Major League Baseball's complete games leader James Shields takes the mound for the first time since his last one tonight when the Tampa Bay Rays visit the Texas Rangers for the second of three games at Rangers Ballpark.
Shields, who had five complete games in 151 major-league starts prior to 2010, tossed his 10th of this season on Aug. 26 at Toronto, scattering seven hits and striking out 12 in a 6-1 defeat of the Blue Jays.
The 29-year-old Californian had last gone the distance three starts earlier against Kansas City, when he beat the Royals, 4-0, after nine innings of six- hit ball with eight strikeouts.
He's 3-2 in six starts against the Rangers - none of them complete games - with a 4.07 earned run average across 42 innings, an average of seven innings per outing.
The Rays are 5-5 in his last 10 starts.
On Tuesday, Scott Feldman's first start of 2011 was a gem and Josh Hamilton homered as Texas pulled out a 2-0 win.
Feldman (1-0) worked six scoreless innings, scattering two hits and walking one with four strikeouts in an outing designed to give Texas' normal starters an extra day of rest for the stretch run.
Neftali Feliz worked out of a two-on, no-out jam in the ninth to record his 26th save.
David Murphy added two hits, including an RBI single, for the Rangers, who have won three of four and remained 3 1/2 games ahead of the Angels for first in the AL West.
Jeremy Hellickson (11-10) allowed six hits and a pair of runs over six full frames for the Rays, who have lost two straight after a three-game win streak.
Tonight Texas will hand the ball to second-year big-leaguer and first-year starter Alexi Ogando, who'll make his first career start against Tampa.
In two relief outings last season, the 27-year-old Dominican allowed a run and a hit in two innings against the Rays with three strikeouts.
He pitched exclusively out of the bullpen over 44 appearances in 2010 but has been used in a full-time starting role this season and picked up his 12th win with an 8-4 defeat of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim on Aug. 15 in California.
He's gotten a no-decision and a loss in two subsequent outings, pitching 11 innings while giving up eight runs on 12 hits with 10 strikeouts.
The Rangers won two of three when they visited the Rays from May 30-June 1.
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