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A.J. Pierzynski, who missed Tuesday's series opener against the White Sox because of an issue with his right oblique muscle, is out again tonight. Geovany Soto will be behind the plate catching Nick Tepesch, who is coming off a win last Thursday against the Twins. Chris Sale is on the mound for the White Sox. Here are the lineups:

RANGERS

Ian Kinsler 2B
Elvis Andrus SS
Lance Berkman DH
Adrian Beltre 3B
Nelson Cruz RF
Jeff Baker LF
Mitch Moreland 1B
Geovany Soto C
Craig Gentry CF

WHITE SOX

Alejandro De Aza LF
Jeff Keppinger 2B
Alex Rios RF
Adam Dunn DH
Paul Konerko 1B
Conor Gillaspie 3B
Alexei Ramirez SS
Tyler Flowers C
Dewayne Wise CF

Wednesday night's Rangers-White Sox game features a pair of 24-year-old pitchers: Rangers up-and-coming rookie Nick Tepesch and White Sox standout left-hander Chris Sale. First pitch is set for 7:05 p.m. on FSSW and ESPN Dallas 103.3 FM (1540 AM in Spanish).

Tepesch (2-1. 2.53): Tepesch, maybe the best story of the first month of the season, makes his fifth career start. ... He picked up his second win Thursday at Minnesota, taking a shutout into the seventh inning. He allowed one run in 6⅔ innings and didn't walk anyone as the Rangers held on for a 2-1 victory. Tepesch retired the first 12 batters in order. He gave up a hit to three of the last four batters he faced, including a solo home run by Josh Willingham. ... It was Tepesch's first start since being hit on the right wrist/forearm area by a line drive against Seattle, knocking him out of the game in the second inning. ... Tepesch is getting it done with ground balls. He has recorded 39 ground-ball outs against 15 fly outs for a 72.2 ground ball percentage. ... He also hasn't been walking anyone and will look to build on a 19⅓ consecutive innings streak without a base on balls. ... He is 1-0 with a 1.00 ERA and just six hits allowed in two home starts.

Sale (2-2, 4.09 ERA): Sale, one of the top young pitchers in baseball, makes his sixth start of the season. ... He won his last outing against Tampa Bay, allowing two runs on four hits in seven innings. He had seven strikeouts and four walks. ... Sale has pitched at least seven innings in four of his five starts. ... He has a 3.20 ERA since the start of the 2012 season, the fifth-lowest mark in the American League. ... Sale is 2-1 with a 3.71 ERA in six games, including two starts, against the Rangers. ... He won his previous start at Texas, allowing five runs and six hits in 6⅓ innings ... He is 1-0 with a 7.04 ERA in three appearances at Rangers Ballpark. ... His fastball velocity averages 92.2 mph this season ... He also throws a slider and a changeup.

Hitters: Tepesch faces the White Sox for the first time in his career. Adrian Beltre (4-for-8) and Nelson Cruz (3-for-6, 1 HR, 3 RBIs) have had success against Sale.

ARLINGTON, Texas -- A.J. Pierzynski could very well get another day off Wednesday as he rests a sore oblique muscle.

PODCAST
Ron Washington joins Fitzsimmons & Durrett to discuss Yu Darvish, the Rangers' recent losses and if the notion that the team looked fatigued is warranted this early in the season. Listen

On Saturday, No. 2 and 3 hitters Elvis Andrus and Lance Berkman had a scheduled day off. Berkman was given time off in the cold weather in Chicago a few weeks ago.

Rangers manager Ron Washington is serious about giving his regulars more time off during the season. Washington said in the days after the Rangers were eliminated by Baltimore in the AL wild-card game that he wished he had given his everyday players more rest. The Rangers lost 10 of 14 games and were swept by Oakland to end the 2012 season.

Third baseman Adrian Beltre was among five Rangers who played in at least 156 games. Ian Kinsler, Nelson Cruz and Andrus all played in the most games of their careers.

