Bullpen Smashed in 7th Inning of Loss: Twins 8 Rangers 3

C.J. Wilson had given up to one measly single to J.J. Hardy through 5 2/3 innings.

But unfortunately no one will remember that because, in the sixth inning, Denard Span led off with a single, promptly followed by an Orlando Hudson homer to tie the game. The Rangers lead disappeared faster than object in a magician’s magic trick.

But it would get a lot worse in the seventh.

Justin Morneau started the inning with a walk, then Michael Cuddyer doubled and Jason Kubel drew another walk to load the bases with nobody out. At that point, Wilson was pulled in favor of Chris Ray, whose ERA had steadily dropped over his last four appearances to 2.45.

On Saturday, unable to work through what turned out to be a disaster, Ray pitched 2/3 of an inning and surrendered three earned runs on four hits and a walk. He also let all three of his inherited runners score as Wilson watched helplessly from the dugout. Ray left the mound with an 3.57 ERA. Wilson’s ERA went below 3.0 during his outing Saturday, but by the end of the day, it stood at 3.48

Needless to say, it was tough to watch Ray and the Rangers implode in a game that was televised nationally and began so well. It was even tougher knowing that a loss would put their first-place standing in the AL West in jeopardy. Oakland now leads the division by a ½ game.

Dustin Nippert recorded the last four outs of the game without much problem.

Other Notes From Around Baseball:

• The Phillies’ Roy Halladay through a perfect game against the Marlins. It is the second perfect game in three weeks after Oakland’s Dallas Braden on May 9.
• Kendry Morales broke his leg during a celebration at home plate after hitting an extra-inning walkoff grand slam to beat the Mariners.
  
• The Indians' David Huff is OK after being struck by an Alex Rodriguez line drive. He left the field on a stretcher but gave fans a thumbs up as he left.

Rangers Lose A Close One: Twins 2 Rangers 1

To win a close baseball game, a team must take advantage of all its opportunities,

The Rangers didn’t do that Friday in a 2-1 loss in their first game at Target Field, the new outdoor home of the Minnesota Twins. The field is located very near Target Center, where the NBA’s Minnesota Timberwolves play.

With Vladimir Guerrero and Josh Hamilton abroad thanks to a single and walk respectively to start the seventh, the Rangers seemed to have a glorious change to tie the game at 2-2 or take the lead. But Twins starter Kevin Slowey, who had lasted beyond the fifth inning in only one prior start this season, coaxed David Murphy fly out to right field and Justin Smoak to strike out, one of three strikeouts for Smoak on the night.

With the outs slipping away, Ron Washington decided to pinch hit Nelson Cruz. Cruz is bothered by a left hamstring strain he suffered in Wednesday’s 5-2 defeat at the hands of the Royals, but he is not expected to go on the disabled list. He missed a couple of weeks earlier this season with a right hamstring strain. The Twins brought on Jose Mijares, and Cruz grounded out to second base to end the inning.

Down 1-0 in the fourth, Ian Kinsler lined a ball close to the foul pole. It was initially ruled a home run but was reversed upon further review by the umpires. At least they got the call right, and Kinsler simply hit a double in its place. Vladimir Guerrero knocked him in, giving him 43 RBI’s for the season. For most of May, Guerrero has led the Majors in RBI’s, but Miguel Cabrera hit three home runs Friday to overtake the top spot by just one.

The Twins scored on a single to center by Joe Mauer in the third, and the second run game across when Rangers starter Colby Lewis induced a double play from Mauer with the bases loaded in the fifth. A leadoff walk to the #9 hitter, a bunt single and 0-2 single led to the jam.

Highlights From Wednesday: Royals 5 Rangers 2

• Michael Young recorded two hits, extending his hit streak to 12 games.
• Young’s RBI triple in the sixth inning gave him 44 for career, tying him with Ruben Sierra for the most in Rangers history. I’m going to go out on a limb and say he’ll definitely break that one! Josh Hamilton’s hitting streak is now at eight games.
• Justin Smoak, who has been struggling, connected on an RBI single.
• Former Fort Worth Cat Luke Hochevar pitched eight innings in the Royals first win in six games against the Rangers this season.
• Scott Feldman still isn’t pitching like the Rangers know he is capable. Despite going 6 2/3 innings, his ledger was marked with seven hits and four earned runs and no strikeouts.
• Because the Rangers have off days Thursday and the Monday, starter Derek Holland pitched the eighth, simply to get work during the nine days between his starts.

