RANGERS HOLD IN 9TH: BEAT YANKEES 10-9

whew....go ahead and exhale, the game is over and we managed to squeak out a win. This was a game of extreme highs and lows as the Rangers beat the Yankees 10-9. The game started with the Yankees up 4-0 in the 1st. Millwood didn't seem to have his best stuff and it looked like we were in for a long night. But our young players never seem to stay down for long and they found holes and built up runs to a 10-5 lead and they seemed firmly in control. Then came the 9th...and disaster almost strikes as the Yankees come within one run of tying the game. Let's just say that this win was a little too close for comfort. More thoughts below:

- Happy 21st Birthday Elvis!!! Andrus was definitely the player of the game as he was 3-5 with 3 RBI and the game winning, unassisted double play! I hope Francisco offers to buy his first beer tonight...

- Welcome Back Chris Davis! Davis was called back up from the minors for this series and rewarded the Rangers faith in him by excellent defense and hitting 2-4 with a walk. He looked really comfortable at the plate tonight.

- Marlon Byrd had an off night hitting, but made up for it with a great diving catch in center field. He has been making the most of his time out on the field this year with good batting and fielding on any given night.

- Millwood looks tired out there. His past few outings he has looked fatigued and hasn't made it thru 6 innings. This is a worrisome trend because if we have any hopes of a postseason, we need to keep our starting pitching strong and able to go deep in the games so we keep the bullpen fresh.

- That Michael Young is so hot right now! Last week's AL player of the week doesn't look like he is ready to pass on the title as he continues to play lights out. It is so nice having someone so reliable that you trust every time he is near the ball something good happens. His 2-run homer in the top of the 7th should have been the icing on the cake, but...

- As good as we looked in innings 2-8, the 9th inning was nothing short of a disaster. Starting with a broken bat single, a walk, another walk, a single, another single, a third single and all of the sudden we are looking at a 10-9 game with 2 on base and 0 outs. Look, I understand the Yankees lineup is very powerful, but there is no excuse to have to sweat bullets when you are leading by 5 in the 9th.

Good and bad, overall I am still happy with the victory and hope we can start to build a nice winning streak. And here are the new standings:

AL WEST
Angels* --
Rangers 4.5

*[at time posted the Angels game is still in progress tied 3-3 with Detroit]

AL WILD CARD
Red Sox --
Rangers 1.5