Vicente Padilla will make his first start since May 16 tomorrow night against the New York Yankees.
The Texas Rangers had their highs and lows this past week when they hosted the New York Yankees and the Oakland Athletics. Overall, a 4-3 record on a home stand isn’t necessarily something to write home about, but after being outscored 23-10 in the Yankees series, taking three out of four against the A’s was a good way to rebound.
The Bronx Bombers came down to Arlington, Texas and showed the Rangers how the big boys play.
Derek Holland finally looked human against an experienced New York roster, giving up 10 hits and five earned runs in six innings. Although it was an early season series, the ballpark possessed a playoff atmosphere, mainly due to the Yankees channeling their 1996 playoff ghosts.
Momentum can change with each series, and the Rangers were well aware of that as they settled down to host the A’s.
A double-header sweep Friday was followed by another win Saturday night in front of 45,000+ at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington. The bats finally woke up and scored 14 runs Saturday. Brandon McCarthy laid claim to his rotation spot when he threw six innings, gave up three hits, and only one earned run in his start Saturday.
Vicente Padilla returns from the Disabled List and will make his first start since May 16. Tomorrow night, he will oppose A.J. Burnett in the Rangers first visit to the new Yankee stadium.
Padilla has been dealing with a strained right shoulder and has a 2.08 ERA in three starts on the road. Burnett will look to pick up where he left off against the Rangers last week when he threw six innings and didn’t allow a run.
Hank Blalock started in place of Chris Davis the last two games of the Oakland series. Davis needs to clear his head, find his swing and plug his ears, as his season-long struggle to hit with any kind of consistency is clearly weighing on him. Davis is currently hitting .194 and leads the league in strikeouts with 77.
The Rangers left Arlington with some sorely needed confidence. They face one of their toughest back-to-back road tests when they visit the Yankees and Boston Red Sox. A decent showing would bring them back to the Ballpark with a 3-3 record against the top dogs of the AL East.
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