When you give up nine runs in a game, it doesn’t quite make for what would call a “comfortable” lead. I mean, heck, the game was tied 8-8 after the sixth inning. We didn’t start to run away with it until later. This was the Texas debut of two new players, Ryan Dempster & Geovany Soto. Both recently acquired in separate deals with the Chicago Cubs. It didn’t go too well for Dempster at all. Soto did a little better, but before we get to that, we get to the curious case of Roy Oswalt.
Roy has pretty much been displaced from the starting rotation with the arrival of Dempster and the re-emergence of Scott Feldman. Oswalt was bumped to the bullpen. He’s apparently not happy about it. He was the third pitcher in this game, following Dempster (4.2IP) & Robbie Ross (0.1 IP). Roy Oswalt pitched two innings, and was told by Wash to go back out for a third, and he refused, saying “No”. Uh, excuse me? It’s your job to pitch, not your job to be the manager. I would have cut him on the spot for a move like that. He’s not exactly been a huge help here (his ERA is 6.14 after this game), so to have an attitude on top of what is generously called a medicore performance should be the kiss of death. He is, however staying, and even my brother and stepbrother back home both told me that Roy is a bit of a headcase. They live in Philly, so they’d know – they had Oswalt as a pitcher for a time before he was here. I probably won’t have any more to say on this issue, because I’m not one who has a lot of sympthy for guys who go the “I don’t want to do that” or the “I don’t know what my role is”. It’s simple. Your role is to pitch when the manager tells you to pitch. Not whine about it. Shut up, and go out there and get guys out. Leave the head cases to the other pro sports team on the other side of the parking lot, please.
What gets mostly lost in this game is that we beat up on CJ Wilson again. 5.1 IP, 10H, 8ER, 3BB, 7K, 2HR (Kinsler & Cruz). Given the way he left town, screw him. He needs to get roughed up a bit more. Granted, Dempster’s line wasn’t much better, but still, Dempster wasn’t tweeting any of his former teammate’s cel phone numbers, either.
Dempster went just 4.2IP, 9H, 8ER, 3BB, 6H, and 2 HR allowed. Both he and Wilson were eqally crappy. Sometime I wish one of our new inbound pitchers wouldn’t pitch so bad their first time out. Cliff Lee did that, Roy Oswalt did that, I know there’s been others, too.
Still, the story of this game is the Rangers’ offense which has woken up the last few games. All told, the Rangers offense had 18 hits. Six doubles, two home runs, and ten singles. Everyone got into the action, except Craig Gentry, who was officially 0-1, but had a walk (and scored). Everyone else had at least one. Kinsler led the way, going 3-5 (also with a walk, too). Andrus, Hamilton, Young, & Soto all had two hits. Adrian Beltre went 1-4, but did strike out three times, continuing his mostly cold stretch.
Again, we beat the Angels, putting them further back behind us when the series started. However, the primary threat now seems to be the A’s, who have had second place to themselves for awhile. Odd that most everyone is overlooking the A’s. Hope that doesn’t come back to bite us.