"My regulars were healthy and they were able to go out there, but if I can look back now maybe I could have done something in the middle of the season where I could have given them some time down," Washington said in post-mortemum news conference last October. "My everyday guys, I rode them, man."

Andrus, Beltre and Kinsler all had full days off in April. Veterans Pierzynski and Berkman have had a combined 10 games off. Washington has avoiding using regulars in pinch-hitting situations to make sure his players get a full day off.

The Rangers are off to another great start. Washington's approach could help bring a stronger finish.

Let's talk: Washington continues to get positive results when he makes a rare visit to the mound to talk to a pitcher. The skipper went to talk to reliever Robbie Ross after he hit Adam Dunn and fell behind Paul Konerko in the top of the ninth with two outs and a 10-6 lead. Ross responded by getting Konerko to ground out to end the game.

Jim Bowden takes a look at this year's standout rookie class, dominated by pitchers -- including Nick Tepesch, Justin Grimm and Joe Ortiz of the Texas Rangers.

The Rangers have this April thing down.

The Rangers won for the 17th time Tuesday night, beating the Chicago White Sox 10-6, and have gone three consecutive Aprils with at least 16 wins. It's the third time in club history they've won 17 games in April. The 1989 Rangers -- with new acquisitions Nolan Ryan, Rafael Palmeiro and Julio Franco -- faded and finished 83-79. Last year's Rangers were 17-6 in April and reached the American League wild-card game.

The 1998 Rangers are the only team in club history to top that, going 18-7 in April. They went on to win the club's second AL West title before losing to the New York Yankees in the AL Division Series.

Pitching carried the Rangers this April. They have a 3.14 ERA, best in baseball. Yu Darvish was 5-0, with all the wins coming after Rangers losses. The offense was inconsistent but might be re-energized after Tuesday's 10-run outburst, which was sparked by the continued surge of Mitch Moreland and a two-run home run by Adrian Beltre.

"We're a good team. We're a very good team," Rangers second baseman Ian Kinsler said. "We have a lot of guys on this team that love to win and love to play baseball. We work hard, and when you have that and you win, it snowballs. We're a good team, and we're going to continue to play good baseball and see what happens."

Other notes:

1. Opening wins: The Rangers won their eighth straight series opener going back to their loss to Houston on opening night. The Rangers have been able to grind through the schedule because of it. They are 17-0-3 in their past 20 series when winning the opener.

2. Cruising in April: Nelson Cruz carried the Rangers in the last two weeks of the month. He hit safely in nine of 12 games, and batted .364 with five home runs and 15 RBIs. He sparked the Rangers again Tuesday night with a two-out home run to left field to cut Chicago's lead to 2-1. White Sox starter Jose Quintana, who had allowed two hits before Cruz's homer, gave up five hits to the next nine Rangers batters.

3. Beltre breaks out: Beltre snapped an 0-for-11 stretch with runners in scoring position with a two-run home run to cap a six-run sixth inning. Manager Ron Washington proved prophetic, having said on "Fitzsimmons and Durrett" on ESPN Dallas 103.3 FM on Tuesday that Beltre would do something big in his fourth at-bat. The manager knows.

ARLINGTON, Texas -- About Rangers' first baseman Mitch Moreland. And an offense not hitting with runners in scoring position.

The Rangers took a while to heat up Tuesday night, staring at a 2-0 deficit until the bottom of the fourth inning. Back-to-back home runs by Nelson Cruz and Jeff Baker served as the spark. Moreland's third hit of the night was the dagger in the Rangers' 10-6 victory over the Chicago White Sox.

Moreland has quietly turned his season around in the last nine games, hitting .429 to raise his batting average to a season-high .267. He's hit in five straight games. On Tuesday, Moreland reached based all four times, getting three more hits, all against left-handers.

