Still taking a break due to being backlogged. Sorry about that.

Still taking a break due to being backlogged. Sorry about that.

What was interesting about this game is after Vlad Guerrero hit his SECOND home run of the night, Josh & Tom had some interesting remarks. It went something like this (I’m paraphrasing)..

You know, after the grand slam, the crowd was mostly applauding, with small smattering of boos in there. After his double following that, there was still mostly applauding, but a few more boos. After the second home run, it was mostly boos, like the crowd was saying “OK, we gave you your lovin’, welcome home and all that, but knock it off!”

That was a pretty funny analogy on the crowd. I didn’t write about the first game in this series, but he homered there, too. I would have thought the lovin went away after the first game. But yeah, this game was all Vlad. Of the six runs the Rangers got, only one of them was not driven in by Vlad. That one was a single by Kinsler. But the other five were by Vlad Guerrero, and all five of them on home runs.
When this game started, I got disgusted, and tuned out after the third inning. We were down 3-0. Omar Beltre started for the Rangers. He was making his major league debut after being in the system for ages. He was obviously nervous, it could be seen, I’m sure that had a lot to do with the way he pitched. I won’t rag on him since it was his major league debut and all that, but the linescore wasn’t very good at all. Anyway, after the third inning I tuned out and started watching some other stuff with my wife (Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives). However, I wasn’t totally checked out, I had the game on my iPad, in case anything big happened. Well, it did. Kazmir, who usually takes care of the Rangers, was doing that again the first three innings, and then in the fourth, he did not.
Elvis Andrus was hit by a pitch, then Michael Young doubled, and Ian Kinsler walked. That loaded the bases for Guerrero, who hit a grand slam over the left power alley wall to put the Rangers up 4-3, and we never looked back. It was a cool moment, even Vlad thought so, as he uncharacteristically gave a fist pump when it went over the fence. He usually doesn’t give a lot of emotion, but he did there. He did again in the top of the 8th when he had another solo home run into the trees (a pretty much carbon copy of the one from the night before).
It kind of feels to this sports fan that Guerrero’s home runs are kind of like a big ol’ middle finger to the Angels for dumping him. If Guerrero does this again tonight for the final game of the series, it will be like both hands are giving the Angels the middle finger.

Skipping commentary on this one, got too behind, and no time to write.

Taking a pass on the Astros series. Got too far behind.

Taking a pass on the Astros series. Got too far behind.

Taking a pass on the Astros series. Got too far behind.

This was the only game in the series we really had to work for. In fact, up until the bottom of the ninth when we won it in walkoff fashion, we hadn’t had a lead at all up to then.
Since so many people are making Spinal Tap jokes right now, I’ll avoid that, but I will say it was very cool to say we’ve won 11 in a row. As I write this, the Angels game from tonight is still going on, so we’re temporarily 4 games up on them in first place. They’re losing, and if it stays that way, we’ll be up 4.5 games. Wow. I know it’s not like 17 games up, but it’s still a great feeling.
The Rangers got beind the eight ball very early as Scott Feldman stunk up the joint and gave up a four spot in the top of the first. From there it was time to employ “The John Blake Peck-away Theory”. The Rangers picked up a run in the bottom of the second on a groundout by Justin Smoak. After the Pirates got their fifth run in the top of the fourth, we answered with a two spot, both coming on sac flies. And both to the 407 sign in right center, which on a night with wind would have been home runs both. We tied the game in the bottom of the seventh on a Michael Young triple that I initially thought was a foul ball, but replays showed it was fair. But NOT by much. That scored Andrus. Kinsler later singled, scoring Young to tie the game.
That took it to the bottom of the ninth against one of the few Pirates pitchers that’s pretty darned good. We beat him. :) Elvis walked and Michael Young singled. Andrus hustled to third on a move that I thought was perhaps questionable, I didn’t think he had enough speed to do that. But he got there. He scored a few minutes later when Vlad Guerrero singled to win the game. Guerrero smiles a lot anyway, but wow – it was like he was an ad for a dentist or something out there.
The team really picked up Scott Feldman, who continues to be “meh” this season. Shame, as I had penciled him in for 20 wins easy in spring training. :)
Again, this makes three consecutive series sweeps (Marlins, Astros, Pirates). The Astros come into town this weekend, and man – if we can sweep them again, we’d tie the overall franchise record at 14. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves. We’re at 11, and Nigel Tufnel be damned, I want to tune it a little past that.

