The Rangers begin a critical three-game series against the Royals. After losing seven straight games to fall into an intense Wild Card race, the Rangers took two of the final three games in Tampa Bay, capped by an 8-2 rout last night that featured four home runs. The win allowed them to tie the Rays atop the Wild Card standings, with the Indians sitting a half-game behind them.
Should any of those teams slip, the Royals are waiting to surpass them. The Royals are coming off a series win over the Indians and sit three games behind the Rangers and Rays as they open their final home series. Billy Butler is 20-for-42 (.476) in his last 11 home games. The Rangers won two of three against the Royals at home earlier this year.
According to the oddsmakers at America's Bookie, the Rangers are at +125, the Royals are -135 and the total is set at 7½. Here you can check the daily MLB Baseball Betting Lines at America's Bookie.
Pitching Matchup:
Martin Perez (9-5, 3.64 ERA) vs. Ervin Santana (9-9, 3.23 ERA)
Martin Perez has lost his last two starts while giving up seven runs and 16 hits in 11 1/3 innings. The left-hander is 7-2 on the road despite having a 4.04 ERA that is nearly a run higher than it is at home (3.07). Perez has never faced the Royals.
Ervin Santana limited the Tigers to just five hits in 6 2/3 scoreless innings Saturday, picking up his first win since August 4 and matching his career high for quality starts with his 22nd. Santana has a chance to reach 10 wins for the sixth time in his career and needs just 2 1/3 innings to amass 200 in a season for the fifth time. The right-hander has a 5.79 ERA in 28 career starts against the Rangers but held them to one unearned run in seven innings on June 2 in his only meeting with them this season. Ian Kinsler is 19-for-54 (.352) with eight extra-base hits in his career against Santana.
Game information:
8:10 PM ET, September 20, 2013
Kauffman Stadium
68° F/ 20° C
Clear
Texas Rangers (83-69) vs. Kansas City Royals (80-72) Preview
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