That One Hurt Last Night

Glass Half Empty / Afternoon Cloud: Gentry twice had a runner in scoring position only to pull a Josh Hamilton and swing at the first pitch for a popup out to end the inning.

Kinsler got thrown out in the first inning after being picked off at first and from the looks of it calmly questioning the call.  That's the second time this year I can think of where Kins got quickly thrown out after disputing a call (the other one was after striking out), wonder what he's telling the ump.

Former Ranger, current Red Sox (and notorious for hitting batsman) Vicente Padilla beaned Beltre in the head.  Can't think that Padilla hit Beltre on purpose since he had him down 0-2 with 2 outs when the pitch got away from him.  Still, Padilla has the rep, so will there be retaliation tonight in the rubber match?

Nathan walked 2 in row after getting 2 outs in the 9th and eventually gave up the go ahead run.  He'd only walk 5 all year up to that point.

Glass Half Full / Silver Lining: Josh got a RBI on a weakly hit ground ball (only run of the game for the Rangers)? Martin Perez looked good on the mound.


Thoughts / Observations / Sidenotes: Rangers are up 4.5 on the Halos.  If this thing gets closer down the stretch, this will be one of those games you look back on and think, "they really could have used a W in that one."


Colby Lewis out for the year.  And he's in a contract year so big payday for him, that's just lousy timing for him.  And he's already gone through Tommy John surgery once I think.  

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AL Loses All Star Game to NL Again; And AGAIN AL Loses Home Field Advantage in WS

Glass Half Empty / Afternoon Cloud: This demonstrates again why this arbitrary rule is just that, arbitrary and stupid.  How about have the interleague records each year, AL vs. NL, determine home field in the WS.  Or how about this novel idea, the team with the best record has home field in the WS.  


Also, except for a bloop single by Napoli that should have been an error and Joe Nathan, the 8 Rangers were non-issues in the game.  Besides Verlander, Matty "Harry" Harrison gave up the only additional runs in the game, 3.  And maybe Wash should have pulled Verlander when he loaded the bases in the first and brought in Joe Nathan.


Glass Half Full / Silver Lining: Verlander essentially lost the game in the first inning, and how does Wash pull the AL starting pitcher in the the first inning, you let Verlander pitch his way out of trouble right?  At least it wasn't a Rangers pitcher that got rocked like the casbah in the the first inning.  


Thoughts / Observations / Sidenotes: I generally have felt that the AL is better than the NL for quite a while but, 3 all Star Games in a row and 2 World Series in a row may indicate I've been wrong.  Interleague play records show the AL winning overall each year except 4, and the AL winning each year since 2004 but, those records include scrub AL teams vs. scrub NL teams.  All Star Games and World Series are the best vs. the best.


Oh yeah, the Rangers lead the AL West by 4.  13 games left head to head vs the hated Halos.

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That's 5 Losses In a Row, When Do We Start to Worry?

Glass Half Empty / Afternoon Cloud: Pitchers hurt.  Bats cold.  We have sunglasses on, it's night.  We have half a pack of smokes, and a quarter tank of gas and 250 miles to go. Oh yeah, and the Rangers have just lost 5 games in row.  Not good.


Glass Half Full / Silver Lining: How in the f%cking sh!t are your Texas Rangers still 4 games up?  With them all beat up?


Thoughts / Observations / Sidenotes: I think there are 8 Rangers set to be in the All Star game, think that's a record or something.  Yu is one of them.  Is Matt Harrison? Yup. And I'm going to jinx him, he's more than half way to a twenty game winner, the Rangers haven't one of those in a while.  And I know with all the Moneyball stuff wins for pitchers supposedly doesn't mean much but, I don't care.  A 20 game winner is a symbolic thing then, at least in my book/blog.  And I'd take a twenty game winner, since it's been since 1998 that your Texas Rangers have had one.

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In Honor of Tomorrow Night Being Nolan Ryan Snow Monkey Night at the Ballpark...

I give you (the link for) the audio of Nolan Ryan explaining at a Ticket event why he was, at one point in time, the snow monkey ambassador for the state of Texas (I'm not joking).

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Rangers Beat Tigers 13-9; Win 6th Straight Series

Glass Half Empty / Afternoon Cloud: Josh was 0-4 with 4 strike outs.  Oz got beat up for 5 ER's on 13 hits in 6 IP.


Glass Half Full / Silver Lining: Oz did get the win though since the Rangers offense (without any help from Josh) put 13 runs on the board.  Again, with all the pitching injuries the Rangers have strung together 6 series wins.  David "Charlie" Murphy went 4-5, going yard twice along with 2 singles, scoring 3 times, and 5 RBI's-very nice.