Moreland's big blow started the Rangers' six-run sixth inning. With one out and Geovany Soto on first base, Moreland smoked a scorching line drive up the left-center field alley off left-handed reliever Donnie Veal. The ball was hit so hard, with some tailing action, that White Sox left fielder Alejandro De Aza never had a chance. Soto scored from first for a 5-4 lead. The Rangers scored five more runs on an Ian Kinsler RBI, two wild pitches and a two-run home run by Adrian Beltre.

"He [Moreland] hasn't been keeping the bat on his shoulders," Rangers manager Ron Washington said. "He's confident that he has a dangerous bat and he let it fly."

Moreland's early season struggles against lefties are behind him. He is 7-for-17 with five doubles against left-handers in the last seven games. He's handled Jason Vargas, Scott Diamond and now Jose Quintana. Moreland and right-handed hitting Jeff Baker, who is crushing lefties, were the only two Rangers with a pair of hits off Quintana.

Moreland has never wavered in his approach, whether it's a lefty or righty. He didn't look at the numbers while he started 1-for-18 against southpaws.

"I really didn't," Moreland said. "I tried to separate the numbers from what's going on at the plate. I've been putting myself in a position where I've been hitting the ball hard."

Moreland and the Rangers were 4-for-9 with runners in scoring position. That after the club batted .194 in those situations for the seven games in Anaheim and Minnesota. Kinsler had two hits Tuesday night, upping his average to .394 with runners in scoring position.

ARLINGTON, Texas -- Yu Darvish wins after a Rangers' loss. He wins when he's not as his best.

Again on Tuesday night, he was the Rangers' ace.

Darvish found a way to get through six innings in Tuesday's 10-6 victory over the Chicago White Sox, overcoming a hanging breaking ball that No. 9 hitter Dewayne Wise hit for a game-tying two-run homer in the top of the sixth.

Darvish bounced back with his ninth strikeout of the game, fanning Alejandro De Aza on a slider. Then Darvish took a seat in the Rangers' dugout and watched as his offense put up six runs to give him his fifth victory in April.

"He's a pitcher," Rangers manager Ron Washington said. "He finds something in his repertoire of pitches to find a way to get outs."

On Tuesday, that pitch was his four-seam fastball, which helped Darvish throw four shutouts innings after allowing two runs in the first. Darvish had five of his nine strikeouts during that stretch, upping his American League-leading total to 58.

Darvish allowed a season-high four runs and still boosted his record to 5-0 this season after a Rangers' loss. He's now 12-3 for his career in that situation. That's an ace.

He also became the sixth pitcher in club history to win five games in April and the first to do it since Aaron Sele and Rick Helling both pulled it off in 1998. An ace-like start.

Darvish might well have escaped the top of the first unscathed had Nelson Cruz tracked down a fly ball headed for the right-field corner. Instead it eluded Cruz's outstretched glove and Tyler Greene had a one-out triple. The White Sox turned that into two runs, but Darvish avoided giving up a big inning with a strikeout of shortstop Alexei Ramirez on a slider with runners at second and third to end the inning.

Teams have to get to Darvish in the first inning. He's allowed seven of his 10 runs in the opening frame. Even with the first-inning hiccup, and the Wise home run, Darvish ended up a winner Tuesday night.

The ace delivers yet again for the Rangers.

ARLINGTON, Texas -- The Texas Rangers overcame a slow start by both Yu Darvish and their bats to pound the Chicago White Sox 10-6 on Tuesday night at Rangers Ballpark. Texas has won seven of its past eight games at home.

Moreland coming alive: Mitch Moreland has been the Rangers' hottest hitter over the past week and he continued his surge against the White Sox. Moreland was 3-for-3, including a line-drive double to left field off a left-handed reliever, Donnie Veal, to give the Rangers a 5-4 lead in the bottom of the sixth. Moreland's three hits were against left-handed pitchers, boosting his season average to .243 against southpaws.