Cubs Hold On: Cubs 5 Rangers 4

With one run already in and the score 5-4 Cubs, Josh Hamilton came to the plate in the seventh inning with the bases loaded and the chance to alter the outcome of the game.

But the Cubs brought in lefty Sean Marshall to face him, and Hamilton rocketed the ball right to second base for the out. A would have given the Rangers the lead and a possible series victory.

Despite not coming all the way back, the Rangers did turn into a close game, a situation where the team has thrived this season. The team pulled within one at 4-3 and 5-4 after starter C.J. Wilson gave up four runs in the first inning. Wilson had surrendered just two 0-2 base hits all year before watching three men reach on that count to begin Sunday afternoon. The biggest hit was an Alfonso Soriano 3-run homer.

With a renewed focus, Wilson saved the bullpen from a long day and only gave up one run on two hits the rest of his 5 2/3-inning outing. When the bullpen trio of Chris Ray, Francisco and Neftali Feliz did take over the mound, they pitched a no-hitter. Feliz was likely just pitching to stay fresh because in a weird schedule quirk, the Rangers have three scheduled off-days over the next week.

Michael Young remains in a hot streak with a 2-run homer and a double Sunday. His career hit total is now 1,720 – 27 away from all-time Rangers leader Pudge Rodriguez. I’m not sure how to react to that prospect, but I guess I need to start thinking about it. I love both players, and they both have made excellent contributions to Rangers history.

Note: Carlos Silva is the first Cubs pitcher to start 6-0 since Dizzy Dean.

Rangers Take Advantage of Opportunity: Rangers 2 Cubs 1

The Cubs got a taste of the new-look Rangers on Friday night: the ones with dependable pitching and unwavering defense.

But it was a defensive breakdown from the Cubs in the bottom of the fourth that opened the door for the Rangers to score two runs and eventually win the game 2-1. Ian Kinsler led off the inning by legging out an infield single and reached third base on errant throws from the second baseman and third baseman. Vladimir Guerrero quickly followed with an RBI double to bring Kinsler home. That tied the game at 1 after the Cubs scored as the result of Geovany Soto grounding into a double play following Mike Fontenot and Xavier Nady reaching.

The Rangers second run of the fourth inning came after Josh Hamilton sacrifice bunted Guerrero to third. You’re absolutely right if you’re thinking that sounds strange. The sacrifice bunt was the first of Hamilton’s Major League career. Overall, he hadn’t sacrifice bunted since 2002. An interesting birthday present, but it paid off as Nelson Cruz doubled and the Rangers finished the inning with a 2-1 lead.

Starter Colby Lewis surrendered five hits and one run in six innings. The Rangers’ short-stint bullpen method worked again Friday. Darren O’Day, Frank Francisco and Neftali Feliz each pitched a scoreless inning. O’Day and Francisco each struck out two batters. Former Rangers Alfonso Soriano and Marlon Byrd each got well-placed singles beyond Michael Young’s glove in the eighth.

The Rangers now have a four-game advantage in the AL West and a five-game winning streak.

I’ll go ahead and thank the Cubs now for the large crowds they are helping bring to the ballpark this weekend. Friday’s attendance was 38,943. Also, welcome back to Rudy Jaramillo.

Notes from Thursday’s 13-7 win over the Orioles:

• The Rangers pounded 20 hits for the first time since 2008.
• Nelson Cruz had a career night with a 3-run homer, a double and two singles.
• David Murphy connected on three singles.
• Six players had two hits, including Matt Treanor, who hit a 3-run homer in the eighth.

Happy Birthday, Josh Hamilton

It’s Josh Hamilton’s birthday today, and he’s really hit his stride lately. He has two hits in each of his last three games after being moved to fifth in the order, including a home run that was ruled a double. Not to mention his cannon of an arm!

Hopefully, Hamilton and the Rangers will continue their winning homestand tonight as they open an interleague series with the Cubs.

Look for weekend game coverage.

Angels Bring Out Better Rangers: Rangers 4 Angels 3

After being completely offensively stalled for most of the trip to Toronto, it just made Monday’s win versus the division rival Angels a little sweeter.

