Texas Rangers vs San Francisco Giants Picks and Predictions June 7th 2024

Status of SS Corey Seager in Doubt as Rangers Meet Giants

When the Texas Rangers play the first of three games in a three-game series against the San Francisco Giants on Friday night in Arlington, Texas, everyone’s attention will be on Corey Seager, the reigning World Series MVP.

With a single in the second inning off left-hander Joey Wentz, Corey Seager increased his career-best on-base streak to 28 games in the 9-1 victory over visiting Detroit on Wednesday afternoon. Be that as it may, he got the rear of his passed on hamstring as he was preparing to adjust a respectable starting point and left the game.

Hamstring Concerns for Corey Seager

“Hamstring tightness,” Rangers manager Bruce Bochy said. “Being cautious there. See where we’re at after the day off (on Thursday). We don’t think it’s anything serious but just wanted to get him off his legs. Come Friday, we’ll see where we’re at with Corey. It might be a day. We don’t know yet.”

Bochy mentioned that he didn’t expect his star shortstop to get an MRI.

“I felt a little twinge,” Seager said. “I’m fine. We’ll see how the next couple of days go, and just kind of go from there.”

History of Hamstring Issues

Seager didn’t play in any of the final three spring training games after having surgery to fix a sports hernia in the offseason. He has had issues in the past with his left hamstring. The left hamstring strain that caused the four-time All-Star to miss 31 games in April 2023 also caused him to miss a month in 2019 while playing for the Los Angeles Dodgers due to another left hamstring injury.

“Hopefully, the next couple of days I’ll feel better and we can reassess,” Seager added.

Timing of the Injury

The injury occurs at a delicate time for the World Series-defending team. The Seattle Mariners are four and a half games ahead of Texas, which is in second place in the American League West. In April, Seager hit just.208 with two home runs and six RBIs. Since then, he has become one of baseball’s most popular players, batting.329 with 11 home runs, eight of which came in eight games, and 24 RBIs.

Manager Bruce Bochy’s Challenge

Bochy will manage the Rangers for the second time against his former club, which he led to three World Series titles in 13 seasons. Texas won once in three tries last season at San Francisco.

Rangers right-hander Michael Lorenzen (3-3, 2.96 ERA) will start the series opener and be opposed by Giants right-hander Logan Webb (4-5, 2.95).

Pitching Matchup

Lorenzen is 0-1 with a 7.71 ERA in nine career appearances and three starts against the Giants, including 0-0 with a 9.31 ERA in a pair of starts with the Detroit Tigers and Philadelphia Phillies last season.

Webb is 1-0 with a 1.47 ERA in three career starts against Texas. He is chasing his first win since a 4-1 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers on May 15.

Giants’ Recent Performance

San Francisco, third in the National League West and one game out of a wild-card spot, enters after winning 9-3 on Wednesday afternoon to end a six-game losing streak. Heliot Ramos, a first-round pick in the 2017 MLB Draft, was the talk of the locker room following the Giants’ grand slam hit by Wilmer Flores and Jorge Soler’s home runs.

Heliot Ramos’ Impressive Performance

The 24-year-old Ramos had a long two-run homer above Arizona’s 25-foot wall in center field, singled and walked four times. It marked just the 13th time in the Giants’ 67-year era in San Francisco that a player reached base six times without the aid of an error or a fielder’s choice. That feat was accomplished just once by Willie Mays and never by Barry Bonds.

“He’s just so balanced, every take, every swing,” Giants manager Bob Melvin said. “He’s just completely locked in. I mean, who walks four times? Especially when you’re hitting like he is. You want to swing.”

Conclusion

While the Giants aim to build on their recent success, the Rangers will closely monitor Seager’s hamstring as the series begins. This matchup has an extra layer of intrigue because the outcome of Seager’s condition could have a significant impact on the series.