Game 24: May 1, 1999 (L: 5-3)
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Commentary (by me)

Well, I was at this game, and I'm starting to think I'm not a good luck charm for the Rangers.  They lost again.  :(

In the beginning, it looked like Sele was going to dazzle - the first inning was great!  We then went one pitch into the second, and there was a rain delay.  My season ticket seats are just one row behind where the rain comes when it rains - it's quite cool, we've never had to move from here because of rain.  Twice last season (July 4 and the one playoff game) we had to sit through 3 and a half hour rain delays, so this 20 minute one was something to scoff at.   :)  Anyway, first pitch back was a home run - cripes!  Still, I thought Sele pitched fairly well, but the box score doesn't reflect that.

Doc Gooden pitched really great - figures.  Coming in he had a 0-0 9.00ERA record, and wasn't pitching well this season.  Naturally, he picks a night I'm there to step it up.

Ranger bats were virtually silent the whole night - only coming alive in the 8th inning, but a bit too late.  Raffy hit a two run home run that was really sweet, as did Todd Zeile to lead off the 9th, but that was it.  Pudge almost had a home run earlier in the game, but it went just foul of the right field foul pole.  :(

One nice thing - Kelly Dransfeldt played really well.   It was his first major league game, going 2-4 and playing well in the infield.   The first Indian batter hit a hot smash right at him, and when the play was over he was shown smiling on the jumbotron.  Kelly also got a single on his first ever major league at bat, and I saw the ball being taken out of play, which was nice.  Kelly was here because Clayton got put on the 15 day DL. 

I'm getting tired of saying we lost when I go to a game.   :) 

Commentary (by Jim Meeks)

Coming shortly.

Game Recap

ARLINGTON, TEXAS (TICKER) -- Dwight Gooden pitched six scoreless innings for his first win of the season and Manny Ramirez cracked his ninth home run as the Cleveland Indians defeated the Texas Rangers, 5-3.

Gooden (1-0) made it through the sixth inning for the first time in four starts and has not lost since July 26, 1998 against Detroit.

"It always helps to throw more strikes," Gooden said. "I seem to be getting better and better since spring training. Sometimes when you face a club like this, it helps you to stay focused because at anytime you know they can get you."

"He got a little stiff after the fifth inning and we thought six was enough," Indians manager Mike Hargrove said. "You look at their lineup and you realize you can't relax with them at any time."

Ramirez's home run off Aaron Sele came on the first pitch following a 32-minute rain delay in the second inning. Ramirez extended his hitting streak to eight games (10-for-24) and leads the American League with 31 RBI.

Cleveland's Jim Thome doubled the lead with an RBI triple in the fourth inning to score Ramirez and chase Sele (3-2). The Indians, winners in five of their last six, improved to 8-1 when Thome drives in a run.

Sele surrendered four runs and six hits over 4 2/3 innings, dropping to 3-6 lifetime against the Indians. It is the fifth straight game Sele has not made it through the sixth inning.

"Basically when it comes down to it, I left a couple of breaking balls over the plate," Sele said. "They hit them and put us down 2-0. I've just got to get better."

The Rangers would not fold and got to the Cleveland bullpen. Rafael Palmeiro cracked his sixth home run, a two-run shot off Steve Karsay in the eighth, making it 5-2.

Closer Mike Jackson came on in the ninth and surrendered a leadoff home run to Todd Zeile, making it 5-3. Mark McLemore reached on a two-out error by shortstop Omar Vizquel but Roberto Kelly grounded out to end the game. Vizquel has six errors, one more than all of last season.

It was Jackson's seventh save of the season and his 20th in a row dating to August 1, 1998.

Texas' Rusty Greer went 1-for-3, extending his hitting streak to 10 games.

Cleveland's Kenny Lofton went 0-for-4, ending his eight-game hitting streak.

