Rangers Road Trip To Anaheim

I also said Mia loves baseball. I've taught her well. (Trip photos are below.)

Nelson Cruz playing catch with the batboy.

Rangers All-Star Game Performances: National League: 5 American League 1

• Josh Hamilton (LF Starter): 1 for 2 with a broken bat single and a nice running basket catch
• Adrian Beltre: (3B Starter): 1 for 2 with what could have been an RBI single, but Hunter Pence (Astros) threw out the runner at home.
• Michael Young (3B Player Vote): 0 for 1 with a strikeout
• C.J. Wilson (Pitcher, Manager's Selection): Pitched the 4th inning for the American League and gave up two singles before the eventual game-winning hit, a three-run blast by Price Fielder. It was not his best day as Wilson took the loss for the American League.
• Alexi Ogando (Pitcher, Player Vote): Pitched to two batters for two outs in the eighth inning.

The National League has now won two consecutive All-Star games and will have home-field advantage for this year's World Series.

Memorable Stats From A 10-Run Victory: Rangers 15 Marlins 5

• 15 runs is the most runs the Rangers have scored this season.
• Nelson Cruz had six RBI's (3 on a homer in the 3rd and 3 on a bases-clearing triple in the 8th)
• Adrian Beltre knocked in four runs on 3 hits. (I guess that makes up for his lack of the sac fly lately.)
• Catcher Taylor Teagarden, making just his sixth start of the season, recorded three hits (2 doubles) and two RBI's.
• Josh Hamilton went 2-for-2 with two walks (1 intentional),
• Andres Blanco homered for the second time this season and third in his career during the six-run eighth inning.
• Possibly most notable, Alexi Ogando threw 102 pitches (75 strikes) over 6 2/3 innings. Striking out a career-high eight batters and taking a shutout into the seventh, it's a sign of the form that got Ogando to 7-0.

Wilson Gets First MLB Hit: A Triple: Rangers 7 Astros 3

After looking forward to his interleague at-bats for years, C.J. Wilson smoked a ball off the outfield hill at Minute Maid Park for a triple to lead off the third inning off starter Jordan Lyles One batter later, he would score to tie the game at 1.

Wilson quickly flashed the Rangers' trademark claw and antlers along with a huge smile.  Josh Hamilton homered later in the inning for the first of four two-outs hits. The rally, which accounted for two more runs, gave Wilson a chance to breathe in the dugout after scoring.

Wilson also took a ball off his foot and hand during his time on the mound.

Early Innings Propel Rangers To Victory: Rangers 8 Astros 3

Rangers were off to a shotgun start Monday when the Astros and the Lone Star Series returned to Arlington.


Returning home from the longest road trip of the season, the Rangers jumped out to a 6-0 lead, scoring three runs in each of the first two innings. Leadoff batter Ian Kinsler immediately reached base on a dropped ball by Chris Johnson at third base, which set the tone for the first three innings. Josh Hamilton also singled and Kinsler took third with one out.

The Rangers then went to work doing something they have struggled mightily with for stretches of the season: hitting with runners in scoring position. Adrian Beltre singled, Michael Young doubled and Nelson Cruz contributed a sacrifice fly RBI. Wow, three batters get the job done in a row. If we had one of those hits in Sunday’s loss to the Atlanta Braves, it might have been a completely different ballgame. But to look on the bright side, at least the Rangers didn’t waste the opportunities today.

In the second inning, Craig Gentry provided the spark with a one out single, his first of three hits. Gentry also tallied an RBI and a run scored in the first three-hit game of his career. After stealing two bases during Elvis Andrus’ walk, Hamilton tripled off the wall in center, scoring the speedy tandem. Adrian Beltre singled to bring home Hamilton, the sixth run in two innings.

Once the deficit ballooned to 7-0, Astros starter J.A. Happ was relieved by Aneury Rodriguez, who brought a decidedly more controlled tone to the game – two hits spanning the next 4 1/3 innings.

Rangers’ starter Derek Holland received a standing ovation when he left the mound after 7 1/3 innings and a five-run lead. His final line read: 3 earned runs, 6 hits, 3 walks and 4 strikeouts.

