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Boy, this game started off ugly. In the top of the first, Bacsik gave up three hits, and hit two batters. Surprised we only gave up two that inning. We stormed back to take the lead in the bottom of the second behind a two run double by Brian Jordan, who is doing well the last week or so, perhaps he’s turned it around. Would be a nice boost in the last 6 weeks of the season.
However, we couldn’t hold it. Nor could the Devil Rays hold the lead once they took it back. This game went back and forth with runs scored in 6 of the 10 half innings between the first and fifth. In fact, the last run scored in the bottom of the fifth when Kevin Mench hit a home run to left off of Devil Rays reliever Franklin Nunez, who was making his major league debut (he got the loss, too). Soriano made a great double play, tagging a runner and throwing to first. There also was a goofy 1-3-6-1-4-6 pickoff play, too.
We probably should have scored more, as did the Devil Rays, we both left a lot of players on board. Both sides committed an error, and our bullpen was great again. The game ended with a thrill, as Gerald Laird threw out the major league steals leader Carl Crawford to end the game.
We go for the sweep tomorrow.

A win is a win. I’d like to say it’s a great win, like a 2-1 win over the Yankees, but it wasn’t. 5-3 over the Devil Rays is still a win, and right now, we need wins any way we can get them. It’s absolutely amazing that on August 13th, we’re still only 1.5 games out, and in the hunt of things. Earlier in the season, I didn’t want to get worked up because I felt it was too soon. OK, NOW I believe in it. It’s 6 weeks to go, and we’re in the playoff hunt. Our rotation is in shambles, and we’re still here. I would think that Showalter would have to get consideration for manager of the year for all this.
Anyway, about the game. Kenny Rogers took the mound, and Kenny’s last few starts have been unlike the start of the season for him. It was getting to the point where I think people were starting to think that Ryan Drese was the only reliable starter we had now. Kenny stepped up a bit. He wasn’t masterful, but he did go long enough to keep us in the game, and get his 14th win of the season. I think those dreams of him having a 20 win season are gone. It mathematically still could happen, but I don’t see him winning 6 more for the rest of the season. My guess is he wins 17-18 now. Prove me wrong, Kenny!
Offensively, we scored 3 of our 5 runs on two home runs. Another alarming stat. We are not the club we were at the start of the season, when we’d drive in a ton of runs w/o home runs. It seems to be back to traditional Ranger baseball, whack it lately. Tex & Dellucci had the other RBI’s, besides Nix & Sori’s HR’s.
Our bullpen was good, although not as lights out as it was in the past. Cordero had to pitch 1.1 innings for the save, and he made it interesting; he even mixed in a balk. But he got the save in the win – and I guess that’s the bottom line. We won the game.

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I don’t have much time to write about this, so here’s a few highlights.
1) Drese was great
2) Kevin Brown lost to the Rangers again
3) THE YANKEES LOST!
That about sums it up.

Ugh 2. We got swept in Baltimore and will now limp home to meet the Yankees. This could get real ugly.

Ugh.

Lost to the Orioles. Erickson was “OK” in his first Ranger start. Rodrigo Lopez was awesome. That’s about it.