Philadelphia Phillies (14-22) at Texas Rangers (20-20) RHP Zach Eflin (0-0, 2.81) vs. RHP Andrew Cashner (0-3, 2.43) Game #41 • Home #23 (14-8) • Wed., May 17, 2017 • Globe Life Park in Arlington • 7:05 p.m. (CDT) • FSSW / 105.3 FM / 1270 AM RANGERS AT A GLANCE WINS AND LOSSES: The Rangers topped the Phillies, 5-1, BEATING BULLPENS: The Rangers scored twice against in last night’s series opener and has won a season-best 7 the Phillies bullpen last night on Mike Napoli’s 2-run home run Overall ..............................20-20 straight (see below)…club is 6-0 to begin this 8-game, 9-day in the 8th inning...during the club’s current win streak, Texas homestand against SD (2-0), OAK (3-0), and PHI (1-0)… has scored 21 runs against opposing bullpens, while also Home ..................................14-8 Road ...................................6-12 team is 9-3 in last 12 G and 15-10 since 4/20, but is 12-9 in pinning losses on the opposing relievers in 5 of 7 games... last 21 G…team is 9-6 (.600) in May, T3rd-best win pct. in some numbers for the Rangers against opposing bullpens Standing ............. T2nd, -8.0 GB A.L. (HOU-.800, 12-3 and NYY- .615, 8-5), and T2nd-most prior to and during the current win streak: wins in the league this month (HOU-12)…at 20-20 (.500) on Homestand ...........................6-0 OPPOSING BULLPENS VS. THE RANGERS IN 2017 the year, Rangers are tied for the 7th-highest win pct. in the W-L BS ERA AVG WHIP IR IRS One-Run ...............................4-7 A.L. and team’s 20 wins are T5th-most in the league…cur- Prior to win streak 9-4 1 3.53 .188 1.031 35 8 2-Run ....................................2-1 rently at the .500 mark for the 1st time in ‘17, this after reach- During win streak 0-5 4 10.69 .318 2.063 8 4 ing season-high 7 games under .500 with loss on 5/8 at SD HR ....................................15-13 No HR...................................5-7 before the start of the current win streak…team was 22-18 at NIFTY FIFTY: Yu Darvish notched his 50th career win last this point last year after holding a 17-23 mark in 2015…after night in his 109th career appearance/start…of the now 15 White ....................................9-5 41 G, Texas was 22-19 in 2016 and 18-23 in 2015…Rangers pitchers in Rangers history to record 50-or-more wins, Kevin w/ Blue ................................2-1 lost a season-high 4 straight, 4/30-5/3. Brown was previously the fastest (in terms of career appear- w/ Red ................................7-4 • Despite the 7-G win streak, Texas has gained just a half- Gray ......................................6-5 ances, not strictly appearances w/ TEX), recording win no. Alt. Blue ................................2-8 game in the division since the start of the streak on 5/9... 50 in career outing no. 115 on 8/2/92 vs. CAL...according to Blue Home .........................2-1 Rangers have shaved their division deficit on only 3 dates Elias, Darvish reached 50 wins the second-fastest of any ma- Blue Road ..........................0-7 this month…Rangers have at least a share of 2nd place for jor-league pitcher born in Asia...Chien-Ming Wang, born in Alt. Red (all home) ...............1-2 the 4th consecutive day...current 8.0-G deficit in A.L. West Special ..................................2-0 Taiwan, improved to 50-18 in his 87th big-league game...the matches the 2nd-largest club has faced in ‘17 (season-high next-fastest after Wang and Darvish: Japanese born Daisuke Last 5 Games .......................5-0 is 8.5 GB). Matsuzaka (112), Japanese born Hisashi Iwakuma (121), Last 10 Games .....................7-3 and Japanese born Hideo Nomo (124). STREAK AT SEVEN: The Rangers’ current season-best • Darvish improved to 8-2 with a 2.19 ERA (23 ER/94.2 IP) Come From Behind Wins ...... 10 Losses After Lead ................. 