Kinsler drives them in: The Rangers might be struggling with runners in scoring position, but leadoff hitter Ian Kinsler isn't. He had two more RBI hits Tuesday, one to give the Rangers a 3-2 lead in the bottom of the fifth, and another a key insurance run with two outs in the sixth inning. Kinsler is up to .391 for the season with runners in scoring position. He is 4-for-11 with two outs and runners in scoring position.

Six-run sixth: The Rangers snapped a 4-4 tie, then broke the game open with a six-run sixth inning. They scored in a variety of ways. The aforementioned RBI double by Moreland and RBI single by Kinsler gave them a 6-4 lead. The Rangers loaded the bases and then White Sox reliever Nate Jones had a forgettable three-pitch sequence. He threw consecutive wild pitches to score Kinsler and Elvis Andrus. Adrian Beltre then snapped out of his slump with a two-run home run to left field for a 10-4 lead.

Back-to-back: The Rangers woke up a quiet crowd with back-to-back home runs with two outs in the bottom of the fourth. Nelson Cruz, who has carried the offense, broke through against White Sox starter Jose Quintana with his sixth home run of the season, a sky-high shot to left field. Jeff Baker, who has played his way into the lineup on a regular basis against right-handed starters, tied the game at 2-2 with a 434-foot home run to center field, his second of the season.

Taking advantage: The Rangers jumped on a mistake by the White Sox in the bottom of the fifth. Craig Gentry grounded into a fielder's choice and advanced to second on a throwing error by Chicago second baseman Tyler Greene. It worked essentially as a sacrifice, with a faster runner, Gentry, ending up at second instead of Moreland. Kinsler gave the Rangers the lead with a double inside the third-base bag. Andrus followed with a single up the middle for a 4-2 lead.

Darvish settles in: Darvish allowed two runs in the first inning on four hits. The first one, a one-out triple by Greene, should have been caught by Cruz in right field. The White Sox jumped on the opening. Alex Rios and Konerko had RBI singles to snap Darvish's 19-inning scoreless streak.

Hanging curveball: Darvish was settled in until the top of the sixth, when he had a lead-off walk and later failed to execute a 3-6-1 double play as he wasn't able to keep his foot on the first-base bag. The Rangers paid for it as No. 9 hitter Dewayne Wise connected with a hanging curveball for a two-run homer to tie the game 4-4. Wise had two hits in 22 at-bats entering Tuesday. He had three hits in three at-bats versus Darvish and was 4-for-4 for the night.

Walk-up crowd: Darvish is drawing fans to the ballpark. The Rangers had 4,000 fans walk up and purchase tickets Tuesday night as the stadium filled in nicely in the early innings. The final crowd total was 40,646.

Scheppers streak ends: Tanner Scheppers relieved Darvish in the top of the seventh and quickly saw his scoreless innings streak to start the season end. Scheppers allowed a two-out home run to Adam Dunn, ending the right-hander's streak at 12⅔ innings.

Up next: A pair of 24-year-old pitchers face off Wednesday night when Rangers right-hander Nick Tepesch (2-1, 2.52) faces White Sox left-hander Chris Sale (2-2, 4.09 ERA) at 7:05 p.m. on ESPN-FM 103.3 FM and 1540-AM.

ARLINGTON, Texas -- Former Chicago Cubs pitcher Randy Wells has retired after going winless in five starts this season for the Texas Rangers' Triple-A team.

The Rangers said Tuesday that Wells' retirement was effectively immediately.

In 98 career games in the majors from 2008-12, all but one with the Cubs, Wells was 28-32 with a 4.08 ERA. He was 1-2 in 12 games last season for Chicago, but became a free agent after refusing a minor league assignment.

The 30-year-old Wells went to spring training with the Rangers as a non-roster invitee. The right-hander was 0-4 with a 6.08 ERA for Round Rock.

Rangers general manager Jon Daniels says Wells indicated he "just didn't have the same level of desire" to pitch any more.

