5 years agoTexas Rangers starting pitcher Adrian Sampson came on in the second inning of Tuesday's game in Seattle after RHP Jesse Chavez struck out three of the four batters he faced in the first inning as an opener. Sampson allowed three earned runs, eight hits and a walk with six strikeouts while throwing 61 of his 97 pitches for strikes, evening his record at 3-3. It's the third straight time Sampson has followed an opener, and the strategy is working. He is 3-0 with a 2.87 ERA across his past three appearances while lowering his ERA from 5.25 to 4.53. His next scheduled appearance is set for Sunday against Kansas City, and it's likely he'll follow an opener again.--Daniel Dobish
Source: ESPN