Rangers, Padres each looking to solve struggles at the plate

Too often since their 15-4 start, the San Diego Padres have been punchless offensively.

They hope to turn things around beginning Friday, when they open a season-high 10-game homestand with a series opener against the Texas Rangers.

San Diego is coming off a doubleheader split Wednesday in Philadelphia that saw it turn nine walks into a 6-4 win in the opener before being stifled during a 5-1 loss to the Phillies in the nightcap. The Padres went 2-4 on their road trip through Cincinnati and Philly, scoring just 16 runs.

But manager Mike Shildt points to the patience his team showed in Wednesday's win as a reason why the Padres are capable of being much more productive offensively.

"If we do that, this team is going to be unstoppable," he said. "We were very stingy. (We) weren't going to give them anything that wasn't on the plate. You know there's no absolute in this game, but if you do that with the talent we have in the zone, then we're going to be a very dangerous team."

Third baseman Manny Machado, who was voted an All-Star starter for the National League, said the team has made adjustments that are close to paying off.

"I think guys are starting to get back on their plan," he said. "I think it's going to be fun when we start rolling again."

If they can get rolling like they were in the season's first three weeks, it might make things easier for Friday's starter Randy Vasquez (3-4, 3.84 ERA). He last pitched in Saturday's 6-4 win at Cincinnati, getting a no-decision after allowing four runs in 4 1/3 innings off nine hits and two walks with three strikeouts. He will face Texas for the first time in his career.

The Rangers counter with Kumar Rocker (3-4, 6.13), who's coming off a good start in Saturday's 3-2, 10-inning win over Seattle. Rocker threw six innings, yielding four hits and two runs while walking one and fanning six but did not figure into the decision. He is facing San Diego for the first time in his career.

Texas is coming off a home series win over Baltimore, blanking the Orioles 6-0 in the rubber game on Wednesday night. Marcus Semien drilled a three-run homer while starter Nathan Eovaldi worked five innings, allowing two hits and one walk with five strikeouts to improve to 5-3.

The Rangers feasted on the Orioles' struggling pitching staff for 22 runs in the series, representing a much-needed offensive explosion. They enter the series ranked 27th in the major leagues in batting average (.229), 27th in on-base percentage (.296), 25th in runs (330) and 26th in slugging percentage (.368).

A recent casualty is third baseman Josh Jung, a World Series hero two years ago who was shipped to Triple-A Round Rock on Wednesday.

"The best thing right now for Josh and this club is to let him get some at-bats with Round Rock," Texas manager Bruce Bochy said. "We need him."

Too often, excellent pitching has been wasted. Texas leads MLB in earned-run average (3.23) and WHIP (1.15) while allowing opponents to hit just .226. Despite that, the Rangers are 2 1/2 games out of the AL's final wild-card spot heading into a 10-game road trip that could determine if they look to add or subtract at the trade deadline.

--Field Level Media