Cleveland @ Texas preview
Choctaw Stadium
Last Meeting ( Jun 5, 2011 ) Texas 2, Cleveland 0
THE STORY: Ubaldo Jimenez's debut for the Cleveland Indians will come in the opener of a three-game series against Texas at Rangers Ballpark. The Rangers swept four games from the Indians at Progressive Field from June 2-5. Texas outscored Cleveland by a 24-6 margin - recording shutouts in the last two games. Jimenez was acquired from the Colorado Rockies in a blockbuster deal at the trade deadline for Cleveland's two best pitching prospects. Friday's contest with his first against the Rangers.
TV: 8:05 p.m. ET, STO (Cleveland), TXA-21 (Texas)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Indians RH Ubaldo Jimenez (6-9, 4.46 ERA) vs. Rangers LH Derek Holland (10-4, 4.14 ERA).
Jimenez's final start with the Rockies is still shrouded in mystery. Even though the trade with the Indians was all but official, Colorado manager Jim Tracy pitched him against San Diego. The results weren't pretty. Jimenez allowed four runs and walked four before getting out of the inning after throwing 45 pitches. No logical explanation has been given for why Jimenez started the game.
Who's the hottest pitcher in the league? Well, how about Holland? He's thrown three shutouts in his last five starts and allowed only an unearned run in 6 1/3 innings in another outing. He blanked the Toronto Blue Jays on four hits in his last start. Holland also blanked the Indians on June 4 in Cleveland, allowing five hits and striking out five for his first career shutout.
ABOUT THE INDIANS (55-54): Following a 2-6 homestand, a seven-game trip to Boston and Texas looked to be the last thing this team needed. However, the Indians held their own in Fenway Park, splitting the four-game series against the first-place Red Sox. The Indians pitched well the entire series and were in position to win all four games. Both losses were on walkoff hits by Jacoby Ellsbury. The Indians must continue to play well in all phases if they want to stay with the Rangers, another team that leads its division.
ABOUT THE RANGERS (62-50): The Rangers have been scuffling the last two weeks, losing seven of 11. Texas hasn't won a series since taking two of three from Toronto on July 22-24 because the offense has been surprisingly inconsistent. The Rangers have scored four runs or less six times in the last 11 games, which includes a shutout and two games where they were held to two runs. That's probably not good news for upcoming opponents. Texas' bats usually don't stay quiet for long and a return home won't hurt. The Rangers snapped a three-game losing streak with a victory on Thursday over the Detroit Tigers.
FINAL PITCH: All eyes will be on Jimenez, who has been dogged by questions over the decrease in his velocity. There also have been rumors about a poor work ethic and whether he's coachable. Now that Jimenez is in the middle of a playoff race, that talk will only get louder if his numbers don't improve.