Martin Perez (8-9, 4.27 ERA) and Corey Kluber (13-8, 3.13 ERA) start in the second of a four-game series between the Texas Rangers (75-53) and the Cleveland Indians (72-54) at Globe Life Park in Arlington. The Rangers won the last game 9-0, and Texas leads the series 1-0. Action begins at 8:05 p.m. ET on Friday, Aug. 26 and can be seen on STOh and FSSW.
Perez pitched 6.0 innings in his last outing, surrendering six runs, striking out five and walking three in an 8-4 defeat to the Rays. Mitch Moreland (.254, 43 Rs, 21 HRs, 51 RBIs, 1 SB) went 1 for 3 yesterday with one run. Kluber went 6.2 innings, surrendering two runs, striking out eight and walking four in a 3-2 win over the Blue Jays in his most recent start. Carlos Santana (.244, 66 Rs, 27 HRs, 64 RBIs, 5 SBs) went 1 for 3 yesterday.
Cleveland takes on Texas as a -155 favorite. The Over/Under (O/U) for the matchup is sitting at nine runs. The Rangers have an overall money line of +2,499 and a record as the underdog of 39-33. Texas has gone winless (0-2) as the underdog and 5-5 SU in its last 10 outings. The Rangers have seen a decline in scoring as of late, averaging 3.4 runs during the last 10 games compared to their season average of 4.6 runs per game.
Over in the other dugout, Cleveland is coming in with an overall money line of +530 and an impressive record of 57-38 as the favorite. Offensively, they average 5.0 runs per game, which is good for second in the AL. The Indians are tough outs for opponents, ranking third in the AL with 9.1 hits per game. The Indians are an excellent base stealing team with 102 stolen bases, ranking fourth in the MLB. When it comes to preventing batters from getting hits, the Indians are the best in the AL with an average of 8.3 hits allowed per game.
The Rangers lead the season series, 3-1. The Rangers have a 55-36 record against right-handed starting pitchers on the year, which is what they’ll be facing when Kluber takes the mound. Perez (LHP) will be on the hill against the Indians, who have a very good 25-13 record against left-handed starting pitchers.
Predictions: SU Winner – CLE, O/U – Over
Notes
For the 19th time this season, the Indians registered at least two errors in a game.
The Rangers are coming into this game after allowing one walk during their last outing. The Indians have a 15-15 record when opponents give up one walk or less.
It looks like the Rangers have a slight leg up on the Indians, as the Rangers have won their last two games while the Indians have lost their last three.
When they outhit their opponents, the Rangers are 50-9. The Indians have a 58-6 record when outhitting opponents.
Ranking ninth in runs, Texas has earned 597 this season. Cleveland ranks fifth with 619 runs.
Ranking 27th, Texas is near the bottom of the league in walks, notching 337 this season. Cleveland ranks in the top half with 386.
The Rangers are 62-35 in games where they hit one or more home runs. The Indians are 52-35 when they hit at least one homer.
