Rangers win walk off style 3-2 versus Seaman, somehow...

Glass Half Empty / Afternoon Cloud: The offense was poor most of the game.  Yu gets a no decision, again because of the lack of run support.

Leonys Martin and Choo had a circus moment in the outfield that somehow, when I saw the game, was scored as a hit.

Glass Half Full / Silver Lining: Rangers win!!!

Thoughts / Observations / Sidenotes: The Rangers continue to be King Felix's kryptonite.

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Robbie Ross awesome, Rangers' offense good, Rangers beat Seamen 5-0

Glass Half Empty / Afternoon Cloud: Only 2 solo homers in the 2nd inning represented all the Rangers' offense until the 8th inning.

Ogando came in with a 2-0 lead and a man on 1B in the 8th and immediately proceeded to walk the first batter he faced.

Glass Half Full / Silver Lining: Robbie Ross was great, 7.2 IP, 0 runs, no BB's.  The offense woke up in the bottom of 8 putting up 3 additional insurance runs.

Prince and Kouzmanoff each had solo homers in the 2nd.  And Kouzmanoff was 3-4.  And again, Prince wasn't 0-fer.

Thoughts / Observations / Sidenotes: A marquee match up between aces is tomorrow, King Felix vs. Yu.  Hope it's good and a Rangers win.

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Errors and lack of offense doom Rangers in loss to Seaman

Glass Half Empty / Afternoon Cloud: Errors kill.  Errors give the other ball club extra outs and the Mariners made the Rangers pay.  3 errors way are too much for this incarnation of the Rangers to overcome.

Question:  And how many games are you going to win when you score 1 run on 7 hits?
Answer:    Not many, including this game.

Glass Half Full / Silver Lining: If I would have told you Colby Lewis would go 5+ IP in his first start with 3 ER's and no BB's you'd have been happy right?  Well that's what he did.  Not too bad.  And the whole pitching staff had only had 4 ER's.

Wash got thrown out, good to see he still cares, even if he got thrown out after a replay decided Arencibia committed and error on a force play at home on the transfer of the ball from his mitt to throwing hand.

Prince had a 2 bagger along with a single so there's that.

Thoughts / Observations / Sidenotes: To answer Raw Athleticism's questions in comments re Prince, it is neither too early or too late to worry about Prince's offense.  Any time is the right time to worry about his offense.  Of course tonight he went 2-4, so all he needs to do is keep up going 1-3 or 2-4 in every game the rest of the way to maybe bat .250-.275 by the end of the season.

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Rangers take 2 out of 3 versus 'Stros, barely.

Glass Half Empty / Afternoon Cloud: The Rangers only scored 1 more run than the 'Stros in the 3 game series this weekend, out scoring them 7-6. That's for 3 games, not one. Yeah, the offense has not been impressive to say the least, and that was the Ranger's offense going up against Houston's pitching. Case in point Prince had 1 hit in the series. ONE.

Glass Half Full / Silver Lining: The Rangers won the series. A win is a win.

Thoughts / Observations / Sidenotes: 4 against the Seamen are next. And Mr. Colby Lewis is the listed starter for the next game. I would just like the offense to give him some run support. That'd be nice.

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The bullpen lets us down. Again. Rangers lose series versus Bo Sox. Prince 0-fer. Again.

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All the Rangers get at least 1 hit (except for Choice and Wilson), Rangers hang on and win 10-7

Glass Half Empty / Afternoon Cloud: Beltre was DH'ing and left the game in the 6th with tightness in his left quadriceps. The bullpen again was shaky as the Rangers hung on for the win.

Glass Half Full / Silver Lining: Offense finally showed up. And Prince contributed. Perez looked good throwing 5 double plays. The ER's look bad at 4 in 6.1 IP but yet again the bullpen doesn't help a starter out allowing all 3 the runners Perez allowed to get on in the 6th to score.

Thoughts / Observations / Sidenotes: The Rangers have to start winning series. They get another chance tomorrow in a rubber game versus the Red Sox.

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Return of the Scheppers (versus the Red Sox), Rangers lose 5-1, but this loss was not Scheppers' fault...

Glass Half Empty / Afternoon Cloud: Fielder still looked lost at the plate, he went 0-fer again.  But the whole team was bad offensively, 1 run on 8 hits and 2 BB's.

2 errors were committed in the game, 1 by Prince.  If he's not going to hit Prince sure better not commit errors playing 1B, even on tough, push-bunt plays late the game.

How many games are you going to win when you have more errors than runs?  Not many.

Scheppers gave up a lot of hits. Rangers pitchers generally allowed a lot of base runners.

And again the bullpen is shaky to bad.  And again that's a symptom of relievers being starters (Scheppers and Ross) and the new, young bullpen pitchers not being up to the task.  Thus you have the bullpen being handed a 2-1 deficit and that eventually turning into at 5-1 loss.

