ADSENSE Link Ads 200 x 90
ADSENSE 336 x 280
Still flying This is the greatest game in the history of the Texas Rangers.
Granted, I started taking note in 1986, my first year of sports conciousness. So I have no real idea what happened from 1972 to 1985.
I am still willing to go out on this thick limb and state that we witnessed the greatest game in the history of the Texas Rangers.
It was a 7-3 victory. It gave the Rangers a 2-0 advantage in the ALCS. It put the Tigers on the ropes. It exhausted everyone. Four hours long, everyone from the relievers to the fans to those of us dying for release was waiting for the straw to break this camel's back.
It came from the Boomstick. Two days ago I noted that Nelson Cruz was one of the five most important factors of this series. Him breaking out of a month-long slump would mean the difference between winning and losing for either team.
He has two game-winning hits, three homers, a double and six RBI.
Cruz' hit -- amongst other things -- will allow us to move on. It will allow us to sleep tonight, soundly. It will allow us to forget the many things that almost sunk the Rangers. They are lucky because they will never be brought up again.
Mitch Moreland's No Good Terrible Day
Three strikeouts, an error and double-play groundout with the bases loaded, killing the inning. No one was happier with Cruz' rocket.
Derek Holland's Control Issues
Well, maybe one guy was more thrilled. One thing not many people will remember in a year is Derek Holland's 2.2 innings that included 76 pitches, four walks and a hit batsman. Although I think Ron Washington pulled him because of his ineffectiveness, I think, too, that Washington gets fed up. I think it's why Pedro Stop is a Baltimore Oriole, Frank Francisco was not the closer a year ago, why Moreland's getting a day off and why Holland was yanked. Holland throws strikes, pitches to contact and still gets hit up, Washington is a bit more lenient. As long as Holland was going to allow runners on base, Wash wasn't playing.
As to the probable debate as to whether Holland should go to the bullpen in favor of Scott Feldman (more on him), I think it's an entire knee jerk. Holland's been fantastic otherwise. And I love Feldman's role out of the bullpen, a spot I don't think Holland would do as well in. Do what got you here. Remember, Justin Verlander got knocked. Think the Tigers are rethinking his spot in the rotation?
Ron Washington's Failure To Pinch Run
In the bottom of the ninth, Adrian Beltre led off with a double, a hit I thought was gone. Mike Napoli and Nelson Cruz got on base to load them up with no one out. Now, the Rangers didn't score. The inning would end with Moreland's latest debacle at the plate. However, I really thought Washington missed chance to put Craig Gentry or Endy Chavez (if he's action ... can't remember) into the game to make a difference on the base paths. The next hitter, David Murphy, flew out to rather shallow left. For Beltre, it was a no brainer to stay at third. I don't know if the same could be said for Gentry. I think they would have been 100 times more willing to send him and force the Tigers to make a play. Go for the win. Moreland's double play happens and the Rangers and Tigers head into extra innings.
Fast forward: Mike Young, Beltre and Napoli single in a row. If I'm Wash, I would have pinch run someone for Young there. I think if Gentry were on first, he would have been on third after Beltre's single (a sharp liner to deepish center) and home on Napoli's hit. Again, it didn't hurt them and there's no proof Gentry or Chavez score in the ninth, but huge mistakes nonetheless.
Ron Washington's Itchy Phone Finger
No one's thrown the ball better than Alexi Ogando. No one. So it was no shock when Wash went out the mound in the ninth inning to yank Ogando for the lefty Mike Gonzalez. Neftali Feliz, too, was warming up. Gonzalez was brought in to face Detroit's resident lefty, Don Kelly, the insanely tall (6-4) third baseman. Granted, bringing in a lefty to face Kelly wasn't overly dumb. Kelly's hit .190 against lefties this season. Then again, he's hit .250 against righties. I mean, Kelly's a .245 hitter. He really doesn't hit anyone. Furthermore, Kelly's had 21 plate appearances against lefties and 236 against righties. So the numbers are a tad skewed. Naturally, Kelly hits a double with a runner on and Feliz is brought in to stem the tide. He gets four hits in relief.
Wash outthunk himself there. He went with the numbers instead of the gut. Ogando's been this team's best pitcher all playoffs. Unless his arm is literally hanging on by a tendon, you pitch him 'til it falls off. Wash heard it from the crowd too. Again, this didn't kill the Tigers. Didn't help them either. Now, the Rangers go into the next three days with Feliz, Ogando and Mike Adams going two straight games. The bullpen use will be a huge issue moving forward.
Elvis Andrus' Near Flub
If you a religious man, pray to your God, god or gods earnestly. Andrus' near drop on that pop up would have cost the world.
Our heroes:
Scooter Feldman
Holland got eight outs in 76 pitches. Feldman got 13 outs in 49. Feldman had all his pitches going. All were being called for strikes.The sinker was sinking and it set up the fastball. Cruz gets all the glory. But Feldman is this game's MVP. Scooter went 4.1 innings allowing a hit and striking out four. Superb. Love his value to this club out of the bullpen.
Alexi Ogando
Looks like he has new life. Looks like he knows he's going to go one or two innings and he can lay it all out on the line. Doesn't have to think much about throwing 100 pitches. His line this postseason: 6.1 IP - 2 hits - 0 runs - 1 BB - 7 Ks.
Mike Young
He's had an awful postseason. He's hitting .130 in 23 at-bats. Three total hits. None for extra bases. Yet, bottom of the 11th, he leads off the inning with a workmanlike single to left. Didn't try to do too much, just wanted to get on base, get the crowd riled.
The Crowd
Despite the the ado regarding the un-rain delay on Sunday, there was every excuse not to show up to the Ballpark yesterday at 3 p.m. Instead, 51,000 filled the joint. In the 11th when they started chanting "Na-po-li" it sent chills down my spine watching at home. And that roar when Cruz tied it in the seventh made my balls shrivel up. It was like a jet engine starting.
0 Response to "Boomstick"
Posting Komentar