American League Preview from The Sports Network
Sunday, April 29th
(All times Eastern)
Tampa Bay Rays (13-8) at Texas Rangers (16-5), 8:05 p.m.
Probable Starting Pitchers: Tampa Bay - David Price (3-1, 2.62)
Texas - Derek Holland (2-1, 4.78)
(Sports Network) - The Texas Rangers try to win their seventh straight series
to open a season this evening when they play the rubber match of their three-
game set with the Tampa Bay Rays at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington.
The Rangers rebounded from a loss in Friday's opener to even this series on
Saturday, as Adrian Beltre smacked a three-run home run and Colby Lewis tossed
six innings of one-run ball in a 7-2 win.
Lewis (3-0) fanned five and allowed three hits and three walks while the
bullpen did the rest of the work to help Texas earn its third win in four
tries.
Josh Hamilton went 2-for-3 with two RBI and two runs scored and Ian Kinsler
also scored twice for Texas, which upped its overall record to 16-5 on the
year.
Jeff Niemann (1-3) went 5 2/3 innings in the start for Tampa Bay, yielding
three runs -- two earned -- on five hits and three walks. Evan Longoria had
two hits and knocked in a run while Matt Joyce added a solo shot for the Rays,
who saw their six-game win streak come to an end.
"First few guys, I really was trying to overthrow a little bit, then I really
kind of settled in and told myself to calm down and throw strikes," remarked
Niemann.
Getting the call for the Rangers tonight will be lefty Derek Holland, who is
2-1 with a 4.78 ERA. Holland was hit hard in his first loss of the season on
Monday against the New York Yankees, as he allowed seven runs and nine hits in
six innings.
Holland has faced the Rays five times and is 3-1 with a 6.51 ERA against them.
Tampa, meanwhile, turns to lefty David Price, who has struggled in his career
against the Rays, posting an 0-3 mark to go along with a 5.67 ERA in six
starts.
Of the 12 AL teams the left-hander has faced in his career, the
Rangers are the only one he hasn't beaten. He has never pitched against
Seattle.
"Once you can get through this lineup and you can beat these guys for the
first time, you can kind of get that piano off your back," Price said. "I know
I haven't beaten them. I've thrown a couple of games against them where I
thought I threw the ball really well and it just wasn't in my fortune. I'm
looking to come out there tomorrow and get my first win against the Rangers
and go back to Tampa."
Price, though, has won three of his four starts this season and is coming off
a five-hit shutout over the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim on Tuesday to lower
his ERA on the season to 2.62.
"It's good to have high confidence going in whenever you're facing a team like
this," Price said. "I feel good right now. I look to do some of the same
things I did against the Angels. Getting ahead and trying to get some early
outs and stuff like that. Coming off an outing like that, it does do a lot for
your confidence and whenever you're facing a team like the Rangers you've got
to be pretty confident."
Texas won five of its nine regular season matchups with the Rays last season.
04/29 10:27:31 ET

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