Game 132: Aug 30, 1999 (L: 1-0)
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My Commentary

There really isn't a whole lot to say about this game - and I watched the whole thing.  Pitching was the name of the game here.  The Rangers got blown away by Brian Moehler.  Shut out on only three hits (two of them by Mac, the other by Royce Clayton).  We never got anything going ever.

On the flip side, Esteban Loaiza was also pitching well.  Had a shut out going into the 7th when he gave up the only run of the game - a solo homer to Gabe Kapler.  Other than that, Loaiza pitched well, if not dominating.  Ranger pitching gave up 10 hits, and were helped by some nice defense to keep it scoreless as long as it was.

It definitely was a pitcher's duel - and in Tiger stadium, too.  That was nice.  Kind of like "Hey, we're not coming back here, let's have a really great game".  And it was.  It stunk that the Rangers lost, but it was a great baseball game.   Can't beat that.

-- Joe Siegler

Game Recap

DETROIT (TICKER) -- One day, Brian Moehler and Gabe Kapler will have a great story to tell their children.

Hours after Lamaze classes with their pregnant wives, the two teamed up to lead the Detroit Tigers to a 1-0 victory over the Texas Rangers, who had a four-game winning streak snapped.

Moehler pitched a three-hitter for his sixth career shutout. Kapler, a rookie, provided the only run with a homer in the seventh inning.

"It's weird because Kapler came over to the house today," said Moehler. "We're taking Lamaze classes, my wife and his wife, so we're all sitting on the floor today, doing breathing techniques. Who would've thought that we've spend the morning together, then he'd come out here and hit a home run and I'd get the win?"

Kapler sounded as if he couldn't wait to get to the ballpark.

"We went through that Lamaze class this morning and it was so much like school for me," he said. "It was so boring. I was just praying for it to be over. My attention span that early in the morning is just zero."

Tied for the American League lead in losses, Moehler (9-14) shut down a fearsome lineup that entered the game second in the American League with a .290 average and third with 181 homers.

"I felt pretty good out there," he said. "I was just trying to get a lot of ground balls, keep the ball down. I came to the ballpark today and the flag was blowing out, so especially in this ballpark and the way that team's been swinging the bat, I was just hoping to get a lot of ground-ball outs."

"Moehler's pitched like this a couple times against us," Rangers manager Johnny Oates said. "He's a guy that's able to change speeds very well, spots the ball very well and all of his pitches have movement on them. We were way out in front of everything."

The righthander walked two and struck out two in his second complete game and shutout of the season. He allowed just two runners as far as second, none after the fourth inning.

Moehler pitched a team-high three shutouts last season and one in 1997, a two-hitter at Anaheim on April 26. He has the only shutouts on Detroit's beleaguered staff and tied Dave Mlicki for the team lead in complete games.

"He put together such an incredible start," Kapler said. "I could tell from where I was (in center field) how much his pitches were moving. They were moving a lot. It was just an incredible performance on his part."

Leading off the seventh, Kapler hit a 1-0 pitch from Texas starter Esteban Loaiza (7-2) barely over the left-field fence. Outfielder Rusty Greer tried to make a leaping catch but just missed it.

"Every home run he's hit seems to be a big one," Tigers manager Larry Parrish said. "He doesn't hit 'em in blowout games. He hits 'em when it counts."

"I was back, the ball tipped off the end of my glove," Greer said. "It was one of those things. I just didn't jump quite high enough."

Loaiza lost for the first time in four career decisions against the Tigers, but just barely. He allowed eight hits in 6 1/3 innings, walking three and striking out five.

Clearly Texas' best starter over the last month, the righthander had won seven straight decisions, including three consecutive starts. He worked out of jams in the third and fifth before giving up Kapler's 15th homer.

"Both guys pitched a whale of a ballgame," Oates said. "Este had to pitch out of trouble a couple times but he made a lot of good pitches, got some big strikeouts and one ball that Rusty just couldn't keep in the ballpark."

Mark McLemore had two hits for Texas, which was shut out for the sixth time this season but remained 7 1/2 games ahead of Oakland atop the American League West.

Remarkably, it was the fifth 1-0 game at hitter-friendly Tiger Stadium this season. Detroit improved to 2-3, also beating Boston on April 22. The Tigers dropped 1-0 games to Boston on April 20 and to Minnesota on April 12 and June 26.

