The Indians just got through a tough four game series against Chicago, where they managed to earn a split. Cleveland was outscored 22-19 and remain a half game behind Chicago in the Central Division race for second place. Monday September 12th is the last off-day of the season for the Tribe as they will play 18 games in the next 16 days.
The Rangers are currently 2.5 games above the Angels and have won 4 of their last 5 series in an effort to put the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim away for good. Texas remains the powerhouse they have been known as for the past few decades, scoring 5.2 runs per game in 2011. This is 0.34 more runs per game than last season when they went to the World Series.
Pitching Match-Ups
9/13 8:05 PM
Justin Masterson (11-9, 3.01) vs. Matt Harrison (11-9, 3.50)
The Indians ace will be pitching in one of his last games of the season against the Rangers. Lack of run support has doomed his win/loss record and his chances at any votes in the Cy Young race, but the Indians hitters still have a chance to make it up to him. With about 4 games left this year (depending on how the Indians use their starters in the doubleheaders) Masterson could possibly get a couple more wins and at least avoid going .500 in what has been an absolutely fantastic season so far for him.
9/14 7:00 PM
David Huff (2-4, 3.05) vs. Derek Holland (13-5, 4.12)
This will probably be the Indians last game on national TV this year as they will be Wednesday night game on ESPN. The original scheduled time was bumped up an hour to fit in ESPN’s schedule. Huff has lost his last two games, but has pitched pretty well this season with numbers much better than his last two seasons. Holland’s last bad game came against the Indians when he was only able to go 1.2 innings after allowing 6 runs to score. The Rangers ended up winning in extra innings, but Derek Holland certainly didn’t look very good.
9/14 8:05 PM
Fausto Carmona (6-14, 5.18) vs. Alexi Ogando (12-8, 3.71)
Fausto has struggled for two starts in a row, but has also shown signs of greatness this season. At this point it is basically impossible to know what to expect from Carmona. Ogando on the other hand was an American League All-Star this year, but has fallen off some as of late. Before the break, Ogando had an ERA of 2.92 with a 9-3 record and a complete game. His batting average against was .213. Since then, he has gone 3-5 with a 5.20 ERA with the Rangers losing each of his last 5 starts.
This series is the perfect time for the Indians to take back second place. While the Indians will be in Texas the White Sox are slated to face the Tigers. Detroit has won 9 games in a row, including sweeps of both the Indians and White Sox. The Rangers, on the other hand, are probably looking at the rest of their schedule as easy as they play the Indians, Athletics and 2 series against the Mariners. The Indians could do a great job of spoiler if they can pull off a series win.
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