ARLINGTON, Texas -- Struggling prospects Mike Olt and Cody Buckel began their search Tuesday for what's behind their shockingly poor starts to the season.

PODCAST
Tanner Scheppers joins Matt Mosley and Chuck Cooperstein to discuss pitching for the Rangers and what it's like watching Yu Darvish. Listen

Olt, the Rangers' second-highest ranked prospect behind shortstop Jurickson Profar, saw team doctors Tuesday after informing club officials he was having issues with his vision. It could be as simple as the Triple-A Round Rock infielder needing contacts or glasses, general manager Jon Daniels said, or it could be something more. Daniels didn't have a diagnosis for Olt before the Rangers' game Tuesday against the Chicago White Sox.

Buckel, a right-handed pitcher who has been having issues with his control at Double-A Frisco, was moved from the starting rotation to the bullpen Tuesday. Buckel, the club's eighth-best prospect, has 25 walks in 18 innings. He had three walks and didn't record an out in his most recent start, against Corpus Christi on Saturday.

Olt's vision problems might help explain why he's off to a dismal start. Olt, a career .282 hitter in the minors entering the season, entered Tuesday batting .139 in 72-bats and has one home run after tying for the Texas League lead with 28 home runs last year.

"It would make sense if that's what has developed," Daniels said Tuesday.

Buckel heads to the bullpen after not pitching more than three innings in his five starts this season. He had a season-high six walks in three innings at San Antonio on April 22 and has walked at least five in three other starts.

Buckel will take up some innings in what has been a dominant bullpen in Frisco. But Daniels said the club thought it was better that Buckel sort things out in Double-A rather than at extended spring training.

"It's nothing physical with Cody," Daniels said. "He's been scuffling all season."

Both Olt's and Buckel's names came up in trade talks during the offseason.

Other Rangers notes:

Baker in, Murphy out: Jeff Baker got the start in left field against White Sox left-hander Jose Quintana, giving struggling starter David Murphy an extra day off. Murphy, batting .176 with two home runs, has a track record that says he will get his bat going.

"He's missing pitches that he usually gets," manager Ron Washington said.

Murphy and third baseman Adrian Beltre both have started slow. Beltre is batting .221 with four home runs and only nine RBIs.

"You know their track record is there," Washington said. "You just have to be patient."

More on Beltre: Beltre said Tuesday that he's not concerned with his slow start, noting he always has been a warm-weather player. Beltre is batting .107 with runners in scoring position.

"I know I'm going to be OK," Beltre said. "I would say I've been average. There hasn't been a time when I've felt great and there's not a period where I've felt terrible."

Randy Wells retires: Veteran pitcher Randy Wells, who has been at Triple-A Round Rock, has retired, Daniels said Tuesday. Daniels said the 30-year-old Wells told club officials that he didn't have the same level of desire for the game.

It's Joseph Ortiz: The Rangers said Tuesday that reliever Joe Ortiz has been asked to be called Joseph Ortiz from this point forward. Ortiz has allowed runs in his past three appearances, but the Rangers didn't provide that as the reason he is going with Joseph.

ARLINGTON, Texas -- Rangers catcher A.J. Pierzynski will not play against his former team Tuesday night.

PODCAST
Ron Washington joins Fitzsimmons & Durrett to discuss Yu Darvish, the Rangers' recent losses and if the notion that the team looked fatigued is warranted this early in the season. Listen

Pierzynski is being held out of Tuesday's series opener against the White Sox because of an issue with his right oblique muscle. He is missing his first chance to play against Chicago in a regular-season game after playing eight seasons with the White Sox, including leading them to the 2005 World Series title.

"Obviously I want to play," Pierzynski said. "It's killing me not to play, especially for this series."

Geovany Soto is slated to be behind the plate for Rangers ace Yu Darvish.