McLemore opened the game with a single and stole second. He held as Ivan Rodriguez grounded out to shortstop and was doubled off on Rusty Greer's liner that Moehler snared.

In the fourth, McLemore led off with a walk but Rodriguez hit into a double play. Greer reached on an error by third baseman Dean Palmer and Juan Gonzalez walked but Moehler got a fly ball from red-hot Rafael Palmeiro, who had his hitting streak stopped at nine games.

"That was a big out because that was a guy Moehler's had trouble with," Parrish said.

Royce Clayton singled with two out in the fifth but was caught stealing. Moehler retired 10 in a row from the sixth to the ninth before McLemore's one-out infield single.

"Moehler was really outstanding tonight," Parrish said. "He moved the ball well and changed speeds. He pitched some good ballgame against that club."

Damion Easley had three hits for the Tigers, who improved to 3-4 against the Rangers this season.

Recap #2

DETROIT (AP) -- Gabe Kapler gave Brian Moehler all the credit. 

Moehler, backed by Kapler's home run, pitched a three-hitter for his first win since July 23 as the Detroit Tigers beat Texas 1-0 Monday night, stopping the Rangers' four-game winning streak. 

"I got a timely hit, but he put together such an incredible start," Kapler said. "I could see (from center field) just how well his pitches were moving and where he was putting them. To shut out that lineup was awesome." 

The Rangers, who had 10 or more hits in each of their previous nine games, were limited to two singles by Mark McLemore and another by Royce Clayton. They never advanced a runner past second base in Moehler's sixth career shutout, his second this year. 

Moehler (9-14) struck out two and walked two. He's 4-2 in his career against the Rangers, including 2-0 this year. 

"I seem to pitch better against teams that have veteran guys and guys everybody knows about," Moehler said. "It's always a challenge to pitch against those guys." 

Moehler was 0-5 in six starts since beating Boston on July 23, including a 3-2 loss at Seattle in his previous start. 

"I went into the game confident that I've been pitching well," Moehler said. "I just wanted to carry that over." 

Moehler's biggest inning was probably the fourth, when an error and a walk put two on with two outs. But he got Rafael Palmeiro, hitting .625 against him coming in, to fly out. 

"It was his game tonight," Tigers manager Larry Parrish said. "He just commanded the ball tremendously." 

He had to because Esteban Loaiza shut out the Tigers until Kapler started the seventh with a drive that just cleared the wall over left fielder Rusty Greer. 

"I was back and the ball tipped off the end of my glove," Greer said. "It was one of those things that I just didn't jump quite high enough." 

Loaiza (6-2) lost for the first time as a starter this year, allowing eight hits in 6 1/3 innings. Loaiza, who had been 6-0 as a starter, struck out four and walked three. 

Texas had won all eight of his starts coming in. 

"He made a lot of good pitches and got some big strikeouts," Rangers manager Johnny Oates said. "And one ball that Rusty just couldn't keep in the ballpark is the only run tonight." 

Kapler, who has slumped most of the second half, has seven hits in his last 11 at-bats -- including five for extra bases. 

Earlier Monday, Kapler was at Moehler's house for a Lamaze class with their expectant wives. 

"From 10:30 to 2:30," Moehler said. "Who would've thought we'd do that and then he'd hit a home run to win a game for me?" 

GAME NOTES: Moehler, who beat Minnesota 2-0 with a six-hitter June 25, got the eighth complete game of his career. ... Dean Palmer was back in the Tigers' lineup after missing a game with a sore left hamstring. ... This is the Rangers' only visit to Detroit this season and their final series in Tiger Stadium, where just 14 games remain to be played. ... Juan Encarnacion, who was 5-for-11 (.455) previously against Loaiza, struck out three times against him Monday and another time against Tim Crabtree. He is in an 0-for-13 slump. ... The Rangers were shut out for the sixth time this season. Their three hits matched a season low.

Photos
(Click on any of them for a larger image)

Ranger starter Esteban Loaiza	Mark McLemore steals second in the first inning	Gabe Kapler hits a foul	Royce connects for only one of three hits the Rangers got	Brian Moehler congrats Brad Ausmus on the shutout.

