Game 31: May 9, 1999 (W: 11-6)
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Commentary (by me)

First off, I want to come out and rag on ESPN's announcers.  Can't these guys pronounce anything right?  They really have trouble with the names on the Rangers team.  It's not GOHN-zalez, DAMMIT!   Also, can you guys stop ragging on one specific fact?  They do this for every team, but it really bugged me when they were picking on Rusty Greer late in the game.  These guys have to be some of the lamest announcers I've ever seen.  I didn't think of it at the time, but I should have muted the TV, and put on KRLD.

Offense - Offense - Offense!  The Rangers whacked out 20 hits, but all of them singles and doubles.  No triples, and no home runs. These 20 hits got us 11 runs, but it should have been at least 15 or more - we left the bases loaded twice!  Both times the bases were loaded with no one out, and we didn't get anything!  If we had a single in each of those, it would have been 15 runs easy.   Still, we got 11 with 20 hits, and that's nothing to sneeze about.    Rusty Greer was the only Ranger without a hit.  Lee Stevens had four hits, and

Danny Patterson got the win, but I don't feel he deserved it.   He gave up the three run homer that tied the game at 5-5 (even though the two baserunners belonged to Venafro).  The linescore says that Patterson got credited with both the win and a blown save, although I find it odd that a blown save can be awarded to a pitcher that was out of the game in the seventh.  Burkett went two batters into the fifth, and I didn't think he pitched all that bad.  He allowed one earned run in four innings.  He dropped his ERA a couple of points, but when it's up in the stratosphere like it was... :)

A nice game to watch, although it could have been better.   We leave Toronto winning 2 of 3.  On to Chicago, who has been surprisingly good so far this season - the AL's lowest ERA.

Commentary (by Jim Meeks)

The Red Shoes had on their hitting shoes Sunday.

The Rangers tied a club record with 8 doubles in a game, including 2 each by Juan Gonzalez, Pudge Rodriguez and Lee Stevens. They also banged out 20 hits, the most this year.

The #'s 4-8 hitters each had at least 3 hits each, with Stevens having 4. Every hitter had at least one hit except Rusty Greer, who went 0-5.  Oddly enough the Rangers had no homers in the 11-6 win.

John Burkett, who has pitched rather poorly all year and fresh off being destroyed in the Minor Leagues in a rehab stint, pitched rather effectively, but only went 4 innings.

The Rangers won back-to-back games for the first time since the four game sweep against Minnesota two weeks ago.

Game Recap

TORONTO (TICKER) -- Lee Stevens matched a career high with four hits and knocked in three runs and the Texas Rangers tied a team record with eight doubles in an 11-6 victory over the slumping Toronto Blue Jays.

Eight of the Rangers' season-high 20 hits were doubles as they matched the previous high for doubles in a game, last accomplished on May 17, 1996 against Cleveland.

Ivan Rodriguez snapped a 5-5 tie in the seventh inning with an RBI double, Todd Zeile and Stevens delivered run-scoring singles and Tom Goodwin added a sacrifice fly later in the frame that put the Rangers ahead for good.

Stevens went 4-for-5 and scored twice. It was his third career four-hit game and first since June 3, 1998 against Oakland.

"Hitting is contagious and seeing your teammates get a lot of hits builds up your confidence," Stevens said. "You want to join the party sort of to speak. It's nice when you can get off to an early start because then you could relax."

Rodriguez, Zeile, Rafael Palmeiro and Juan Gonzalez finished with three hits apiece as the Rangers took the rubber game of the three-game series and improved to 3-2 on an eight-game road trip.

Danny Patterson (1-0) got the win, despite allowing one run in one inning.

Pat Kelly homered twice and drove in four runs and Shawn Green grabbed a share of the major league lead with his 11th home run for the Blue Jays, who have lost 13 of their last 17 games following a season-high eight-game winning streak. The Jays' slump has dropped them under .500 for the first time since they were 2-3 on April 10.

Rookie Peter Munro (0-1) surrendered four runs and five hits in two innings of relief.

With the score tied, 5-5, Gonzalez and Palmeiro started the seventh with singles and Rodriguez followed with a double off the right-field wall to give the Rangers the lead. Tom Davey relieved Munro and promptly surrendered RBI singles to Zeile and Stevens that gave the Rangers an 8-5 lead.

Davey retired rookie Kelly Dransfeldt before Goodwin's sacrifice fly pushed the Rangers' advantage to 9-5.

"We can hit. This team can really hit," Texas manager Johnny Oates said. "It's a lot like a heavyweight fighter, you keep hitting him, you hit him with your best shot and you look and he's still standing. These guys keep coming at you."

Green's homer in the bottom half the inning sliced the Rangers' lead to 9-6. But Zeile delivered an RBI double and Stevens had a run-scoring single in the next inning that gave the Rangers the winning margin.

