ARLINGTON, Texas — This weekend, the Silver Boot Series continues for the Texas Rangers -- this time in Houston.
It has been all of three full days since these teams last saw each other, and both teams are licking their wounds coming into this series.
Texas is coming off an embarrassing home series loss to the Oakland Athletics, and Houston is mired in a season-long funk that sees them in last place in the AL West.
Where things were last left, there was a four-game split at Globe Life Field, which saw Texas take the first two games of the series and Houston take the last two. Before that series, the last time that the Rangers played in Houston was the American League Championship Series.
Texas, of course, dethroned the Astros in that matchup, after winning each game played at Minute Maid Park on their way to winning the World Series.
Here's what's at stake now as the Texas Rangers (7-6, 1st Place AL West) head to Southeast Texas to take on the Houston Astros (4-10, 5th Place AL West)
Previously, for Houston…
Despite winning two in Arlington, the Astros were unable to ride the momentum into their next series. Playing the upstart Kansas City Royals, Houston managed to get swept in their sandwich series.
The Astros, who were already missing Justin Verlander, Jose Urquidy, Luis Garcia, and Lance McCullers Jr. from their rotation with injury, are enduring another starting pitcher injury. Framber Valdez was supposed to start in the finale of the previous series against the Rangers on Monday night, but was pulled and placed on the 15-day IL with elbow inflammation.
Houston made a series of moves to help patchwork the rotation in those absences, including calling up their top pitching prospect, Spencer Arrighetti. Arrighetti’s debut against Kansas City in the middle game of the three-game set did not go very smoothly. The 24-year old righty was tagged for seven runs, all of which came in the third inning, en route to a loss.
The previous night, it was an extra-inning affair that resulted in a Royals walk-off. The last game against the Royals was another trouncing, as Hunter Brown didn’t even make it out of the first inning before being rung up for nine runs. Brown was left out there to attempt to eat some innings for the run-ragged pitching staff, but couldn’t even manage to do that.
The Astros offense didn’t help much either against Kansas City, averaging just 2.7 runs during the three-game series. With the bats not picking them up, the beleaguered pitching staff was essentially starting in the hole.
Ultimately, the drubbing at the hands of the Royals was considered an embarrassment for many in the Astros’ world.
It’s a sentiment shared by Rangers fans after Texas’ series loss to Oakland, meaning both franchises will be looking to put their latest series behind them against their in-state rivals.
What to watch for...
- Game 14, Friday at 7:10 p.m. CST: RHP Dane Dunning (1-1, 4.15 ERA) vs. RHP J.P. France (0-1, 4.76 ERA)
- Game 15, Saturday at 3:05 p.m. CST: LHP Andrew Heaney (0-2, 7.56 ERA) vs. RHP Ronel Blanco (2-0, 0.00 ERA)
- Game 16, Sunday at 1:10 p.m. CST: RHP Nathan Eovaldi (1-0, 1.45 ERA) vs. RHP Cristian Javier (1-0, 1.10 ERA)
Despite suffering a loss last weekend when he faced the Astros, Dane Dunning pitched quite well against Houston. Dunning went 6 ⅔ innings, striking out seven and allowing just four hits while throwing 97 pitches. Unfortunately, one of those hits was a three-run blast by Yordan Alvarez and the Rangers were facing Mr. No-Hitter himself, Ronel Blanco.
J.P. France faced Texas in the second game of last weekend’s series, scattering the eight hits and three runs he allowed before being pulled in the sixth inning in an eventual loss to Texas. France, in his second season, has become something of a mainstay in the injury-plagued rotation for Houston, so he will be counted on for innings.
It won’t be much longer until late-spring signee Michael Lorenzen is ready to join the Major League team. And with the way Cody Bradford is pitching (Bradford, by the way will miss the Astros this series), Saturday’s starter Heaney could be the odd man out in the rotation.
Heaney’s last two outings have been pitch efficiency failures, which could mean he’s more suited for the bullpen, where he ended the 2023 season. Against Houston last weekend, Heaney was tagged for six runs in just 3 ⅔ innings of work. He’ll need to be sharp and give his team a good chance to stay in the game, as the pitcher on the other side is Blanco once more.
Blanco, who no-hit the Blue Jays in his season debut before allowing just one hit to Texas in six innings last weekend, has been untouchable so far this season.
Closing out the series are the two current staff aces: Texas’ Nathan Eovaldi has been the ace since Jacob deGrom was injured last year, while Cristian Javier is the de facto ace with the Astros’ rotation decimated by injury.
Eovaldi did not pitch against the Astros last time out. Instead, Evo pitched well against the Athletics, striking out eight and allowing just one run over 5 ⅔ innings of work in a game Texas ultimately lost due to a blown save in the ninth inning.
Javier, meanwhile, was tagged for eight runs in his one regular season outing against Texas last year and then gave up five runs across two games totaling six innings in the ALCS, including a loss in Game 7. Javier this year, however, has been lights out, giving up his first runs of the season against the Royals last time out in a game Houston ultimately lost in extra innings.
Last year, the Astros were a losing team at home at Minute Maid Park. They posted a winning percentage of just .481 and a record of 39-42. The Rangers fully exploited that in the ALCS. This season hasn’t been much better for them, as Houston was swept by the Yankees in the opening series and then lost one to the Blue Jays, overall going 2-5 in their first homestand.
Now, in the middle of a 14-game stretch, they will start their second homestand by welcoming the Rangers, who are on their second road trip of the season.
Both teams need a series win in a bad way.
Can the Rangers overcome the starting pitching double-punch of Blanco and Javier while quieting the bats of Ranger-killers Jose Altuve and Yordan Alvarez?
The answer to those questions will mean a leg up in the Lone Star Series come Monday for one of these teams.
Do you think the Rangers will grab a foothold in the season-long Silver Boot series? Share your predictions with Matt on Twitter @FisherWritesMLB.