Playing in his first Lone Star Series, Mitch Moreland tattooed a Mark Melancon pitch 455 feet into the upper deck in right field to lead off the eighth.

Hamilton and Cruz Carry the Big Weight: Rangers 6 Braves 2

In the midst of their longest losing streak of the season, the Rangers really needed a win Friday at Turner Field in Atlanta.

Somebody in the clubhouse must have spoken to Josh Hamilton and Nelson Cruz about it. In the 6-2 victory, both men tallied three RBI’s each. Do the math and that means the two of them accounted for all the RBI’s.

Michael Young and Nelson Cruz hit back-to-back doubles in the second inning off Randall Delgado, who was appearing in his first Major League game in the spot start. The consecutive extra-base hits gave the Rangers a 1-0 lead.

Braves catcher Brian McCann would tie the game with a home run to start the bottom of the fourth inning. Starter Colby Lewis, who has truly struggled with the long ball this season, also allowed a solo shot to Freddie Freeman with one out in the fourth,


Friday marked the return of the Colby Lewis the Rangers like to see – the one with the solid fastball command and the confusing diving slider. He struck out 10 and walked five in 6 2/3 innings following two horrific started that totaled just over four innings combined. Also noteworthy, with Jason Heyward at the plate and two outs in the fifth, Lewis made an All-Star defensive play, backhanding the ball to Young at first base for the out.

But now, back to offense. Elvis Andrus reached on an error by third baseman Brooks Conrad. Hamilton stepped to the plate and got a pitch he could drive from an inexperienced pitcher. It flew over the wall for a 3-1 lead and a lot of relief in the Rangers dugout. But Hamilton long blast was just the first of four hard-hit smashes in a row. Adrian Beltre singled as the last batter of Delgado’s night. When Christian Martinez entered,  Young singled and Cruz hammered a double to the wall to score both Beltre and Young.

The Rangers added a run in the ninth on three singles and a lineout. Although not a save situation, a well-rested Neftali Feliz threw 11 of 13 pitches for strikes, ringing up two batters in the process.

Explosive 2nd Inning Carries Rangers: Rangers 9 Twins 3

Baseball lore says to avoid the big inning. That holds true, unless of course, the team executing it was the Rangers, who were trying to notch their first win at Target Field on Saturday after going winless last season and losing the first game of this series Thursday.

The Rangers seized control of the game early by hammering Brian Duensing for seven runs on six hits in the second inning. And the hits were not lucky balls that found holes. They were ropes into the gaps and down the lines. Just think, the 11-batter offensive smothering all started with a leadoff walk on a 3-2 pitch to Adrian Beltre. The baseball gods are keenly aware that walks can hurt badly.

After the free pass to Beltre, Mike Napoli doubled him home with the assistance of an outfield bobble during the first of several periods of light rain during the game. Yorvit Torreabla plated Napoli for an RBI single and the first of his two hits. Andres Blanco, playing second base for Ian Kinsler, who should return from paternity leave tomorrow, reached on an infield error at shortstop to prolong the smashing of white balls. But, as a Rangers fan, this wasn’t my misery. I said “Keep it going.”

Elvis Andrus and Craig Gentry apparently heard me and both deposited RBI singles up the middle. Michael Young got in on the act which a two-RBI single breaking an 0-for-18 road skid for the man who is now two games shy of passing Rafael Palmeiro for all-time franchise record for games played (1,573 currently). Despite three hits, Young is still expected to not play Saturday. Beltre added an RBI double in his second at-bat of the inning. Nelson Cruz made two of the outs and Josh Hamilton made the other.

Needless to say, Duensing needed 56 pitches over two innings. (45 in the second inning alone), But Anthony Swarzak provided six innings of two-run relief for the Twins. C.J. Wilson improved to 7-3 for the Rangers.

It All Went Well At Home: Rangers 4 Indians 0

• Derek Holland pitched a complete-game 5-hit shutout in his first career start against the Indians, the francise nearest to his hometown.
• Holland threw 112 pitches and showed composure during a mid-game bases-loaded jam in which he induced a groundout. In seven of the nine innings, Holland threw 12 or fewer pitches.
• Josh Hamilton and Nelson Cruz both hit tape-measure shot two-run homers that were estimated at 445 and 440 feet respectively. Note to Indians: We know they were more in the neighborhood of 460-470 feet.
• NBA Finals Game 3 in Dallas tomorrow night! The Rangers say "GO MAVS!!!"

