career appearances against the Rangers (including 16 starts).
Acquired by the Twins on March 13, 2022 in a trade with the Cincinnati Reds, along with right-handed pitcher Francis Peguero, in exchange for right-handed pitcher Chase Petty.
LAST TIME OUT: Took the loss and snapped his season-long five-game quality start streak in his last start on August 19 vs. Philadelphia…pitched 6.2 innings and allowed four runs on four hits, three walks and seven strikeouts in a 7-4 Twins’ defeat…tossed 5.1 perfect innings before allowing a single to Liover Peguero; after allowing another single and issuing a walk, Gray permitted a two-run single to Andrew McCutchen and an RBI single to Ke’Bryan Hayes…relieved by Dylan Floro in the seventh inning after issuing two walks, Floro yielded an RBI double to Ji Hwan Bae (run charged to Gray)… Floro was replaced by Jordan Balazovic after issuing two walks in the eighth…Balazovic surrendered a three-run home run to McCutchen in the ninth.
Has pitched at least 6.0 innings in six-straight starts, his longest streak as a Twin and his longest since another six-start streak from August 20-September 17, 2019 with Cincinnati (career high is 13 in 2015 with Oakland).
BIG TEX: Gray is looking to avoid extending his two-game losing streak against the Rangers, dating back to July 8, 2022…owns a 5.91 ERA (10.2 IP, 7 ER) with three walks and six strikeouts in those games…is 9-5, 3.17 ERA (105.0 IP, 37 ER) with 32 walks and 89 strikeouts in 17 appearances against Texas (including 16 starts)…last faced the Rangers on August 22, 2022 at Target Field, when he took the 2-1 Twins’ defeat after pitching 6.0 innings and allowing two runs on five hits (1 HR), with one walk and six strikeouts; marked his first loss in a quality start in 2022…pitched 4.0 scoreless innings before permitting a home run to Adolis García to lead off the fifth…allowed an RBI single to Corey Seager in the sixth for his final run…is 3-4, 4.06 ERA (51.0 IP, 23 ER) with 13 walks and 45 strikeouts in nine career appearances (8 starts) against the Rangers at home.
Owns the second-lowest ERA against the Rangers since 2014 (min. 15 GS), trailing only Justin Verlander (2.62)…also owns the third-lowest opponent batting average (.235), trailing Félix Hernández (.205) and Verlander (.218)
