The Texas Rangers travel to the Twin Cities as they prepare to take on the Minnesota Twins in a three-game weekend series. The Rangers are mired in 3rd place in the AL West and far out of playoff contention. Their poor play recently resulted in the firing of their manager, Chris Woodward, for what management described as a “season of dissatisfactory progress.” Meanwhile, the Twins continue their rather satisfactory season as they remain in the thick of the AL playoff picture. Friday night's pitching matchup will feature veteran lefty Martin Perez (9-3, 2.47) of the Rangers taking on right-hander Dylan Bundy (6-5, 4.76) of the Twins. First pitch is scheduled for 8:10pm EST.
A loud and clear message was sent to the Rangers roster this past week with the firing of manager Chris Woodward: Things need to get better. The Rangers brass spent money this offseason bringing in an expensive middle infield as well as bolstering their starting staff and yet, the results have not been there. The team will now finish out the 2022 season with an interim manager and with the understanding that even more changes are likely this offseason as the Rangers try to return to the perennial playoff team that they were in the 2010s, when they made the playoffs five times in a ten-year span. On Thursday, the Rangers wrapped up their series with the Oakland A's with
Big milestone for Martin! ?? pic.twitter.com/MaZeSSAA8G
— Texas Rangers (@Rangers) August 18, 2022
The Rangers are just 4-6 in their last ten games but the lineup has failed to cash in on scoring chances. They are hitting .263 over that stretch as a team but are scoring just 3.7 runs per game in that span. They have struck out 92 times in that span as well. On the mound, the Rangers have a 4.65 ERA in their last ten games. Taking the hill on Friday night in the opener will be the Rangers most consistent pitcher this season, Martin Perez. Perez had a personal nine-game win streak snapped in his last start but still leads the Rangers in quality starts, wins, ERA, WAR, WHIP, innings and strikeouts. In his last five starts, Perez is 2-1 with a 3.19 ERA. He has struck out 30 and walked 16 batters in that span. He has made one start against the Twins this season, going six innings and giving up seven hits and six earned runs, including two home runs, in a no-decision.