Preview: Texas time

I tried really hard to come up with a headline that was a play on “All my exes live in Texas,” so we could have a fun time remembering the 2010 World Series. But I failed, so now I’m doing that pathetic thing that writers do where they were unable to accomplish what they wanted, so they settle for telling you all about the thing they would have done if they were able to do it, and pretend that’s just as clever.

Like that art exhibit where James Franco sold the concept of paintings he didn’t actually paint and wasn’t going to. Did James Franco invent NFTs?

Well, the train is way of the rails. Let’s get back to baseball. Or something.

The Giants just won a series against a team that entered the series 9-1 in their last 10 games, and now they face a team that enters the series 1-9 in their last 10 games.

Series details

Who: San Francisco Giants vs. Texas Rangers
Where: Globe Life Park in Arlington, Arlington, Texas
When: Tuesday (5:05 p.m.) and Wednesday (11:05 a.m.)
National broadcasts: Wednesday (MLB Network, out of market only)

Where they stand

San Francisco Giants

Record: 37-22, 1st in the NL West
Run differential: +70, 3rd in the NL
Postseason standing: 1st seed
Momentum: 1-game losing streak, 7-3 in their last 10 games

Texas Rangers

Record: 23-38, 5th in the AL West
Run differential: -50, 12th in the AL
Postseason standing: 11 games out of the 2nd Wild Card
Momentum: 2-game losing streak, 1-9 in their last 10 games

Season series: Giants lead 2-0

Three Giants to watch

Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images

Brandon Belt: It’s a testament to the way that players have stepped up and the Giants have showed off their depth, that it’s been a little bit easy to forget that Belt has been sidelined since May 25. But while LaMonte Wade Jr. has done a tremendous job filling in for the Giants All-Star first baseman, and Jason Vosler has had some great moments, and Steven Duggar has made the lineup feel like it doesn’t need production from big names in order to succeed, the team is still substantially better with Belt on it. He should be activated for the opener, and that will be a nice sight.

Sam Long: With Aaron Sanchez and Logan Webb on the Injured List, and Scott Kazmir designated for assignment, the Giants are turning to their eighth starting pitcher of the year on Wednesday, and it’s an exciting one: Sam Long, who will be making his MLB debut. But it’s not just the MLB debut for Long, a lefty. It will be just his seventh career game about A-ball. Long, a 25 year old, was out of baseball in 2018 and 2020, but the Giants gave him a Minor League contract and he absolutely showed out in Spring Training. That’s carried over to the Minors, where Long has been exceptional, especially at AAA, where he’s allowed just 1 hit and 1 walk in 7.2 innings, while striking out 15.

Alex Dickerson: Dickerson has had a bit of a rough season thus far, but he started to turn it around over the weekend. In the four-game set with the Cubs, Dickerson hit 5-13 with 2 home runs and 2 walks. Texas is bringing a pair of righties to this series, so Dickerson will have some more chances to boost his slash line.

Three Rangers to watch

Photo by Ron Jenkins/Getty Images

Adolis García: When the Giants and Rangers met roughly a month ago, the Giants did something that other teams have struggled to do: contain García. The Rangers breakout slugger went 1-5 in that series, with 2 strikeouts and 0 extra-base hits. But on the year he’s hitting .277/.314/.549 with 16 home runs. The righty will be facing a pair of Giants lefties, so he’ll be looking to put a ball or three over the fence.

Jordan Lyles: Lyles is having issues walking people this year, with 21 free passes in 61 innings. He’s also allowed 11 home runs, and is sporting a 5.75 ERA and 4.80 FIP. The Giants took advantage of Lyles’ desire to walk batters, as they drew 5 walks against him when they faced him in May. But they only turned that into 2 runs. They’ll have to convert more of them this time around.

Kyle Gibson: The Giants also faced Gibson last time, so there’s a nice advantage for the batters here, as they get to face the same two pitchers. Gibson did very well against San Francisco a month ago, allowing just 6 baserunners and 1 run in 6 innings, while striking out 6. Hopefully the Giants learned something then that they can apply this time around and have more success.