MINNEAPOLIS — 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 Christian Wilkins 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, 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 http://www.miamidolphinsteamonline.com/michael-deiter-jersey , 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, 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.”

Jared Goff hadn’t even been in the NFL for a full year when he stood at a podium in the Coliseum and took responsibility for the latest in the Rams’ long line of miserable seasons.

”I promise you guys it will get fixed Garrett Bradbury Jersey ,” the 22-year-old quarterback said after Los Angeles blew a late lead against the woeful 49ers and dropped to 4-11 on Christmas Eve 2016 . ”(I’ll do) everything in my heart and soul to get it all fixed.”

Just look at him now. One year later, Goff has already made good on his word in spectacular fashion – albeit with the help of a new coaching staff, a new left tackle and a bunch of new receivers.

The Rams (11-5) are a team transformed as they head into the first playoff game in 13 years on Saturday night against Atlanta (10-6). Goff is leading the way after putting up 3,804 yards and 28 TD passes, but he claims to be only one part of a remarkable machine built by first-year coach Sean McVay.

With the defending NFC champions visiting the Coliseum on a short week of preparation, Goff and the Rams aren’t wasting time deciding who’s responsible for one of the most remarkable single-season resurgences in recent NFL history.

”We want to go out there and operate the same way we would weekly,” Goff said Tuesday. ”It makes no difference that we’re in the playoffs now. It is a little bit more meaning to it, but we want to treat it the same.”

The Rams already have secured their first winning season and division title since 2003. They’ve matched the franchise’s best record in LA since 1978 and improved by a whopping seven wins on last year’s total. They did it all even while resting their starters and essentially conceding a loss in last weekend’s regular season finale against San Francisco.

This franchise hasn’t hosted a playoff game in the Los Angeles area since Jan. 4, 1986 – nearly nine years before Goff was born, and 20 days before the 31-year-old McVay was born.

”Until you take a step back (to see) what this team has done such a nice job with, you can’t fully appreciate the journey Noah Fant Jersey ,” McVay said. ”You try to, every now and then, enjoy it and not get so caught up in the moment that you can’t enjoy the experiences as you’re going on that journey.”

Goff is getting his first postseason experience this weekend when he faces Matt Ryan, the former MVP making his sixth postseason appearance in 10 years. After everything Goff has accomplished in the year since he vowed to fix the Rams, this latest challenge doesn’t appear to intimidate him.

”I think more than anything, it’s a big game,” Goff said. ”What’s what it boils down to, and I think we do have experience in that stuff. We played a big game in Seattle a couple of weeks ago. We played a big game two weeks ago against Tennessee. We played a big game against the Eagles. We played a big game against Minnesota, against New Orleans. … Every play has a little bit more meaning to it.”

Just six Rams have playoff experience, including left tackle Andrew Whitworth, who went six times with the Cincinnati Bengals. When asked about the importance of playoff experience http://www.cowboyscheapauthenticstore.com/trysten-hill-jersey-cheap , Whitworth only laughed, saying he is ”0-fer” – or 0-6 in postseason games.

”Even when I was in Cincinnati, the big games throughout the season were what prepared us to go to the playoffs,” Whitworth said. ”As crazy an amount as this team has traveled, and the schedule we’ve gone through, I don’t see a scenario where I would in any way give us (excuses). Everywhere we have to go, we’ve gone and played well. We just need to go out and execute and play well.”

NOTES: Pro Bowl kick returner Pharoh Cooper missed practice after injuring his shoulder during last weekend’s loss to San Francisco. McVay isn’t overly worried: ”I think it’s going to take a lot to keep him out of this game. I anticipate him being able to go, unless there are some setbacks throughout the course of the week. … Backup DB Blake Countess also missed practice with a concussion, while LB Mark Barron was limited by his Achilles’ tendon injury.

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