Cleveland @ Texas preview
Choctaw Stadium
Last Meeting ( Sep 11, 2012 ) Cleveland 4, Texas 6
After a rough start to his tenure with the Texas Rangers, Ryan Dempster has regained the form that made him one of the most coveted pitchers at the trade deadline, winning four straight starts. The Rangers hope he can continue that dominance to help them to their second straight win against the visiting Cleveland Indians as they try to hold off surging Oakland in the American League West.
The Rangers lead the division by three games over Oakland. Texas is a major league-best 44-25 at home and has not lost a series at Rangers Ballpark since dropping two of three to the Chicago White Sox from July 27-29. The Indians have lost four straight and are 9-30 since the start of August.
TV: 8:05 p.m. ET, SportsTime Ohio, Fox Sports Southwest
PITCHING MATCHUP: Indians RH Jeanmar Gomez (5-7, 5.33 ERA) vs. Rangers RH Ryan Dempster (5-1, 4.36)
Gomez struggled in his last outing, lasting just three innings and allowing four runs, but the Indians rallied to get him off the hook. The 24-year-old beat Texas on Sept. 1, giving up three runs in 5 2/3 innings in a 4-3 victory. He also topped the Rangers with seven innings of three-run ball May 4.
After getting rocked for eight runs in two of his first three starts with Texas, Dempster has won four straight starts and posted a 1.73 ERA while doing so. That stretch included a dominant outing against Cleveland on Aug. 31 in which he allowed one unearned run on two hits over six innings. Dempster is 2-0 with a 2.79 ERA in four games (three starts) against the Indians.
WALK-OFFS
1. Rangers SS Elvis Andrus has hit safely in all 30 games he has played against Cleveland. Andrus is 1-for-7 against Gomez.
2. Only two Indians players - Shin-Soo Choo and Carlos Santana - have recorded a hit against Dempster. The rest of the team is 0-for-17 against him.
3. Indians SS Asdrubal Cabrera has missed two straight games with a sore right wrist. Cabrera is in the midst of an 0-for-13 skid.