The “home team” version of the official mlb.com recap for this game had the title “Rangers’ pain continues”. That’s certainly true. This game was mostly painful, except for the bottom of the fourth.
First off, it was against the Red Sox. Now if you go back and read my game recaps for the last several years, I used to enjoy going to Red Sox games. In fact, they were my favorite opponent to see come into town. The games were always good, I liked a lot of the other players. That’s not the case anymore, and it’s pretty much the same reason I don’t like going to Yankees games here. Stands are full of jerk visiting fans. Now I know I’m generalizing, and they’re not all that way, but since the Sox won a few years ago, they have become the Yankees. Both in spending habits of the team, and of their fans, who are quite proud (especially when filled with liquid libido) to inform you of such. And as to the general suckiness of your team, you yourself, and your grandmother. It’s turned me off of going to Sox games. I went to opening day, because, well, it was opening day. But I would have enjoyed that better if it was someone else. Even the Kansas City Royals or the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. Only satisfaction is that the jerk Sox fans out there last night got wet. On the other hand, one of the best moments I was ever at was that “SWEEP” the Homies started a few years ago when the Sox were in town. Now that my rant is out of the way…
This game started off like most did, with the Rangers playing from behind early. This time it was a 4-0 deficit after the top of the second. One of the worst things you can do as a pitcher happened this frame – McCarthy walked the bases loaded to start the inning. After a sac fly, McCarthy walked someone again, reloading the bases (twice) on walks. A couple more singles and a sac fly, and it was 4-0 quickly. The game felt over, given the general lack of well, spunk this team has showed this season. In fact, I was so disgusted, I switched over to some Pro Bowling stuff I had on my TiVo, and watched that for a bit. :(
Brandon McCarthy came out after two – which after the four run frame, I initially thought was due to his pitching, but I read later it was due to a blister. Those aren’t good, because they tend to flare up again the next start, I wonder if they’ll be able to keep him off the DL.
The Rangers did have some life in them briefly in the fourth – and I had just tuned back over from my bowling footage right before the fun started, so at least I got to see the best part of the game. The Rangers got to Matsuzaka with a cycle for the inning. Tex started off the inning with a triple that Manny Ramirez misplayed a bit in left. It was followed by a double from Sammy Sosa, and then a chip shot home run by Frank Catalanotto – so Dice-K was rocked pretty quickly. After a couple of outs, Gerald Laird squibbed a single, and he was followed by May sensation Ramon Vazquez, who homered to right, and put the Rangers up 5-4. It was at this moment that the picture I took off the TV screen happened. We’re having a great inning, and Josh & Tom are talking about the mushrooms that were growing at the park with all the rain we got. Now at the time it made me chuckle a bit; Vazquez’ HR prompted Lewin to say “The Rally Mushrooms are alive in Arlington”, but in retrospect it seemed a bit of an odd thing to say. I honestly can’t make up my mind whether I liked the mushroom shtick or I did not. Mushrooms aside, we were back in the lead, and it felt like we could win.
The Sox bullpen had other ideas. Of the remaining five innings, we scored just one run. The Rangers bullpen decided they weren’t going to pitch like that, and gave up six more runs in the fifth and sixth innings. A couple of singles and a double in the fifth gave the Sox the lead back, and then they stepped on our throats in the sixth with a walk, a triple, a couple of doubles and a single. It was 10-5 at that time, and I kind of tuned out. I finished watching my bowling footage, and then went and played some Uno on my Xbox 360. The final run we got we didn’t even “get”, it was a gift run on a wild pitch.
The most exciting talk at the moment seems to be what the Rangers would get for Mark Teixeira in a trade this July. Oh well.