On Monday night, the Rangers doubled up the Angels 8-4, increasing their American League West lead to five games. Texas will look to add some more cushion against the Angels again on Tuesday night as Derek Holland takes on Tyler Chatwood in a battle of young, inconsistent starting pitchers.
Holland brings a 10-4 record into the game, along with a 4.30 ERA, 1.41 WHIP, and .269 BAA. Holland has been the epitome of inconsistent this year, failing to complete the fifth inning on four occasions this year - but also has logged four complete game shutouts on the season as well.
Holland has pitched much better during the second half of the season. Since the All-Star Break, Holland is 3-0 in six starts with a 3.16 ERA and .240 BAA while striking out 29 in 37 innings.
Texas' offense will look to stay locked in against Tyler Chatwood. Chatwood has been mediocre this season, with a 6-8 record and 4.07 ERA. While the ERA may suggest he's pitched pretty well, his 1.55 WHIP is ugly. Chatwood has walked 61 in 128.1 innings while striking out only 67.
Needless to say, if both Holland and Chatwood are off on Tuesday night, this game could be played into the wee small hours of the morning on the east coast. The good news, though, is that would likely favor Texas as the Angels were forced to go to their bullpen in the first inning as starter Garrett Richards was forced to exit with injury after recording just two outs.
First pitch is scheduled for 9:05 p.m. CDT, 7:05 p.m locally at Angel Stadium in Anaheim.