(SportsNetwork.com) – The Los Angeles Angels look to pick up a second victory
in a row on Tuesday night when they play the middle contest of a three-game
series with the Texas Rangers.
The Angels halted a three-game slide by winning Monday’s opener 6-3. Collin
Cowgill and David Freese both hit two-run homers in the fifth inning.
Matt Joyce and Kole Calhoun also knocked in a run for the Angels, while
starter Matt Shoemaker had a rough start but responded to throw 6 1/3 innings
and allowed three runs on six hits with seven strikeouts.
“That’s a great outing and great adjustments by (Shoemaker),” said Angels
manager Mike Scioscia. “Then starting by the middle of the second inning you
saw his command.”
Los Angeles has won 10 of its last 11 as the visitor against the Rangers.
Ross Detwiler, making his second start with the Rangers, allowed five runs on
eight hits over 5 2/3 innings. Detwiler was tagged for eight runs — five
earned — in his Texas debut on Wednesday against Oakland.
“The whole inning, everything was up in the zone and out of the zone,”
Detwiler said of the fifth
Prince Fielder, Mitch Moreland and Elvis Andrus each had an RBI in the first
inning of the setback, Texas’ second straight and third in four games.
Rangers right-hander Nick Martinez hopes to carry the momentum of his
excellent start to the season into tonight’s encounter with the Angels.
Martinez began his second major league campaign with a 10-1 win over the
Oakland Athletics on Thursday, doing his part by hurling seven scoreless
innings. He worked around four hits and a pair of walks while striking out
five.
The 24-year-old has never beaten the Angels, going 0-2 with a 3.32 earned run
average in four games (3 starts).
With Los Angeles in need of a fifth starter and Garrett Richards still
recovering from a knee injury, right-hander Drew Rucinski will make his fifth
career appearance and first start tonight.
Rucinski made his season debut on Saturday versus Kansas City, scattering
three hits over two scoreless innings of relief.
