Where the heck do you start with this one? After a dismal several games, the Rangers finally kicked it into gear, and appeared to be pissed off that they had lost several in a row, and really took it out on Baltimore. Not nearly as much as that 30-3 game against them in Baltimore, but this felt just as good. The reasons for the good feelings were several:
- First off, Ian Kinsler’s cycle. Any time a player gets a cycle, it’s cool. No way to not feel good about your guy getting one. Ian had 13 total bases in the game.
- Ian Kinsler also going 6-6 in a nine inning (technically eight since we’re at home) game. Couple that with the cycle, and it’s something that hadn’t been done since the 1800’s I believe (cycle with 6-6 in a nine inning game).
- Marlon Byrd going 5-6. If it wasn’t for Kinsler’s 6-6 cycle, this would have been a bigger deal for sure.
- Nelson Cruz missing two grand slams in the same game by about 5 feet. He jacked one that looked like a sure second slam late in the game, but it just missed getting over the wall. Darn.
- Nine of our eighteen hits being extra bases (five doubles, two triples, and two home runs)
- Three stolen bases, something that is becoming a big part of the Rangers offense.
I mean, how can you be a Rangers fan after this game and not feel good about it? OK, if you wanted to, you could say that Young & Salty had ofers. With all the offense, it seemed odd that any of our starters would have an ofer, let alone two of them. We were 9-20 with RISP.
But the heck with the negative, it was just fun to watch. Mr. Anna Benson actually got the win, but he was not all that great. Good enough for a win, but definitely not great.
As I sit here to write this, I can’t think of anything else to say except, “That was badass, wasn’t it?”
Enjoyed the win, enjoyed the Kinsler performance. Did not enjoy the TV post game interviews. Are the Rangers trying to get people to not watch post game stuff? Mike Ogulnick & Jim Knox are both “turn to something else” people. I never watch top of the second stuff – when Knix in the “Fox Box”. It’s an immediate skip.