The Texas Rangers and the Pittsburgh Pirates wrap up their three-game interleague series in Pittsburgh on Wednesday afternoon. Both teams have played above expectations this season, particularly the Rangers who come in as the top team in the AL West. The pitching matchup on Wednesday afternoon will be veteran lefty Martin Perez (5-1, 4.01) of the Rangers taking on Pittsburgh righty Johan Oviedo (3-3, 4.69). The first pitch is scheduled for 12:35 PM EST.
The NHL, NBA, and Major League Baseball…oh my! Check out all my premium picks for a variety of premium events. My Best Bet of the Week is only $49.99 (usually $100) if you use this link. Take advantage of this as this comes with a profit guarantee. Win or get the money back in credit!
The Texas Rangers are still on top in the AL West Division thanks to the highest-scoring offense in baseball and an improved pitching staff thanks to several key acquisitions. The team is currently getting by despite an injury to ace Jacob deGrom thanks to a combined 14-4 record from starters Nathan Eovaldi, Jon Gray, and today's starter, Martin Perez. The Rangers dropped the series opener 6-4 before red-hot start Nathan Eovaldi brought the Rangers back into the win column with his second complete game in five starts in a 6-1 Rangers' win. Eovaldi allowed six hits and one run while striking out five in a 104-pitch complete game.
12 games with double-digit runs.
12 games over .500.#StraightUpTX pic.twitter.com/9dIHtVVMNj— Texas Rangers (@Rangers) May 21, 2023
The Rangers will turn to veteran lefty Martin Perez to wrap up the series in Pittsburgh on Wednesday. Perez is 5-1 in nine starts this season with an ERA of 4.01. He has three quality starts among his nine starts and has a K/9 rate of 6.9. In his last start, he picked up the win against Colorado after going seven innings and allowing just two runs while striking out seven. On the road this season, Perez is 2-1 in six starts with an ERA of 5.28. He's given up 40 hits in 30.2 innings of work. Perez had a career-year in 2022 that included one of his lowest hard-hit percentage of 34.8% and highest strikeout percentage of 20.6%. This year, Perez has a hard-hit percentage of 38.2% while his strikeout percentage has dropped to 17%.
Key Injuries: SP Jacob deGrom and OF Travis Jankowski are out.