This was a back and forth game all night, with the Rangers taking an early lead, until the Rays took the lead in the 8th; Byrd tied the game in the top of the 9th to force extra innings, but Carlos Pena continues to be a Rangers' killer this series as he provided the hit that allowed the Rays to top the Rangers 5-4.
- Michael Young continues to be the most dependable player of the year. Young has nine hits in his last three games and is almost guaranteed for two hits a night right now. His is the only spot in the lineup that you can be certain will produce consistently.
- Marlon Byrd's home run to tie the game with two outs in the ninth was one of the biggest plays of the season. It seemed to temporarily energize the Rangers but ultimately was not enough to get the win.
- This was another night to forget for the bats. With the exception of Byrd and Young, the rest of the lineup produced zero walks and nine strikeouts for the lineup tonight.
- The trend of starting pitchers not completing six innings continues. Dustin Nippert last did it on Sunday. Hunter had finished six in five of his last starts coming into the week.
- C.J. Wilson's inability to get one out in the 8th was probably the biggest blow in a game that Texas really needed, with Boston and LA both winning. The Rangers need to have a dependable late inning relief and closer if they hope to make a push for the playoffs. That is especially bad when Neftali Feliz seems to be the only guy Ron Washington can feel completely comfortable sending to the mound in the middle innings or setup role.
In other news, both the Angels and Red Sox won thier games, leaving the standings as follows:
AL WEST
Angels --
Rangers 6.5
AL WILD CARD
Red Sox --
Rangers 2.0
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment