Author: Matt Pelc | Article Posted at: June 24, 09 - 4:37 pm

Arizona Diamondbacks vs. Texas Rangers

The Texas Rangers are embroiled in a June swoon and have to find a way to beat National League teams to keep a slight grasp on first place in their division.

At one time, the Rangers (37-32) had a four-game lead in the AL West and boasted the best record in the American League for a time, but with their 8-2 crushing at the hands of the interleague Arizona Diamondbacks (30-41) on the road on Tuesday, Texas tumbled into a first-place tie with the Los Angeles Angels and marked the first time since late April that the Rangers have not been in first place by themselves in the division.

The loss was their fifth straight and with a loss on Wednesday at Chase Field, Texas would set a season high for futility with a sixth straight loss. During their previous five games, the Rangers have scored just 12 runs.

They will face a familiar face as they try to get back on track in the second game of a three-game series when former Oakland Athletic Dan Haren (6-4, 2.23) will head to the mound for the Diamondbacks. He is 3-4 with a 4.50 ERA in nine career starts against Texas Rangers.

Haren relishes battles between the leagues as he is seeking his ninth straight win in interleague games dating back to his years in the American League. He is 11-2 with a 2.90 ERA in his career in interleague play, including being 4-0 with a 2.83 ERA in five starts in Arizona.

That dominance continued when he allowed two runs over seven innings of a 12-5 victory over the Kansas City Royals last Thursday.

The right-hander has also been one of the best pitchers in baseball over his last five starts overall, going 3-0 with a 1.66 ERA. He has won consecutive outings, including Thursdays 12-5 victory at Kansas City as he allowed two runs over seven innings.

Vicente Padilla (5-3, 4.79) will look to stop the bleeding as he is trying to win his third straight decision, although he did not receive on in his last game on Thursday when the Houston Astros won 5-3 after Padilla allowed three runs in six innings.