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Oswalt set to make Rangers debut vs. Rockies

Roy Oswalt's first game as an American League pitcher will come against a National League team he's had considerable success against.

In 12 starts against the Rockies, Oswalt is 8-2 with a 1.94 ERA, his best mark against an NL opponent. The comfort level makes Friday night as good a time as any to ease Oswalt into a starting rotation that is without Neftali Feliz and Derek Holland.

"We figured he'd need four or five starts, and he made four," manager Ron Washington said, "got his pitch count up where we wanted, the ball came out well, he was able to use both sides of the plate, curveball was there, changeup was good, so we're ready to challenge him.

The Rangers signed Oswalt to a Minor League contract on May 29. The right-hander made four starts in the Minors, three with Triple-A Round Rock, and showed enough (10 earned runs and 13 strikeouts in 15 1/3 innings) to indicate he's ready to make his first start since Game 4 of the 2011 NL Division Series, when he was with the Phillies.

"We're just gonna see how's he pitching," said Rockies left fielder Carlos Gonzalez, who has no hits and three strikeouts in six at-bats against Oswalt. "I faced him like two years ago, back in the day when he was with Houston. He's a pretty smart pitcher who's got really good stuff. We just need to see what he's got and just be patient and see what he's gonna [pitch] to us."

Oswalt will be making his ninth start at Rangers Ballpark, where he is 2-5 with a 4.78 ERA.

"It's a good-looking ballpark," Oswalt said. "I always loved coming to Arlington and pitching in the Rangers' ballpark. I've never pitched in a ballpark that was a pitcher-friendly ballpark."

Christian Friedrich (4-3) will take the mound for the Rockies, who have lost their past five series. The struggles of starting pitcher Jeremy Guthrie led manager Jim Tracy to switch to a four-man rotation, with Guthrie in the bullpen, a move he hopes will allow a team strength -- the 'pen -- to be capitalized on. Also, each starter will abide by a pitch count of 75.

Friedrich gave up two earned runs in five innings on Saturday against Detroit, his third loss of the season. The lefty has a 2.10 ERA on the road, compared to a 12.60 mark at Coors Field.

Rangers: Moreland likely to land on disabled list
The Rangers expect first baseman Mitch Moreland to require a stint on the 15-day disabled list due to a strained left hamstring. Moreland was injured while running out a grounder on Tuesday night against San Diego.

"It's not too often a guy comes off the field holding his hamstring and it isn't at least two weeks," said general manager Jon Daniels. "But we'll make sure. We'll get the MRI read, he'll see the doctor tomorrow, and we'll make the call then."

The 26-year-old is hitting .272 with 10 home runs. Daniels said the decision will likely be announced on Friday.

Rockies: Tulo's surgery a success
Troy Tulowitzki underwent successful surgery on Thursday to remove scar tissue that was built over a nerve in his left groin area. Nothing unexpected was found during the operation, performed by Dr. William Meyers.

"We know that he has peace of mind in knowing that what it was that he was dealing with is now fixed, and the time frame is not longer than initially anticipated after doing the tests and looking at MRIs and things like that," Rockies manager Jim Tracy said. "We're very encouraged in relation to the news that we got."

Tulowitzki is likely to miss six to eight weeks, though no official timetable has been set. He spent the night in Philadelphia on Thursday and will walk a mile with head trainer Keith Dugger on Friday. According to Tracy, it will likely be three weeks of exercises before Tulowitzki is able to participate in baseball activities.

Tulowitzki -- hitting .287 this season with eight homers in 47 games -- hasn't played since May 30, when he tweaked his groin while running out a ground ball. The shortstop had hoped to return last Friday against Detroit, but suffered a setback in a rehab assignment with the Triple-A Sky Sox.

Worth noting
• Four Rangers are in line to start in the 2012 All-Star Game. Catcher Mike Napoli, second baseman Ian Kinsler, third baseman Adrian Beltre and center fielder Josh Hamilton each lead the voting among their respective positions.

• Colorado is 1-11 against American League teams this season.

• The Rangers will be represented by infielders Mike Olt and Jurickson Profar, current teammates at Double-A Frisco, in the All-Star Futures Game. The Rockies also had two players from their Double-A Tulsa squad selected, third baseman Nolan Arenado and pitcher Edwar Cabrera. The game is July 8 at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City.

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