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Kind of busy at work today to write. But I have to admit to being surprised at the performance turned in by Jamey Wright. Very impressive.

This is another game I didn’t get to see much of. The game had started by the time I got home from church due to a meeting regarding a new church we’re building. By that time I flipped on the tube, and saw we were down 4-2, and I sighed, turned the TV off, and played some more of “The Bigs” on my Xbox 360. I benched Teixeira there, and he didn’t complain about it. :)
McCarthy was OK in looking at his line. Six innings, six hits, 2 walks, 4 strikeouts, and 3 earned runs (four overall). The pen was good this day, throwing quite a lot of innings (5 overall with five relievers). They shut down the Angels, and allowed us to win the game.
We won on a home run by Mark Teixeira that just barely qualified as home run – it appeared to be aided by a fan in the replay I saw.
Still, a win is a win. Something we don’t do much in Anaheim much anymore.

Well, there’s a little dose of reality. I don’t think anyone thought Kam Loe was as totally dominating a pitcher has he showed since his “return” as his numbers had shown. Nor did I think he was a horrendous as he was early in the season. I do think he was better than this, however.
I didn’t get to see the game (as I have some family in from out of town now), but his line was 2.2IP, 3 earned runs (plus two more unearned ones), 5 hits, and worst of all 5 walks. Blech. That’s 10 “bases” given out in 2.2IP. OK, maybe it wasn’t that great, but I guess my first look missed the walks. If he does this again, we need to send him to AAA for a throwing session. :)
The pen wasn’t that great either. Only CJ Wilson escaped unscathed. The other three (Eyre, Littleton, Francisco) all gave up something.
We had a chance to get John Lackey out early, he was horrendous in the first inning, throwing something like 42-45 pitches. That was the only part of the game I got to see. We did score three in the first, which was good, but I think we left the bases loaded, or with two on, and with a chance to score more and get Lackey out early. Let him off the hook. Kind of figured when we did that, we’d probably lose.
Kenny Lofton continues to play extremely well, going 3-5 with two doubles, and scoring twice. Heck, even Sammy Sosa got a triple in this game. Our offense wasn’t too bad tonight, this one was our pitching letting us down. As common as that sounds to long time Ranger fans, the extremely recent vintage Rangers haven’t been guilty of that.

This was a good old fashioned pitcher’s duel.
Kevin Millwood tossed seven innings, giving up just one run on five hits and three walks. There were also two double plays turned by Rangers defense this day.
Kelvim Escobar went eight innings, giving up just one run on six hits and one walk. The Angels turned one double play.
And what did we do with that? Pissed it away on a walkoff loss in the bottom of the ninth to the Angels. At least Millwood has apparently overcome his slow start and has become seemingly the pitcher he was in his year in Cleveland.
Lofton continues to play well at the top of the lineup. I liked the guy a lot. But I can’t see him having any value here past July other than mentor, which we probably don’t really need. Hopefully he goes somewhere where he can win in 2007.
Also, does anyone believe for a minute the stuff that Mike Ogulnick has been pushing about Kevin Millwood being a player to be traded before the deadline? I can’t see us doing that. Besides, doesn’t he have a no trade?

This was a great win. This club is playing very well lately, and as I’ve said a few times already recently, it’s a shame it wasn’t like this out of the gate, I’m sure we wouldn’t be talking about moving a bunch of our players.
Anyway, Kevin Millwood is pitching like Kenny Rogers did after he had that rib removed. Millwood had his fifth straight good outing, is pitching like he should be. Kevin went 6 innings today, giving up just one run on five hits. Few too many walks still (three), but the overall line was pretty good. Our relievers were quite good too. Pitched 3 innings of shutout ball on just two hits.
Offensively, this game belonged to Kenny Lofton. Kenny was on base all four times he was up. Two walks, and two hits. He walked to start off the game, and scored on a Marlon Byrd RBI. This tied the game at 1-1 in the first. That was it until the bottom of the sixth when Kenny jacked a Daniel Cabrera pitch a few rows back in right field. Kenny scored both runs we got today, and that’s all we needed due to the pitching we got. Quite amazing, this recent stretch of good pitching.
It almost makes you not want to get Vicente Padilla back, eh? :)
Anyway, we go into the break with a 38-50 record. Not good. But, it could have been a heck of a lot worse had it not been for the recent hot streak. We’re still 12 games under .500, but if we can continue the streak we’re on, getting back to .500 shouldn’t be a problem. Playoffs are I think out of the question realistically, but I don’t think .500 is.
Also, the more I think about it, the more I’m irritated with the Teixeira quote about “fun conversations” with Baltimore. What a twonk.

This was sheer and total domination. Erik Bedard was two pitches away from a perfect game.
He gave up no walks, struck out FIFTEEN Rangers, and gave up just two hits. Both of them were immediately wiped out via double plays, so Bedard faced the minimum 27 batters through the complete game.
I was at the park, and I don’t think I’ve ever witnessed with my own eyes a better pitched game by anyone. That was quite amazing – we had nothing the whole night.
Thing is Brandon McCarthy was not bad, either. Other than one mistake ball which was a solo home run, he was quite good. His overall line was 6 innings, 4 hits, 1 earned run, 2 walks. The O’s scored another run on his ledger, but it was a throwing error by Gerald Laird. McCarthy’s problem was pitch count. Too many pitches – he had to come out. But it’s hard to fault a guy who gives up just one earned run in six innings.
If McCarthy pitches like this for the rest of the year, I’d say he’ll end up with a bunch of wins. But man, you gotta give this one to Erik Bedard.
Given Mark Teixeira’s “fun talks in a year and a half with Baltimore” quote that’s been going around lately, I say send him to Baltimore for Bedard straight up. I’d do it right now.