The Texas Rangers will look to move closer to clinching their first postseason berth in seven seasons when they face the Los Angeles Angels on Wednesday night in the finale of a three-game series at Anaheim, Calif.
Texas also hopes to have star shortstop Corey Seager in the lineup.
The Rangers (88-69) have five games remaining and hold a 2 1/2-game lead over the Houston Astros and a three-game edge on the Seattle Mariners in the American League West.
Texas was routed 9-3 by the Angels (71-87) on Tuesday but didn’t lose any ground to the Astros, who fell to the Mariners. The Rangers’ loss snapped the club’s six-game winning streak.
Perhaps the best development was that Seager wasn’t badly hurt after being plunked in the right forearm by a pitch from Reid Detmers in the fifth inning.
Seager departed the game prior to the bottom of the sixth inning — as did three other Rangers due to the lopsided 9-1 score at the time. Seager underwent X-rays, and manager Bruce Bochy said they were negative.
“It’s a contusion,” Bochy said. “We’ll see how he’s doing (Wednesday).”
Texas surely doesn’t want to be without Seager during the crucial final week. The four-time All-Star leads the American League with a .332 batting average and has 33 homers and 96 RBIs in 114 games.
“(Detmers) was trying to come in and came in a bit too far,” Seager said. “I can’t hold it against those guys. With where the game was at, it was better to come out, get off your feet and feel a little better for (Wednesday).”
The Rangers had just six hits on Tuesday. All-Star right fielder Adolis Garcia, who recently returned from a knee injury, was 0-for-3 with two strikeouts after homering in each of the previous two games.
“He’s gotten shorter with his swing. He’s not trying to hit the long ball every time,” Bochy said of Garcia, who has a team-leading 37 homers. “I think he was trying to carry us. He’s just given us quality at-bat after quality at-bat.”
The Angels have nothing to play for but were sharp on Tuesday while winning for just the third time in the past 13 games.
Brandon Drury’s three-homer in the first inning got the offense moving, and Detmers stifled the Texas hitters with seven innings of one-run ball.
“The season didn’t go as planned,” Detmers said after improving to 4-10. “There have been lots of ups and downs. I’m not just speaking about myself, but for the whole team too. It’s been a disappointing year.”
Angels right-hander Griffin Canning (7-7, 4.39 ERA) will look to snap a five-start winless stretch on Wednesday. He is 0-3 with a 3.68 ERA during the stretch.
Canning, 27, received a no-decision against the Tampa Bay Rays on Thursday when he allowed two runs and three hits over five innings.
Canning is 2-2 with a 6.38 ERA in six career appearances (four starts) against the Rangers. He was roughed up four runs and six hits in 3 2/3 innings in a no-decision against Texas on Aug. 14.
Robbie Grossman is 6-for-14 with a homer and three doubles against Canning while Marcus Semien (5-for-21) has homered twice off him.
Right-hander Dane Dunning (11-6, 3.88) will take the mound for Texas on Wednesday.
Dunning, 28, is 2-0 with a 3.86 ERA over his past three starts. He beat the Mariners on Friday when he allowed four runs and four hits over 5 1/3 innings.
Dunning has two no-decisions and a 2.70 ERA against the Angels this season. He is 2-3 with a 4.94 ERA in 10 career starts against Los Angeles.
Jared Walsh is 6-for-13 with two homers against Dunning, who has retired Drury in all five at-bats.
–Field Level Media