Well, OK, it wasn’t just Ogando, but I was getting tired of saying “Rangers beat…” ;) Although, Ogando didn’t do too bad. Had a OK line. Six innings pitched, and six hits allowed. Threw in two walks, but gave up just one run – which is the important stat. Didn’t exactly dominate, but pitched decently enough. Technical quality start (as I’ve said before, I think a QS should be seven innings, not six). Alexi also struck out four, and ran his season record to 3-2. Average that out, and it’s about an 18 win season, if he sustains the pace, and I don’t know any team that won’t take an 18 game winner from one of their pitchers.
The bullpen did a great job, too. Robbie Ross, Tanner Scheppers, and Joe Nathan combined to throw 3 innings, and between them allowed no runs, and just a single hit (Ross). Great job of pitching today. The combined line was 9IP, 7H, 1R, 2BB, 6K. Not bad. Not bad at all. The seven hits were mostly scattered. Only Jacoby Ellsbury had more than one hit.
Our offense was a bit better this game. Put up seven runs on ten hits. Only Nelson Cruz took an ofer. Everyone else had at least one hit. Moreland & Gentry had two. The tone for the offense was set immediately when Ian Kinsler jacked a lead off home run (in his guise as “Capt Uppercut”) on the first pitch of the game. This was thrown by John Lackey, a guy who is no stranger to Ian Kinsler and “intersting” openings to games at this ballpark. Too bad he didn’t throw at Elvis on the next pitch, he could have been ejected after pitch #2 for the second time in this park.
I remember seeing Lackey’s major league debut some years ago, and I was impressed with that start. However, he’s never been a pitcher that’s scared me. Oh, he’s good – but we always seem to do well against him in this park. So I enjoyed we put up some runs against him. We put up two more runs in the fourth against Lackey on some small ball.
Later on Craig Gentry showed some of the power he displayed a bit during spring training, by getting his first home run of the season. It also plated Mitch Moreland, who had walked. That put us up 5-1, and closed the scoring.
Sorry Dave.