The Rangers piled all their runs into the fourth inning when they mostly based but in some cases blooped five hits and four runs. The inning started with a Julio Borbon single, but he reached second on an error by the second baseman. The following batter, Elvis Andrus ended up at second on a fielder’s choice play on his own single. That play also put Borbon at third, and he crossed the plate on a sacrifice fly by Michael Young.

After Young, an offense of Ian Kinsler (Josh Hamilton had the day off), Vladimir Guerrero and Nelson Cruz produced back-to-back-to back doubles. Playing against his former team for the first time, Guerrero double just sank into the grass with the stroke of luck that he always finds. The other two landed near the outfield wall.

Darren Oliver also showed his stuff against his former team. The third hurler of the night, Oliver pitcher a perfect seventh and eighth in support of starter and winning pitcher Derek Holland. Holland made his second start since being called up when Matt Harrison went on the disabled list.

After giving up no hits through the fourth, Holland surrender homers to Mike Napoli in the fifth ad Torii Hunter in the sixth.

Note: I started a job but will still try to update this blog as much as possible with my new time constraints.

Happy Birthday, Eric Nadel

Veteran Rangers radio voice Eric Nadel is blowing out candles today. Nadel has won the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association Texas Sportscaster of the Year Award five times, including in 2009. His 32-year career with the Rangers will likely continue for years to come. Hopefully, the Rangers offense will blast a 3-run homer today, so that Nadel can use his signature “3-run Jimmy Jack” call!

Also, Happy 8th birthday to my cousin Kit!

Walks Are Rangers Poison: Blue Jays 16 Rangers 10

This is one of the few nights when I don’t envy Evan Grant or T.R. Sullivan.

The ERA’s took a hit as all the runs were earned. Native Canadian Rich Harden surrendered seven runs, eight runs were charged to the ledger of Doug Mathis and one to Dustin Nippert.

Very simply, Harden walked five in the first inning. That directly led to three runs and erased the three runs the Rangers got in the top of the inning. It would only get worse.

After leading 9-3, an eight run bottom of the third hurt really bad. I lost count of how many batters came to the plate.

The Blue Jays hit five home runs for the game. Max Ramirez homered for the Rangers.

All we can do is look forward to tomorrow at noon.

Vlad Comes Through in the End: Rangers 2 Athletics 1 (12)

After watching nearly four hours of baseball for the second time in three days, I’m glad the Rangers won this time so I don’t have to focus on all the runners left on base or Vladimir Guerrero’s mini slump (at least by his standards.)

Instead I can write about Guerrero delivering the game-winning RBI single, Elvis Andrus’s career high four hits and C.J. Wilson pitching seven innings for his seventh straight quality start to start the season, a team record. After giving up just one run in seven innings, Wilson’s ERA stands at 1.48, currently second in the American League.

Manager Ron Washington said this in his press conference in reference to Wilson’s amazing start to the season:

“The fact that he has a game plan now could help…When C.J. gets in trouble you don’t panic because he’s been in tougher situations before. He seems to make the pitches when he has to. That’s a good quality for a starter. He knew he had that quality, and we’re beginning to find that out.”

Well, making as many good pitches as possible at any time throughout the game should be a priority for all pitchers, but you get the idea.

Despite leaving 13 men on base, the first eight batters of the game were retired before a Julio Borbon walk in the third. Following the free pass, Borbon promptly stole second and then scored on an Elvis Andrus single, the first of four hits on the day for the 21-year old.

The A’s pieced together their own two-out rally in the top of the fourth. After two groundouts, Kevin Kouzmanoff and Jake Fox singled and Landon Powell walked to set up an RBI opportunity for Josh Donaldson, who came through. Of the four hits off Wilson, three were in that inning.

Wilson was actually called for a balk on Fox’s single, but that’s a situation where the at-bat is scored based on the best-possible outcome (similar to the reversed catcher’s inteference call on David Murphy a couple of days ago.)

With Cliff Pennington at the plate in the seventh inning and after a mild argument regarding a fair or foul call, Wilson was again called for a balk. Balks are difficult to recognize, but home plate umpire Bob Davidson has a reputation for calling them. Catcher Matt Treanor disagreed with the call and tried to discuss it with Davidson, but was quickly ejected. Not sure what he did or said.

A brief delay ensued to get Max Ramirez into the game because he came in from the bullpen.

