TEXAS RANGERS (1-2)

at LOS ANGELES ANGELS (0-2)

First pitch: Thursday, 10:05 p.m. ET
Line: Texas, +107, Los Angeles -117, Total: 8.0

The Angels, still looking for their first win of 2016, kick off a four-game set with the division-rival Rangers at Angel Stadium of Anaheim.

The Angels (0-2) were swept by the Cubs in Chicago in a short, two-game interleague series to begin the season. After a day off, they come home to The Big A to start a four-game set with the Rangers (1-2), who dropped two of three to the Mariners in Arlington in their first series. LHP Hector Santiago (9-9, 3.59 ERA, 162 Ks in 2015) is on the mound for the Halos, and he’ll be opposed by Rangers LHP Derek Holland (4-3, 4.91 ERA in 10 starts in 2015). After scoring just one run in two games against the Cubs and having to face Jake Arrieta and Jon Lester, the Angels will be pleased to see Holland on the bump. The Rangers have put more runs on the board than the Angels, though they haven’t exactly been lighting up the scoreboard either (3.3 runs per game/.161 average). Even if the starters pitch well, this game could be decided in the late innings. Both bullpens have been dreadful thus far, with LA’s relief corps pitching to a 10.29 ERA and Texas’ bullpen owning an abysmal 15.75 ERA.

SS Elvis Andrus (.333, 1 RBI, .429 OBP) and 3B Adrian Beltre (.300, 1 RBI, 1 R, 2 BBs, .417 OBP) have gotten off to the fastest starts for the Rangers. DH Prince Fielder (.182, 1 HR, 4 RBIs, 2 BBs) and LF Ian Desmond (.167, 1 R, 5 Ks) haven’t gotten going yet—though Fielder has the club’s lone dinger—and manager Jeff Banister will need them to. RF Shin-Soo Choo (.111, 1 R, 1 RBI, 3 BBs, 4 Ks) also didn’t hit against the M’s, with one single in nine at-bats. The Rangers have seen plenty of Santiago since the New Jersey native debuted in 2011. Andrus is 5-for-28 against him with a double and five walks and Beltre is 8-for-28 with three doubles, three homers and six walks. Choo hasn’t been able to figure out the 28-year-old, going just 5-for-29 with a homer and seven strikeouts. Fielder is 8-for-30 against Santiago and 2B Rougned Odor (.100, 3 Rs, 2 BBs) has nine hits in 17 at-bats with three doubles, a homer and four RBIs. Holland went 2-0 against the Angels in 2015, allowing four earned runs in 14 1/3 innings.

When you think of the Angels you think of CF Mike Trout (.000, 3 Ks), arguably the best player in baseball, and future Hall of Famer Albert Pujols (.000, 2 Ks). The two boppers are a combined 0-for-15, but you can expect them to start hitting this weekend in California. No Angel has more than one hit to date. (The club only had seven hits combined in the first two games.) Los Angeles didn’t plate a run until the 15th inning of their season, when LF Craig Gentry (.250, 1 RBI) drove in 3B Yunel Escobar (.125, 1 R, 1 2B) with an RBI single to shallow left. Trout and Pujols have terrorized Holland in their careers, with the former going 10-for-32 with two doubles, a triple, two homers, nine RBIs and five walks, and the latter going 8-for-23 with three doubles, three long balls, four RBIs and two walks. Backup IF Cliff Pennington (.210, 3 HRs, 21 RBIs in 105 games in 2015) is 3-for-21 in his career against Holland, and Escobar is 2-for-16. Santiago faced the the Rangers an incredible six times in 2015 and went 3-0, surrendering eight earned runs in 34 1/3 innings