MINNEAPOLIS ¡ª Shin-Soo Choo will try to reach base for a 36th consecutive game Saturday when the Texas Rangers continue their three-game series with the Minnesota Twins at Target Field.

The 35-year-old Rangers outfielder extended his streak to 35 games Friday night with a two-run homer against Fernando Romero.

His streak is the second longest in baseball this season 49ers Mike McGlinchey Jersey , trailing only Philadelphia¡¯s Odubel Herrera, who reached in 40 straight games. It¡¯s the longest by a Rangers player since Mark Teixeira made it on base in 36 straight games in 2006.

Julio Franco holds the franchise record for a season with 46 straight games and Will Clark reached in 58 straight games at the end of the 1995 and start of 1996 seasons.

¡°I signed here to get on base, that¡¯s why they brought me here,¡± Choo said. ¡°When I¡¯ve been healthy, I¡¯ve gotten on base.¡±

Choo has been on a tear the last month, slashing .306/.468/.556 in his last 30 games, leading to his name being mentioned more frequently in trade rumors as the Rangers remain stuck in the American League West cellar despite winning a season-high six straight games after opening their series in Minnesota with an 8-1 victory Friday night.

While he is open to joining a contender for a stretch run, he knows the $50 million-plus owed to him through the 2020 season could make that difficult.

¡°Probably (my) contract is still (an obstacle),¡± Choo admitted earlier this week. ¡°It¡¯s probably not easy. I¡¯m not 28 or 30 anymore.¡±

The Rangers turn to Yovani Gallardo (0-0 49ers Dante Pettis Jersey , 15.95 ERA) to keep their streak going Saturday. It will be the second start of the season for Gallardo, who was cut by Milwaukee at the end of spring training, then allowed eight runs in 2 1/3 innings of relief before he was cut by Cincinnati and eventually signed a minor league deal with the Rangers.

Gallardo posted a 3.81 ERA in 10 starts for Triple-A Round Rock and was called up to face Colorado last Sunday. He allowed five runs and six hits while striking out four in a no-decision.

¡°I thought Yo threw the ball well,¡± Rangers manager Jeff Banister said. ¡°It was similar to what we¡¯ve seen in the past from Yo. He gave up a couple of soft hits, the walks are something not typical of Yo, but he managed the game and was able to give us some length.¡±

Gallardo is 4-2 with a 3.49 ERA in 11 career starts against Minnesota.

Jake Odorizzi (3-4, 3.48 ERA) starts Saturday for the Twins, who are looking to get back on track after losing two straight and scoring just three runs in those games combined.

Odorizzi is looking for a bounce-back outing himself after the Indians tagged him for four runs in five innings his last time out on Sunday.

He is 4-0 with 2.02 ERA in six career starts against the Rangers.

The Twins should get a bit of a boost Saturday as third baseman Eduardo Escobar is expected to return to the lineup. He sat out the series opener Friday after taking a pitch to an elbow a day earlier against the Boston Red Sox.

¡°I think probably a tad better than I expected,¡± Twins manager Paul Molitor said. ¡°He¡¯s sore and there¡¯s some limitation because there¡¯s still a lot of swelling there that impedes his ability probably to throw accurately Tramon Williams Jersey , as well as take his normal swing. But I¡¯m fairly optimistic that in another, roughly, a little less than 24 hours, that he might be able to start a game tomorrow.¡±

A look at what¡¯s happening around the majors Friday:

TEXAS STORY

Colorado shortstop Trevor Story gets to play a big league game near home for the first time when the Rockies open an interleague series Friday night at the Texas Rangers, in a stadium only a few miles from his hometown of Irving, Texas. The Rockies last played at Texas in 2016, which was Story¡¯s standout rookie season. But Story, the 45th overall pick in the 2011 draft out of Irving High, suffered a season-ending left thumb injury about two weeks before that series. Another Texas native starts the opener for the Rockies in right-hander Chad Bettis (4-1) Patriots Adrian Clayborn Jersey , who is from Lubbock and went to Texas Tech. He got a no decision in the Rockies¡¯ 12-9 win during that August 2016 series when he allowed five runs in five innings.

ACES UP

Two of the National League¡¯s top pitchers this season will face off when the Chicago Cubs open a weekend series at the St. Louis Cardinals. Jon Lester (7-2) takes the mound for the Cubs, who are coming off two straight losses at Milwaukee, and the left-hander is fourth in the NL in ERA (2.22). Michael Wacha, meanwhile, is 8-1 and seventh in the league with a 2.47 ERA ¨C providing a much-needed boost for a Cardinals team that¡¯s 4-5 in its last nine games against Miami, Cincinnati and San Diego.

BACK IN TOWN

Nathan Eovaldi (1-1) takes the ball for the Tampa Bay Rays at Yankee Stadium, his fourth outing since becoming the 12th pitcher to start a major league game following multiple Tommy John surgeries. Eovaldi pitched for the Yankees from 2015-16, going 14-3 for them in 2015, but has never faced New York. ¡±I wish I would have been able to finish on a healthy note. Other than that Eagles Paul Worrilow Jersey , I really enjoyed my time there,¡± Eovaldi said.

Jonathan Loaisiga comes up from Double-A Trenton to make his big league debut for the Yankees, starting in place of injured Masahiro Tanaka. The 23-year-old Loaisiga, from Nicaragua, returned to the mound last year from Tommy John surgery. ¡±Super excited. This is a great opportunity the Yankees are giving me,¡± Loaisiga said through a translator. ¡±It¡¯s been a tough road for me to get here and now it¡¯s about enjoying this moment.¡±

GIO WATCH

Gio Gonzalez (6-2, 2.65 ERA) had his worst start of the season in his last outing, allowing four runs in 3 1/3 innings against the San Francisco Giants last week. The Washington Nationals left-hander will return to the mound when he makes an interleague start against the Toronto Blue Jays.

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