(Sports Network) - The Texas Rangers hope to get back on track this evening when they continue their 10-game homestand against the Cleveland Indians at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington.
The Rangers began the stand as one of the hottest teams in baseball, but dropped two of three over the weekend to an even hotter team, the Chicago White Sox, culminating with a 5-3 setback on Sunday.
Scott Feldman (5-8) took the loss after allowing five runs -- four earned -- on eight hits over six frames. He walked one and struck out one for the Rangers, who have lost three of four to start July after closing June with wins in 16 of their final 18 games.
"I thought for the most part [Feldman] kept the ball down, it just didn't work out," Rangers manager Ron Washington said.
Hoping to get the Rangers back in the win column will be 28-year-old righty Omar Beltre, who will be making the second start of his big league career. Beltre did not get a decision on Wednesday against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, as he allowed three runs and five hits and walked four in four innings of a 6-4 win.
Beltre, of course, had been banned from entering the United States for five years after visa problems.
Cleveland, meanwhile, will give the ball to lefty Aaron Laffey, who picked up his first win of the year in his last trip to the hill. Laffey defeated the Toronto Blue Jays on Wednesday, holding them to a run and five hits in six innings, upping his mark to 1-2 to go along with a 5.55 ERA.
Laffey is 1-1 lifetime against the Rangers with an 8.64 ERA in four games, three of which have been starts.
The Indians enter tonight's opener after dropping two of three to the Oakland Athletics over the weekend, including a 3-1 setback in Sunday's rubber match at Progressive Field.
Austin Kearns accounted for the lone run with an RBI single for the Indians, who had won six of seven entering the contest. Jhonny Peralta and Trevor Crowe each had a pair of hits in defeat.
Fausto Carmona (7-7) was the hard-luck loser for yielding seven hits and three runs over seven frames.
Texas took two of three from the Indians earlier in the year and has won 10 of the 12 meetings since the start of last season.