The weather forecast isn’t promising, but the Texas Rangers and host Detroit Tigers will try to continue a four-game series on Wednesday afternoon.
Showers and storms are set to roll through the Detroit area. If the teams are able to play, the Rangers will have to deal with the Tigers’ unofficial ace.
Left-hander Tarik Skubal (2-0, 2.08 ERA) is scheduled to start the third game of the four-game set for Detroit. Skubal collected his second victory of the season on Friday when he held the Minnesota Twins scoreless for five innings.
That game was played under damp, windy conditions, which may partially explain why Skubal struck out only five batters. He fanned nine in his previous outing.
“Just getting a grip and letting it rip is tough when it’s windy,” said Skubal, who felt as if he had a hard time controlling his fastball. “It’s not so much cold. It’s just the wind kind of dries everything out, so it makes it a little tougher to grip the ball.”
Tigers manager A.J. Hinch was impressed with how Skubal adjusted to the elements.
“Tarik was great,” Hinch said. “Everything that he did was vintage Tarik. He dominated the strike zone. His misses were near-misses if they were misses at all. He was coming at guys and that cost him some foul balls and a couple of long innings. But he brought intensity and he brought extreme competitiveness and he came right at them.”
Skubal is 1-1 with a 4.91 ERA in two career starts against the Rangers.
He will be opposed by right-hander Dane Dunning (2-1, 4.50 ERA). In his latest start, Dunning lasted just long enough to pick up his second win. He tossed five innings against the Houston Astros on Friday, allowing three runs and five hits.
“Mechanically not great, but I was able to go out and be effective in the times that I needed,” Dunning said.
Dunning is 1-3 with a 4.73 ERA in six career starts against Detroit.
The Tigers bounced back from a 1-0 loss in the series opener on Monday to pull out a 4-2 victory on Tuesday afternoon thanks to two runs in the eighth inning. Gio Urshela hit the go-ahead single.
“I’m proud of our group. Pretty quiet day to begin with and then a flurry finish,” Hinch said. “Fun win.”
Detroit received quality starts from Reese Olson and Casey Mize the two past games. The bullpen also hasn’t allowed a run over 5 2/3 innings in the series.
The Rangers’ offense has hit a rough patch. Texas has scored two runs or fewer in four of the past six games. On Tuesday, the Rangers struck out 10 times while managing just six hits and one walk.
It’s a strange feeling for a club that pounded pitching staffs en route to a World Series title last fall.
“We’ve got to get these bats going. There’s no getting around it,” Rangers manager Bruce Bochy said. “We’re just not driving the ball like we’re accustomed to.”
The series finale is scheduled for Thursday afternoon.
–Field Level Media