| Bottom 3rd | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Total |
| Rays | 0 | 1 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1 |
| Rangers | 3 | 3 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | 7 |
7:10: If you didn’t get in the pool, well, it’s just too late now. Sorry.
7:18: Well, I wouldn’t exactly call it a mix of pitches that Derek Holland threw in the first. He started with 14 consecutive fastballs before throwing a changeup up Evan Longoria for a ball. But on the only other offspeed pitch he threw - a 1-and-0 breaking ball to Carlos Pena - he got a hard grounder to end the inning. He has thrown fastballs on 16 of his 18 pitches.
7:24: In case, you haven’t read it, I’ve got some opinions to share on playing time for Hank Blalock, Andruw Jones and Chris Davis.
7:38: Triple-A Oklahoma City’s game against Omaha is being delayed by rain at AT&T Bricktown Ballpark. The game has not started, but Josh Hamilton is apparently going to DH tonight if the game is played. He was going to play center, but the Rangers would probably not want him running on slick grass with still-tight abdominal muscles.
Manager Ron Washington said he still isn’t sure that Hamilton will return before the club goes to Anaheim for a series against the Angels. Hamilton is 2-for-20 at Frisco and Oklahoma City since Monday.
“His at-bats were better last night [Hamilton was 0-for-4], but still not quite there yet,” manager Ron Washington said. “We want him to get his timing right and for him to be able to really help us when he comes back. ”
7:47: Seeing Michael Young walk in the first inning reminded me of how his season seems to change after his son’s birthday every year. Mateo was born on June 22, 2005. Young went on to hit .342 over the remainder of that season to win the AL batting title. But it seems to happen every year. From June 22 until the end of the year, he was a .318 hitter with a .370 OBP. This year: He’s hitting .308 with a .425 OBP since the big day.
7:51: Um, make that .325 with a .438 OBP for tYoung since June 22 this year. Bases-loaded double brings home three more runs.
7:56: Michael Young’s double was the 300th of his career, making him the fourth Rangers double up 300 times. He’s 20 behind Juan Gonzalez for third and 45 away from breaking the club record of 344 held by Ivan Rodriguez.
8:05: Holland starting second turn through the rotation. This is where mixing pitches really gets interesting. Threw only five offspeed/breaking pitches in first trip through lineup. First batter he saw twice was B.J. Upton, who has seen 10 fastballs in his two trips to the plate tonight. He looked at four of them the second time up for a walk.
8:12: According to Baseball America, the Rangers have signed switching-hitting SS Luis Sardinas from Venezuela. The rumored bonus is believed to be at least $1 million. Rangers sources confirmed for me this week they did spend in excess of $1 million for a Latin American free agent, but did not divulge who.
Comments on this entry are closed.