(Sports Network) - Tommy Hunter tries to remain unbeaten when the Texas Rangers open a four-game series with the Baltimore Orioles this evening at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington.
Hunter won his third straight start on Saturday against Chicago, as he held the White Sox to a run and nine hits in seven innings. That upped his record to 5-0 while lowering his earned run average to 1.98.
He's won a club-record five consecutive games at home to start the season and is 11-4 with a 3.51 ERA in 17 career starts in Arlington.
"He's pounding the strike zone, not making mistakes in the middle of the plate and executing his pitches," Rangers manager Ron Washington said of Hunter. "When you do that, you get the results he's getting. Right now he's executing very well. He's throwing strikes, keeping the ball in play. He's doing everything we'd like to see a pitcher do."
Texas pulled out a series win over the Cleveland Indians on Wednesday, as Julio Borbon went 2-for-3 and singled in the go-ahead run in the sixth inning, helping the Rangers to a 4-3 win.
Michael Young blasted a two-run homer and Josh Hamilton drove in a run for Texas, which had lost four of five before taking the final two in this set.
Hamilton is riding a 27-game home hit streak, second-longest in team history and longest ever by a Texas batter at Rangers Ballpark. The longest home hitting streak is 30, set by Al Oliver in 1981.
Rangers starter Colby Lewis (8-5) struck out eight in six innings and allowed three runs -- two earned -- on six hits and a pair of walks to earn the win on Wednesday.
Baltimore, meanwhile, enters tonight's tilt on the heels of getting swept by the Detroit Tigers, culminating with a 4-2 setback on Wednesday at Comerica Park.
Adam Jones scored both runs for the Orioles, who have dropped six of seven, while Brad Bergesen (3-6) ran his winless streak to nine outings after he was charged with four runs on 11 hits with three walks over six-plus innings
Heading to the hill for the O's tonight will be righty Jeremy Guthrie, who has lost his six decisions and is 3-10 with a 4.64 ERA on the year. Guthrie's latest setback came Saturday in Boston, as the Red Sox ripped him for six runs and nine hits in just four innings.
"[I] just didn't pitch well," Guthrie said.
Guthrie, though, is a perfect 3-0 with a 3.18 ERA in eight games (six starts) against the Rangers.
Texas swept a brief two-game series from the Orioles in Arlington earlier in the year and has won seven of the last 10 overall meetings between the teams.
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