No recap from me – too busy at work to write.
ST7: Mar 8, 2006 vs. A’s (W: 10-3)
4-2-1 (.666) – 4th – 1 Dn – Streak W3
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Photos
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Game Recap
SURPRISE, Ariz. (AP) — After making the jump from Class A to Texas last year, Edison Volquez hopes to be the Rangers’ fifth starter this season.
The 22-year-old Dominican, among the top-rated prospects in the Rangers’ organization, pitched three scoreless innings Wednesday while allowing only one hit and striking out two as the Rangers beat the Oakland Athletics 10-3.
Earlier in the morning, opening-day starter Kevin Millwood threw 47 pitches over three innings in a simulated game on one of the back fields at the Rangers’ complex.
“I was working on throwing changeups and fastballs to certain spots,” Millwood said. “It felt pretty good out there. Yeah, I’d say I’m where I want to be at this point.”
Mike Nickeas hit the hardest ball of the morning, a drive off the center-field wall for a double in the second inning. Millwood struck out Rudy Yan to close out the inning and then threw a fourth strike down and away to do it again.
“He looked good, but we’re not breaking the gun out on him yet,” manager Buck Showalter said. “We’re going to have him start again on Monday in a `B’ game. He’ll throw 60 pitches.”
Volquez, who has one of the brightest smiles in the locker room, was dancing to Latin music before going out for his first start of spring training. He was all smiles after getting up his first win.
“I was pleased,” Volquez said. “This was my first start of the spring. This is my first spring. They’ve told me I have a big chance to be a starter and that’s what I want to do.”
Millwood, Adam Eaton, Vicente Padilla and Kameron Loe have already been picked as the Rangers’ top four starters.
Volquez is one of six pitchers in the mix for the fifth spot. Volquez who started 2005 at Bakersfield was 0-4 in eight starts as a September callup with the Rangers and a combined 6-13 with a 5.01 ERA at all levels.
“I learned a lot being in the big leagues last season,” Volquez said. “For one thing, I learned I was tipping pitches with my glove. They don’t see those things in the minor leagues, but they see them up here. I’m working on that.”
Texas took a 2-0 lead in the second against loser Joe Blanton (0-2) on a run-scoring triple by Kevin Mench and an RBI double by Jason Botts.
Mench added a two-run homer in the fifth and Adam Hyzdu added a solo shot in the sixth as the Rangers opened a 6-0 lead. The A’s scored three in the seventh inning off Antonio Alfonseca, capping the inning with a two-run home run by Eric Chavez, his first of spring training.
Texas added four more in the eighth to put the game away, including two on a double by Jamie Burke.
“We made some mistakes today,” said Oakland manager Ken Macha. “We did some good things out there. Just not enough of them.”
Notes
The A’s have lost six of their first seven games, their worst spring-training start since 1986. … RHPs C.J. Wilson and Francisco Cordero are to throw Thursday in a simulated game. Wilson has been slowed by a hamstring injury this spring while Cordero pulled out of the World Baseball Classic due to a shoulder injury. … 3B Hank Blalock started Wednesday after missing Monday’s game with a tired throwing shoulder. He was a DH Tuesday.
Box Score
CAC FINAL 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E - - - - - - - - - - - - OAKLAND 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 0 3 3 2 TEXAS 0 2 0 0 3 1 0 4 x 10 12 1 FINAL
WP - EDISON VOLQUEZ (1-0) LP - JOE BLANTON (0-2)
HOME RUNS: OAK - ERIC CHAVEZ (1) OFF ANTONIO ALFONSECA IN THE 7TH TEX - KEVIN MENCH (2) OFF JOHN RHEINECKER IN THE 5TH ADAM HYZDU (1) OFF JOHN RHEINECKER IN THE 6TH
TIME: 0:00 ATT: 2,837
OAKLAND (3) AT TEXAS (10)
OAKLAND AB R H BI TEXAS AB R H BI J Kendall c 3 0 0 0 B Wilkerson cf 3 0 1 0 K Suzuki c 1 0 0 0 A Hyzdu rf 2 1 1 2 F Bynum 2b 4 0 0 0 M Derosa ss 4 0 0 0 B Crosby dh 4 1 1 0 N Gold 1b 1 0 1 1 E Chavez 3b 3 1 1 2 H Blalock 3b 2 0 0 0 S McClain 1b 1 0 0 0 T Metcalf 3b 2 0 0 0 M Bradley cf 3 1 1 0 P Nevin dh 3 1 1 0 D Putnam pr 0 0 0 0 L Nix dh 2 0 0 0 D Johnson 1b 3 0 0 0 D Dellucci lf 2 1 2 1 C Thomas rf 1 0 0 0 A Brown cf 1 1 0 0 B Kielty rf 2 0 0 1 K Mench rf 3 2 2 3 A Beattie 3b 1 0 0 0 S Murphy lf 1 1 1 0 M Watson lf 2 0 0 0 J Botts 1b 3 0 1 1 D Clark lf 0 0 0 0 D Jimenez ss 0 1 0 0 M Rouse ss 3 0 0 0 R Barajas c 3 0 0 0 C Pennington ss 0 0 0 0 A Baldiris 2b 1 1 1 0 I Kinsler 2b 3 0 0 0 J Burke c 1 1 1 2 TOTALS 31 3 3 3 TOTALS 37 10 12 10
OAKLAND 000 000 300 -- 3 TEXAS 020 031 04x -- 10
E--E Chavez 2, T Metcalf. LOB--OAKLAND 4, TEXAS 6. 2B--M Bradley, J Burke, J Botts, N Gold. 3B--D Dellucci, K Mench. HR--E Chavez 1 (1) (off A Alfonseca), A Hyzdu 1 (1) (off J Rheinecker), K Mench 1 (2) (off J Rheinecker). SB--B Wilkerson 1 (1).
IP H R ER BB SO HR OAKLAND J Blanton (L,0-2) 2 2-3 4 2 2 1 3 0 J Kennedy 1 1-3 0 0 0 0 3 0 J Rheinecker 2 4 4 4 0 0 2 A Johnson 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 R Keisler 1 4 4 4 1 0 0 TEXAS E Volquez (W,1-0) 3 1 0 0 1 2 0 B Shouse 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 K Walker 2 0 0 0 0 4 0 A Alfonseca 2-3 2 3 1 1 0 1 J Benoit 1 1-3 0 0 0 0 0 0 J Wasdin 1 0 0 0 1 0 0
HBP--D Dellucci by J Kennedy. SO--OAK: F Bynum 2, M Rouse 2, M Bradley, M Watson, B Kielty. TEX: B Wilkerson 2, R Barajas, H Blalock, J Botts, M Derosa. BB--OAK: M Bradley, B Kielty, M Watson. TEX: H Blalock, D Jimenez. T--2:31. A--2,837.