The Rangers missed a golden opportunity to break on top in the first inning. They loaded the bases with none out but Toronto starter Roy Halladay got Gonzalez to foul out and induced Palmeiro to bounce into an inning-ending double play.

A fielder's choice grounder by Green in the bottom half of the inning gave the Jays a 1-0 lead. But that lead was short-lived as Stevens stroked a two-run double and Mark McLemore added an RBI single in the next inning.

The scoring continued in the bottom of the inning on Kelly's fifth homer that pulled Toronto within 3-2.

However, Texas quickly restored a two-run cushion in the third on Palmeiro's RBI double. Dransfeldt knocked home his first major league run with a single in the sixth, giving the Rangers a 5-2 cushion.

A two-out rally in the bottom of the sixth got Toronto even. Willie Greene and Jose Cruz walked and Kelly followed by launching a 1-1 pitch over the left-field wall to tie the score. It was Kelly's first career multi-homer game.

Photos
(Click on any of them for a larger image

Blue Jays starting pitcher Ray Halliday	Rangers starting pitcher John Burkett	Pat Kelly getting congrats after his 2nd inning HR

Box Score

Line Score
AL  FINAL
                    1  2  3   4  5  6   7  8  9     R  H  E
                    -  -  -   -  -  -   -  -  -     -  -  -
TEXAS               0  3  1   0  0  1   4  2  0    11 20  2
TORONTO             1  1  0   0  0  3   1  0  0     6  8  0   (FINAL)

BATTERIES:  TEX - JOHN BURKETT, MIKE VENAFRO (5TH), DANNY
                  PATTERSON (6TH), MIKE MUNOZ (7TH), TIM
                  CRABTREE (8TH) AND IVAN RODRIGUEZ
            TOR - ROY HALLADAY, PAUL SPOLJARIC (3RD), PETER
                  MUNRO (5TH), TOM DAVEY (7TH), DAN PLESAC (8TH)
                  AND MIKE MATHENY

             WP - DANNY PATTERSON (1-0)
             LP - PETER MUNRO (0-1)
           SAVE - NONE

HOME RUNS:  TEX - NONE
            TOR - PAT KELLY (5) OFF BURKETT IN THE 2ND, 0 ON
                  PAT KELLY (6) OFF D PATTERSON IN THE 6TH, 2 ON
                  SHAWN GREEN (11) OFF M MUNOZ IN THE 7TH, 0 ON

     TIME:  3:04     ATT:  20,374

PROBABLES:  TEX - RICK HELLING (3-3, 6.45)
            CHA - JAIME NAVARRO (1-3, 6.23)

            TOR - KELVIM ESCOBAR (2-1, 5.77)
            KAN - JIM PITTSLEY (1-1, 5.89)


Box Score
TEXAS (11) AT TORONTO (6) - FINAL

TEXAS                  ab  r  h rbi bb so lob   avg
T Goodwin cf            5  0  1  1   0  2   7  .228
Mclemore 2b             5  0  2  2   1  0   1  .292
Greer lf                5  0  0  0   1  2   4  .308
J Gonzalez rf           5  3  3  0   0  0   3  .306
R Palmeiro dh           5  1  3  1   0  0   4  .346
I Rodriguez c           5  2  3  1   0  1   2  .296
Zeile 3b                4  3  3  2   1  0   0  .252
L Stevens 1b            5  2  4  3   0  1   3  .333
Dransfeldt ss           5  0  1  1   0  0   8  .167

Totals                 44 11 20 11   3  6  32

BATTING: 2B - I Rodriguez 2 (4, Halladay, Munro); L Stevens 2
(9, Halladay, Munro); J Gonzalez 2 (8, Halladay, Davey);
R Palmeiro (7, Halladay); Zeile (9, Davey). SF - T Goodwin. RBI -
L Stevens 3 (20), Mclemore 2 (9), R Palmeiro (21), Dransfeldt (1),
I Rodriguez (19), Zeile 2 (19), T Goodwin (8). 2-out RBI - Mclemore 2,
Zeile, L Stevens. Runners left in scoring position, 2 out - Greer 2,
T Goodwin 2. GIDP - R Palmeiro, I Rodriguez. Team LOB - 10.

FIELDING: E - T Goodwin (1, bobble); Dransfeldt (2, throw).
DP: 2 (Dransfeldt-Mclemore-L Stevens 2).

TORONTO                ab  r  h rbi bb so lob   avg
Stewart lf              5  1  2  0   0  0   1  .336
A Gonzalez ss           5  0  1  0   0  1   1  .301
Sh Green rf             4  1  1  2   0  0   2  .300
C Delgado 1b            3  0  0  0   1  1   1  .262
K Witt dh               3  0  0  0   0  1   2  .185
 a-Brumfield ph         1  0  0  0   0  1   0  .000
W Greene 3b             3  1  0  0   1  1   1  .161
J Cruz cf               2  1  0  0   2  1   0  .223
Kelly 2b                4  2  2  4   0  0   3  .338
Matheny c               4  0  2  0   0  1   0  .280

Totals                 34  6  8  6   4  7  11

a-struck out for K Witt in the 8th.