Anatomy of A Blowout: Rangers 11 Indians 2

Even though he’s at the back end of the rotation, Alexi Ogando is quickly becoming the Rangers pitching star. The guy is now 6-0 this season and sports an ERA of 2.20.

Despite the final score, through six innings, it was a 2-1 game, and Ogando was up to the task. He threw 68 of his 100 pitches for strikes over eight innings, striking out six and walking one. The Indians only run off Ogando came in the sixth when S. Choo grounded into a double play following consecutive singles to start the inning.

Ogando looked and acted as if he was headed for a 2-1 victory, but the Rangers exploded in the back third of the ballgame, scoring seven runs on a trio of Cleveland relievers, which have been strength for the 33-22 surprise leaders of the American League Central. With runners at first and third in the seventh, the Indians brought on Tony Sipp for the duty of retiring Josh Hamilton. The opposite happened: Hamilton hit an 0-2 “laser” homerun over the yellow line for a three-run homer and a 5-1 advantage. Nelson Cruz followed his lead, connecting on a two-run shot with Adrian Beltre on second.

With the hot-hitting Mike Napoli and Endy Chavez at the bottom of the order, the Rangers quickly went to work in the eighth on extending their lead. Napoli doubled, Chavez singled (4-4 yesterday, 3-5 tonight) and Ian Kinsler walked. Chad Durbin had to face Elvis Andrus with the bases loaded. The result was a bases-clearing double that hugged the right field line and cleared the bases for a 10-1 lead. For the night, Andrus was 4-for-4 with three singles, a double and a stolen base. Two more singles from the bottom of the order and a wild pitch equaled an 11th run.

Crazy Ending, But Nonetheless A Victory: Rangers 7 Royals 6

Royals rookie catcher Brayan Pena has hit three three-run homers against the Rangers this season including one against Rangers starter Alexi Ogando on Sunday in the last game of the home stand.

But it was Pena’s own mental error coupled with some aggressive baserunning from the Rangers’ own catcher Mike Napoli that capped a comeback that included a pair runs in each of the final two innings. Following a Nelson Cruz homer that quickly knotted the game at six to begin the ninth, Napoli reached on a single into the gap. With a loaded bench for the day, the Rangers pinch hit Mitch Moreland and David Murphy, who both struck out swinging. In his second at-bat of the day, Elvis Andrus singled deep down the right field line in place of Ian Kinsler, who was ejected for arguing with home plate umpire Mike Estabrook, to end the fifth inning. Napoli, who most likely would have stopped at third, was waved home by third base coach Dave Anderson. The relay throw had him out by miles, but the savvy Napoli slid his feet across the plate before Pena tagged his chest. Replays showed the call was correct as the Rangers got their first walkoff victory of the season.

Both Nefali Feliz and Joaquim Soria have struggled to lockdown games this season. Coming into a tie game, Feliz allowed a leadoff double to Chris Getz, who advanced to third on a Cruz bobble and a sacrifice fly to Alcides Escobar to give the Royals a brief lead before the aforementioned at-bat by Cruz to lead off the Rangers’ ninth. Feliz has three blown saves recently and each of his last five outings have been extremely nerve-racking. He hasn’t looked like the confident flame thrower who won the Rookie of the Year Award last season. Feliz is an integral part of the Rangers’ success, and the Rangers need to be able to rely on him to close games.

The eighth inning was replete with its own drama. With Andres Blanco on base and the team down 5-3, the Rangers were craving a big hit – and they got a mammoth one with two outs. Michael Young’s two-run shot over the wall in right tied the score at five. Young also put a double a deep fly ball to Alex Gordon in the stat book. Also, Kinsler went yard in the third and Napoli in the fifth.

Ogando allowed five runs on five hits in the fourth inning and got a no-decision. Darren Oliver was credited with the win.