Box Score

Line Score
AL  FINAL
                    1  2  3   4  5  6   7  8  9     R  H  E
                    -  -  -   -  -  -   -  -  -     -  -  -
TEXAS               0  0  0   0  0  0   0  0  0     0  3  0
DETROIT             0  0  0   0  0  0   1  0  x     1 10  1   (FINAL)

BATTERIES:  TEX - ESTEBAN LOAIZA, TIM CRABTREE (7TH) AND IVAN
                  RODRIGUEZ
            DET - BRIAN MOEHLER AND BRAD AUSMUS

             WP - BRIAN MOEHLER (9-14)
             LP - ESTEBAN LOAIZA (7-2)
           SAVE - NONE

HOME RUNS:  TEX - NONE
            DET - GABE KAPLER (15) OFF LOAIZA IN THE 7TH, 0 ON

     TIME:  2:39     ATT:  19,007

PROBABLES:  TEX - MIKE MORGAN (12-8, 6.11)
            DET - DAVID BORKOWSKI (0-4, 7.74)

Box Score
TEXAS (0) AT DETROIT (1) - FINAL

TEXAS                  ab  r  h rbi bb so lob   avg
Mclemore 2b             3  0  2  0   1  0   0  .281
I Rodriguez c           4  0  0  0   0  0   3  .327
Greer lf                4  0  0  0   0  0   2  .299
J Gonzalez rf           2  0  0  0   1  0   0  .309
R Palmeiro dh           3  0  0  0   0  1   2  .337
Zeile 3b                3  0  0  0   0  1   0  .303
L Stevens 1b            3  0  0  0   0  0   0  .287
Clayton ss              3  0  1  0   0  0   0  .266
T Goodwin cf            3  0  0  0   0  0   0  .234

Totals                 28  0  3  0   2  2   7

BATTING: Runners left in scoring position, 2 out - R Palmeiro 1.
GIDP - I Rodriguez. Team LOB - 3.

BASERUNNING: SB - Mclemore (13, 2nd base off Moehler/Ausmus).
CS - Clayton (5, 2nd base by Moehler/Ausmus).

FIELDING: DP: 2 (Zeile-Mclemore-L Stevens, L Stevens-Clayton-Crabtree).

DETROIT                ab  r  h rbi bb so lob   avg
Ausmus c                2  0  1  0   2  0   1  .278
D Cruz ss               4  0  0  0   0  0   5  .266
Palmer 3b               4  0  0  0   0  1   2  .259
To Clark 1b             4  0  1  0   0  1   1  .275
Easley 2b               4  0  3  0   0  0   0  .266
Higginson dh            4  0  1  0   0  0   2  .239
J Encarnacion lf        4  0  0  0   0  4   3  .258
Kapler cf               3  1  2  1   0  0   0  .236
K Garcia rf             2  0  2  0   1  0   0  .228

Totals                 31  1 10  1   3  6  14

BATTING: 2B - Easley (26, Loaiza). HR - Kapler (15, 7th inning
off Loaiza 0 on, 0 out). RBI - Kapler (39). Runners left in
scoring position, 2 out - D Cruz 2, Higginson 1, J Encarnacion 2.
GIDP - Ausmus, Higginson. Team LOB - 9.

BASERUNNING: CS - K Garcia (4, 2nd base by Loaiza/I Rodriguez).

FIELDING: E - Palmer (15, ground ball). DP: 2 (Moehler-D Cruz,
D Cruz-Easley-To Clark).

TEXAS                        ip       h   r  er  bb  so  hr    era
Loaiza (L, 7-2)               6 1/3   8   1   1   3   5   1   4.46
Crabtree                      1 2/3   2   0   0   0   1   0   2.67

DETROIT                      ip       h   r  er  bb  so  hr    era
Moehler (W, 9-14)             9       3   0   0   2   2   0   5.20

Pitches-strikes: Moehler 128-78; Loaiza 104-68; Crabtree 23-16.
Ground balls-fly balls: Moehler 12-11; Loaiza 6-7; Crabtree 3-1.
Batters faced: Moehler 30; Loaiza 28; Crabtree 6.

UMPIRES: HP--Mike Reilly. 1B--Brian Onora. 2B--Laz Diaz.
3B--Rich Garcia.
T--2:39.  Att--19,007.   Weather: 64 degrees, clear.   Wind: 12 mph,
in from right.

Game Log

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

Detroit Starting Lineups -- Brad Ausmus C, Deivi Cruz SS, Dean Palmer 3B, Tony Clark 1B, Damion Easley 2B, Bobby Higginson DH, Juan Encarnacion LF, Gabe Kapler CF, Karim Garcia RF, Brian Moehler RHP.

