On Deck will be here all season to provide you with everything you need to know (and a few things you don't) about every Rangers series during the 2015 season.
The Opponent: The Yankees are old and gray, but they're hanging around in the AL East and have gotten a surprisingly positive contribution from Alex Rodriguez and their aging pitching staff. They're jockeying for position in the East with Tampa Bay and are currently a half-game out of first.
Past Meetings: The Rangers went 3-4 against the Bronx Bombers a year ago, including a 1-3 series loss in New York last year.
Pitching Matchups: Friday — Colby Lewis (3-2, 3.06 ERA) vs. Michael Pineda (5-1, 3.31); Saturday — Nick Martinez (3-0, 1.88) vs. CC Sabathia (2-5, 4.67); Sunday — Yovani Gallardo (3-6, 4.26) vs. Chris Capuano (0-1, 12.00).
What's Hot: Our old friend Adrian Beltre is starting to hit like the feared cleanup hitter he's been for years. Over his last six games, he's batting .364 with a homer and three RBIs. Mitch Moreland is picking up where he left off before he was injured, as he's batting .333 with two doubles, two homers and five RBIs over that same six games. The much-maligned Rangers bullpen was untouchable in Boston, led by Shawn Tolleson's two saves in the past two games.
Mark Teixeira is batting .357 with a homer over his past five games, and fellow aging vet Carlos Beltran is hitting .333 with three doubles over that same time. Sabathia, who has struggled this year, was pretty dang good in his last outing, tossing seven innings of one-run ball with five strikeouts.
What's Not: Colby Lewis is coming off his worst outing in a while, as he lasted just five innings and gave up six runs on seven hits in a no-decision against Cleveland. Shin-Soo Choo has cooled off again after his tremendous tear, as he's hitting just .191 over the last six games. Two of his five hits in that time were a triple and a homer, though.
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In his last start, Capuano lasted only three innings and gave up four runs. Speedster Brett Gardner is hitting .176 over his last five games, and catcher Brian McCann is batting just .167 over his last four.
Familiar Faces: Alex Rodriguez is back with the Yankees after serving a year-long suspension in 2014. Of course, before he was the most hated player in baseball, he was one of the most hated after he signed the record deal with Texas back in the mid-2000s. Another former Ranger who isn't too well-liked is Mark Teixeira, who is having a bit of a bounce-back year from a power standpoint.
