At 10:05 pm our selection is on the Texas Rangers over the Oakland Athletics. Of all the pleasant surprises for the Texas Rangers this season, 23-year-old righthander Tommy Hunter just might be the most pleasant of all of them. Hunter is 8-4 with a 3.25 ERA, and 1.18 WHIP in 16 starts this season and even more impressive, he is 2-1 with a 3.08 ERA in six starts on the road. He has held right-handed hitters to a .203 batting average while left-handers are hitting .263. Opponents are hitting .169 with runners in scoring position, including 3-for-37 when there are two outs. The A's will counter with rookie righthander Clay Mortensen. Mortensen, who came to the A's in July from St. Louis in the Matt Holliday trade, made it two straight victories Thursday night, beating Cleveland. He continued to make progress, showing better command of his pitches and more confidence on the mound. He went five innings, holding the Indians to two runs and four hits while striking out four and walking just three. But Cleveland's lineup is depleted and even when healthy it doesn't have nearly the firepower of the Rangers, even without outfielder Josh Hamilton who continues to sit with a pinched nerve in his back. In fact, after facing Kansas City, Seattle, Minnesota, and the Indians in his last four starts, it's safe to say this will be Mortensen's toughest assignment of late by far. For Hunter's part, he is 1-0 with a 3.65 ERA in two starts against the Athletics. Finally, Oakland is 14-37 vs. pitchers with a WHIP below 1.20. Take the Rangers
Big al #2 9/23
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