After a satisfying end to their Philadelphia visit, the Colorado Rockies head to Arlington, Texas and will face the AL West-leading Texas Rangers for the final three games of this road trip. Even with a 43-27 record (best in baseball), the Rangers have seen some pitching injuries of their own in the past few weeks. They get a big name reinforcement tonight, as veteran righthander Roy Oswalt will make his debut with Texas after signing as a free agent earlier this spring.
Oswalt, 34, pitched last season with the Philadelphia Phillies, though chronic back injuries limited him to just 139 innings, his lowest since 2003. Since signing with Texas, Oswalt has thrown only 15.1 innings in the minors and with mixed results. In his June 7 AAA start, Oswalt was tagged five earned runs in just four innings. Friday will be his first start in the major leagues since September 27, 2011.
Colorado will send left-handed rookie Christian Friedrich (4-3, 5.60) to the mound. Friedrich has felt at home this season on the road, where he carries a 2.10 ERA. In his last start at Comerica Park in Detroit, he allowed just two earned runs in five innings, though he did walk a season-high five batters.
Game time/date: 6:05 p.m. MT, Friday, June 22
Location: Rangers Ballpark in Arlington, Arlington, TX
TV/Radio: ROOT/850KOA
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