Photos
(Click on any of them for a larger image

Roberto Kelly slides into second

Box Score

Line Score
AL  FINAL
                    1  2  3   4  5  6   7  8  9     R  H  E
                    -  -  -   -  -  -   -  -  -     -  -  -
CLEVELAND           0  1  0   1  2  0   1  0  0     5  8  1
TEXAS               0  0  0   0  0  0   0  2  1     3  9  0   (FINAL)

BATTERIES:  CLE - DWIGHT GOODEN, STEVE KARSAY (7TH), MIKE
                  JACKSON (9TH) AND SANDY ALOMAR JR
            TEX - AARON SELE, ESTEBAN LOAIZA (5TH), MIKE VENAFRO
                  (7TH), DANNY PATTERSON (9TH) AND IVAN
                  RODRIGUEZ

             WP - DWIGHT GOODEN (1-0)
             LP - AARON SELE (3-2)
           SAVE - MIKE JACKSON (7)

HOME RUNS:  CLE - MANNY RAMIREZ (8) OFF SELE IN THE 2ND, 0 ON
                  SANDY ALOMAR JR (2) OFF LOAIZA IN THE 7TH, 0 ON
            TEX - RAFAEL PALMEIRO (6) OFF KARSAY IN THE 8TH, 1 ON
                  TODD ZEILE (7) OFF M JACKSON IN THE 9TH, 0 ON

     TIME:  2:49     ATT:  45,579

PROBABLES:  CLE - CHARLES NAGY (3-1, 3.54)
            TEX - MARK CLARK (1-2, 7.96)



Box Score
CLEVELAND (5) AT TEXAS (3) - FINAL

CLEVELAND              ab  r  h rbi bb so lob   avg
Lofton cf               4  0  0  0   0  0   1  .366
Vizquel ss              4  0  1  1   0  0   0  .354
R Alomar 2b             4  0  1  1   0  1   0  .311
M Ramirez rf            3  2  1  1   1  1   2  .337
Thome 1b                4  0  1  1   0  2   0  .301
Fryman 3b               4  0  1  0   0  1   1  .284
Justice lf              4  0  0  0   0  1   1  .192
Sexson dh               4  1  1  0   0  3   1  .238
S Alomar c              4  2  2  1   0  1   1  .320

Totals                 35  5  8  5   1 10   7

BATTING: 3B - Thome (2, Sele). HR - M Ramirez (8, 2nd inning off
Sele 0 on, 0 out); S Alomar (2, 7th inning off Loaiza 0 on, 1 out).
RBI - M Ramirez (31), Thome (14), Vizquel (12), R Alomar (12),
S Alomar (11). 2-out RBI - Thome, Vizquel, R Alomar. Runners left
in scoring position, 2 out - Fryman 1, M Ramirez 1. Team LOB - 4.

FIELDING: E - Vizquel (6, ground ball). Outfield assists -
M Ramirez (Mclemore at 1st base). DP: 3 (M Ramirez-Thome,
Vizquel-R Alomar-Thome, R Alomar-Thome-Vizquel).

TEXAS                  ab  r  h rbi bb so lob   avg
Mclemore 2b             4  0  0  0   1  0   2  .277
R Kelly cf              5  0  2  0   0  0   2  .484
Greer lf                3  1  1  0   1  1   2  .326
J Gonzalez rf           4  0  1  0   0  0   4  .298
R Palmeiro dh           3  1  1  2   1  0   1  .299
I Rodriguez c           4  0  1  0   0  0   1  .289
Zeile 3b                4  1  1  1   0  1   2  .259
L Stevens 1b            3  0  0  0   1  1   1  .341
Dransfeldt ss           4  0  2  0   0  1   2  .500

Totals                 34  3  9  3   4  4  17

BATTING: HR - R Palmeiro (6, 8th inning off Karsay 1 on, 2 out);
Zeile (7, 9th inning off M Jackson 0 on, 0 out). RBI - R Palmeiro 2 (16),
Zeile (17). 2-out RBI - R Palmeiro 2. Runners left in scoring position,
2 out - J Gonzalez 2, Dransfeldt 1, R Kelly 1. GIDP - Greer, R Palmeiro.
Team LOB - 8.

BASERUNNING: SB - R Kelly (1, 2nd base off Gooden/S Alomar);
I Rodriguez (4, 2nd base off Gooden/S Alomar).

