Thanks to an 11 game winning streak, the Texas Rangers have a four game lead over the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim in the AL West. On Tuesday, the Rangers begin a three-game series against the Angels, looking to pull away from the rest of the AL West pack.
Texas sends Alexi Ogando to the mound on Tuesday night as the Rangers look to win the first game of the three-game set. Ogando, who was named to the All-Star team, has been excellent this season, posting a 9-3 record to go along with a 2.92 ERA and 1.01 WHIP. Ogando has also struck out 78 in 104.2 innings of work this season.
It is worth noting that Ogando hasn't pitched since July 6 against the Orioles. Ron Washington and Texas' staff believed that Ogando's innings should be cut down a bit since he is already at a career high.
The Angels will send rookie pitcher Tyler Chatwood to the mound. Chatwood's put together an interesting rookie year, posting a 5-5 record with a 3.62 ERA - but is the owner of a 1.55 WHIP and an ugly 52/52 BB/SO mark in 99.1 innings of work.
First pitch is scheduled for 9:05 p.m. CDT, 7:05 p.m. locally on the west coast.