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The Rangers will play their first division series tonight in Anaheim. The Angels are currently second in the AL West, behind the Seattle Mariners, with an 8-5 record.
RHP Kohei Arihara will start tonight’s game while the Rangers will face RHP Dylan Bundy. In three starts, Bundy has a 3.32 ERA and 1.05 WHIP in 19 innings. He’s faced the Rangers nine times in his career, including seven starts. Bundy has a 2.91 career ERA against Texas. He faced them twice last year and went 12.1 innings, giving up five runs on nine hits and three walks, the Angels won both of those games.
On Tuesday, the Rangers will face RHP Shohei Ohtani, making his first start since April 4, coming off the IL for a blister on his middle finger of his pitching hand. This will be the first time the Rangers will face Ohtani as a pitcher, in his previous games against Texas, Ohtani has only been a hitter. Brock Holt is the only Ranger who has an at-bat against him, a solo home run in 2018 when he played for Boston.
Jordan Lyles will be on the mound for Texas and while he was supposed to be a tandem starter, based on this first three starts, he’s forced the Rangers to make him a traditional starter pitching into the sixth inning in two of the three starts. Lyles faced the Angels last season just once but went 5.1 innings and gave up just three runs on six hits and two walks, striking out five in a game the Rangers won.
In the series finale on Wednesday afternoon, Mike Foltynewicz is hoping from a bounce back after his not so great start against the Orioles. He’s only faced the Angels twice in his career, both times as a reliver in 2014. In his 1.1 innings against them, he’s given up one run off two hits.
José Quintana will take the mound for Los Angeles and he has not been sharp this year to say the least. He’s made two starts in 2021 and has yet to make it out of the fourth inning. He has a 16.20 ERA and 3.40 WHIP in five innings pitched. In that time he’s given up 11 runs, nine earned, off 10 hits and seven walks.