CLEVELAND                    ip       h   r  er  bb  so  hr    era
Gooden (W, 1-0)               6       5   0   0   4   3   0   5.82
Karsay                        2       3   2   2   0   1   1   3.44
M Jackson (S, 7)              1       1   1   1   0   0   1   4.22

TEXAS                        ip       h   r  er  bb  so  hr    era
Sele (L, 3-2)                 4 2/3   6   4   4   1   4   1   4.45
Loaiza                        1 2/3   1   1   1   0   3   1   6.23
Venafro                       1 2/3   0   0   0   0   1   0   0.00
D Patterson                   1       1   0   0   0   2   0   7.71

IBB - L Stevens (by Gooden).  Pitches-strikes: Sele 74-48;
Loaiza 27-17; Venafro 22-14; D Patterson 19-13; Gooden 88-46;
Karsay 32-20; M Jackson 24-14.  Ground balls-fly balls: Sele
6-4; Loaiza 1-1; Venafro 2-2; D Patterson 0-1; Gooden 6-8;
Karsay 3-2; M Jackson 1-2.  Batters faced: Sele 21; Loaiza 6;
Venafro 5; D Patterson 4; Gooden 24; Karsay 9; M Jackson 5.

UMPIRES: HP--Drew Coble. 1B--Brian Onora. 2B--Larry Young.
3B--Gary Cederstrom.
T--2:49 (Plus rain delay for 32 minutes in the 2nd).  Att--45,579.
Weather: 71 degrees, cloudy.   Wind: 16 mph, left to right.




AL       CLEVELAND AT TEXAS
         NOTE:  THE GAME IS BEING DELAYED DUE TO RAIN WITH CLEVELAND
                BATTING IN THE TOP OF THE 2ND INNING.  SITUATION: 0 RUNS
                IN, NONE ON, 0 OUT
                CURRENT SCORE - CLEVELAND 0, TEXAS 0

AL       CLEVELAND AT TEXAS
         NOTE:  THE GAME HAS RESUMED AFTER A RAIN DELAY.  CLEVELAND IS
                BATTING IN THE TOP OF THE 2ND INNING.  SITUATION: 0 RUNS
                IN, NONE ON, 0 OUT
                CURRENT SCORE - CLEVELAND 0, TEXAS 0

AL       CLEVELAND AT TEXAS
         NOTE:  THE GAME RESUMED AFTER A 32 MINUTE RAIN DELAY.

Game Log

Cleveland Starting Lineups -- Kenny Lofton CF, Omar Vizquel SS, Roberto Alomar 2B, Manny Ramirez RF, Jim Thome 1B, Travis Fryman 3B, David Justice LF, Richie Sexson DH, Sandy Alomar Jr C, Dwight Gooden RHP.

Texas Starting Lineups -- Mark Mclemore 2B, Roberto Kelly CF, Rusty Greer LF, Juan Gonzalez RF, Rafael Palmeiro DH, Ivan Rodriguez C, Todd Zeile 3B, Lee Stevens 1B, Kelly Dransfeldt SS, Aaron Sele RHP.

Umpires -- Coble (HP), Onora (1B), Young (2B), Cederstrom (3B).

Gametime Weather: 71 degrees, Cloudy, wind left to right at 16 mph.

CLEVELAND 1ST: Lofton grounded out to shortstop. Vizquel fouled out to third. R Alomar struck out swinging. (0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors) CLEVELAND 0, TEXAS 0.

TEXAS 1ST: Mclemore grounded out to second. R Kelly singled to right. R Kelly stole second. Greer struck out swinging. J Gonzalez flied out to shallow left. (0 Runs, 1 Hit, 0 Errors) CLEVELAND 0, TEXAS 0.

CLEVELAND 2ND: M Ramirez homered to left. Thome struck out swinging. Fryman struck out swinging. Justice lined out to left center. (1 Run, 1 Hit, 0 Errors) CLEVELAND 1, TEXAS 0.

TEXAS 2ND: R Palmeiro walked. I Rodriguez lined out to right. Zeile struck out looking. L Stevens grounded out to first. (0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors) CLEVELAND 1, TEXAS 0.

