It’s a weird time. It’s that time of year when I get burnt out from writing about the Rangers, mostly because of all the losses. It’s the start of football season, and while I’m a baseball fan first, you can’t not be excited about Week 1 in the NFL. Which is what I spent most of this day watching. I only briefly watched the Rangers game, and saw little of it. However, this is an exciting time, as we’ve been playing very well the last two months or so, have decent to OK pitching (if not awesome), and have an outside shot at ending the season at .500.
But this game was cool, because it was a sweep of a division rival, and we ended up tied for third after the game was over. For the first time in quite awhile (sometime in May I think), we weren’t in sole possession of last place. We do have an off day tomorrow, so if Oakland wins on Monday, we’re right back in the cellar, but they do seem to be in a bit of a free fall, so I think it’s a fairly realistic option that we end up in third this year.
Anyway, as I said above, I didn’t see much of this game. But it did seem like one of those games in the rain that was a mess in more ways than one. The Rangers had three errors, (which I’m sure contributed to the four unearned runs that John Rheinecker gave up), and 13 hits. This was not a fast moving game at all (4:08 in all, including a 90 minute rain delay), and while the actual game time wasn’t too bad for a 21 run, 22 hit game, it just felt like it went on for 10 hours.
One of the parts, and it was the biggest part I did get to see was the eight inning outburst in the second. The home run by Sammy Sosa was seemingly vintage 90’s Sosa. It was a titanic shot into the club level. I still dispute that those home runs only went 440 feet up there. It seems like it would be a lot further than that. Nelson Cruz had three hits, Sammy Sosa had three hits, Young & Botts had two, and the remaining three hits were split between Hairston, Byrd, & Laird. Sosa continues to deliver when asked to, and really has been a surprise this season. No, he’s not gonna hit 60 home runs anymore with 135 RBI, but if you had said when we first signed him that he’d have 19 home runs and 83 RBI, I think most of us would be satisfied with that.
Combined the two teams used 13 pitchers. That kind of thing happens in rain delayed 20+ run games. :) In fact, of all those pitchers, the only pitcher to pitch more than two innings was old Rangers friend Colby Lewis, who tossed four for the A’s. Bill White for the Rangers threw two, and everyone else was less than that. Lots of trips to the mound. :)
Hopefully we can keep the momentum going (we have won 5 in a row now) into Detroit where we have a doubleheader on Tuesday.
Michael Young Watch: 175 hits. 25 hits needed in 20 games.