Well, those who read my site know how I feel about Bruce Chen & Jamey Wright. They bookended the game last night, and both proved why the Rangers are the 9th and 6th different major league club respectively for each. I won’t rag on them too much, will just let the lines do the talking:
Jamey Wright: 2.2IP, 5H, 5ER, 3BB, 1K, 1HR
Bruce Chen: 2.0IP, 3H, 3R(0ER), 0BB, 2K, 1HR
Neither was particularly stellar. Chen’s runs weren’t technically earned, but the way he pitched it looked like they should have been. Yeah, I know rules about earned runs are there, but to me he didn’t look that stellar. Take away these two guys who I didn’t want here in the first place, and it would have been the lopsided game it felt like. Jamey Wright was actually OK in the first two innings, and then fell apart. Sounds like the definition of a middle innings relief guy. Go a couple, then out. But he seriously stunk up the joint in the third, giving up a 5 spot. I know Tampa Bay can hit a little, but it was ugly in the third.
Fortunately, Jae Seo for the Devil Rays stunk up the joint worse than Jamey Wright did in the third. Seo went three innings, giving up TEN RUNS (only 5 earned, technically). There was a span there where it seemed like I could jump out of the stands and hit a ball to the Rangers bullpen. When you have double digit runs before the end of the third inning, it feels like a runaway, not the somewhat close score the final turned out to be.
Funny thing is with all of that offense, we had three of our starters with no hits in the game. One was Michael Young, who did walk twice, though. The top of the lineup got their act in gear tonight. Kenny Lofton led off the game with a home run that didn’t look more than a bloop to right – it SERIOUSLY carried. In all, Lofton was 3-3 with a walk, scoring three times and getting three RBI’s. So you couldn’t ask for more from your leadoff guy. Frank Catalanotto followed him up with a 3-5 night, falling just a double short of a cycle. Tex was 2-5, Wilkerson was 2-3, so it was a good night for the offense in general. It is just Tampa Bay pitching, but I’ll take the runs and a win where I can get them. Just wished this was against Anaheim or Boston; would have made it more impressive.
We wrap up the series Wednesday night with Robinson Tejeda going against James Shields. It’s another of those “Uh-oh. A pitcher with next to no track record will probably kill us”. It always seems to happen.