Game 144: Sep 12, 1999 (L: 6-3)
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My Commentary

Ugh.  No commentary again.  Three in a row to the Royals while the Yankees were also swept?  This is sad.

-- Joe Siegler

Game Recap

KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI (TICKER) -- The Texas Rangers lost ground in the standings for the third straight day as Mike Sweeney hit a two-run homer to highlight a four-run sixth inning that gave the Kansas City Royals a 6-3 victory.

Jay Witasick scattered nine hits and allowed three runs over seven innings for the Royals, who have won the first three games of this four-game series.

Alvin Morman worked the final two innings, retiring all six batters he faced, for his first save since May 25, 1997 for Cleveland against Baltimore.

Two of the hits off Witasick (7-11) were home runs by Rafael Palmeiro and Juan Gonzalez, but the Rangers still saw their lead over Oakland in the American League West reduced to 5 1/2 games. Oakland completed a three-game sweep of Tampa Bay earlier in the day.

"You can write our epitath today, and we'll scratch it off tomorrow, like we've done a few times already this season," Texas manager Johnny Oates said. "We win a few games, and we're the best thing since sliced bread. Right now, we're what's in-between."

Aaron Sele (16-8) lost for the first time in five decisions, allowing four runs and seven hits in six innings.

"I left balls over the middle of the plate," Sele said. "It's a mechanical thing. You have to be mechanically sound on the curve."

Sele allowed just two hits through five innings before coming apart in the sixth. Carlos Beltran tripled with one out before Sweeney belted his 21st homer to left-center field, cutting the deficit to 3-2.

Jeremy Giambi singled and went to second when the ball was misplayed by first baseman Lee Stevens. Joe Randa doubled to tie the game and, one out later, Sal Fasano doubled in the go-ahead run.

"I'm just happy to be in the big leagues," said Fasano, who was recently recalled from Omaha and has seven RBI in the first three games of the series. "I have an opportunity and I want to make the most of it."

Palmeiro led off the second inning with his 43rd homer to right field, tying a career high set last season. It was also his 10th homer in 19 games.

Witaskick did not walk a batter and struck out four.

"I feel like I'm getting stronger," said Witasick, who began the season in the bullpen. "I don't want to jinx myself, but my arm feels stronger and mentally, I'm stronger."

In the seventh, Rusty Greer singled with one out and Gonzalez followed with his 34th homer to give Texas a 3-0 lead. Gonzalez has 19 homers at Kansas City, his most at any road park. He tied his own club record with his 25th road homer, done four times previously.

The Royals scored twice in the eighth when Giambi singled home a run and Sweeney scored when Gonzalez misplayed the ball in right field for an error.

Johnny Damon of the Royals was caught stealing for the first time since June 27 when he was gunned down in the seventh. He was successful on 24 straight attempts.

Recap #2

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) -- Jay Witasick and Sal Fasano don't want to surrender their starting roles, or what they have going together now.

Witasick settled down after allowing home runs to Rafael Palmeiro and Juan Gonzalez to win for the third time in four starts and Fasano doubled in the go-ahead run in a four-run sixth inning as the Kansas City Royals beat the Texas Rangers 6-3 Sunday.

Witasick (7-11), who retired 11 of 13 batters after the home runs, had been scheduled to return to Kansas City's struggling bullpen. That might change now, after he allowed three runs in seven innings in another strong start.

"This is something new for me," Witasick said of his starting role. "I took my licks earlier in the year and I think I learned from that. Right now, I'm feeling comfortable starting."

Fasano, his batterymate, may have something to do with that. They combined for a win in their first start together Sept. 5 against Toronto.

"With Sal behind the plate I feel more comfortable," Witasick said. "Right now we're in a zone with each other. You can tell when that's happening because I'll be on the mound and put a curveball grip on the ball and you look up and he's calling for a curveball. We know what the other's thinking."

Fasano, whose hot bat has helped the Royals to a 6-1 record since he was called up from Triple-A Omaha on Sept. 1, agreed.

"I'm feeling real comfortable with Jay," he said. "He has a great arm and a good mound presence, which is unusual for a young guy. We stuck with the game plan even though he took his lumps early and it worked out."

The Royals won their third straight over Texas and have won five of their last six. Royals manager Tony Muser said Witasick and Fasano have had a lot to do with the team's recent success.

"This is the most consecutive starts Jay's ever had in his career and he's learning on the job, but he's doing a good job," Muser said. "You hate to take someone out of a role they're being successful in, so we'll keep him in the rotation.

"And I think that is a reflection on Sal. In the spring we made a difficult choice to send him down because I wanted him playing and not sitting the bench. But he had a huge hit today after hitting two home runs (Saturday)."

The Rangers lost their third straight after a four-game winning streak.

"We've been through stretches like this before," Texas manager Johnny Oates said. "It's not like it's the end of the world. Before we came here we were the greatest thing since sliced bread and now we're the stuff that goes between it. Write your epitaph today and we'll scratch it out like we have a lot of times this year."