Pierzynski said he is sitting out for precautionary reasons and that the oblique issue, which he has had for two weeks, was actually worse on the Rangers' road trip to Anaheim and Minnesota. With the Rangers off Monday, Pierzynski will get at least two full days off. Soto might also get the start Wednesday with the Rangers facing tough White Sox left-hander Chris Sale.

Pierzysnki, who saw team physician Keith Meister on Monday, said he isn't having any issues when he's catching, but when he's swinging. An oblique issue he had in the same area last year with the White Sox forced him to miss a series against the Rangers.

"It's better; it just looks worse," Pierzynski said of the coloring caused by a bruise. "It was worse last year. It feels better than it has in two weeks. I just don't want to miss two weeks or a month because of this."

Pierzynski is off to a great start. He's batting .295 with four home runs and 11 RBIs. He also has handled a pitching staff that leads the majors with a 3.023 ERA.

The Rangers don't have much catching depth behind Pierzynski and Soto. Robinson Chirinos, who was acquired earlier this month in a trade with the Tampa Bay Rays, is batting .327 with nine RBIs since joining Triple-A Round Rock on April 11.

So the Rangers proceed cautiously with Pierzynski.

"I need him around here for the rest of the year," Rangers manager Ron Washington said.

The Rangers are back in Arlington to open a three-game series against the White Sox on Tuesday night. Yu Darvish will take the mound against Jose Quintana as Texas looks to snap a two-game skid. The lineups:

RANGERS

PODCAST
Tanner Scheppers joins Matt Mosley and Chuck Cooperstein to discuss pitching for the Rangers and what it's like watching Yu Darvish. Listen

2B Ian Kinsler
SS Elvis Andrus
DH Lance Berkman
3B Adrian Beltre
RF Nelson Cruz
LF Jeff Baker
C Geovany Soto
1B Mitch Moreland
CF Craig Gentry

WHITE SOX

CF Alejando De Aza
2B Tyler Greene
RF Alex Rios
1B Adam Dunn
DH Paul Konerko
3B Conor Gillaspie
SS Alexei Ramirez
C Hector Gimenez
CF Jordan Danks

PODCAST
Tanner Scheppers joins Matt Mosley and Chuck Cooperstein to discuss pitching for the Rangers and what it's like watching Yu Darvish. Listen

ARLINGTON, Texas -- Rehabbing pitchers Colby Lewis and Martin Perez will increase their workloads this week as they ramp things up at extended spring training in Surprise, Ariz.

Lewis, who threw an inning Sunday, will go two innings in an extended spring game Saturday. Perez will throw three innings in a game Wednesday.

Lewis could go out on a rehab assignment after Saturday's outing provided there are no setbacks, Rangers general manager Jon Daniels said Tuesday. Once he goes out, he has 30 days in the minors to rehab.

Other rehab updates:

Right-hander Neftali Feliz is throwing out to 105 feet.

Right-hander Kyle McClellan will throw a bullpen session Wednesday.

Reliever Joakim Soria, who has a strained pectoral muscle in his chest, has yet to restart a throwing program.

MINNEAPOLIS -- Two starters coming off back-to-back wins will square off as the Texas Rangers' Yu Darvish opposes the Chicago White Sox's Jose Quintana on Tuesday in the opener of a three-game set. First pitch is at 7:05 p.m. CT on Fox Sports Southwest and ESPN Dallas 103.3 FM, with the Spanish broadcast on 1540 AM.

PODCAST
Ron Washington joins Fitzsimmons & Durrett to discuss Yu Darvish, the Rangers' recent losses and if the notion that the team looked fatigued is warranted this early in the season. Listen

Darvish (4-1, 1.65 ERA): Darvish, 26, has gone back-to-back outings and a total of 18 consecutive innings going back three starts without allowing a run. … He struck out 11 over six innings his last time out in an 11-3 win over the Los Angeles Angels on Wednesday. The right-hander has notched double-digit strikeouts in back-to-back games. He has yet to strike out 10 or more hitters in three consecutive starts in his major league career. … Darvish faced Chicago once last season and was saddled with the loss after allowing six runs – five earned – on eight hits and three walks with six strikeouts in 6 1/3 innings on July 27. … Darvish is 5-0 in seven regular-season home starts since losing to the White Sox.