CLEVELAND 3RD: Sexson struck out swinging. S Alomar popped out to shallow left center. Lofton grounded out to first. (0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors) CLEVELAND 1, TEXAS 0.

TEXAS 3RD: Dransfeldt singled to right center. Mclemore walked, Dransfeldt to second. R Kelly flied out to right, Dransfeldt to third, Mclemore doubled off first. Greer walked. J Gonzalez fouled out to first. (0 Runs, 1 Hit, 0 Errors) CLEVELAND 1, TEXAS 0.

CLEVELAND 4TH: Vizquel grounded out to second. R Alomar grounded out to shortstop. M Ramirez walked. Thome tripled to right, M Ramirez scored. Fryman grounded out to catcher. (1 Run, 1 Hit, 0 Errors) CLEVELAND 2, TEXAS 0.

TEXAS 4TH: R Palmeiro flied out to shallow center. I Rodriguez singled to right. I Rodriguez stole second. Zeile lined out to left. L Stevens intentionally walked. Dransfeldt struck out looking. (0 Runs, 1 Hit, 0 Errors) CLEVELAND 2, TEXAS 0.

CLEVELAND 5TH: Justice grounded out to shortstop. Sexson singled to left. S Alomar singled to left, Sexson to second. Lofton flied out to deep center, Sexson to third. Vizquel singled to right, Sexson scored, S Alomar to third. R Alomar singled to center, S Alomar scored, Vizquel to second. Esteban Loaiza relieved Aaron Sele. M Ramirez struck out swinging. (2 Runs, 4 Hits, 0 Errors) CLEVELAND 4, TEXAS 0.

TEXAS 5TH: Mclemore lined out to center. R Kelly singled to center. Greer grounded into double play, shortstop to second to first, R Kelly out at second. (0 Runs, 1 Hit, 0 Errors) CLEVELAND 4, TEXAS 0.

CLEVELAND 6TH: Thome grounded out to second. Fryman fouled out to third. Justice struck out swinging. (0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors) CLEVELAND 4, TEXAS 0.

TEXAS 6TH: J Gonzalez singled to left. R Palmeiro grounded into double play, second to first to shortstop, J Gonzalez out at second. I Rodriguez flied out to right. (0 Runs, 1 Hit, 0 Errors) CLEVELAND 4, TEXAS 0.

CLEVELAND 7TH: Sexson struck out swinging. S Alomar homered to center. Mike Venafro relieved Esteban Loaiza. Lofton grounded out to third. Vizquel grounded out to third. (1 Run, 1 Hit, 0 Errors) CLEVELAND 5, TEXAS 0.

TEXAS 7TH: Steve Karsay relieved Dwight Gooden. Zeile grounded out to shortstop. L Stevens struck out swinging. Dransfeldt singled to center. Mclemore grounded out to second. (0 Runs, 1 Hit, 0 Errors) CLEVELAND 5, TEXAS 0.

CLEVELAND 8TH: R Alomar lined out to shortstop. M Ramirez flied out to center. Thome struck out looking. (0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors) CLEVELAND 5, TEXAS 0.

TEXAS 8TH: R Kelly grounded out to third. Greer reached on infield single. J Gonzalez flied out to right. R Palmeiro homered to right center, Greer scored. I Rodriguez flied out to right. (2 Runs, 2 Hits, 0 Errors) CLEVELAND 5, TEXAS 2.

CLEVELAND 9TH: Danny Patterson relieved Mike Venafro. Fryman singled to center. Justice flied out to left center. Sexson struck out swinging. S Alomar struck out swinging. (0 Runs, 1 Hit, 0 Errors) CLEVELAND 5, TEXAS 2.

TEXAS 9TH: Mike Jackson relieved Steve Karsay. Zeile homered to left. L Stevens flied out to center. Dransfeldt popped out to shortstop. Mclemore safe at first on shortstop Vizquel's fielding error. Mclemore to second on fielder indifference. R Kelly grounded out to shortstop. (1 Run, 1 Hit, 1 Error) CLEVELAND 5, TEXAS 3.