Rangers' Jacob deGrom looks for another 'effortless' outing vs. A's
The surging Texas Rangers will turn to ace Jacob deGrom on Tuesday when they host the Athletics in the second contest of a three-game series in Arlington, Texas.
deGrom (9-2, 2.32 ERA) will start his 19th game of the year on Tuesday against fellow right-hander J.T. Ginn (1-2, 4.91).
The Rangers took the first game of the set on Monday, posting a 7-2 win behind a three-run homer by Michael Helman, a solo shot by the newly recalled Josh Jung and a solid start by rookie Jack Leiter.
Texas has won six of its past eight games and has captured two straight series over teams that lead their respective divisions.
The Athletics have dropped three of their past four games and fell to 3-5 in the first eight contests against the Rangers this season.
deGrom skipped pitching in the All-Star Game and was passed over for his normal spot in the Rangers' rotation after the break in order to save his strength for the stretch run. He will pitch on Tuesday with 10 days between starts and is 5-0 over the past eight appearances with three no-decisions, including in his last two outings.
deGrom hasn't lost a game since surrendering two runs on five hits in 5 1/3 innings against Toronto at home on May 26. He allowed two runs -- both on solo home runs -- on four hits and a walk with eight strikeouts in a six-inning stint in Houston on July 12.
'The thing about Jacob is it's so effortless,' Texas manager Bruce Bochy said. 'Not a lot of stressful innings. As much as anything with Jacob is that he's just so happy that he feels good. He's back having fun playing the game.'
deGrom's no-decision against the Angels on July 7 ended his franchise record of 14 consecutive starts going at least five innings without giving up more than two runs.
deGrom is 2-1 with a 3.38 ERA in four lifetime appearances against the Athletics. Two of those starts were this season, producing a win at home on April 29 and a no-decision five nights earlier on the road; he gave up a combined two runs on 10 hits over 11 1/3 innings in that pair of games, striking out 13 while not walking a batter.
The A's were dealt a blow on Monday when outfielder Denzel Clarke was sent to the injured list with a right adductor strain that could keep the erstwhile defensive star out for an extended time.
'It's probably going to be a couple of weeks (before Clarke can begin working his way back),' Athletics manager Mark Kotsay said Monday. 'Had this injury not taken place and he'd finished the rest of the season, I was confident that we could have gotten him close to 300 at-bats. We're just hoping that he can get back with us at some point this year and finish off the season.'
Ginn is 1-0 with a 5.00 ERA in two career starts against the Rangers. He permitted three runs on six hits in 3 2/3 innings in a no-decision versus Texas on April 24.
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