BATTING: HR - Kelly 2 (6, 2nd inning off Burkett 0 on, 2 out,
6th inning off D Patterson 2 on, 2 out); Sh Green (11, 7th inning
off M Munoz 0 on, 2 out). RBI - Sh Green 2 (31), Kelly 4 (16).
2-out RBI - Kelly 4, Sh Green. Runners left in scoring position,
2 out - Kelly 1, Sh Green 1. GIDP - A Gonzalez, Stewart.
Team LOB - 5.

FIELDING: DP: 2 (A Gonzalez-Kelly-C Delgado, Kelly-A Gonzalez-C Delgado).

TEXAS                        ip       h   r  er  bb  so  hr    era
Burkett                       4       5   2   1   2   4   1   9.00
Venafro                       1 2/3   0   2   2   2   0   0   4.82
D Patterson (W, 1-0; BS, 1)   1       1   1   1   0   1   1   5.84
M Munoz                       1       1   1   1   0   1   1   4.26
Crabtree                      1 1/3   1   0   0   0   1   0   4.35

TORONTO                      ip       h   r  er  bb  so  hr    era
Halladay                      2       8   4   4   3   1   0   5.93
Spoljaric                     2       1   0   0   0   2   0   0.00
Munro (L, 0-1)                2       5   4   4   0   2   0   4.15
Davey                         1 2/3   5   3   3   0   1   0   5.48
Plesac                        1 1/3   1   0   0   0   0   0   7.71

Halladay pitched to 4 batters in the 3rd.
Spoljaric pitched to 1 batter in the 5th.
Burkett pitched to 2 batters in the 5th.
Munro pitched to 3 batters in the 7th.

Pitches-strikes: Halladay 51-27; Spoljaric 25-15; Munro 33-21;
Davey 24-16; Plesac 23-15; Burkett 68-42; Venafro 22-12; D Patterson
16-9; M Munoz 14-9; Crabtree 15-9.  Ground balls-fly balls: Halladay
3-2; Spoljaric 2-2; Munro 3-1; Davey 2-2; Plesac 2-2; Burkett 5-3;
Venafro 4-1; D Patterson 0-2; M Munoz 1-1; Crabtree 2-1.  Batters
faced: Halladay 16; Spoljaric 7; Munro 10; Davey 10; Plesac 5;
Burkett 19; Venafro 6; D Patterson 4; M Munoz 5; Crabtree 4.

UMPIRES: HP--Drew Coble. 1B--Brian Onora. 2B--Tim Mcclelland.
3B--Gary Cederstrom.
T--3:04.  Att--20,374. Indoors.


AL       TEXAS AT TORONTO
         NOTE:  TORONTO PITCHER ROY HALLADAY, WHO WAS HIT BY A LINE DRIVE
                IN THE THIRD INNING, HAS A CONTUSION TO THE LOWER RIGHT
                BACK.

Game Log

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

Toronto Starting Lineups -- Shannon Stewart LF, Alex Gonzalez SS, Shawn Green RF, Carlos Delgado 1B, Kevin Witt DH, Willie Greene 3B, Jose Cruz Jr CF, Pat Kelly 2B, Mike Matheny C, Roy Halladay RHP.

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

Gametime Weather: Indoors

TEXAS 1ST: T Goodwin singled to left center. Mclemore walked, T Goodwin to second. Greer walked, T Goodwin to third, Mclemore to second. J Gonzalez fouled out to first. R Palmeiro grounded into double play, shortstop to second to first, Greer out at second. (0 Runs, 1 Hit, 0 Errors) TEXAS 0, TORONTO 0.

TORONTO 1ST: Stewart reached on infield single. A Gonzalez singled to center, Stewart to second. Stewart to third on center fielder T Goodwin's fielding error. Sh Green grounded into fielder's choice to shortstop, Stewart scored, A Gonzalez out at second. C Delgado struck out swinging. K Witt flied out to deep right center. (1 Run, 2 Hits, 1 Error) TEXAS 0, TORONTO 1.

TEXAS 2ND: I Rodriguez doubled to right. Zeile walked. L Stevens doubled to right, I Rodriguez scored, Zeile to third. Dransfeldt fouled out to right. T Goodwin struck out swinging. Mclemore singled to shallow left, Zeile and L Stevens scored. Mclemore to second advancing on throw. Greer grounded out to shortstop. (3 Runs, 3 Hits, 0 Errors) TEXAS 3, TORONTO 1.

