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Rangers seek rare win in San Francisco

Jun 8, 2012 - 3:03 PM (Sports Network) - It has been nearly 14 years since Texas has won a game in San Francisco. That fact could make it tough for the Rangers to break out of their current funk.

The Rangers visit the Giants for the first time since their encounter in the 2010 World Series in the opener of a three-game series.

Texas has lost each of its last 11 trips to San Francisco since a victory on June 26, 1998 and that does not include a pair of losses in the Fall Classic two years ago. The Giants took the first two games of that series en route to their first World Series title since 1954 after taking the set in five games.

The Rangers have lost seven straight overall against the Giants since a home victory over the club on July 16, 2001 and will be looking to avoid an eighth loss in 10 games this evening.

Texas' powerful offense has been held to three runs or less in six of their past nine games and followed up Wednesday's shutout loss in Oakland with a 7-1 setback in yesterday's finale.

Yu Darvish struggled with his command, walking six over 5 1/3 innings in addition to six hits and six runs allowed. He had issues finding the plate in the fourth frame, loading the bases on two walks and a hit batter before giving up a sac fly to score a run.

The seven-game winner then walked Jemile Weeks to reload the bases before watching the bases clear on a triple by Coco Crisp.

"I'm not going to take anything away from them," said Rangers manager Ron Washington about his team's offensive struggles. "Sometimes you get beat, you accept it, you move on. We accept it, we move on."

The Rangers hope to rebound tonight behind Matt Harrison, who has won each of his past three outings while pitching to a 2.49 earned run average in that span. He has struck out 14 over his last 21 2/3 frames and beat the Angels on Sunday, allowing three runs on four hits and three walks in 6 2/3 innings.

The 26-year-old southpaw improved to 7-3 with a 4.37 ERA in 11 starts this season and will face the Giants for the first time. He is 2-2 with a 3.80 ERA in 10 career interleague matchups, including six starts.

Like Harrison, Giants starter Barry Zito did not pitch in the World Series meeting after the then-struggling left-hander was left off the roster for the series. Zito will face Texas for the first time since June 21, 2009 tonight and is 18-5 in his career against the club with a 3.72 ERA in 31 games.

Zito has been going through a resurgence in 2012, posting a 5-2 record and 2.98 ERA over 11 starts. He has won two straight starts and four of his past five outings since a five-game winless streak.

The 34-year-old threw 8 1/3 scoreless innings to beat the Cubs on Sunday, scattering four hits and two walks with five strikeouts. It was Zito's longest outing since he opened the season with a four-hit shutout of the Rockies.

"What a terrific job he did. He had all his pitches going, threw strikes, threw any pitches at any time and stayed in command," said Giants manager Bruce Bochy.

The Giants are moving in the opposite direction of the Rangers, picking up their ninth victory in 11 games on Thursday with an 8-3 triumph over the Padres. San Francisco won the contest despite a season-high four errors.

All three runs Matt Cain allowed were unearned and he picked up the win with seven innings of seven-hit ball with nine strikeouts. Cain won his sixth straight start.

"We just had the right guy out there," Giants manager Bruce Bochy said. "Matt's unflappable. What a job he did to overcome mistakes."

Buster Posey, Angel Pagan and Gregor Blanco each homered for San Francisco, with Pagan extending his hitting streak to 15 straight games. Ryan Theriot went 4-for-5 with an RBI and a run scored.

Outfielder Melky Cabrera did exit Thursday's game early due to a right hamstring injury suffered while stealing a base in the seventh. The injury isn't believed to be serious.