In recent years, there aren't many pitchers who enjoyed as much success against the Texas Rangers on a regular basis than Scott Kazmir.
The veteran lefty split his 2015 season between the Oakland A's and Houston Astros, both of which are Rangers' AL West opponents, and while his dominance against the Rangers was curbed a bit after he joined the rival Astros, he's still been pretty fantastic in his career against Texas.
On Wednesday, Kazmir inked a deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers, not only taking him out of the AL West but also out of American League altogether.
Last season, Kazmir made three starts against the Rangers as a member of the A's rotation, and they were all great. His first start of the year saw him allow one hit in seven shutout innings against the Rangers. His second start was "bad" as he gave up three runs in six innings, and his third was a gem — eight innings of one-hit ball.
When the Astros acquired their hometown boy Kazmir at the trade deadline, the prevailing thought around here was that it was bad news for the Rangers, who were chasing the Astros in the AL West. Of course, they ended up catching and passing Houston, thanks in part to Kazmir's dominance of them dwindling.
The Astros went 0-3 in Kazmir starts against Texas over the final two months, including a loss in his one good outing against the Rangers (7 innings, 2 earned runs). His final start of the year against Texas saw him chased after 3 2/3 innings, allowing six runs on 10 hits.
Despite the late struggles last season, Kazmir has been a thorn in the Rangers' side for years now, and now he won't be seen around here very often.