The Rangers used five bullpen guys, but the best performance of the night came from Frank Francisco, who struck out all four batters he faced. Dustin Nippert got the win.

Oakland starter Ben Sheets, who was of interest to the Rangers in the offseason, pitched six innings.

Nelson Cruz and Joaquin Arias will be activated tomorrow for the series in Toronto.

A Bullpen Shutdown: Rangers 6 Royals 4

Without his sinker sinking, Scott Feldman struggled again, pitching just four innings and allowing four runs.

But a bullpen combination of Doug Mathis, Darren Oliver, Darren O’Day and Neftali Feliz bore down to pitch five scoreless relief and give the Rangers time to battle back for a 6-4 victory and get their first 4-game sweep in three years. Of the four bullpen guys, Mathis, who went two innings, was the only one to surrender a hit or walk.

After getting down 2-0 early, a 4-run third inning against Royals starter Like Hochever and reliever Brad Thompson put the Rangers ahead 4-2. The big hit in the inning, a 2-RBI double, came off the pink bat (in honor of Mother’s Day) of David Murphy. Murphy had three hits, picking up the slack for a hitless Vladimir Guerrero. In his first at-bat, Murphy was initially awarded first base on a catcher’s interference call. But because the ball was fair, the call was later changed to a base hit because a single would benefit the batter. Rules state to assume the best outcome, according to the broadcast.

Murphy is playing in place of Nelson Cruz, who is expected to go on a medical rehab assignment tomorrow and return to lineup as early as Wednesday against Oakland.

The Rangers took the lead for good in the fifth inning. With two outs, Murphy and Justin Smoak singled to set up an RBI double by Max Ramirez to bring home the fifth run.

In the eighth, Elvis Andrus extended his hitting streak to 10 games and advanced to second base on a wild throw. Young singled him home for the insurance run despite getting caught in a rundown.

Other Notes

• Borbon had two hits on the day and scored a run.
• With Doug Fister and Francisco Liriano faltering a bit, C.J. Wilson is the current AL ERA leader. Congrats!
• Dallas Braden of the A’s pitched the first perfect game for the Athletics since 1968. The A’s come to Rangers Ballpark next.

Wilson Goes All the Way: Rangers 4 Royals 1

In just six starts, C.J. Wilson has come full circle in his quest to become an established, elite starter.

Wilson pitched all nine innings, outdueling reining Cy Young Award Winner Zack Greinke and leading the Rangers to a 4-1 victory. The crowd chanted “C.J.” in support during the final inning. According to the broadcast, Friday marked the first time Wilson went nine innings since 2001 when he was in the minors. Wilson was credited with a complete game in a rain-shortened loss to the Yankees on April 16th.

Wilson improved to 3-1 and lowered his ERA to 1.51. He remains third in the league in the ERA category. Greinke was not bad, but he wasn’t as good as Wilson. He drops to 0-4, not because of pitching poorly but because the Royals can’t score him any runs. They must have used up their run allotment with the dozen they scored last night.

Although this game proved very different than last night, one thing will always remain the same: Vladimir Guerrero loves Rangers Ballpark. Guerrero hit the first ball of the second inning from Greinke out to left field. Guerrero homered in three consecutive at-bats going back to last night’s thrilling game-winner.

David Murphy, who has played right field while Nelson Cruz (a.k.a. Little Vlad) is on the disabled list, doubled and scored the Rangers’ second run of the inning after shortstop Yuniesky Betancourt dropped a routine popup.

After Julio Borbon and Elvis Andrus reached in the third, Guerrero helped again with a deep fly ball to score a run. In the top half of the third, Wilson showed a bit of a blip, allowing a single to Betancourt, hitting David DeJesus and giving up an RBI single to Billy Butler.

It probably felt good for Borbon to get a multiple-hit night under his belt, too, Borbon, who has been struggling to get on base, doubled to start the fifth. Like he usually does, Andrus sacrificed him to second, and Young singled him home.

Borbon also singled in the sixth.

With two hits in each of the last two games, Young has bumped his average up to .274 and seems to be in a groove offensively.

All the Rangers runs went against Greinke, who pitched seven innings, struck out three and walked one.

We’ll have to wait and see what Wilson’s next move is.