You know, for scores like this I usually bring out that graphic about “Time to open a can of big ol American WHOOP-ASS”. The only problem is that the opponent is the Pirates. Does it count as whoopass when you just beat the Pirates? I mean come on. We’re supposed to destroy them. Perhaps if we got to 20.
Yeah, the offense got rolling early. The Rangers put a two spot on the board in the bottom of the first pretty quickly. Elvis Andrus walked and Michael Young homered. Bam – up 2-0 after two batters. That set the tone for the whole night right there. I felt a little bad after the Pirates scored one in the top of the second (no shutdown inning there), but then the ass whooping (OK, I gotta use it a little) got underway in the bottom of the second. The Rangers plated five in that inning. It wasn’t a power based attack either, as the first four of the five runs that inning scored on singles. The last one was a sac fly. No huge blasts there.
As if that wasn’t cool enough, the Rangers did one better in the bottom of the fourth, plating SIX batters. That one wasn’t all singles there, there were a few doubles mixed in there. Usually when the Rangers score that much, there’s some home runs in the mix, but other than that two run shot in the bottom of the first, there wasn’t. Just a bunch of singles. At one point I believe there were four consecutive ones with the bases loaded or something along those lines. Was quite entertaining.
In all, seventeen hits. Just one home run and two doubles. Plus a pile of singles (fourteen of them). Not a lot of power, but a lot of offense just the same.
Pitching wise, we had three pitchers pitch three innings each. Dustin Nippert made another start, and was severely lacking in the “length” department. Only went three, which we need more from – even an emergency spot starter type. Alexi Ogando came in next, and was spectacular again. Three innings of perfect ball. Two strikeouts. Looked awesome. Matt Harrison pitched the final three innings, and got a save, actually. That’s obviously some weird use of the save rule.
But Ogando.. He’s made three major league appearances so far. His ERA is 0.00, and he’s 3-0. In three relief appearances! Yeesh!

I was at this game, thanks to some tickets left for me, and wow were they awesome. About 6 or 7 rows behind the Pirates dugout.
This game, like a lot of Rangers games were powered by the longball, although the biggest one by a player not known for that. But before we get there, I needed to talk a little about the Pirates. Their starter was Ross Ohlendorf, and much like a pitcher from another league you don’t have the most info on, he befuddled the Rangers through the first three innings. Ross O had a no hitter going through the first three innings. Went into the fourth when Andrus didn’t get a hit. But Michael Young adjusted, and jacked a solo home run into the Rangers bullpen for what was then a score of 2-1 Buccos. In the next inning, though, Josh Hamilton doubled to lead off the inning. Nelson Cruz, fresh back from the DL, grounded out, moving Hamilton to third. Smoak popped out and Matt Treanor walked. Up came Julio Borbon who jacked a three run home run into the right field bleachers. That gave us a 4-2 lead at the time, and we didn’t look back.
Josh Hamilton added a home run in the bottom of the sixth to go with the other two home runs. Nelson Cruz added a sac fly in the bottom of the 8th and we won the game 6-3.
Ross Ohlendorf fell to 0-6, which isn’t as bad of a record as Kevin Millwood has at the moment (1-8). Tommy Hunter started for the Rangers, and got the win behind a technical quality start. Didn’t walk anyone, but did give up nine hits in his six innings. He gave up three runs, but one was unearned (Smoak threw a ball away going home with it).
While I don’t seem to be writing a lot about this game, I did have a good time going. Was great going with a friend who I don’t have to “dumb down” talking about baseball with, so that was nice. Thanks Jeff!
This is the Rangers ninth win in a row. w00t!