G140: Rangers hang on and beat A's 5-4

Well, this was another game that I never got to see all of, because I went to bed before it was over. In fact, when I woke up, I had no idea what the final score was. Actually I did, I had seen it, because it was the current score in the bottom of the sixth. :)

The Texas offense was powered by Mark DeRosa who is likely to cash in with someone on a good contract for 2007 (sure hope it's with us). Mark had a three run home run in the top of the third inning to put us up 4-0 at the time. We actually should have been up by more than this, as we wasted a couple of good scoring opportunities early (including a bases loaded no out one in the first, which we got nothing from).

During this, Adam Eaton was rolling along putting up zeroes until the bottom of the fifth when Nick Swisher broke up the shutout with a home run over Gary Matthews' head in center field. Still, Eaton was looking good. However, we danced around Frank Thomas too many times, as Thomas walloped a three run home run in the bottom of the sixth to make the score 5-4.

And that was the game, except for 3.1 innings of scoreless relief by our bullpen which allowed us to hang on and get the win over the A's. But as I said earlier, it's a little too late, I can't see us climbing out of the hole we're in to overtake the Angels and the A's to win the division, which is the only way into the postseason for the AL West now.