Palmeiro tied his career high with his 43rd home run in the second inning and Gonzalez added a two-run shot in the third to give Texas a 3-0 lead.

The Royals took the lead in the sixth off Aaron Sele (16-8). Carlos Beltran tripled with one out and Mike Sweeney followed with his 21st home run. Jeremy Giambi then singled and scored on Joe Randa's double. Fasano's two-out double scored the go-ahead run.

"I was surprised he pitched to me," Fasano said. "I thought he would throw fastballs away and take his chances with Felix (Martinez). I was excited to get a pitch to hit. I'm just going to ride this hot streak as long as I can."

Witasick got defensive help in the seventh. Beltran made a leaping catch of Lee Stevens' drive at the top of the wall leading off the inning. With a runner on first and two outs, Tom Goodwin doubled to right-center. Johnny Damon bobbled the ball before relaying to Martinez, who threw out Gregg Zaun at home plate.

Sele, who had won his last four decisions and 10 of 11, allowed four runs and seven hits in six innings.

The Royals added two runs in the seventh on Giambi's RBI single that Gonzalez misplayed in right field for an error, allowing a second run to score.

Alvin Morman pitched two innings for his first save since 1997.

GAME NOTES: The Royals called up outfielder Mark Quinn from Triple-A Omaha and activated pitcher Jose Santiago from the 15-day DL. ... The Rangers extended their team record for road home runs in a season to 118. The previous record for road home runs in a season was 109 in 1996. ... Royals 2B Mendy Lopez suffered a fracture in his left arm when hit by Sele's pitch in the fifth. Lopez, who was replaced by Martinez, will have surgery Tuesday and is out for the season. ... Damon's string of 24 consecutive stolen bases ended in the seventh by Zaun. 

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

Mac strikes out in the first	Carlos Beltran is safe at third	Jeremy Giambi gets congrats for scoring	Tim Sweeney gets congrats for his home run	Johnny Damon is thrown out at second

Box Score

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

BATTERIES:  TEX - AARON SELE, TIM CRABTREE (7TH), JEFF ZIMMERMAN
                  (8TH) AND GREGG ZAUN
            KAN - JAY WITASICK, ALVIN MORMAN (8TH) AND SAL
                  FASANO

             WP - JAY WITASICK (7-11)
             LP - AARON SELE (16-8)
           SAVE - ALVIN MORMAN (1)

HOME RUNS:  TEX - RAFAEL PALMEIRO (43) OFF WITASICK IN THE 2ND, 0 ON
                  JUAN GONZALEZ (34) OFF WITASICK IN THE 3RD, 1 ON
            KAN - MIKE SWEENEY (21) OFF SELE IN THE 6TH, 1 ON

     TIME:  2:34     ATT:  12,590

PROBABLES:  TEX - JOHN BURKETT (7-7, 5.80)
            KAN - JOSE ROSADO (8-13, 3.81)

Box Score
TEXAS (3) AT KANSAS CITY (6) - FINAL

TEXAS                  ab  r  h rbi bb so lob   avg
T Goodwin cf            4  0  1  0   0  0   0  .241
Mclemore 2b             4  0  0  0   0  1   0  .279
Greer lf                4  1  2  0   0  1   0  .303
J Gonzalez rf           4  1  2  2   0  0   1  .310
R Palmeiro dh           4  1  2  1   0  1   1  .339
Zeile 3b                4  0  1  0   0  1   2  .299
L Stevens 1b            3  0  0  0   0  1   1  .284
 a-Alicea ph            1  0  0  0   0  0   0  .205
Clayton ss              3  0  0  0   0  1   1  .277
Zaun c                  3  0  1  0   0  0   1  .244

Totals                 34  3  9  3   0  6   7

a-flied to right for L Stevens in the 9th.

BATTING: 2B - T Goodwin (11, Witasick). HR - R Palmeiro (43, 2nd inning
off Witasick 0 on, 0 out); J Gonzalez (34, 3rd inning off Witasick 1 on,
2 out). RBI - R Palmeiro (133), J Gonzalez 2 (115). 2-out RBI -
J Gonzalez 2. GIDP - Zeile. Team LOB - 4.

FIELDING: E - Sele (2, ground ball); L Stevens (8, catch);
J Gonzalez (3, bobble). DP: 1 (Clayton-Mclemore-L Stevens).

KANSAS CITY            ab  r  h rbi bb so lob   avg
Damon rf-lf             3  0  1  0   1  0   1  .307
R Sanchez ss            3  0  1  0   1  0   1  .293
Beltran cf              4  2  1  0   0  1   3  .288
Sweeney dh              3  2  1  2   1  1   3  .314
Je Giambi lf            4  1  2  1   0  2   2  .295
 Dye rf                 0  0  0  0   0  0   0  .293
Randa 3b                4  1  2  1   0  1   3  .320
Vitiello 1b             4  0  0  0   0  1   1  .130
Fasano c                3  0  1  1   0  0   0  .269
M Lopez 2b              1  0  0  0   0  0   0  .400
 F Martinez pr-2b       2  0  0  0   0  0   2  .000

Totals                 31  6  9  5   3  6  16

BATTING: 2B - Randa (33, Sele); Fasano (1, Sele). 3B - Beltran
(5, Sele). HR - Sweeney (21, 6th inning off Sele 1 on, 1 out).
RBI - Sweeney 2 (96), Randa (75), Fasano (10), Je Giambi (31).
2-out RBI - Fasano, Je Giambi. Runners left in scoring position,
2 out - Sweeney 1, Randa 2, F Martinez 1. GIDP - Vitiello.
Team LOB - 6.

