After having a rocky rookie season last year, Texas Rangers pitcher Matt Moore will look to turn things around this season, as he takes to the mound opposite of fellow left Derek Holland as the visiting Tampa Bay Rays take on the Rangers Wednesday afternoon at 2:05 p.m. ET.
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Considered one of the top prospects in baseball in 2011, Moore had an uneven first half of 2012 before going 5-1 with a 1.97 ERA in his first eight starts after the All-Star break. He failed to win any of his next five, posting a 6.14 ERA, before winning his season finale by holding the White Sox to one hit in 5 1/3 scoreless innings.
The 23-year-old Moore had a similarly impressive performance to win Friday, allowing two hits and striking out eight over six innings of a 4-0 victory over Cleveland.
"It was the perfect time to get him out -- 100 pitches, six innings," manager Joe Maddon said. "He goes home feeling really good about himself. That's a great game for him to build on."
Moore, whose 4.11 walks per nine innings last year was the seventh-highest mark in baseball, only issued two free passes against the Indians.
"My mindset this entire week while preparing has been to stay with that same tempo from the last start," Moore told MLB's official website. "I just want to stay with the things that were working for me last week."
The Rangers (6-2) know all too well of Moore's ability. The only two times he faced them both came in the 2011 AL division series, going 1-0 with a 0.90 ERA as he allowed three hits in 10 innings.
Moore, though, could have his hands full this time around with the Texas offense on a roll. The Rangers have outscored opponents 36-18 during a 6-1 run and improved to 4-1 at home with Tuesday's 6-1 victory.
