I’ve been saying Scott Feldman needs to pitch better. In seven innings, he accomplished that plus more in a 9-3 win for the Rangers over the Astros on Friday night at Minute Maid Park.
Leading off the third, Feldman doubled to right field to kick start an offensive explosion. Following Feldman’s two-bagger, three out of the next four batters walked. No surprise as far as Elvis Andrus goes but not nearly as common for Ian Kinsler and Vladimir Guerrero. Kinsler, who missed all but one game in April due to injury, has recently rediscovered his patience at the plate and earned three free passes Friday. Guerrero’s walk came on four pitches with the bases loaded. You can judge for yourself whether it was intentional. The walks helped Scott Feldman trot home and preserve his energy for the pitching mound.
With Feldman resting in the dugout, the Rangers kept going. Josh Hamilton (14-game hitting streak, 23 RBIs in June) walloped a two-RBI single and continues to blaze the path toward Player of the Month, Justin Smoak also on fire, delivered a two-RBI single. Unfortunately, Julio Borbon accounted for two of the outs in the inning, but when it was all over, six Rangers crossed the plate.
Don’t think that the Hamilton and Smoak’s firepower simply ended though. With two outs in the fifth, Hamilton tripled and Smoak deposited in the ball in the Crawford Boxes down the left field line for an 8-0 lead at the time. During a stretch of seven batters, the Rangers had two triples, a home run and a double.
The Astros rallied against Feldman for three runs in the sixth inning for the only blemish of the night, Darren O’Day and Darren Oliver were spotless.
Excellent way to begin the annual Silver Boot Series!
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