The Recently-Discovered Trash Can And Flower Pot

Matt Harrison Returns To Form: Rangers 2 Phillies 0

Matt Harrison came to the mound with a mission Sunday. After the lineup was shutout by former teammate Cliff Lee on Saturday, Harrison was fully aware there wasn’t any room for error.

The state of the bullpen doesn’t provide any peace f mind either.

Harrison’s answer was to throw 117 pitches over 8 1/3 innings to outduel former Astros ace Roy Oswalt. After losing two close games to Philadelphia on Friday and Saturday, the karma finally tilted the Rangers’ way. The Phillies hit some smashes right at people, and the Rangers outfielders ran down all the plays. (Nod to Craig Gentry, who will likely return to Triple-A after the anticipated activations of Josh Hamilton and Nelson Cruz for Monday’s game against the White Sox. The sputtering offense will also get a major boost with the return of the two All-Stars.

With the easy offensive firepower missing in action, the Rangers went to baseball fundamentals to score. Michael Young, the only guy in the order hitting consistently, led off the top of the sixth inning with a single. Adrian Beltre advanced him to second with a sacrifice groundout to the pitcher before Mitch Moreland doubled off the bottom of the wall to send him home for a 1-0 lead.

Beltre also doubled to start the second and Moreland allowed him to reach third on a groundout to the first baseman. Following a pitching change, Gentry came to the plate to face David Herndon. Gentry bunted at a pitch that was headed directly for him and thus executed the suicide squeeze to score the insurance run and did not get hit with the pitch.

Neftali Feliz recorded the two-out save, his first since the two blown saves in Chicago earlier this week.

Michael Young & Co Handle Weaver: Rangers 4 Angels 1

The Rangers got to Angels ace Jared Weaver on Friday. And it wasn’t just because of newly-crowded cleanup hitter Michael Young and his .350 batting average.

Young received significant help from the guys ahead of him in the order, Elvis Andrus and Ian Kinsler. The 2-3-4 spots in the order accounted for six of the seven hits and three of the four RBIs.

Andrus started the offense early with a home run just over the top of the wall on the first pitch he saw as the second hitter in the first inning. It marked Andrus’ second long ball of 2011 after failing to connect on one last season.

The Angels tied the game in the third on an Erick Aybar home run off Alexi Ogando, pretty much the only drawback for him having given up six. Ogando missed his start last Sunday because of ongoing blister issues but showed no residual effects Friday. He struck out five and walked one during the 99-pitch (62-strike) performance over 6 1/3 innings.

Starting in the fourth inning, the Rangers consistently added to the lead, scoring single runs in each of the next three innings. Kinsler, in the three hole since Tuesday as part of Ron Washington’s reconfigured lineup, lead off the frame with a double. Young and his .353 average after two hits Friday, quickly followed with a subsequent double to bring Kinsler home for a 2-1 lead. He really is fun to watch,

Mike Napoli began the fifth with a walk and was advanced to second on a successfully executed hit-and-run by Yorvit Torreabla. Andrus lined the ball to right field and Torreabla scored following one of three Julio Borbon strikeouts on the night. Borbon left the game in the eighth after an apparent hamstring strain during a catch. He will undergo an MRI tomorrow.

Adrian Beltre added a solo homer in the sixth to reach the final margin of victory, 4-1. Beltre has connected in consecutive games since Wednesday rainout was wiped from the books.

No mention of the bullpen is good news.

Mavs Outplay Lakers Late Again: Mavericks 98 Lakers 92

Another amazingly great night for the Mavericks. Need I say more?

Rangers Rant

I’m just going to put this out there. The Rangers are finding ways to lose, and it has got to stop.


• If the starting pitching goes well, the bullpen blows it (as did Pedro Strop and Darren Oliver on Tuesday. We successfully came back before Strop put couldn’t exactly get out of a no out jam with runners at the corners.

• If the bullpen is good, the starting pitching positioned us too far behind for it to matter.

• If all the pitching is good, Michael Young is the only offense that shows up. After going 1-for-4 with an RBI on Tuesday, he’s now hitting .339, and that’s a drop of a couple of points.

• The Rangers may need to talk to the Mavericks about how to close out road victories. Neftali Feliz should be off the disabled list and back in the closer’s role Friday.



The Angels are not playing well either. Let’s try again tomorrow.