Rangers Rediscover Home Run Stroke in Slugfest: Rangers 13 Royals 12

The Rangers might as well have a coronation for Vladimir Guerrero. With a career batting average over .400 at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington, he is unquestionably the king of the park and will not be overthrown.

Well, he left no doubt in the Royals minds about that, hitting two home runs, including the game-winning shot in the eighth off Royals closer Joaquim Soria. That home right after Josh Hamilton took the ball out against the same guy to tie the game at 12. His first homer came after a Michael Young single in the sixth inning and broke a 9-9 tie at the time.

I’m not sure the Rangers thought they would need Guerrero’s heroics.

Thanks to a 5-hit, 6-run third inning that was capped off by a 3-run shot by Justin Smoak, the Rangers led 8-0 after three innings.

But after a long sit, starter Matt Harrison got shaky, and the Royals took a page out of John Blake’s peck-away theory. Harrison helped them by walking the leadoff hitter, Willie Bloomquist in the fourth. Walking the leadoff hitter, especially after scoring runs, is a major no-no in baseball, and only bad things seem to come from it. Harrison learned that lesson firsthand, courtesy of a Billy Butler two-run homer.

But it didn’t sink in as Harrison also walked Yuniesky Betancourt, a task in itself as the shortstop totaled one free pass on the season coming into the game. Unbelievably, he would walk in consecutive at-bats, the second against Dustin Nippert.

Nippert did not have a happy birthday as he took the brunt of the Royals’ rally, giving up five earned runs in just 1/3 of an inning.

On a single in the fourth inning, the 1,693rd hit of his career, Young took sole possession of second place on the Rangers all-time hit list.

Tom Hicks' Big Revelation

Rangers and Stars owner Tom Hicks publically acknowledged today that he no longer has the passion necessary to be a sports owner.

Everyone already knew that, but at least he said it.

“I’m 64 years old, and I don’t want that anymore. Jerry Jones is a good friend of mine, but his life and his family’s life is the Dallas Cowboys. Mark Cuban, the Dallas Mavericks are his life. This isn’t my life.”
-Tom Hicks

As a devoted Rangers fan who dreams about working for the team, it’s difficult for me to fathom what he is saying. Sports, especially baseball, are my life, and I like it that way.

Mr. Hicks, please do all in your power to sell the team to Chuck Greenberg and Nolan Ryan as soon as possible so that the passion that you are lacking can be rekindled at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington.

Greenberg and Ryan are the right men to help do that. They aren’t going to decide one day that baseball isn’t in their plans anymore.

Hicks is also entertaining offers for the Dallas Stars and looking to sell his interest in a Liverpool soccer team.

Rangers Stuggle Against A's: Athletics 4 Rangers 1

If Vladimir Guerrero can start hitting on the road like he does at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington that would undoubtedly give the Rangers’ offense a big boost.

After accounting for five runs Tuesday and knocking in the only Ranger run Wednesday, he might be on the way to doing that.

Guerrero singled home Michael Young in the sixth inning for the Rangers only tally of the game. Young reached on an error by his A’s counterpart, Kevin Kouzmanoff. He went hitless Wednesday afternoon and remains tied with Rafael Palmeiro for second in total hits as a Ranger.

Other than the sixth, the Rangers best chances to score came in the fifth and seventh innings. Following a strikeout by Justin Smoak in the fifth, catcher Max Ramirez walked and Julio Borbon singled. It looked promising with the most patient Ranger, Elvis Andrus, coming up, but he hit into a double play. In the seventh, Smoak led off with a double but was stranded. Borbon tried to bunt for a hit but was not successful.

The Rangers played from behind early on as the first two batters of the game for the A’s reached against Colby Lewis, setting up RBI groundouts for Ryan Sweeney and Kouzmanoff. An Eric Patterson home run increased the A’s lead to 3-0 in the fifth, and Daric Barton hit an RBI single in the seventh.

With six strikeouts in six innings, Lewis is the current American League leader in strikeouts with 44 punchouts.

Darren Oliver and Darren O’Day (the Darren duo) pitched an inning apiece in relief. O’Day struck out two and remains unscored upon for the season.

A seven-game homestand starts Thursday night.

Highlights From Last 3 Games...