Quintana (2-0, 2.78 ERA): The left-hander lasted just five innings against Cleveland in his last outing but got the win in Chicago’s 3-2 victory after allowing two runs on four hits and two walks with three strikeouts. … Quintana’s three strikeouts against the Indians tied a season low. … The 24-year-old picked up the win in his only career outing against Texas last season, allowing one run on just two hits and a walk while striking out eight through eight innings on July 5. … Quintana has yet to allow an earned run on the road this season, having given up a combined six hits and two walks in 13 2/3 innings with 14 strikeouts against Cleveland and Toronto. Quintana was better on the road (3.42 ERA in 12 appearances) than at home (4.13 ERA in 13 appearances) last season.

Hitters: Gordon Beckham (2-for-3) is the only White Sox player with multiple hits or an extra base hit against Darvish, but he’s on the disabled list with a fractured hamate bone in his left wrist. Rangers hitters are a combined 2-for-19 against Quintana. Adrian Beltre and Ian Kinsler own the only two hits.

Up Next:

Wednesday vs. Chicago: RHP Nick Tepesch (2-1, 2.53) vs. LHP Chris Sale (2-2, 4.09), 7:05 p.m. CT, ESPN Dallas 103.3 FM/1540 AM/FSSW
Thursday vs. Chicago: RHP Justin Grimm (2-0, 1.59) vs. RHP Jake Peavy (3-1, 3.38) 7:05 p.m. CT, ESPN Dallas 103.3 FM/1540 AM/FSSW

The Texas Rangers and Chicago White Sox play their only three-game series at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington beginning Tuesday night.

PODCAST
Ron Washington joins Fitzsimmons & Durrett to discuss Yu Darvish, the Rangers' recent losses and if the notion that the team looked fatigued is warranted this early in the season. Listen

The White Sox will throw three quality starters at the Rangers -- left-handers Jose Quintana (2-0, 2.78 ERA) and Chris Sale (2-2, 4.09) and right-hander Jake Peavy (3-1, 3.38). The Rangers will counter with Yu Darvish (4-1, 1.65) on Tuesday night, followed by rookie right-handers Nick Tepesch (2-1, 2.53) and Justin Grimm (2-0, 1.59).

Here's some other things to look for:

Strong starting pitching: The White Sox's starting rotation has been the team's strength. Sox starters have a 3.03 ERA over the last 13 games with a 5-3 record during that span. Peavy is tied for sixth in the American League with 39 strikeouts. Overall, Chicago is fourth in the AL with a 3.60 team ERA. The Rangers are first with a 3.02 ERA.

Where's the offense?: The White Sox are last in the AL in batting average at .229 and 13th out of 15 teams with a .382 slugging percentage. They are last in the AL in runs (83), walks (54) and hitting with runners in scoring position (.188). The White Sox have scored two runs or less seven times this season. They've been held to five or fewer hits seven times, too.

Pair of sluggers: Paul Konerko and Adam Dunn rank fourth and fifth among active players in home runs. Konerko, who is fourth, hit his 426th home run Sunday, putting him in a tie for 45th overall behind Chicago Cubs great Billy Williams. Dunn has 411 home runs, ranking him 48th all-time, three behind Darrell Evans. Konerko and Dunn have combined for nine home runs this season.

Sox look for 2012 repeat: The White Sox had a 6-3 record against the Rangers in 2012, their first season series victory over Texas since 2004. Chicago won five straight games in July, including a three-game sweep at U.S. Cellular Field on July 3-5. The Rangers and White Sox split six games at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington.