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Rangers Feldman seeks third straight win vs. Angels

Jul 10, 2008 - 11:12 AM LA Angels (54-37) at Texas (48-44) 8:05 pm. EDT

ARLINGTON, Texas (Ticker) -- Injuries have turned Scott Feldman into a mainstay in the Texas Rangers' rotation.

Feldman takes the hill seeking a third straight win as the Rangers wrap up a three-game series with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim on Thursday.

Texas placed 10-game winner Vicente Padilla on the disabled list prior to Wednesday's game, and only Kevin Millwood and Luis Mendoza remain from the Opening Day rotation. As a result, the Rangers have used a major league-leading 12 different starters.

Of that group, Feldman (3-3, 4.39 ERA) has been the most consistent. The former reliever has gone 2-0 with a 3.78 ERA in his last four starts. On Saturday, the righthander limited the Baltimore Orioles to three runs and five hits in six innings of a 5-3 victory.

While the Rangers are trying to get by with a patchwork stffspot starters, Los Angeles had had no such problems. The Angels' staff is second in the majors with a 3.67 ERA. Ace John Lackey takes the mound looking to bounce back from his first loss in more than a month.

Lackey (6-2) has a minuscule 1.93 ERA, which would be a lot lower if not for his last outing. The righthander had gone 5-0 with a 1.16 ERA in five June starts before being pounded for a season-high six runs and eight hits in six innings of a 7-5 loss to Toronto on Saturday.

Texas used a quartet of relievers on Wednesday before All-Star Josh Hamilton hit a walk-off, two-run homer off fellow All-Star Francisco Rodriguez to lead the Rangers to a 5-4 victory.