Tuesday – Athletics 7 Rangers 6

• Five RBI’s for Vladimir Guerrero, including a grand slam in the third inning, forcing Oakland starter Vin Mazzaro, who walked three to load the bases. At the time, the blast put the Rangers within 5-4. Guerrero also singled home a run in the fifth to make it 7-5.
• With a single in the first inning, Michael Young tied Rafael Palmeiro for second in Rangers’ history with 1,692 hits. Pudge Rodriguez lead with 1, 747 hits as a Ranger.
• After giving up five runs in two innings, Rangers starter Scott Feldman recovered to pitch seven innings, retiring the last 12 batters he faced.
  
  Monday – Rangers 4 Athletics 2
• In his return to the Oakland mound, Rich Harden didn’t allow a hit until a double to Rajai Davis with one out in the sixth inning. Harden surrendered two hits and struck out nine in seven innings in his most successful start of the season.
• Michael Young had three hits. Hopefully, the success at the plate will help him refocus in the field.
• Justin Smoak hit his second career homer in the ninth.
• Ron Washington got ejected in the second inning after the umpires conferred and reversed a call, ruling that Harden failed to touch first base on an Eric Chavez ball.
  
  Sunday – Rangers 3 Mariners 1 (11)
• With two of the top three ERA guys in the league pitching (C.J. Wilson & Doug Fister), the Rangers’ first hit came on a single by catcher Max Ramirez in the sixth.
• The Rangers tied the game 1-1 in the ninth on a David Murphy RBI single following an Elvis Andrus walk and steal of second to lead off the inning.
• The Rangers scored two runs in the top of the 11th inning on a Julio Borbon single, an Andrus bunt single and a sacrifice fly by Murphy. Andrus scored the third Ranger run as the result of a wild pitch.
• Neftali Feliz got three easy outs on his 22nd birthday.

Feliz Cumpleaños, Mr. Feliz

Happy Birthday to Neftali Feliz today! This guy can throw the heat like no other, and his fastball has been clocked at 102 mph this season. His changeup can hit 90 mph. In 31 innings last summer, he struck out 39 batters. He was called upon to be the closer when Frank Francisco looked lost earlier this season. While he has struggled at times this season (or just proved that he is human), the Rangers see nothing but top-notch success in Feliz’s future.

Lewis, Treanor Earn Their Keep: Rangers 2 Mariners 0

Colby Lewis officially showed what he was capable of Friday – why he is one of the few pitchers to successfully come back to the Major Leagues after a two-year randeveau in Japan.

During no doubt his best performance of the season, he pitched nine innings of scoreless ball, striking out 10 and only walking one. He didn’t allow a hit from the third inning on and kept the Rangers in the contest, which would remain scoreless for both sides until the 12th. It was the first time in 18 years a Rangers game saw no runs on the board through 11 innings. Lewis now leads the American League in strikeouts with 38 of them and a 2.76 ERA. His strikeout total also gave him another honor – the first Rangers pitcher since Nolan Ryan to put up three double-digit strikeout games in April. I thought Rich Harden was supposed to be the strike throwing machine.

Lewis upstaged the much-anticipated season debut of former Cy Young Award winner Cliff Lee, who went seven innings and fanned eight for the Mariners. After Lewis left, the Mariners loaded the bases in the 10th after an intentional walk to Adam Moore set up the double play. Pinch hitter Mike Sweeney grounded the ball to Elvis Andrus, who started the 6-4-3 double play in Ian Kinsler’s first game back at second base.

But it was Lewis’s battery mate, catcher Matt Treanor whose quick thinking saved the game for the Rangers in the 11th. Ichiro Suzuki, who is obviously a speed threat, led off the inning with a single. Chone Figgins bunted for a hit and Jose Lopez walked. With Eric Byrnes pinch hitting and Ichiro at third, the Mariners attempted a suicide squeeze. But Byrnes pulled back at the last second and decided not to bunt, giving Treanor a heads-up to find the ball at home plate and tag Ichiro out.

After navigating two scary situations, the Rangers found a less than conventional way to score in the top of the 12th inning. Andrus chipped a ball that died behind the mound for a hit. Young singled but reached second on a throwing error. With Hamilton up, Mariners pitcher Brandon League threw a wild pitch to break the scoreless tie. Hamilton was intentionally walked and Julio Borbon hit a grounder to score the second run. Neftali Feliz threw a three up, three down ninth to secure the victory.

The Rangers used a combination of the Mariners misfortune and their own good fortune to win the game. Good to see.