Thoughts / Observations / Sidenotes: Your Texas Rangers have, for the season, a run differential of +91 against their opponents. The team with the next best run differential is the Spankees, with a +62.  Even with that going for them and the 6 straight series wins, the pesky Halos are still hanging around 4.5 games back of the Rangers, making all those games (13) against them after the All Star break loom even larger.

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Oz's Start Goes About As Well As Possible

Glass Half Empty / Afternoon Cloud: Oz didn't throw a no hitter or complete game shutout.

On a serious note, Dave Barnett is still not in the booth.  Sending good vibes his direction, hope the testing he's undergoing reveals all is OK.

Josh struck out 3 times and according to Busby (subbing in for Barnett) Josh hasn't hit a homer in fourteen days.  For most that's not a big deal but, with the clip at which Josh was hitting them at the beginning of the season, it is a drought for Josh.  And Gentry tweaked his ankle legging out an attempt at a bunt single.


Glass Half Full / Silver Lining: Oz was great, especially for his first start. Win streak at 7.


Thoughts / Observations / Sidenotes: I'm going to say what maybe no one else will say or thinks.  I think Busby is great on the TV broadcast.  Does that mean I'd like him to stay on the TV broadcast even when Barnett is (hopefully) ready to resume his duties as the TV play by play guy?  No, absolutely not.  But, I wouldn't mind seeing a booth of Barnett as play by play and Busby riding shotgun.  I know Tom "TAG" Grieve is, I guess, Mr. Ranger but, listening to the games recently TAG seems to offer very little compared to the knowledge that Busby drops in between nearly every pitch.  TAG talking about the food the booth receives from fans might have been endearing when the Rangers were basement dwellers but now how about a little more baseball talk during the game.  Just a thought.


Since that's likely not to happen since TAG is Mr. Ranger and Busby didn't play ball for the Rangers and isn't a former Rangers GM like TAG...


Alternatively, I'm thinking about pulling an old trick I know others have when watching the Cowboys so they could hear Brad Sham on the radio: I'll turn down the sound on the TV and put on the radio when Busby goes back to the radio booth.  

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Rangers Sweep Padres

Glass Half Empty / Afternoon Cloud: Again, big deal, it's not like the Padres are very good. And Moreland pulled a hamstring legging one out during the series.


Glass Half Full / Silver Lining: They still had to play the games and take care of business, which they did.


Thoughts / Observations / Sidenotes: Apparently the NL West teams the Rangers had to play aren't, for the most part, very good.  Even with the Rangers putting together back to back series sweeps, the pesky Halos are keeping pace and hanging around at 5 games back.

And Oswalt makes his season and Texas Rangers debut tomorrow having sat out almost half the season.  Let's see how that goes, fingers crossed.

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Rangers Win First Two Versus Padres, Win Another Series

Glass Half Empty / Afternoon Cloud: Much like sweeping the 'Stros, big deal, the Padres are in last place in their division.


Glass Half Full / Silver Lining: Scooter Feldman got his first win, alert the media!  Josh is back.  And again, like sweeping the 'Stros, they beat a basement dweller like a drum like they're supposed to, so good.


Thoughts / Observations / Sidenotes: The word of the day today is perspective, from the Oxford Dictionaries meaning: a particular attitude towards or way of regarding something.  In this context everyone needs to keep the Rangers' season to date in perspective.  Yes, they've had weird lapses in offense.  Yes, they've suffered some injuries, particularly to the pitching staff (Holland, Ogando, Feliz).  Yes, it's a long season and we're just in June.  But, your Texas Rangers have the biggest lead of any division leader in all of MLB going into tonight's ballgame.  Not too shabby.  


All that being said/written...


If I counted correctly the Rangers play the Halos 13 more times before the end of the season and all those games are after the Allstar break.  I would bet the Halos have those dates circled on their calendars. 

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Dave Barnett to Undergo Testing After Bizarre Ramblings

After the below weird/scary(/distrubing?) ramblings from Texas Rangers' play-by-play announcer Dave Barnett it's being reported that he's going to undergo some testing and will be out the next few games.

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Take That Houston

Glass Half Empty / Afternoon Cloud: Everyone calm down about a sweep, the 'Stros are 11.5 out it in the NL Central, ahead of only the hopeless Cubbies.  And Josh is still out with that stomach bug.
Glass Half Full / Silver Lining: Rangers sweep Houston, like they should have.
And if there was any question, Cobra Lewis is the ace of the staff.  Yeah, Yu's been great but, Cobra is mowing down hitters, and hardly walking anyone.
Thoughts / Observations / Sidenotes: When is Mitch Moreland going to get a chance to be the every day first baseman?
I'm thinking I'm done with inter-league play.  It's been nice but, I'd rather have more divisional games.  Of course there's no way MLB will do away with a cash-cow like inter-league play.  Of course I'm assuming it's a cash-cow, I wonder if inter-league games really drive up gate receipts anymore...

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