Dane Dunning Out to Reverse ERA Trend
Having already set career highs in three categories, Dane Dunning takes to the mound on Friday for the Texas Rangers hoping to reverse an upward trend in his ERA.
Dunning (3-8) and the Rangers host the Toronto Blue Jays at 7:05 p.m., the opening game of a three-game series at Globe Life Field. Dunning’s start is likely to be overshadowed by the Major League debut of third baseman Josh Jung, who was called up from Triple-A Round Rock.
Dunning has gone 1-2 with a 5.92 ERA in his last five starts. That includes 16 earned runs in just 24 1/3 innings. That’s nudged his ERA up from 4.04 to 4.37.
If you go back eight starts — which marks his return from a sting on the 15-day injured list due to a right ankle impingement — he is 2-2 with a 4.25 ERA, with 20 earned runs in 42 1/3 innings.
His recent struggles were encapsulated in his second straight loss on Sunday against Boston, as he gave up five earned runs and eight hits in four innings. He struck out three and walked two. Dunning lost a two-run lead in giving up four runs in the top of the first.
Dunning enters Friday with career highs in starts (26), innings pitched (138) and strikeouts (119). He also has a bit of history with Toronto.
The Blue Jays actually selected Dunning out of a Florida high school in the 34th round in 2013. He chose to go to the University of Florida instead. Dunning paid that decision off by being a first-round selection by Washington in 2016. But it took him four seasons, a trade to the Chicago White Sox, Tommy John surgery and a pandemic to finally open up a shot for him to start in 2020.
The Rangers acquired him in the Lance Lynn trade, and in his first full season of Major League work Dunning was named the 2021 Rangers Pitcher of the Year by the DFW chapter of the Baseball Writers Association of America. He was the first rookie to win that award in his first season with Texas.
Dunning has faced Toronto twice and has a 1-0 with a 3.60 ERA, giving up four earned runs in 10 innings, with two walks and 10 strikeouts.
This season he’s been much better at home (3-2, 3.24 ERA) than on the road (0-6, 5.62). He ranks No. 15 in home ERA in the AL and his last nine home starts have seen him go 2-1 with a 2.90 ERA, while holding opponents to a .213 batting average.
He also has the AL’s second-best ground-ball percentage (53.1 percent) to Houston’ Framber Valdez (67.6 percent).
The Rangers have set their rotation for the rest of the series. Kohei Arihara will pitch on Saturday and Martín Pérez will go Sunday.
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