Seattle @ Texas preview
Choctaw Stadium
Last Meeting ( Sep 27, 2010 ) Seattle 7, Texas 5
Very few teams can say they've abused Felix Hernandez this season. The Texas Rangers are one of them.
The Rangers try to continue their success against Hernandez on Tuesday when they host the Seattle Mariners in the middle contest of their three-game series at Rangers Ballpark.
Despite his 12-12 record, Hernandez has gained serious consideration for the American League Cy Young Award this season. He leads the American League in ERA (2.31), innings pitched (241 2/3) and quality starts (29) and has allowed more than three earned runs just once in his last 20 outings, posting a 1.50 ERA during that stretch.
The 24-year-old has lost two of his last three starts but has yielded fewer than two earned runs in eight of his last nine. On Thursday, he surrendered one run and two hits over eight innings, but still suffered the loss in a 1-0 setback at the Toronto Blue Jays.
Hernandez has not had very much success against the Rangers this year, however. Before he carried a no-hitter into the eighth inning and went on to post a 2-1 victory on Sept. 17, the right-hander went 0-3 with a 6.38 ERA in four meetings with Texas, allowing 17 earned runs in 24 frames.
In 27 career outings vs. the Rangers, Hernandez owns a 9-12 record and 4.02 ERA. Elvis Andrus is hitting .323 (10-for-31) against Seattle's ace, Michael Young is 21-for-69 (.304) with a home run and six RBIs, Nelson Cruz has a .303 average (10-for-33) with three blasts and four RBIs and Vladimir Guerrero has belted three homers and driven in 10 runs.
Tuesday will be the 18th road start of the year for Hernandez, who is 4-8 with a 2.55 ERA away from home.
The Rangers, who clinched the AL West on Saturday, will counter with Scott Feldman.
Feldman will be making his 22nd start of 2010 but just his second since July 24. The right-hander is 5-10 with a 5.55 ERA while in the rotation this season.
In his last start on Sept. 7, Feldman gave up four runs and seven hits over 4 2/3 innings of an 8-5 loss at Toronto. He hasn't won as a starter since defeating the Astros in Houston on June 18.
Against Seattle, Feldman owns a 4-2 career record and 2.92 ERA in eight starts and 10 relief appearances. This year, the 27-year-old has gone 1-1 with a 2.84 ERA in two starts vs. the Mariners and 2-1 with a 3.07 ERA in three overall appearances.
Feldman is 3-4 with a 4.81 ERA in 13 games at home this campaign, including two in relief.
The Rangers, who raised their division title banner before taking the field, dropped a 7-5 decision to the Mariners on Monday. Guerrero and Cruz homered but C.J. Wilson was tagged for six runs and eight hits in five innings in dropping his third straight decision and ending Texas' three-game winning streak.
Former Ranger Justin Smoak delivered the big blow against Wilson, belting a three-run homer in the fifth inning that gave the Mariners a 6-1 cushion. With the victory, Seattle improved to 8-16 this month, 6-11 against Texas this year and 3-4 on its nine-game road trip.