Rangers series preview: Chicago White Sox

Rangers start their season series against the White Sox with a weekend series in Chicago and for the first time in his career, Derek Holland will pitch against the team that drafted him and he spent eight seasons with.

The Rangers come into the series with a 38-39 record, 5-5 for their last 10, and a two game losing streak after losing the four game series against Cleveland. Chicago comes in with a 34-44 record and 3-7 for their last 10. The White Sox also just fished a four game series against the Yankees which they split.

Adrian Beltre comes into the series with 2,970 career hits.

GAME ONE: AUSTIN BIBENS-DIRKX VS PELFREY

Pelfrey is 1-2 in his five career starts against Texas with a 5.97 ERA. His last start against Texas in 2016, he went five innnings, gave up five runs off seven hits, three homers and got the no decision. This season Pelfrey is 3-6 with a 3.73 ERA. In his last start against Oakland, he got the loss after going 4.2. He gave up three runs on four hits and five walks. He struck out four and gave up two homers.

Beltre is 4-11 with two homers and five RBIs with a 1.242 OPS against Pelfrey. Mazara is 2-3 with a double and a homer. Choo 3-4 with two walks and a 1.833 OPS. Gallo has two plate appearances against Pelfrey and has walked both times.

ABD hasn’t faced the White Sox but he hasn’t pitched in almost a week so if you forgot his last outing, he went seven innings and gave up just one run on five hits and a walk, struck out three.

GAME TWO: HOLLAND VS HAMELS

Holland is 5-7 with a 4.26 ERA for 2017. In his last start, he went six innings and gave up one run on four hits and two walks and struck out six. In his last seven starts he is 2-4 with a 6.31 ERA.

While this will be Holland’s first time pitching against the Rangers, he’s faced half of the lineup. Beltre is 1-2 with all three true outcomes, a homer, a walk, and a strikeout. Gomez is 5-8 and Kozma is 2-5. Napoli is 5-18 with two homers, two walks, and two strikeouts. Lucroy is 1-3 and Choo is 0-3.

Hamels has faced the White Sox just three times in his career, he is 1-0 with a 2.91 ERA. Both his starts as a Phillie against the White Sox, he went eight innings and gave up two runs each. His last start against Chicago, in 2016, he went 5.2 and gave up five runs on nine hits and struck out nine.

Melky Cabrera is 8-22 with a homer, two walks, and three strikeouts against Cole.

GAME THREE: ROSS VS QUINTANA

Quintana is 4-8 with a 4.37 ERA on the season. In his last seven starts he is 2-3 with a 5.06 ERA. His last start was a no decision against the Yankees where he threw 6.1 shutout innings. He gave up two hits, walked four, and struck out six.

In his five starts against the Rangers, Quintana is 2-1 with a 3.38 ERA. He last faced Texas in April of 2016 and got the win. He pitched seven shutout innings, giving up four hits and two walks with four strikeouts.

Choo is 6-12 with five doubles and a walk against Quintana with a 1.455 OPS. Napoli is 4-22 with two walks and nine strikeouts. Napoli is the only one with a homer against Quintana. Lucroy, Mazara, and Kozma have never faced him.

Tyson Ross has only faced the White Sox twice. Once in 2011 and once in 2014. For what its worth, he is 2-0 in those starts with 2.03 ERA. He gave up two runs in each of those games.

Melky Cabrera and Todd Frazier are the only two to have faced Ross. Frazier is 2-9 with a walk and two strikeouts. Cabrera is 3-11.