7:05 PM ET, August 19, 2010
Oriole Park at Camden Yards, Baltimore, Maryland
Lewis (9-9, 3.28 ERA) hasn't won since July 16 at Boston, but poor run support has been the primary reason. The right-hander has a 2.76 ERA and 38 strikeouts in 32 2/3 innings in his last five outings, but the Rangers have scored a total of four runs for him in that stretch.
"You've got to roll with the punches," Lewis said after Saturday's 3-1 loss to the Red Sox. "If I go out there and give a quality start and keep my team there, we're one swing away from getting a win."
Lewis, who spent the last two years pitching in Japan, hasn't started against the Orioles since June 1, 2003.
Baltimore's Brian Matusz (4-12, 5.28) would prefer to forget his two starts against Texas this year. He's 0-1 with an 18.56 ERA in those outings, lasting a total of 5 1/3 innings and surrendering two homers to Vladimir Guerrero.
The rookie left-hander, who hopes to avoid matching teammate Kevin Millwood and Philadelphia's Roy Oswalt for the major league lead in losses, is 1-0 with a 1.50 ERA in his last two home starts, but he struggled at Tampa Bay on Saturday, giving up five runs in four innings of a 7-3 loss.
It's unclear if Matusz will have to face Rangers third baseman Michael Young, who has missed Texas' last two games with a stiff neck.
"Right now it's kind of a hour by hour kind of thing," Young said Wednesday. "I get more treatment and it feels better. So I imagine that will continue."
The Orioles likely won't avoid major league batting leader Josh Hamilton, who is 11 for 24 with two homers and three doubles against Baltimore this year.
No comments:
Post a Comment