The Diamondbacks Take On The Rangers In Texas

After taking three out of four games from the Colorado Rockies, the Arizona Diamondbacks will travel to Arlington to take on the Texas Rangers in a short two-game series. The Rangers are coming off a three-game sweep at the hands of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.

The Rangers currently sit in third place in the AL West Division with a record of 41-41. Not many thought the Rangers would be in this position considering the expectations for teams like the Seattle Mariners, who have been struggling, and the Angels. But then again, nobody predicted that the Houston Astros would be in first place, so that entire division is a mystery. The Rangers sit six and a half games back of the first place Astros.

The D-Backs are also in third place in their respective division, the NL West, with a record of 40-41 after once again failing to win a game that would have put them at the .500 mark. The D-Backs’ situation is very similar to the Rangers. Not many predicted that the D-Backs would be where they are right now either. I, like many others, predicted that the Padres would be a lot more successful than they have been so far. As of now, the D-Backs sit five and a half games behind the first place Los Angeles Dodgers.

Here are the pitching matchups for these two games:

Robbie Ray vs. Yovani Gallardo

Jun 26, 2015; San Diego, CA, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks starting pitcher Robbie Ray (38) pitches during the first inning against the San Diego Padres at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports

Ray is coming off a slightly sub-par start against the Dodgers where he gave up four runs on seven hits while striking out six in six innings of work. Ray has been a solid starting pitcher for the D-Backs so far this season, as he is sporting an ERA of 2.55 in seven starts this season. But he has been unfortunate lately, as he has been tagged with a loss in each of his last three starts.

Jun 27, 2015; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Texas Rangers starting pitcher Yovani Gallardo (49) throws a pitch during the first inning in a game against the Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre. The Texas Rangers won 4-0. Mandatory Credit: Nick Turchiaro-USA TODAY Sports

Gallardo has been a pleasant surprise for the Rangers this season as he has a record of 7-6 with an ERA of 2.56. But Gallardo has really been dominating lately. He has not given up an earned run in his last four starts, which has spanned his last 26 1/3 innings pitched. The last time Gallardo gave up an earned run was June 10 against the Oakland Athletics. Over Gallardo’s last 10 starts, the Rangers have a record of 7-3. Gallardo has also not been tagged with a loss since May 19. However, Gallardo’s last start against Arizona did not go so well for him. He gave up five runs, three earned, on six hits, in five innings pitched and took the loss.

Jeremy Hellickson vs. Matt Harrison

Jun 21, 2015; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks starting pitcher Jeremy Hellickson (58) throws during the first inning against the San Diego Padres at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports

Hellickson is coming into this series after dominating the Colorado Rockies in his last start at Chase Field. Hellickson only gave up one run on three hits while striking out six in seven innings pitched. Hellickson’s ERA is still inflated, sitting at 5.06. He has been pitching much better than he was earlier in the year, but he will still have that occasional start where he gives up a large amount of runs, causing his ERA to stay around five.

May 8, 2014; Arlington, TX, USA; Texas Rangers starting pitcher Matt Harrison (54) throws during the first inning against the Colorado Rockies at Globe Life Park in Arlington. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

Harrison will be making his first start of the year as he was just activated from the disabled list. Harrison has not pitched for the Rangers since 2014. Harrison has a career record of 49-33 and a career ERA of 4.15. His best year was in 2012 where he won 18 games for the Rangers, had an ERA of 3.29, and pitched 213 1/3 innings in 32 starts. Harrison was also named an American League All-Star that season.

The D-Backs will once again try to get back to the .500 mark tonight. First pitch for both games of this series are set for 5:05pm local time.