Texas @ Milwaukee preview
American Family Field
Last Meeting ( Mar 27, 2010 ) Texas 1, Milwaukee 3
The Texas Rangers offense has finally started to come around, scoring 31 runs over their past three games.
And the Rangers will try and keep that rolling when they head north for a three-game interleague series against the Milwaukee Brewers. It’s the first time Texas will play in Milwaukee since Miller Park opened in 2001.
Texas will send right-hander Rich Harden to the mound while Milwaukee will counter with left-hander Chris Narveson in the series opener.
But the talk right now is on the Rangers offense. On Thursday, the Rangers scored 12 runs for the second consecutive day against Seattle, going 14-for-26 with runners in scoring position the past two games.
Josh Hamilton continued his tear at the plate, belting a home run for the second straight night and extending his RBI streak to seven games. Hamilton finished the Rangers’ seven-game homestand with a .440 average, four home runs and 13 RBIs.
Michael Young added three hits on Thursday, including a solo home run. Vladimir Guerrero had two RBIs on two hits, extending his hitting streak in Rangers Ballpark to 17 games. Finally, Julio Borbon had three hits and Justin Smoak finished with two doubles.
If the offense continues to produce, it might be an easy night for Harden. In his last start, Harden allowed four runs on five hits over five innings in a losing effort to the Tampa Bay Rays.
Harden is 1-2 with a 4.70 ERA in five career starts against the Brewers, but he has a 1-0 record and 1.30 ERA in two starts at Miller Park.
The Brewers, meanwhile, are looking for Narveson to bounce back. In his last start, Narveson gave up four runs in the first inning and the Brewers eventually lost to the St. Louis Cardinals 5-4.
With that, Narveson has now allowed at least four runs in four of his last five starts. He has yet to face the Rangers in his career.
The Brewers edged the Chicago Cubs in an extra-inning affair on Thursday, escaping with a 5-4 victory. But the Brewers had only seven hits and scored the game-winning run on a throwing error by the Cubs’ Xavier Nady.
Finally, it should be an enjoyable series for Brewers general manager Doug Melvin, who served in that same capacity with the Rangers from 1996-2001. Melvin was part of the Texas organization when it drafted Colby Lewis, Sunday’s starter, and C.J. Wilson.