The Texas Rangers head on the road Monday to open a series with the Kansas City Royals.
Texas defeated the Colorado Rockies 5-2 on Saturday snap a seven-game losing streak. Adrian Beltre’s two-run triple broke a tie during the eighth innings to help lead the Rangers to victory.
Kansas City lost its fifth straight game on Saturday, falling to the Houston Astros 10-2 and is in jeopardy of being swept on Sunday by the Astros. Since the start of June, the Royals have lost 12 of 14 games. Danny Duffy was charged with the loss falling to 3-7 on the season after allowing seven hits and seven runs over six innings. Royals’ outfielder Jorge Soler will be sidelined at least six weeks after breaking his left foot on Thursday.
Shin-Soo Choo leads Texas with a .275 batting average and a team high in hits with 73. Joey Gallo leads the team with 18 home runs, while Nomar Mazara has the team lead in RBIs with 42. Texas has a team batting average of .230 while opposing hitters are averaging .272 at the plate against Rangers pitching. On Monday, the Rangers will send Bartolo Colon to the mound. The veteran right-hander this season is 3-4 with an ERA of 4.94, 48 Ks and 11 BBs.
Whit Merrifield leads the Royals with a .295 batting average and team high 77 hits. Mike Moustakas has 13 home runs and 46 RBIs to lead the team. Kansas City has a team batting average of .243 while opposing hitters are averaging .278 at the plate against Royals pitching. On Monday, Kansas City will send Ian Kennedy to the mound. The right-hander this season is 1-6 with an ERA of 5.13, 67 Ks and 28 BBs.
