Texas at San Diego

Surprisingly, the Texas Rangers find themselves in the middle of a pennant race as the calendar turns to September. The Rangers are four games behind Houston in the AL West, and hold a slim one game advantage over Minnesota for the final Wild Card slot in the AL. Last night the Rangers' bats were silenced in a 7-0 loss, and this is going to be a tough stretch for the Rangers, as last night was the first of 10 straight on the road, and the trip did not start out very well. Andrew Cashner at 5-13 has been better than his record, especially at home where his ERA is 3.34 on the season. The Rangers are a poor 1-5 in Gallardo's last six starts vs. a losing team, and overall stand at 4-10 in their last 14 in interleague play vs. a losing team. The Padres step-up at home where they are 23-11 in their last 34 vs. a team with a winning road record, and have taken six of their last seven here vs. a right-handed starter. Back the home team Padres in this one.