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Let's all go to the bar All of the late-inning magic that was missing the first half of the season is back, in full force.
The Rangers erased a three-run deficit in the final three frames tonight for a thrilling 7-6 win against Seattle, sealing the home series.
Comebacks start one place: The bullpen.
Since the July 31 trade deadline, the bullpen's been spectacular, and not just Mike Adams and Koji Uehara. All of the guys have stepped up their game.
Tonight, Yoshi Tateyama, Darren Oliver, Mark Lowe, Adams and Neftali Feliz combined for this:
6.1 IP - 3 hits - 0 runs - 2 BBs - 9 Ks.
Yikes. They were all great and have been great. Oliver, Tateyama and Adams all have ERAs under 3.00 now. Lowe has lower his ERA to 3.41. This is a cohesive effective group.
Next, you need hitting. You need to battle and get to the bullpen. The Rangers have fed upon bullpen pitching for the last two weeks. Against Cleveland, they scored 13 runs from the seventh inning on and only five in the first six innings in all three games.
The Rangers scored four from the seventh inning on tonight. Remember, the Rangers scored seven with nine hits. It starts with patience.
Mitch Moreland was all Mitch Moreland-y tonight getting three walks. The third came in the seventh inning setting up a two-run homer from Ian Kinsler. One-run game.
Eight inning: Nelson Cruz walks with no outs. Gets lucky in stealing second. Yorvit Torrealba burns Ichiro playing too shallow with an RBI double. Tie game.
Ninth inning: Ian Kinsler walks with no outs. Is sacrificed to second and driven home by Josh Hamilton's opposite-field single.
Game.
Walks are everything. Four runs started tonight with a walk.
Notes:
1. Mike Young has a nine-game hit streak. Double No. 34 tonight, an inch from homer No. 11. Young has, oddly, had just two 40+ double seasons, and none since 2006.
2. I get that Endy Chavez isn't a longterm solution for the Rangers. However, to say he hasn't been extremely useful -- in the field, in the line-up -- is ridiculous. Three hits including a gigantically HUGE RBI single in the second inning with two outs and Moreland at third.
3. Ian Kinsler: Gold Glove? What makes Kinsler a marquee Major Leaguer is that you can take something away from him and he'll do something else to beat you. Most players become so dynamically one-dimensional if you shut down part of their game.
4. I would not be too concerned about Alexi Ogando. Seems like he suffered from hit'em-where-they-ain't disease. Not all of those hits were hard. Got squeezed a little by the umps. Just a not good night.
5. Rangers are an American League-best 39-22 at home, 20-11 against division.
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