There's no doubt who the Texas Rangers' best, most consistent starter has been throughout the 2012 season. But much like Yu Darvish's unexplained struggles against the Seattle Mariners, possible 20-game winner Matt Harrison just can't seem to get things right this year against the Tampa Bay Rays.
In Wednesday's 8-4 loss to the Rays, Harrison gave up seven runs over 5-plus innings, with six of those coming in the first two innings off two big home runs. One of those blasts came off the bat of Evan Longoria, who continued his ownership of Harrison, improving to 7-for-13 with three home runs and nine RBIs over his career.
He gave up 12 hits on the night, and back in an April start against the Rays he allowed 14, which just doesn't make a lot of sense coming from a lineup that is far from one of the league's best. It's just something about their lineup that hits Harrison well, and they have all season.
"I think they have 26 hits in two games, that's not very good," Harrison told reporters after the game. "They've had my number in two starts this year. I guess I need to make some adjustments. I'll look at these two games and see what went wrong and try to get better at it."
That could be big come playoff time, as it's highly possible the Rangers could match up with the Rays in the ALDS, a best-of-five series. Harrison undoubtedly deserves to start Game 1 of a playoff series for the Rangers this year, but what if that series is against the Rays?
