ARLINGTON, Texas — José Soriano still throws 97 mph with a runner and a sinker, Texas Rangers manager Skip Schumaker said Saturday. Keeping the ball off the ground and avoiding double plays will be key against the Toronto Blue Jays right-hander. Soriano (12-7, 3.56 ERA) faces Cal Quantrill at 6:05 p.m. CT at Globe Life Field on Rangers Sports Network.
Schumaker made the comments on The Skip Schumaker Show, the pregame segment Rangers Sports Network posts. Soriano throws his split to left-handed hitters and right-handed hitters, Schumaker said, and his off-speed pitches are effective.
“He’s still throwing 97 miles an hour with a really good runner, sinker. The slider is obviously a really good pitch, and that split to lefties. He throws it to both,” Schumaker said. “But the off-speed pitches are really effective. So getting him up off the ground is going to be key to our success.”
“No double play balls, that type of thing. Make sure his off-speeds are in the strike zone if we’re going to take a pass at it,” Schumaker continued. “But he’s been a really good pitcher throughout the course of the year. So making sure we take the similar at-bats we did off of Cease last night.”
Texas Rangers Chased Dylan Cease In The Third Inning Friday
Before Friday’s game, Schumaker said the goal was to run up Dylan Cease’s pitch count and get him out in the fifth inning. Dylan Cease was gone with two outs in the third. In 2 2/3 innings, he allowed 3 hits and 4 runs, 1 of them earned, walked a season-high 6, and struck out a season-low 3. He threw 74 pitches, 36 for strikes.
Blue Jays pitchers walked 10 batters in the 7-1 Texas win, and six of the Rangers’ seven runs were unearned. Corey Seager doubled home a run in a four-run second inning, and Jake Burger drove in 2 runs.
José Soriano Has A 2.84 ERA Against Texas Rangers
The Los Angeles Angels traded Soriano to Toronto on Aug. 3. On Monday against the Detroit Tigers at Rogers Centre, he retired the first 16 batters he faced and carried a no-hitter into the seventh inning. A leadoff single in the seventh ended the bid, and he finished with 4 runs allowed on 5 hits and 5 strikeouts over 6 1/3 innings, The Canadian Press reported.
In eight career games against Texas, six of them starts, Soriano has a 2.84 ERA. Toronto moved both Cease and Soriano up a day for this series.
Quantrill is 9-5 with a 2.90 ERA and has a 1.59 ERA in three career starts against the Blue Jays. His back tightened last Sunday in Arizona, and Schumaker said Saturday will be the first time he sees Quantrill throw with intent since.
The Rangers (77-77) are tied with the Houston Astros atop the American League West and are one game behind the Chicago White Sox for the final AL Wild Card spot. Toronto (76-78) is one game behind Texas. Jacob deGrom starts Sunday’s 1:35 p.m. CT finale.
