San Diego right-hander Tyson Ross struggled through a forgettable stint as a member of the Texas Rangers last season but is enjoying a rejuvenation this year
with the Padres.
Ross said he won’t bring any bad feelings with him to the mound when the two teams square off in the middle contest of the
three-game
http://www.greenbaypackersteamonline.com/davante-adams-jersey ,
interleague set on Tuesday at Globe Life Park in Arlington, Texas.
Texas took the opening game of the series 7-4 on Monday as Shin-Soo Choo had three hits and drove in one of the Rangers’ five runs in the pivotal sixth
inning. The victory was Texas’ eighth in its past nine games.
Ross (5-5, 3.34 ERA) will try to help San Diego even the set while the Rangers will counter with right-hander Austin Bibens-Dirkx (1-1, 4.58).
Ross had surgery prior to the 2017 campaign to address thoracic outlet syndrome and made only 12 appearances for Texas before he was released in
mid-September after posting a 7.71 ERA.
“I’d probably have struggled no matter where I was last year, just being five, six months out of surgery and picking up a baseball again,” Ross told
MLB.com. “It was a lot of ups and downs in that year with Texas. But I think it
was growing pains, and I was going to go through it no matter where I was,
really.”
Ross will make his 16th start of the season. The Padres have won six of his past eight starts and are 10-5 overall when he takes the mound.
Ross was the losing pitcher on June 21 at San Francisco in his most recent outing despite tossing seven innings in which he allowed just one run. He
received zero run support for the second consecutive outing and has worked five
or more innings in 14 of his 15 starts, including nine quality outings.
Prior to Monday’s win, Texas manager Jeff Banister was campaigning for a spot for Choo in this year’s All-Star Game. Choo has never played in the midseason
classic in his 14-year major league career.
Choo reached base for the 38th straight game, which is a career-high, with the first of his three hits on Monday.
“With how things have gone for us on a day-to-day basis, and what he’s done, I believe that Choo should be recognized as a guy that should have an
opportunity to be an All-Star,” Banister opined. “Choo’s an on-base guy first,
and when he’s doing that, he’s seeing pitches. He’s focused more on driving the
ball that he gets to hit. He’s really good at it, and it keeps him from chasing
balls out of the zone.”
Bibens-Dirkx will take the bump for his fourth start of the season and will be working on extended five days’ rest after earning his first win of the year
in the Rangers’ 3-2 victory on Wednesday at Kansas City. He was recalled from
Triple-A Round Rock prior to that start for his second stint with Texas in
2018.
Bibens-Dirkx is the second Texas starter to win without a strikeout since the start of 2012 (also Colby Lewis, April 29, 2016, vs. Los Angeles), and is the
first to do it on the road since Tommy Hunter on Aug. 22, 2010, at
Baltimore.
Bibens-Dirkx’ unique outing last Wednesday is also the only quality start without a strikeout in MLB this season. He has never faced the Padres.
PHOENIX — Like pitching?
The final game of the St. Louis-Arizona series Wednesday features a couple starters who have had strong seasons but also should be considered
under-the-radar All-Star candidates, at least for those who have not been paying
close attention.
You could look it up.
Arizona left-hander Patrick Corbin and St. Louis right-hander Miles Mikolas rank in the top 10 among NL qualifiers in ERA, WHIP, WAR and innings pitched.
The only statistical difference is in strikeouts, where Corbin is tied for
second and Mikolas is down the pack. Mikolas compensates by pitching to contact
and getting the majority of his outs on the ground.
They are compatible in one more way — each has received below-average run support. Corbin has received the fourth-fewest, 3.65 per start. Mikolas’ support
checks in under the league average.
Arizona used a three-run homer from Paul Goldschmidt to take a 4-2 victory Tuesday as the teams have split the first two games of the series. Arizona will
conclude a 10-game homestand with a four-game set with San Diego beginning
Thursday, when the Cardinals open a four-game series in San Francisco before
finishing a nine-game trip in Chicago against the White Sox.
Mikolas
Keelan Cole Jersey , 29, has been perhaps the most pleasant surprise in the major
leagues this season, signing with the Cardinals over the winter after three
strong seasons for the Yomiuri Giants in the Japanese Central League. He was
3-13 with a 2.18 ERA in 62 starts in Japan after being released by Texas in
November 2014.
“Obviously this season he’s been fantastic,” Cardinals manager Mike Matheny said. “He should be sitting on 10 wins right now. Two of the losses he had, he
had us right there. He just matched up with a pitcher we couldn’t get much going
against. Miles has been very good.”
Mikolas has made 11 quality starts, tied for fourth in the league. After starting the season 6-0, he has lost three of his five decisions in June despite
posting five quality starts and giving up one earned run in two of his
losses.
“A guy who just attacks the strike zone,” Matheny said.
“He has very good stuff. Doesn’t make a lot of mistakes. Not afraid to use his defense. He has been just an incredible surprise for us. What a great pickup
for our organization and a salute to our scouts who are finding people like
Miles who are out there.
“He figured something out while he was in Japan. The way he goes about his business, not just how he competes but how he prepares, you could see that being
something that sticks around for awhile.”
Mikolas and Corbin are tied for second in the league in WHIP (0.99). Mikolas is sixth and Corbin ninth in ERA and innings pitched, and Mikolas is seventh and
Corbin ninth in WAR.
Each has one of the five shutouts thrown in the NL this season. Washington’s Max Scherzer, Pittsburgh’s Jameson Taillon and Atlanta’s Mike Foltynewicz have
the others.
Corbin, 6-3 with a 3.14 ERA, has made two straight quality starts, giving up only one run and in 13 innings, but did not receive a decision in either game.
He had extra rest the last time through the rotation after pitching seven
scoreless innings while striking out 12 in a no-decision at Pittsburgh, when he
threw a season-high 102 pitches. He gave up one run in six innings against San
Francisco on Friday, pitching on six days’ rest.
“He (gets) into trouble, doesn’t get rattled, and continues to pound the zone and get big outs. He’s done a very good job,” Arizona manager Torey Lovullo
said.
Jeff Mathis, one of two healthy catchers on the Arizona roster with Alex Avila on the disabled list, will catch Corbin for the third straight start.
“I like the way Jeff gets Patrick to do certain things at certain times and shows confidence in certain pitches, and helps him execute by showing that
confidence,” Lovullo said. “Jeff has such respect from anyone on this staff that
when he asks for something they listen.”
Corbin has received 3.65 runs per start, tied for the third fewest in the league. He is 1-1 with a 4.50 ERA in four career starts against St. Louis and is
4-3 with a 3.69 ERA in 10 starts at home this sesaon.
Mikolas, who spent previous major league seasons with San Diego and Texas, has never started against Arizona and has given one run in 4 1/3 innings in two
career relief appearances, a Justin Upton homer in 2012. This will be his first
appearance at Chase Field.
