Rangers return home from successful trip to meet Padres (Jun 24, 2018)
The Texas Rangers have been one of the best teams in the major leagues during the past week and head home to attempt to continue that trend against the San Diego Padres in a three-game interleague series beginning Monday at Globe Life Park in Arlington, Texas.
San Diego will send left-hander Joey Lucchesi (3-3, 3.86 ERA) to the mound for the series opener and the Rangers will counter with left-hander Cole Hamels (4-6, 3.41).
Texas had its season-high seven-game winning streak snapped Sunday in Minnesota with a 2-0 loss, but still went 5-1 on the six-game, seven-day road trip to Kansas City (3-0) and Minnesota (2-1).
Twins pitcher Jose Berrios held the Rangers to three hits in seven innings, struck out a career-high 12 batters and spoiled ageless Bartolo Colon's attempt to tie Dennis Martinez's record of 245 wins, the most ever by a pitcher from Latin America.
Colon allowed two runs and seven hits with a walk and five strikeouts in seven innings in the loss.
"I will take those type of outings from Bartolo every time," Rangers manager Jeff Banister said. "You just have to tip your cap to a guy who had really good stuff. Bartolo was solid for us, great mix of fastball location, in the strike zone with all of his pitches. Just commanded the fastball all throughout, hit all quadrants and managed the game well for us.
"Bartolo threw the ball extremely well. Berrios was just really good."
The Padres head to the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex on the heels of a 3-2, 11-inning loss at San Francisco on Sunday. San Diego took the lead in the top of the inning on a two-out single by Cory Spangenberg but couldn't hold it.
On Sunday, the Padres sent right-hander Jordan Lyles to the 10-day disabled list and announced that he will have his ailing right elbow evaluated by team doctors.
Lyles was scratched from his start on Saturday afternoon with right forearm tightness, prompting an unplanned bullpen day, according to mlb.com.
Immediately before the top of the first inning, pitching coach Darren Balsley noticed Lyles awkwardly stretching his forearm after his pregame bullpen session. Balsley and manager Andy Green inquired, and the Padres decided not to take any chances.
"A 10-day break will do him well," Green said. "He'll rest the elbow and then hopefully come back ready to start in 10 days. He's never had any arm issues, whatsoever, in his entire career. He doesn't know how to gauge it off past experience. We're very, very hopeful it's nothing very serious."
Lucchesi returned from the disabled list on Wednesday and allowed four runs in just 1 1/3 innings in a loss to Oakland. He said he felt no ill effects from a right hip strain that placed him on the shelf.
It is Lucchesi's first career start against Texas.
Hamels will make his 16th start of the season. He leads all Texas starters in ERA (3.41), starts (15), innings (92 1/3), and strikeouts (92) and has gone 3-3 with a 2.81 ERA (20 ER/64.0 IP) in his last 10 starts to lower ERA from 4.76 to 3.41
Hamels has gone six-plus innings in his past eight starts, his second-longest streak with the Rangers, and has allowed just one earned run in 13 innings in his last two starts. He will be working on extended five days' rest after picking up a win in the Rangers' 4-1 victory on Tuesday in Kansas City.
Hamels has gone 9-2 with a 2.25 in 17 career starts against the Padres.