10 7-game win streak is the longest active run in MLB, T2nd-lon- over 14 career starts in Interleague play...his ERA is now the gest streak in MLB and 2nd-longest in A.L. in 2017…the only lowest in the history of Interleague play among pitchers with Score First ..........................13-8 longer win streak in the majors this year was by NYY (8 G, at least 12 starts. Opp. Score First .................7-12 4/9-17)...club has not won 8 consecutive games since 8/4- 12/13…Texas had not had a win streak this long fall so early Columns below listed in a LUCROY AND THE PHILLIES: Jonathan Lucroy has multi- Home/Road/Total format in the season since 8 in a row, 4/12-21/12…some notes on ple hits in 4 of his last 5 games, and is batting .375/.432/.525 the streak: over his 1st 11 games in May...the 2 hits for Lucroy last vs. AL West ........6-3/5-11/11-14 • Club has batted .288 (64-222) with 42 R (6.0 R/G) and an night extended his current hit streak against the Phillies to 9 vs. AL Central .......... 5-5/0-0/5-5 .822 OPS during the win streak, raising team’s season figure vs. AL East .............. 0-0/0-0/0-0 games, T4th-longest among active players (Adrian Gonza- Interleague .............. 3-0/1-1/4-1 from .215 to .228, highest since 4/14 (.238)...the .295 figure lez-17, Buster Posey-15, Joe Mauer-12)...Lucroy has posted since 5/9 is best in the A.L. and 3rd in MLB (MIL-.324; ARI- the 4th-highest career average (.366, 49-134) vs. the Phillies Series ..............4-3-0/1-4-1/5-7-1 .299)…pitching staff has compiled a 2.43 ERA (17 ER/63.0 among active players (min. 100 PA) behind only Posey (.398, Series Openers............... 5-3/2-4/7-7 IP) since 5/9, lowest in MLB in that stretch, dropping season 51-128), Starling Marte (.398, 37-93), and Ryan Braun (.375, Series Finales ................5-2/3-3/8-5 Rubber Games ........ 1-1/1-2/2-3 mark from 4.06 to 3.77. 93-248). Lead after 6 ........... 7-2/5-5/12-7 INTERLEAGUE PLAY: The Rangers are in a stretch of play- RISP-Y BUSINESS: Last night marked the club’s 1st win of Lead after 7 ......... 10-2/5-2/15-4 ing 7 of 10 games against N.L. foes, having gone 4-1 in that the season without recording a hit with runners in scoring Lead after 8 ......... 10-1/5-1/15-2 span...club won last night’s series opener w/PHI and took 3 poisition...in fact, it was the 1st time for the Rangers to win a Trail after 6 ............ 3-5/0-5/3-10 of 4 in a home-and-home series vs. SD last week…Texas 9-inning game in which it had 7-or-more hitless at-bats with Trail after 7 ............ 2-5/0-8/2-13 has won 4 straight, 6 of 7, 11 of 15, 23 of 33, 32 of 49, and RISP since 8/2/15 vs. SF (0-for-7 in 2-1 win). Trail after 8 .......... 2-6/0-10/2-16 35 of last 56 vs. N.L…club’s 85-54 (.612) mark vs. N.L. since 2010 is 2nd-best in MLB in that span to only Boston (.632, Tied after 6 .............. 4-1/1-2/5-3 FEWER FREEBIES: During the club’s 7-game win streak, Tied after 7 .............. 2-1/1-2/3-3 91-53)…club has posted a winning season vs. N.L. in each of Texas starters have averaged just 1.71 BB/9, the lowest rate Tied after 8 .............. 2-1/1-1/3-2 the last 2 campaigns, and have gone .500-or-better against of any ML team in that stretch...Rangers pitchers have issued senior circuit for 10 straight years beginning 2007…all-time, 3-or-fewer walks in each of their last 8 games, the longest Decided 7th/later...........7-3/1-7/8-10 the Rangers are 197-172 in Interleague play. streak by the club since 10 consecutive games, 5/22-6/2/13... Shutouts ........................... 1-0/2-1/3-1 Decided final AB .........4-2/1-4/5-6 • At home: Rangers have won 5 straight, 9 of 12, 18 of 27, during this current stretch Texas pitchers also have zero HBP Walk-off games ....................4-2 19 of 29, and 21 of last 32 vs. N.L. in Arlington, going 42-25 and just 3 wild pitches. in such contests beginning 6/22/10…Texas is 13-3-5 in last ALL-TIME HOME RUN LIST 21 home series vs. senior circuit. DEFENSE DEPT.: The Rangers committed an error last Rank HR Player night, ending a season-best 8-game errorless streak...since 37 452 Carl Yastrzemski SERIES STUFF: The 3-0 weekend vs. OAK marked the 3rd committing a season-high 3 errors twice in a 3-game span, 38 450 Miguel Cabrera time this season for Texas to win all games of a series (4-0 5/1-3, the Rangers have compiled a .991 fielding percentage, 39 449 Jeff Bagwell vs. KC from 4/20-23; 2-0 vs.