Rangers Chase History Against Orioles On TXA 21
FORT WORTH (CBSDFW.COM) - The Texas Rangers are off to a fast start in 2011, and served notice to the rest of the American League. They are more than ready to defend their American League championship crown.
The Rangers used an explosive offense to shutdown the team many believed was the early favorite to win the American League, the Boston Red Sox. Pitching and defense caught up with the bats to sweep Seattle. And the Rangers now find themselves with a perfect 6-0 record after the first week of the season. "I love the runs, but I like the pitching and defense," said manager Ron Washington after Wednesday's win against Seattle.
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Texas looks to extend their dominance Friday night against the Baltimore Orioles. Baltimore is riding a 5-1 record to start the season. You can watch the game on TXA 21.
And you'll notice some familiar faces wearing the orange and black. O's manager Buck Showalter was the Rangers skipper before Ron Washington, from 2003 until 2006. He was Manager of the Year in 2004. Baltimore's designated hitter this year is none other than Vladimir Guerrero. Vlad was a key component in the Rangers' historic run to the World Series last season. In six games this year, Guerrero has one home run, 3 RBIs and is batting .240.
The Rangers will send Colby Lewis to the mound. Lewis is 1-0 for the season after giving up three runs in six innings of work last Saturday against Boston. Baltimore will counter with 23-year-old Zach Britton. Zach is also 1-0 after winning his Major League debut against Tampa Bay.
It's anybody's guess whether we'll see a lot of Rangers offense or if Colby's pitching and team defense will dominate the game. "I just want my guys to be able to play baseball any kind of way that it's presented to them on the day we play it. And if that means we grind it, we grind it. We get an opportunity to blow something out, we'll blow it out," said Washington.
Texas is hoping to match its longest winning streak to start the season, with a seventh win on Friday.
And you'll have a great seat for the action. TXA 21 is your home for the second season of Texas Rangers Friday Night Baseball. Gina Miller and Mark McLemore are back to bring you comprehensive coverage of the game, beginning at 5:30 p.m. with the pre-game show. The first pitch is scheduled for 6:05 p.m. John Rhadigan and Tom Grieve will call the game. After the final out, Gina and Mark will return to break down what happened.
TXA 21 is your Friday night home for the defending American League champion Texas Rangers!
