On Friday, the Texas Rangers remain out west to visit American League West rivals the Los Angeles Angels in the first game of a three-game weekend series.
On Wednesday, the Rangers won their second straight game defeating the Seattle Mariners 7-6. Robinson Chirinos hit a double that knocked in two runs and gave the Rangers the lead during the seventh inning that they would not relinquish.
The Angels lost on Wednesday to the Detroit Tigers for their third loss in their last four games. The Angels bullpen allowed the Tigers to score 5 runs after starting pitcher Shohei Ohtani had left. The Angels gave up five runs during the sixth inning after a long rain delay forced Ohtani to leave the game.
Nomar Mazara leads the Rangers with a .273 batting average, a team high 59 hits and team high 36 RBIs. Joey Gallo has the team lead in home runs with 15. Texas has a team batting average of .230 while opposing hitters are averaging .271 at the plate against Rangers pitching. On Friday, the Rangers will send veteran Bartolo Colon to the mound. The right-hander this season is 2-2 with an ERA of 3.55, 40 Ks and 7 BBs.
Andrelton Simmons leads the Angels with a .333 batting average and team high 67 hits. Mike Trout holds the team lead in home runs with 18 and RBIs with 35. Los Angeles has a team batting average of .249 while opposing hitters are averaging .242 at the plate against Angels pitching. The Angels will send Jaime Barria to the mound on Friday. The right-hander this season is 4-1 with an ERA of 2.97, 24 Ks and 8 BBs.