I actually had a ticket to this game, and had left early to go to the game. However, 5 minutes after driving away from work to head there, I felt sick, so I turned around and came back. I’m currently trying to fight off an oncoming fever, and I knew if I drove out to Arlington, sat out there, I’d feel utterly miserable by the time the end of the game came around. I was right, half way through watching the game, I felt sick. Ugh.
I did miss a good one. I really did want to go to the game for two reasons. First was the calendar giveaway. Second was the fact that Luis Mendoza was starting; I wanted to see him in person. He got his first major league win, even if he could have pitched longer than he did. He only threw five innings, for a total of 71 pitches, giving up just one run on four hits and a walk. It has been theorized that he was on a pitch count given it’s the end of the season, and he’s pitched more than he’s pitched before. Possible, but it’s always an eyebrow raiser when you take out a guy for no injury for no other apparent reason. Mike Wood followed up with two scoreless frames.
However, CJ Wilson & Joaquin Benoit followed him, and while their lines don’t show it, they weren’t really that great. CJ gave up just one hit, no runs, and no walks. However, only 8 of his 16 pitches were strikes, and it felt he was constantly in trouble. Benoit was worse. A walk, a hit, and another walk loaded up the bases. Benoit threw 22 pitches in all, and 13 of them were balls. Blech. He lucked out by allowing just a sac fly, and then a strike ’em out throw ’em out to end the game. If you saw Baseball Tonight on Friday night, there was a look that Roy Halladay had watching his game fly away to the Yankees. I don’t imagine Mendoza was quite that crazed looking, but one wonders how much Mendoza was thinking “Aw no, not that again”.
Still, we got the win 3-2. Can’t argue with the bottom line, I suppose. Nelson Cruz, getting a rare (lately) start, jacked a big home run into the left field seats for his highlight of the game, going 3-3 in all. Michael Young got one hit, so he needs 7 more for 200.
Nice to get the win, although I was disappointed I didn’t get to go.
I was at the game — very exciting. However, I am beginning
to get a little nervous when Benoit is called in. He has been
giving up runs recently.
I, also, went to the game for the calendar — very disappointing!
Nice pictures and all — but no 2008 Rangers schedule !!!! Just
nice blank boxes. I wish that they would go back to having
calendar day on the first Sunday of the new season so we will have
a nice schedule.
The schedule thing is the commissioner’s office. If you read my Interleague 2008 post, there’s a bit as to why it wasn’t there. This isn’t the Rangers’ fault, it’s the commissioner’s office for not being ready with the schedule when they should have been.