TORONTO 2ND: W Greene struck out swinging. J Cruz struck out swinging. Kelly homered to left. Matheny grounded out to third. (1 Run, 1 Hit, 0 Errors) TEXAS 3, TORONTO 2.

TEXAS 3RD: J Gonzalez doubled to shallow right. R Palmeiro doubled to right, J Gonzalez scored. I Rodriguez reached on infield single. Zeile singled to right, R Palmeiro to third, I Rodriguez to second. Paul Spoljaric relieved Roy Halladay. L Stevens struck out swinging. Dransfeldt popped out to third. T Goodwin grounded into fielder's choice to shortstop, Zeile out at second. (1 Run, 4 Hits, 0 Errors) TEXAS 4, TORONTO 2.

TORONTO 3RD: Stewart lined out to third. A Gonzalez grounded out to shortstop. Sh Green grounded out to second. (0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors) TEXAS 4, TORONTO 2.

TEXAS 4TH: Mclemore lined out to shortstop. Greer struck out looking. J Gonzalez grounded out to shortstop. (0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors) TEXAS 4, TORONTO 2.

TORONTO 4TH: C Delgado walked. K Witt struck out looking. W Greene grounded into fielder's choice to second, C Delgado out at second. J Cruz walked, W Greene to second. Kelly flied out to deep left. (0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors) TEXAS 4, TORONTO 2.

TEXAS 5TH: R Palmeiro singled to center. Peter Munro relieved Paul Spoljaric. I Rodriguez grounded into double play, second to shortstop to first, R Palmeiro out at second. Zeile grounded out to shortstop. (0 Runs, 1 Hit, 0 Errors) TEXAS 4, TORONTO 2.

TORONTO 5TH: Matheny singled to left. Stewart singled to right, Matheny to second. Mike Venafro relieved John Burkett. A Gonzalez grounded into double play, shortstop to second to first, Stewart out at second, Matheny to third. Sh Green grounded out to second. (0 Runs, 2 Hits, 0 Errors) TEXAS 4, TORONTO 2.

TEXAS 6TH: L Stevens doubled to deep center. Dransfeldt singled to center, L Stevens scored. T Goodwin struck out looking. Mclemore flied out to right. Greer struck out swinging. (1 Run, 2 Hits, 0 Errors) TEXAS 5, TORONTO 2.

TORONTO 6TH: C Delgado grounded out to shortstop. K Witt flied out to left. W Greene walked. J Cruz walked, W Greene to second. Danny Patterson relieved Mike Venafro. Kelly homered to left, W Greene and J Cruz scored. Matheny struck out swinging. (3 Runs, 1 Hit, 0 Errors) TEXAS 5, TORONTO 5.

TEXAS 7TH: J Gonzalez singled to center. R Palmeiro singled to right center, J Gonzalez to third. I Rodriguez doubled to deep right, J Gonzalez scored, R Palmeiro to third. Tom Davey relieved Peter Munro. Zeile singled to center, R Palmeiro scored, I Rodriguez to third. L Stevens singled to center, I Rodriguez scored, Zeile to second. Dransfeldt grounded into fielder's choice to third, Zeile to third, L Stevens out at second. T Goodwin hit sacrifice fly to left, Zeile scored. Mclemore singled to right, Dransfeldt to third. Greer grounded out to second. (4 Runs, 6 Hits, 0 Errors) TEXAS 9, TORONTO 5.

TORONTO 7TH: Stewart flied out to deep center. A Gonzalez popped out to second. Mike Munoz relieved Danny Patterson. Sh Green homered to left center. C Delgado flied out to left. (1 Run, 1 Hit, 0 Errors) TEXAS 9, TORONTO 6.

TEXAS 8TH: J Gonzalez doubled to left. R Palmeiro lined out to right. I Rodriguez struck out swinging. Zeile doubled to deep left center, J Gonzalez scored. Dan Plesac relieved Tom Davey. L Stevens singled to center, Zeile scored. Dransfeldt flied out to deep left. (2 Runs, 3 Hits, 0 Errors) TEXAS 11, TORONTO 6.

TORONTO 8TH: Brumfield hit for K Witt. Brumfield struck out swinging. W Greene grounded out to second. J Cruz safe at first on shortstop Dransfeldt's throwing error. Tim Crabtree relieved Mike Munoz. Kelly lined out to second. (0 Runs, 0 Hits, 1 Error) TEXAS 11, TORONTO 6.

TEXAS 9TH: T Goodwin grounded out to pitcher. Mclemore popped out to third. Greer grounded out to shortstop. (0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors) TEXAS 11, TORONTO 6.

TORONTO 9TH: Matheny singled to right. Stewart grounded into double play, shortstop to second to first, Matheny out at second. A Gonzalez struck out swinging. (0 Runs, 1 Hit, 0 Errors) TEXAS 11, TORONTO 6.