Scott Feldman has pitched well in the final month of the season, but it's not quite as well as the Texas Rangers have been playing.
The veteran will face one of his former teams on tonight when the Houston Astros return to Globe Life Park for the finale of a three-game series with the red-hot Rangers.
Texas, which is last in the American League's West Division has nonetheless won three straight games and 10 of its last 11 to finish a dreadful season on a more palatable note.
With a win, the Rangers can sweep a third series in two weeks. Prior to this stretch, they'd had one series sweep all season.
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Houston (69-89) has lost six of eight and enters the season finale between the Texas clubs with an 11-7 advantage in the series and its second baseman, Jose Altuve, was hitless in four at-bats while pursuing the AL batting title. He leads that race by eight points over Detroit's Victor Martinez with four games remaining. He also leads the league in hits with 221 and stolen bases with 54.
Feldman, meanwhile, has compiled a 1.44 earned run average across his last four starts, which includes a three-hit shutout against the Rangers on Aug. 30.He gave up one run one four hits in his last start on Thursday, in a game the Astros lost, 2-1, to Cleveland. Feldman is 2-0 with a 2.30 ERA in four starts against Texas this season. The Rangers start Lisalverto Bonilla, who aims for his third win in his third big- league start.He's walked eight batters in 11 innings thus far, but his body of work -- which includes 35 relief outings and six starts in the minors this season -- has him on the Texas radar when it comes to a big league role for 2015.
On Tuesday, Robinson Chirinos homered and the Rangers held off Houston, 2-1. Adrian Beltre and Jake Smolinski both had three hits and Daniel Robertson hit an RBI single for the Rangers. Nick Martinez (5-11) was solid over 6 2/3 innings, limiting Houston batters to five hits with no walks and five strikeouts. Marwin Gonzalez had two hits and Matt Dominguez drove in a run for Houston, which saw Brett Oberholtzer (5-13) allow two runs on nine hits and two walks across 4 1/3 innings. Houston is 11-7 versus the Rangers this season.
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HUNT IN OCTOBER
Rangers general manager Jon Daniels said he hopes to name a permanent replacement for manager Ron Washington “inside of October.” Daniels said he hasn’t asked any organizations for permission to interview anyone but has done due diligence on individuals employed by other teams. Washington resigned Sept. 5.
GLOVE LOVE
When Rangers season-ticket holder Mike Jeffus of Flower Mound, Texas, leaned over the railing into foul territory to catch a fly ball hit down the right-field line hit by Houston’s Matt Dominguez in the fourth inning, it was the third time in recent weeks that Jeffus has made such a grab.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Astros: RHP Josh Fields (general soreness) and LHP Darin Downs (oblique) remain day to day. Fields last pitched on Sept. 9, Downs on Sept. 19.
Rangers: 2B Jurickson Profar (shoulder) has been shut down for the third time since aggravating a 2010 injury during spring training. General manager Jon Daniels said Profar will undergo physical therapy and rehab work with the hope of being able to throw around early January.
UP NEXT
Astros RHP Scott Feldman (8-11) will start Wednesday night’s series finale. Feldman has recorded sixth consecutive quality starts. Rangers RHP Lisalverto Bonilla (2-0) will try to become the first Rangers pitcher to win his first three career starts since Alexi Ogando in April 2011. Bonilla took a no-hitter into the fifth nning of his most recent start.
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