News
Lackey can tie Tanana with victory
Los Angeles (88-60) at Texas (81-66), 10:05 a.m. PT
By Lyle Spencer / MLB.com
09/19/09 10:47 PM ET
ARLINGTON -- For John Lackey, the numbers continue to add up, but they can't obscure the big picture. "Who cares what my numbers are," Lackey said. "We're here to win." A win by any other name, like a rose, has a nice fragrance. Lackey is gunning for career win No. 102 in Sunday's series finale against southpaw Derek Holland and the Rangers, a team the Angels would like to push into winter as soon as possible. The game will be carried by TBS with Chip Caray handling play-by-play and Buck Martinez, the astute former Major League catcher, taking care of the analysis. Lackey is bidding to draw even with one of the biggest names in franchise history. Frank Tanana won 102 games in an Angels uniform, most of them back when he was known as Fast Frank, to rank fourth in club history. When Lackey reached triple digits in career victories on Aug. 30 at home against the Athletics, he became one of five pitchers in franchise history with 100 or more, joining Chuck Finley, Nolan Ryan, Mike Witt and Tanana. Asked where he belonged in that five-man rotation, Lackey laughed. "Come on, man, I'm a distant fifth," Lackey said. "Where I'm from, you're not allowed to say Nolan and your name in the same sentence." There it is, nonetheless. Lackey is in that exclusive club with The Express, the all-time strikeout king John grew up admiring in Abilene, Tex. -- the man now running the Rangers as their president. His homestate team hasn't been overly kind to Lackey across the years. He's 10-12 with a 5.82 ERA against Texas, the most losses and the highest ERA he has against any AL club. Among active pitchers, only Boston's Tim Wakefield, with 15, has more losses against the Rangers in his career. Lackey's ERA is the seventh highest against the Rangers among active pitchers who have faced them for at least 75 innings, and his 6.12 ERA at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington is the third highest among active pitchers with at least 75 innings. Lackey is coming off a disappointing loss in Boston. Going 7 2/3 innings -- the first time in four starts he hadn't gone eight or more -- he yielded three runs, two earned, on eight hits and three walks, striking out six. "I threw the ball good," said Lackey, whose throwing error contributed to Boston's 4-1 win. "Nothing different from my last few starts. We gave them a couple of runs." With Jeff Mathis behind the plate, Lackey is on his best run of the season. He has surrendered only three earned runs in his past 33 2/3 innings and had a run of 22 consecutive scoreless innings end in Boston. He has allowed 24 hits and six walks over that span, striking out 23 men. Pitching matchupLAA: RHP John Lackey (10-8, 3.47 ERA)
Lackey delivered another stout effort in a losing cause on Tuesday night at Fenway Park. His own throwing error contributed to his loss during a two-run sixth inning after he'd blanked the Red Sox through five innings. Departing after 7 2/3 innings, Lackey yielded eight hits and three walks, striking out six men. It ended a string of three consecutive starts lasting at least eight innings, a stretch of 26 innings with only one earned run. Lackey is 0-2 in three starts against the Rangers this season with a 7.15 ERA. He's 10-12, 5.82 in 30 lifetime starts against his home-state club and is 5-5 with a 6.12 ERA in Rangers Ballpark at Arlington. TEX: LHP Derek Holland (7-11, 6.01 ERA)
Holland is 0-4 with a 13.25 ERA in his past four starts. In 18 1/3 innings, he has allowed 28 hits, including five home runs, along with 11 walks and 14 strikeouts. He has allowed 22 home runs on the season, the third-most ever by a Rangers rookie. Jose Guzman (1986) and Colby Lewis (2003) allowed 23. Holland has allowed 1.63 home runs per nine innings, the second-highest ever by a Rangers pitcher with at least 120 innings pitched. He is 5-6 with a 7.04 ERA in 14 games, including 10 starts, at home. That is the second-highest ERA at home for a pitcher with at least 50 innings pitched. He is 2-0 with a 3.29 ERA in three games against the Angels this season. Tidbits
Mike Napoli's home run on Saturday night was his 18th of the season and 15th while catching. He tied the club record for career homers by a catcher with 61, joining Bengie Molina and Lance Parrish. ... Rangers third baseman Michael Young is a career .373 hitter against Lackey, but is doubtful for Sunday with a strained left hamstring. ... Outfielder Josh Hamilton is 7-for-18 (.389) with three homers against Lackey, but he's out with a pinched nerve in the lower back. Hamilton is one of six players with at least three homers against Lackey. Alex Rodriguez has four, and Hamilton joins Manny Ramirez, Michael Cuddyer, Jason Giambi and Carlos Quentin with three. Tickets
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• KLAA 830, KWKW 1330 (Español) Up next
• Monday: Angels (Joe Saunders, 13-7, 4.75) vs. Yankees (Andy Pettitte, 13-6, 4.14), 7:05 p.m. PT
• Tuesday: Angels (Ervin Santana, 7-8, 5.43) vs. Yankees (Sergio Mitre, 3-3, 7.63), 7:05 p.m. PT
• Wednesday: Angels (Scott Kazmir, 9-8, 5.08) vs. Yankees (TBD), 12:35 p.m. PT
Lyle Spencer is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
