Rangers take first 3 from Twinkies and go for the sweep today. Although it should happen given the Twins starter hasn't won a game in two months and an ERA near 5.00, I'm not too optimistic that it will since Feldman is on the mound. Not a lot of confidence in that dude right now.
Welcome back to the Feldman who started the year 0-6. Rangers lose 6-5 after leaving him in a couple of innings too long and surrendering too big a deficit to overcome. 5-2 on the homestand with the Rays coming to town for 3. Really need to win that series and finish the homestand 7-3.
FW, totally agree that Feldman was left in too long, but an easy 2nd-guess for The Man. Wash will rebound and, while we don't need a sweep, or even a series win, need to get at least one win against the hated Rays. Hook'em!!!
Agree Feldman was left in 1-2 innings too long. I am happy to take 3 of 4 from the twinkies but this fourth game was a winnable game and it could have been 4-4.
this is the kind of hitting I'm talking about. 10 runs one game, and 5 runs the next, when we really needed those last two runs. I'm pretty easy to please, I just want 6-7 runs per game.
I don't know that Feldman was left in too long (the Twins scored off him in every inning but 1). The guy shouldn't be in the rotation, but injuries and inconsistency from Oswalt has forced Wash to go with him. It's not a deep group of starters. The lack of depth in the rotation will be what eventually does this team in in the playoffs if they are not hitting on all cylinders when the post-season begins. Hopefully, they will.
Well, not a very good start to an important series. Elvis commits an error and Holland gives up a 2-run shot to Longoria in the 1st. Can't get down that quickly to David Price. Perhaps the offense will continue its revival against a leading Cy Young candidate.
Wow, looks like Price doesn't have his best stuff tonight (and neither does Holland for that matter). Rangers score 3 in the 2nd to go up 3-2, then the Rays come back and tie it at 3 in the 3rd. Rangers turn around and score 2 in the 3rd to up 5-3 before the Rays get 2 in the top of the 5th to tie it again. This is going to be one of those games---need to take advantage of an off night for Price and win this one.
Grrrrrr. Rangers blow a chance to blow it open in the 5th. They score a run to re-take the lead on 3 straight singles. Then, with two on and nobody out, Cruz strikes out and Young grounds into a double play (on the first pitch he sees) to end the inning. If Rangers lose this one, they'll look back to this inning and shake their collective heads and let out a collective sigh. As for me...
Yes! Rangers win 6-5 and reduce the magic number to 30. Now, that's the way a bullpen is supposed to work. Rangers get a lead for their starter and the bullpen mows 'em down the rest of the way. One win away from a successful home stand and two wins away from a sweep of the Rays and a tremendously successful 'stand.
Nice start to series and getting to Price is huge. Now Darvish and Harrison with shots to take this series and go 7-3 or even 8-2 on the homestand.
This VVVV "Ogando/Adams/Nathan freakin' nails. Loved the K's!" That is the way the bullpen should work - it was beautiful.... I am so pleased the R's took this first game from the Ray's & Price... as HHD said... they really needed it and were counting on Price to win this game.
Last nite's win was a thang of beauty, indeed. Our guys just sat on David's fastball, ignored changes and sliders......Next time (playoffs) Price will throw more junk as an adjustment, hopefully he'll get behind in the count by doing so...then we tee off on him again on those 2-0 and 3-1 fastballs
29. Nice pitching performance by Yu. Kinsler homers for the lone run in the game and Rangers take game 2 (1-0). Going for the sweep tomorrow.
Most excellent. The R's have stepped up to the task, baseball doesn't get any better than this! The Pen has been awesome.
^Indeed a superb effort tonight against an excellent team. Yu got it done, and the combination of Adams and Nathan nailed it down. I would prefer not to sit through any more 1-0 games - too hard on the nerves. HHD
...and the A's keep winning, have won 4 in a row, 8-2 in last 10, just like the Rangers. It will all come down to the last 7 games, unless the Rangers can match the A's hot finish. Could the A's continue at an 80% pace, with the Rangers finishing at something like a 70% pace? If that happens, the Rangers probably enter the last week ahead of the a's by about 4 games or so. I wonder how the Rays will do, if they face the A's in September. That might be the key. Because the Rays should be the most desperate team in the Al by then.
What an amazing pitching performance. 10 K's by Yu and only two walks. No run support but only one was needed as Darvish and the pen were superb. That is the kind of pitching the Rangers will need to make a deep run in the playoffs and maybe get over that last hurdle. But the bats need to come along for the ride too. The A's just keep winning and they have been the best team in the AL since the all star break. I keep saying 92 wins to win the west which is just 15-18 over the last 33 games but unless the A's cool off they might go 21-13 or better. That would mean the 92 number may be 2-3 games low and it may take 95 to win the west. 95 probably also gets the best record in the AL. I still think the magic number is 92 and the A's will cool off here but we will see.
Yu was da Man last night. 11 K's I think ties the most he has had in a game. I did not think a 1-0 score would stand up for a win, but it did. Bullpen was nails again when it needed to be.
Let's not forget the outstanding defensive play by Moreland in the 8th that ended the inning and prevented the tying run from scoring. That was a helluva' pick. And I'm not confident that it gets made if MY, Olt, or Napoli is over there. It's good to have Mitch back, picking us up in the field and swinging a hot bat.
PFD - thanks for reminding us - Moreland catch was absolutely HUGE. He doesn't make that catch and they at least tie the game and then have another man in scoring position... it could have cost us the game if he misses that. TA - I like your song
So the A's did not pick up a single game on us in the last 11 games despite going 9-2. That must feel terrible ... Thank God for the timely hot streak. We would be hyperventilating already, had we dropped even a couple of more matches in the last 11... R.J.
