The Texas Rangers have won six of seven games since the All-Star break and will look to continue that roll when they clash with the sputtering Atlanta Braves on Saturday in the middle game of a three-game interleague series in Arlington, Texas.
The contest will be a meeting of right-handed starters, with Grant Holmes (4-9, 3.81 ERA) taking the mound for the Braves and Texas countering with Kumar Rocker (4-4, 5.66).
Texas took the series opener 8-3 on Friday behind five strong innings from starting pitcher Nathan Eovaldi, two RBIs that included a solo home run by Jonah Heim, and a run and an RBI from Sam Haggerty in his first game back from the injured list (ankle).
The Rangers won their fourth straight game, while Atlanta dropped its third consecutive contest.
Rocker has been eye-opening in his six starts since being recalled from Triple-A Round Rock on June 15. He’s 3-0 and has surrendered more than two runs just once during that stretch. He pitched 6 1/3 scoreless innings and allowed just one hit and three walks while striking out five in his latest appearance, a game the Rangers won 4-1 over the Detroit Tigers on July 19.
Rocker didn’t allow a hit until the sixth inning against the Tigers in a solid bounce back from a no-decision in an 11-8 loss at the Los Angeles Angels on July 9 when he gave up six runs on six hits — three of them home runs — in 4 1/3 innings.
“(Kumar) has done a lot to get to where he needs to be,” Texas manager Bruce Bochy said after Rocker’s most recent start. “I’ll be honest. I’m amazed at the difference in just one start from when he went down and when he came back up — I think he just grew as a pitcher. I love the way he’s made adjustments, gained awareness.
“He had that little bit of a hiccup there in Anaheim but besides that, he was right on. So I love the progress that he’s made.”
Rocker, a rookie, has not pitched against the Braves in his 15 major league appearances.
Holmes is in the hunt for his first win since June 21 after compiling an 0-3 mark over his past five starts, despite allowing more than three runs just once in that stretch. He took the 4-2 loss last Sunday at home against the Yankees. He allowed three runs on seven hits and two walks over six innings while striking out two in a 4-2.
Holmes said the Braves are sticking to a one-game-at-a-time mantra to try to work themselves back into postseason contention. They have a huge mountain to climb, however, as they start Saturday 10 games behind the San Diego Padres for the final wild-card berth in the National League.
“All we can do is just focus on today and play hard each and every day and come to the ball field and do your best and get your work in,” Holmes told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “I wish you could win five games in one day, put five wins in the win column one day. But you can only win one game at a time, and that’s what it’s all about.”
Holmes has never faced the Rangers in his 47 major league appearances.
-Field Level Media