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The
Texas Rangers
' current stretch of interleague games started off promising, but now the team is hoping to stave off a slump.
The Rangers look to avoid being swept for the second time overall this season when they wrap up their three-game series with
the
San Diego Padres
at Ameriquest Field on Thursday.
Texas (38-34) swept Arizona in three games over the weekend, but have dropped the first two games of this series, including
Wednesday's 3-2 loss to the Padres.
The Rangers were swept in a three-game set by the New York Yankees May 5-7. That series sweep was one of just two three-game
losing streaks the Rangers have endured this season. They dropped four in a row April 5-8.
Pinch-runner
Ben Johnson
scored the winning run Wednesday in the ninth inning. He took off for third on a wild pitch and came home when third baseman
Hank Blalock
was unable to come up with catcher
Gerald Laird
's throw.
''Aggressive base-running got us a run,'' Padres manager
Bruce Bochy
said. ''(Johnson) hesitated at first, then it was just his speed that got him there.''
Mike Piazza
homered for San Diego (38-33), which has won four of five and leads the NL West by two games over the
Los Angeles Dodgers
. San Diego and Texas both are 4-4 in interleague play this season.
Padres starter
Clay Hensley
(4-5, 4.05 ERA) will look to finish off the sweep. He allowed four runs and eight hits, including two homers, in 7 1-3 innings
of the Padres' 5-4 win over the
Los Angeles Angels
on Friday, but did not receive a decision.
After going 3-1 with a 2.93 ERA in six May starts, he is 0-2 with a 4.82 ERA in three this month. Hensley has never faced
the Rangers.
''You know you're going to get a good outing from Clay,'' first baseman
Adrian Gonzalez
said. ''When he got his sinker and slider going, he was pretty unhittable. He kept us in the game.''
Texas will counter with rookie
John Rheinecker
(2-1, 3.60). He took his first career loss in his fifth start last Thursday, allowing season highs of five runs and 11 hits
in a season low-matching four innings of an 8-2 defeat to the
Chicago White Sox
.
''They had four or five broken-bat hits that found some holes,'' he said. ''Other than that, I threw the ball all right.''
Rheinecker, who is making his first start against San Diego, had allowed just five runs in 22 innings in his previous three
starts. He gave up four in the fourth inning against the
White Sox
.
''He had a little bit different command this time,'' manager Buck Showalter said. ''He was elevating some balls. John is not
overpowering, and two or three inches of height makes a difference.''
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