The last time Matt Garza faced the Pittsburgh Pirates, which came earlier this season when he was pitching for the Chicago Cubs, he allowed just one hit in five shutout innings before being removed, seemingly for a pinch-hitter.
On Wednesday, as the starting pitcher for his new team, the Texas Rangers will need a similar outing from Garza to avoid a three-game sweep at the hands of the Pirates as the Rangers enter the day with a two-game deficit in the AL West.
Garza has been hit with a rough patch since his first couple of starts in a Rangers uniform, allowing at least four earned runs in six of his last seven starts but has also been tenacious and given the Rangers innings, working at least seven innings in seven of his nine starts with the club.
A big outing by Garza on Wednesday, and a resulting Rangers win over a guy in A.J. Burnett they've traditionally owned, would give the Rangers some much-needed momentum headed into a weekend home series against the first-place A's, who lost to Minnesota on Tuesday.
