Colby Lewis' longstanding issues keeping the ball in the yard likely cost him a chance at adding another win to his unbeaten record.
The Texas Rangers right-hander hasn't given up too much other than home runs in his recent dominance against the Chicago White Sox, and he'll seek to add to that in Monday night's series opener.
Lewis has had a problem with the long ball over the past three seasons with 59 allowed in 68 starts. Ten of the 14 runs he's surrendered this season have come via homer, and Edwin Encarnacion's two-run shot Wednesday was one of his only major miscues in a 4-3 loss in Toronto.
Lewis (2-0, 3.32 ERA) yielded three runs in seven innings against the Blue Jays while matching a season high with seven strikeouts.
"They're professional hitters and that's what they're supposed to do - hit mistakes," he told MLB's official website. "That was a mistake."
Lewis is 6-0 with a 1.25 ERA in his last seven starts versus the White Sox, and five of Chicago's seven runs against him in that stretch have come on home runs. He yielded one run - on a Melky Cabrera homer - in six innings April 23 in Chicago, but reliever Sam Dyson gave up a pair of runs in a 4-3 loss in 11 innings.
The Rangers (18-14) are returning home after earning a three-game sweep in Detroit by tagging the Tigers' bullpen for seven runs in the eighth inning of an 8-3 victory Sunday. Bobby Wilson, playing against the team that traded him Tuesday, hit his first homer of the season and first career grand slam off Mark Lowe.
"We have the ability to break out those innings against any team. To have that and to finish the series like that is fun," said outfielder Delino DeShields, who added a solo shot after Wilson went deep.
The streaky Rangers had lost four of five before heading to Detroit. Texas was swept in three games in Chicago from April 22-24, part of a string of four consecutive defeats, before starting a four-game win streak.
Miguel Gonzalez (0-0, 8.44) will try to deliver the White Sox a sixth consecutive win over the Rangers while seeking to claim a spot in the rotation. Chicago is auditioning pitchers after designating John Danks for assignment and trying out Erik Johnson in a 7-3 loss to Boston on Thursday.
Gonzalez gave up five runs and 11 hits in 5 1/3 innings in his only start for the White Sox in a 7-5 win in Toronto on April 25. He went 0-2 with a 9.31 ERA in two starts against Texas last season while with Baltimore.
Chicago (22-10) added to its best start in 10 years with Sunday's 3-1 victory against Minnesota, which completed a three-game home sweep of the Twins. The White Sox dropped two of three to Boston to open their homestand.
"This is fun to see. Guys are making great plays out there, timely hitting and pitching is doing their job," third baseman Todd Frazier said. "You couldn't really ask for a better start."
Ian Desmond is batting .526 with five extra-base hits in his last six games against the White Sox. Elvis Andrus and Mitch Moreland are each 5 for 13 versus Gonzalez.
Austin Jackson is 13 for 34 versus Lewis, while Cabrera is 6 for 16 with two doubles and a homer.
Chicago has dropped two of three in each of its last two visits to Texas.
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