In the second of a two-game series between the Texas Rangers (41-43) and the Arizona Diamondbacks (41-43) at Globe Life Park in Arlington, Matt Harrison (0-0, 0.00 ERA) and Jeremy Hellickson (6-5, 5.06 ERA) take the mound. The Diamondbacks won the last game 4-2 and Arizona leads the series 1-0. The game gets underway at 8:05 p.m. ET on Wednesday, Jul. 8 and will air on FSN-AZ and FSN-SW.
Harrison is 0-1 with a 5.73 ERA against the Diamondbacks in his career, and is up against a solid Arizona offense that’s hitting .265 on the year. Mitch Moreland (.291, 27 Rs, 14 HRs, 44 RBIs, 1 SB) went 1 for 4 yesterday. In his career against the Rangers, Hellickson is 0-3 with a 3.86 ERA, 1.36 WHIP, and 17 strikeouts. Paul Goldschmidt (.351, 59 Rs, 20 HRs, 68 RBIs, 16 SBs) has been doing well offensively for the Diamondbacks, going 2 for 3 yesterday with one run, one RBI, and one stolen base.
Texas is a -132 favorite in this game and the Over/Under (O/U) is nine runs. The Rangers are 5-5 as the favorite and have an overall money line of +1,274. They have a 4-2 record SU against the National League. Texas’s pitching staff has fallen apart in the past 10 games. Its average runs allowed per game rose to 5.9 during that span, compared to its 4.5 season average.
On the other side, the Diamondbacks have a record of 25-28 when they are the underdog and are +88 overall with the money line. When playing Teams in the American League, they have a 2-2 as the favorite and 3-3 SU. They sport the top-ranked offense in the NL, averaging 4.6 runs per game. Arizona is the top hitting team in the NL with an average of 9.2 hits per contest. Arizona is a terror on the base paths, ranking second in the MLB with 78 stolen bases.
In their previous three games this season, the Diamondbacks have a 2-1 record. The Rangers will take on a right-hander (Hellickson) in this game and have a 27-24 record against right-handed starting pitchers this season. Taking the hill against the Diamondbacks will be the left-hander Harrison. They sport a 9-12 record against southpaws.
Predictions: SU Winner – ARI, O/U – Over
Notes
The Rangers managed to give up five walks in their last game. They’ll have to pick it up against the Diamondbacks who are coming in with an 11-9 record against opponents who give up that many walks or more.
When they are outhit, the Rangers are 8-35. The Diamondbacks have a 9-28 record when opponents outhit them.
Arizona ranks in the bottom half of the league at 16th when it comes to home runs, hitting 75 this season. Texas ranks in the top 10 at eighth with 90.
Arizona tops the league in hits with 9.21 per game this season. Texas ranks in the top 10 at eighth with 8.47.
Ranking 16th, Texas is in the bottom half of the league for its on-base plus slugging percentage (.711). Arizona ranks in the top 10 at eighth with an OPS of .729.
When the Diamondbacks allow at least one home run, they are 19-35, well-matched with the Rangers who are 20-33 when allowing at least one homer.
