This game went 12 innings, and it’s quarter after 1 in the morning. I’ll write about it tomorrow.
In the meantime, here are some raw notes I took while watching the game, I’ll make this more cohesive tomorrow. :)
I ended up getting really busy at work and didn’t have time to expand on this. In a way my raw notes are a different kind of report, I guess. :)
Great throw by Matthews in the 6th to nail Cabrera at the plate in the 6th. Millwood stop on a ball hit baack to him in 6th to end inning.
Millwood had some great curveballs going in this game, he looked really sharp.
Three hits by Matthews
Guerrero keeps his streak alive, 43 games. Home Run. What a shock.
Mike Young – league leading 38th double.
Hector Carrasco in 7th. Three pitches, three hits – single, double, single, run in. Tex followed with a double, then Carrasco is out with 0.0 IP. JC Romero, comes in to pitch, then Blalock bounced it into the ground and way up for another single and an RBI, and then he’s out. In comes Brendan Donnelly, and gets a double play and a grounder to end the inning.
Bottom of the 8th. Awwwwww SHIT!
Extra innings. Tired.
Figure out who it was earlier in the game who swung at a pitch at his head to end the inning, promtping much laughter from Josh & Tom. — Juan Rivera, also HR guy in 8th.
Millwood deserved better, the way he pitched.

Here comes the calvary.
In an afternoon game on Wednesday, the Rangers opened up the offense again and beat the Twins to win the series with a score of 10-2. The calvary arrived in the form of Kip Wells from the Pittsburgh Pirates. OK, it was more than him, but when a guy you trade for makes a start and gets a win, it’s always a good feeling.
Wells, who I sort of knew as I pay attention to the Pirates somewhat due to my wife being from there, wasn’t someone that terribly excited me. Yes, it’s help. Yes, it’s major league help – but Kip Wells spent time on the DL this year, and was 1-5 before coming over from Pittsburgh this year. Last year, he was 8-18 with a 5.09 ERA. Year before that was 5-7 4.55. So he’s not exactly a true saviour. However, he’s probably good for now.
He only went 5 innings today, giving up seven hits and just one run, but got the win. Our four relievers combined for 5 hits and one run, so that was good work there.
Rick Bauer is looking more like a guy who can keep the job he’s been handed with Cordero out of town now.
Mark Teixeira led the offence with two home runs. We also got our mlb leading lead in doubles extended with a total of 4 more in that department. Mark DeRosa seems to be heating up again, and Gerald Laird is getting a lot more playing time. My gut feeling says that Barajas is not here next year, and Laird finally gets his chance to be the #1 starter in 2007.
And I couldn’t end this without snickering at the name of the starting pitcher for the Twins. Boof Bonser. I know he legally changed his name to that some time ago, but it’s stll worth a snicker even at age 40. Buahahaha. :)

This was shaping up to be a nice pitcher’s duel. Through the first three innings, not much happened. The score was 0-0 at that point. Adam Eaton was going against Scott Baker of the Twins.
Both had things pretty much in check, although Eaton was helped out a bunch in the bottom of the third after he walked two consecutive batters, and each of them was thrown out by Rod Barajas when they attempted to steal second.
However, in the fourth, I had visions of that inning against the Orioles a decade ago when we got 16 runs in one inning (a club record still). We unloaded on the Twins for 8 runs in the top of the fourth. It was a massacre. Carlos Lee started things off with a double. Blalock singled, scoring Lee. Matt Stairs reached on a throwing error, allowing Blalock to score and Kinsler to move up. Rod Barajas got plunked, then Wilkerson (hitting 9th!) singled, scoring Ian Kinsler.
Then Gary Matthews stepped up, and on a 3-2 count, absolutely destroyed a ball into the upper deck for a grand slam, his career second. This home run was an absolute no doubter off the bat – the kind that just looks like it would never come down. I’ve never actually been to the Metrodome, but I’ve seen a bunch of games on TV there, and I can’t recall ever seeing a home run hit that far up there. Quite impressive – and to follow it up, Mike Young hit a solo home run right after that to finish off the scoring. Mark Teixeira followed up with an RBI single in the 9th to add another one, but this game was all over when Matthews hit his slam.
Following that, the Twins pen didn’t do too bad at all. In relief of Baker, the four Twins pitchers combined for 5.2 IP, allowing just two hits and one run – all of that on the fourth reliever (Juan Rincon).
Adam Eaton did a bit better than most people were expecting. His stamina still needs a little work, but he went 6 innings – helped out by the Barajas caught stealings I mentioned before. He gave up just four hits, although he did walk four, which didn’t help, but none of them scored. CJ Wilson & Scott Feldman pitched 3 innings of scoreless relief, for the first shutout thrown by the Rangers in a bit.
I’m getting a little worried about all these lopsided wins. 15-2 one way, 15-2 the other way, and then 9-0. I’d prefer a little more consistancy in our offense and pitching. One way or the other, please. Preferably wins.

The Twins open up a seriously large can of whoop-ass on the Rangers tonight, beating them 15-2. There’s very little positive to say about this game. Let’s see what I can find.
Rick Bauer pitched one scoreless inning of relief.
Nelson Cruz got his first major league home run.
Mark Teixeira hit a home run.
Not much else.
The “bad” list is signficantly larger than that. There’s not enough time to write about all of that, but a few of those “high”lites…
The Rangers gave up a 5 run first.
The Rangers gave up three seperate 3 run innings
Carlos Lee had his first ofer in a Ranger uniform.
The Rangers are in last place now.
After thinking a bit more about the Matt Stairs trade, I’m not as “WTF” about as I was when it was first announced. He can probably help off the bench, he’s better than my initial remarks said, but I still find it an odd move. Course that’s more an indictement (sp?) of Brad Wilkerson’s failure in 2006 than anything else.
Matt Stairs got beat 15-2 two nights in a row in two different uniforms.
John Wasdin was designated for assignment to make room on the roster for Matt Stairs, so we’re told. Makes me wonder who will go off the 25 for Kip Wells tomorrow.