The AL Wild Card race gets tighter with each passing day, as the Rangers and Rays are once again tied in the standings with two games left in their series. Also, midweek Champions League soccer action returns.
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Baseball: Rangers finally end 7-game skid, beat Rays
Texas defeated the Rays 7-1 and returned to a tie with Tampa Bay in the AL Wild Card standings.
Baseball: Baltimore beats Boston to keep within reach of Wild Card
Matt Wieters’ sacrifice fly was enough to give the Orioles a narrow 3-2 win and stay 2 games out of the Wild Card.
Soccer: Cristiano Ronaldo scores hat-trick in UEFA Champions League opener
Pitching Match-up: Derek Holland (9-9, 3.49 ERA) vs Chris Archer (9-7, 3.03 ERA)
After breaking their 7-game losing streak, the Rangers with Derek Holland on the mound are now looking to solidify their Wild Card spot. Standing in their way are Chris Archer and the Rays, who are their opponents in the play-in game as things currently stand in the AL. Both will be desperate not to lose ground on the other, especially with Cleveland lurking just 0.5 game behind them both.
The Rangers are 6-1 in Derek Holland’s last 7 starts when he’s had four days rest in between. The Rays had won four straight until their defeat last night.
Soccer: Borussia Dortmund vs Napoli (2:45 PM ET)
Last year’s finalists Borussia Dortmund face a tricky test in their first Champions League match of the season when they travel to Italy to face Napoli. Both teams lost key personnel in the offseason (Mario Goetze for Dortmund and Edinson Cavani for Napoli) but they have also reloaded with some new talent to help make an extended run in this year’s competition.
Dortmund only suffered one away defeat in last year’s tournament, but Napoli have employed Rafa Benitez, a master tactician who led Liverpool to the 2005 Champions League title.