Umpires -- Reilly (HP), Onora (1B), Diaz (2B), Garcia (3B).

Gametime Weather: 64 degrees, Clear, wind in from right at 12 mph.

TEXAS 1ST: Mclemore singled to right. Mclemore stole second. I Rodriguez grounded out to shortstop. Greer lined into double play, pitcher to shortstop, Mclemore doubled off second. (0 Runs, 1 Hit, 0 Errors) TEXAS 0, DETROIT 0.

DETROIT 1ST: Ausmus singled to center. D Cruz grounded into fielder's choice to first, Ausmus out at second. Palmer flied out to left. To Clark struck out swinging. (0 Runs, 1 Hit, 0 Errors) TEXAS 0, DETROIT 0.

TEXAS 2ND: J Gonzalez grounded out to pitcher. R Palmeiro struck out swinging. Zeile struck out looking. (0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors) TEXAS 0, DETROIT 0.

DETROIT 2ND: Easley grounded out to third. Higginson popped out to shallow left. J Encarnacion struck out swinging. (0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors) TEXAS 0, DETROIT 0.

TEXAS 3RD: L Stevens popped out to first. Clayton flied out to shallow left center. T Goodwin grounded out to second. (0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors) TEXAS 0, DETROIT 0.

DETROIT 3RD: Kapler singled to left. K Garcia walked, Kapler to second. Ausmus grounded into double play, third to second to first, K Garcia out at second, Kapler to third. D Cruz flied out to right. (0 Runs, 1 Hit, 0 Errors) TEXAS 0, DETROIT 0.

TEXAS 4TH: Mclemore walked. I Rodriguez grounded into double play, shortstop to second to first, Mclemore out at second. Greer safe at first on 3rd baseman Palmer's fielding error. J Gonzalez walked, Greer to second. R Palmeiro flied out to left. (0 Runs, 0 Hits, 1 Error) TEXAS 0, DETROIT 0.

DETROIT 4TH: Palmer struck out looking. To Clark flied out to right. Easley doubled to left center. Higginson popped out to second. (0 Runs, 1 Hit, 0 Errors) TEXAS 0, DETROIT 0.

TEXAS 5TH: Zeile grounded out to shortstop. L Stevens flied out to center. Clayton reached on infield single. Clayton caught stealing, catcher to shortstop. (0 Runs, 1 Hit, 0 Errors) TEXAS 0, DETROIT 0.

DETROIT 5TH: J Encarnacion struck out swinging. Kapler grounded out to shortstop. K Garcia reached on infield single. Ausmus walked, K Garcia to second. D Cruz fouled out to left. (0 Runs, 1 Hit, 0 Errors) TEXAS 0, DETROIT 0.

TEXAS 6TH: T Goodwin flied out to left. Mclemore grounded out to second. I Rodriguez grounded out to shortstop. (0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors) TEXAS 0, DETROIT 0.

DETROIT 6TH: Palmer flied out to center. To Clark grounded out to second. Easley singled to right. Higginson singled to right, Easley to second. J Encarnacion struck out swinging. (0 Runs, 2 Hits, 0 Errors) TEXAS 0, DETROIT 0.

TEXAS 7TH: Greer grounded out to pitcher. J Gonzalez fouled out to first. R Palmeiro lined out to first. (0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors) TEXAS 0, DETROIT 0.

DETROIT 7TH: Kapler homered to left. K Garcia singled to center. K Garcia caught stealing, catcher to shortstop. Ausmus walked. Tim Crabtree relieved Esteban Loaiza. D Cruz grounded into fielder's choice to shortstop, Ausmus out at second. Palmer lined out to center. (1 Run, 2 Hits, 0 Errors) TEXAS 0, DETROIT 1.

TEXAS 8TH: Zeile flied out to center. L Stevens grounded out to second. Clayton flied out to right. (0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors) TEXAS 0, DETROIT 1.

DETROIT 8TH: To Clark singled to left. Easley singled to left, To Clark to second. Higginson grounded into double play, first to shortstop to pitcher, Easley out at second, To Clark to third. J Encarnacion struck out swinging. (0 Runs, 2 Hits, 0 Errors) TEXAS 0, DETROIT 1.

TEXAS 9TH: T Goodwin grounded out to shortstop. Mclemore reached on infield single. I Rodriguez lined out to right. Greer grounded out to second. (0 Runs, 1 Hit, 0 Errors) TEXAS 0, DETROIT 1.