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| Tiny E, kicking up dirt |
The Rangers dropped their third straight series losing two of three from the Cleveland Indians on the road. Total scoring for the series: 12-10, Indians.
There's a lot to dislike sort of all the way around although you'd be not wrong in heaping a lot of blame on the offense, which hasn't been altogether good for a long while.
You start nitpicking at the small stuff, which can make you crazy. What drove me crazy was the Indians' half of the third inning yesterday. Johnny Damon singled to start the inning off starter Yu Darvish. That happens.
The next hitter, Jason Kipnis, draws a full-count walk with runners on for Asdrubal Cabrera. He doubles, scoring both.
Walks are a massive pet peeve for me. Like NBA players not hitting free throws, not throwing strikes to a non-power threat (and Kipnis is a fine player ... but if he homers, which he probably wouldn't, it's 2-0 and the bases are empty for Cabrera and Travis Hafner) is inexcusable to me. Walks are how big innings happen (wait for it).
It's 2-0 and Cabrera's on second. If Kipnis doesn't walk, maybe he gets a hit or maybe he gets out. Kipnis, in all his glory, is hitting .300 so there's a 70 percent chance he makes an out (ironically, he homered in the fifth). Chances are, Kipnis is an out and Cabrera doubles with Damon on first and it's second and third with one out and Hafner and Santana strike out to end the inning and it's still 0-0. The little things.
However, I'm hard pressed to pin this loss squarely on Darvish. Ubaldo Jimenez has looked bad all year, but he suddenly two-hits the Rangers offense for the 4-2 series-clinching win.
The killer? The Rangers worked three straight walks (Ian Kinsler, Elvis Andrus, Josh Hamilton) with super-clutch, Mr. Ranger Mike Young at the plate and he grounds out. Rally over. Game over.
Notable players:
Derek Holland
When we talk about aces in a pitching staff, we not only talk about someone that's really good, but someone that can take the ball every fifth day and stop a losing streak. I'm not quite sure the Rangers have that. Derek Holland's not a poor starting place. He went 7.1 and allowed just one earned run but was denied the win Saturday night. Again, it was the offense that managed just two runs as Holland kept the Indians scoreless through eight innings.
Rangers Bullpen
I was about to give massive props to Mark Lowe and Koji Uehara, who have been tremendous in a very understated role on this team. Basically, when the Rangers are down a couple of runs, Lowe and Uehara are called upon to shut down the opponent for a couple of innings. They do exactly that. They've done it surprisingly well all season. However, the entire bullpen deserves props. Their numbers this weekend: 6.1 IP - 3 hits - 0 runs - 1 BB - 9 Ks. All six guys pitched and all pitched phenomenally. They have the second best bullpen ERA in the Majors and have pitched the sixth least innings. Furthermore, the Rangers' bullpen has walked just seven (7!!!!!) batters in 73.2 innings. Remarkable.
Mitch "Bunk" Moreland
A tremendous week or so capped off with a nice weekend. Went 6-14 with a pair of doubles in Cleveland. Raises his average to .279 on the season.
Black Holes
No, that's not racist. It is referring to the glaring gaps in the offense. Basically, Nelson Cruz and Yorvit Torrealba are automatic outs, and that doesn't take into account that Alberto Gonzalez (quality defender, good utility guy) is having to take at-bats from the injured Adrian Beltre.
Stealing
The Rangers are 17th in the Majors with 18 stolen bases. Teams are adjusting to them. Still have to be active and aggressive.
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