The Rangers are 22-24 and still trying to find a level, which is why a trip to face an 18-29 Rockies team at Coors Field feels like the kind of soft landing they need. Texas opens the series as a road favorite — not something you see a ton of when the road is a mile above sea level — and they're sending out their best arm to set the tone.
Gore is the reason the line looks the way it does. He punched out 9 in his Globe Life debut against the Reds, kept rolling through starts against the Tigers and Yankees, and has been the one Ranger who consistently looks like a problem every fifth day. The 4.50 ERA undersells the stuff — Coors will be the test, but if anyone on this staff can miss enough bats to neutralize the thin air, it's him.
Quintana, meanwhile, is the quietest good story in Colorado. After a 6.23 ERA out of the gate, he's posted a 1.59 ERA with an 8:2 K:BB across his last two starts, including six innings of one-run ball against Atlanta. He doesn't blow anybody away, but he's been the closest thing the Rockies have had to a stopper in a rotation already missing Chase Dollander (arm tightness) and Ryan Feltner.
Health is the other half of this matchup, and neither dugout is whole. Texas is monitoring Corey Seager, who is heading back to Arlington to see the team's back specialist, and Wyatt Langford remains shelved with a forearm issue. Colorado is still without Kris Bryant and just lost Dollander mid-start last week. The lineups that take the field Monday will be doing a lot of stitching.
- Day-To-DayCorey Seager SS — Seager (back) is heading back to Arlington to see the Rangers' back specialist, Jeff Wilson of AllDLLS.com reports.
- Day-To-DaySebastian Walcott SS — Rangers GM Ross Fenstermaker said Tuesday that Walcott could be ready for game action in August, "if all things according to plan" in his rehab from the internal brace procedure he underwent on his right elbow, Shawn McFarland of The Dallas Morning News reports.
- 10-Day-ILJosh Smith 2B — Smith (lower body/wrist) was diagnosed with viral meningitis Friday and is receiving treatment in a hospital, Kennedi Landry of MLB.com reports.
- 10-Day-ILCody Freeman 3B — Freeman (back) will begin a rehab assignment with the Rangers' Arizona Complex League affiliate Thursday.
- 10-Day-ILWyatt Langford LF — Langford (forearm) rejoined the Rangers in Detroit on Saturday and will rest for a full week before being reevaluated by the team, Shawn McFarland of The Dallas Morning News reports.
- 15-Day-ILLuis Curvelo RP — Curvelo (shoulder) will begin a rehab assignment with Triple-A Round Rock on Friday.
- 15-Day-ILChris Martin RP — Martin (biceps) is expected to begin a rehab assignment Tuesday or Wednesday, Shawn McFarland of the Dallas Morning News reports.
- 15-Day-ILCarter Baumler RP — Baumler (intercostal) has been shut down from his rehab assignment, MLB.com reports.
- Day-To-DayBrayan Castillo RP — The Rockies announced Monday that Castillo is dealing with right lat tightness and has been shut down from throwing while undergoing treatment for the injury, TheDNVR.com reports.
- Day-To-DayCase Williams SP — Williams is currently slowed by a stress reaction in his right triceps, Thomas Harding of MLB.com reports.
- Day-To-DayJared Thomas CF — The Rockies announced Monday that Thomas hasn't been participating in spring training while he recovers from offseason surgery to address a fractured hamate bone in his right wrist, TheDNVR.com reports.
- paternityTyler Freeman RF — Freeman went 2-for-6 with a solo home run and a stolen base in Friday's 9-7 extra-innings win over the Phillies.
- 15-Day-ILChase Dollander SP — Dollander was lifted from Thursday's start versus the Pirates in the second inning due to right arm tightness, Thomas Harding of MLB.com reports.
- 15-Day-ILJimmy Herget RP — The Rockies reinstated Herget (personal) from the bereavement list Tuesday.
- 15-Day-ILRyan Feltner SP — Feltner (elbow) will begin a rehab assignment with Double-A Hartford on Tuesday, MLB.com reports.
- 60-Day-ILRJ Petit RP — The Rockies transferred Petit (elbow) to the 60-day injured list Thursday, Thomas Harding of MLB.com reports.
Total sits at 10, which is the polite version of "this is Coors and we have no idea." The under is juiced to -112, a small nod from the market that both starters have been better than their season lines. With Gore's strikeout profile and Quintana actually pitching like a veteran lefty again, there's a real path to a tidy game here — but Coors usually has other plans.