In top of 7 Rios stole 2B, no outs.  Moreland moved him over to 3B, 1 out.  Rangers ended up stranding Rios and Martin and were still down 2-1 wasting a great chance to at least tie the ballgame up.

Glass Half Full / Silver Lining:  But regarding Scheppers, he only gave up 2 runs through 5 and left the game losing 2-1, leaving the Rangers in striking distance.

Rios again looked good at the plate and aggressive on base pads.

And though Scheppers allowed a lot of base runners, he managed to force the Sox to strand all but 2 of them.

Thoughts / Observations / Sidenotes: Given the amount of Red Sox base runners in the 1st through 7th innings it was a MIRACLE that it was only 2-1 going into the 8th.

Ex-Rangers (Napoli and Pierzynski) were a combined 6-8 at the plate.  And ex-Ranger Koji Uehara closed out the game.  Ouch.

I would hate to have Lackey on a team I root for given the way he shows up teammates by yelling like an idiot on or around the mound when a play on defense behind him doesn't go his way.

Wash lost his first challenge of the year early in this game when Elvis dropped the ball on the transfer between his glove and throwing hand at 2B trying to turn a double play.  It sure looked like he did catch the ball and just lost it in the transfer.  Apparently the umps in NYC saw it differently and the national ESPN broadcast team said that the double play transfer was going to be officiated more closely.  Error on Elvis.

Today is the 25th anniversary of the premiere of the great, classic baseball movie Major League.  Do we need to sacrifice a live chicken for Prince to starting hitting?

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Just what Yu Wanted, Rangers Win 3-0

Glass Half Empty / Afternoon Cloud: Prince was 0-fer again today. Eventually they're going to need him to start producing.

Glass Half Full / Silver Lining: Yu was great, the bullpen was good. And the offense produced just enough. Heck, Elvis even went yard!

Thoughts / Observations / Sidenotes: I tell you what, with the job Choo has done offensively I haven't found myself once this young season thinking, "man I wish we had Kins."

Oh yeah, one other thing, Yu is now the pitcher to reach 500 K's in the fewest innings pitched in MLB history. Ever. In the history of Major League Baseball. Impressive. Most impressive. 

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No good deed goes unpunished, Nick Martinez optioned to AA Frisco

Glass Half Empty / Afternoon Cloud: All Nick Martinez did was hand the Rangers a chance to win last night and this is how they repay him? And from one start it sure looks like Martinez is a WAY better MLB starting pitcher than Saunders and Scheppers.

Glass Half Full / Silver Lining: Yu is coming back today and they had to make room on the roster for him. And Nick Martinez could use some more time in the minors to fine tune his game.

Thoughts / Observations / Sidenotes: Plus, given that the injury bug has attached itself to the Rangers like the poltergeist attached itself to Carol Ann, I have a feeling we will see Nick Martinez again this season.

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Rangers @ Rays, Nick Martinez vs. David Price... Nick who??? Rangers lose 5-4 to Rays, not Nick Martinez's fault

The Nick Martinez (NM) adventure began tonight...

Glass Half Empty / Afternoon Cloud: The bullpen was handed a 4-3 lead going into the 7th and could not deliver the win.  And I know it's early in the season but Prince Fielder has not been that impressive, and was 0-fer today.

Glass Half Full / Silver Lining: Yup, Nick Martinez left the game with a lead, not too bad for his first MLB start.  Jeff Wilson, Choo and Elvis had a multi hit game.  Rios drove in 2.

Thoughts / Observations / Sidenotes: The injuries to the starting pitchers of course affects the bullpen, instead of Robbie Ross and Scheppers coming into the game into a game the Rangers are winning in the 7th and 8th you get Frasor and Cotts.  When your unknown 5th starter hands you a lead after a good, solid outing you have to make that hold up.  They didn't tonight.  Darn.

Yu makes his season debut tomorrow.

Top of 4:
Jeff Wilson got another hit, second for the game.

And the Rangers made David Price throw a lot of pitches, in this inning and in the game to this point.  And and Choo had a long at bat, came back from an 0-2 count and eventually had a sac fly to score the runner from 3B.  Awesome.

Rangers tacked on another run, 4-1 Rangers.

Bottom of 3:
I wasn't expecting NM to shut out the Rays.  NM made a mistake and Escobar hit a solo homer to LF.  That homer got out the yard in a hurry.  No other harm done.  Rangers lead 3-1.

Top of 3:
Rangers retired in order.  Price looked like he settled down after the Rangers got to him early.

Bottom of 2:
NM got out of some trouble.  Rays stranded 2 runners.  Rangers still winning 3-0.

Top of 2:
Rangers tack on another run.  3-0 Rangers.

Bottom of 1:
The Nick Martinez (NM) adventure is about to begin...

3 up.  3 down.  Not too shabby for NM's first inning of pitching in the bigs.

Top of 1:
Choo is just a great lead off hitter.  Again he got on base to start a game.

Elvis' beard looks fake.

2 out double by Rios scored Choo and Elvis.  Rangers winning 2-0.

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