BASERUNNING: SB - R Sanchez (11, 2nd base off Sele/Zaun);
Beltran (23, 2nd base off Crabtree/Zaun). CS - Damon (6, 2nd base
by Crabtree/Zaun); Fasano (1, 2nd base by Je Zimmerman/Zaun).

FIELDING: Outfield assists - Damon (Zaun at home).
DP: 1 (F Martinez-Vitiello).

TEXAS                        ip       h   r  er  bb  so  hr    era
Sele (L, 16-8)                6       7   4   4   1   5   1   4.96
Crabtree                      1       2   2   1   2   0   0   3.30
Je Zimmerman                  1       0   0   0   0   1   0   1.99

KANSAS CITY                  ip       h   r  er  bb  so  hr    era
Witasick (W, 7-11)            7       9   3   3   0   4   2   5.78
A Morman (S, 1)               2       0   0   0   0   2   0   4.13

WP - Crabtree. HBP - M Lopez (by Sele); Fasano (by Je Zimmerman).
Pitches-strikes: Witasick 92-54; A Morman 29-17; Sele 89-59;
Crabtree 24-15; Je Zimmerman 13-7.  Ground balls-fly balls:
Witasick 6-10; A Morman 2-2; Sele 11-2; Crabtree 1-1; Je Zimmerman
0-1.  Batters faced: Witasick 28; A Morman 6; Sele 27; Crabtree 6;
Je Zimmerman 3.

UMPIRES: HP--Mike Dimuro. 1B--Bill Welke. 2B--Rick Reed.
3B--Mike Everitt.
T--2:34.  Att--12,590.   Weather: 68 degrees, overcast.   Wind: 5 mph,
in from left.

AL       TEXAS AT KANSAS CITY
         NOTE:  KANSAS CITY'S MENDY LOPEZ LEFT THE GAME IN THE BOTTOM OF
                THE FIFTH INNING WITH AN APPARENT LEFT ARM INJURY AFTER
                BEING HIT BY AN AARON SELE PITCH.

Game Log

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

Kansas City Starting Lineups -- Johnny Damon RF, Rey Sanchez SS, Carlos Beltran CF, Mike Sweeney DH, Jeremy Giambi LF, Joe Randa 3B, Joe Vitiello 1B, Sal Fasano C, Mendy Lopez 2B, Jay Witasick RHP.

Umpires -- M Dimuro (HP), B Welke (1B), Reed (2B), Everitt (3B).

Gametime Weather: 68 degrees, Overcast, wind in from left at 5 mph.

TEXAS 1ST: T Goodwin flied out to left. Mclemore struck out looking. Greer singled to left center. J Gonzalez flied out to left. (0 Runs, 1 Hit, 0 Errors) TEXAS 0, KANSAS CITY 0.

KANSAS CITY 1ST: Damon walked. R Sanchez grounded into fielder's choice to second, Damon out at second. Beltran struck out looking. R Sanchez stole second. Sweeney struck out looking. (0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors) TEXAS 0, KANSAS CITY 0.

TEXAS 2ND: R Palmeiro homered to right. Zeile singled to center. L Stevens struck out swinging. Clayton grounded into fielder's choice to shortstop, Zeile out at second. Zaun flied out to right. (1 Run, 2 Hits, 0 Errors) TEXAS 1, KANSAS CITY 0.

KANSAS CITY 2ND: Je Giambi struck out looking. Randa singled to left. Vitiello grounded into double play, shortstop to second to first, Randa out at second. (0 Runs, 1 Hit, 0 Errors) TEXAS 1, KANSAS CITY 0.

TEXAS 3RD: T Goodwin lined out to second. Mclemore fouled out to left. Greer singled to right. J Gonzalez homered to center, Greer scored. R Palmeiro singled to right. Zeile grounded out to second. (2 Runs, 3 Hits, 0 Errors) TEXAS 3, KANSAS CITY 0.

KANSAS CITY 3RD: Fasano popped out to third. M Lopez grounded out to pitcher. Damon grounded out to pitcher. (0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors) TEXAS 3, KANSAS CITY 0.

TEXAS 4TH: L Stevens fouled out to third. Clayton flied out to shallow center. Zaun flied out to right. (0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors) TEXAS 3, KANSAS CITY 0.

KANSAS CITY 4TH: R Sanchez singled to center. Beltran safe at first on pitcher Sele's fielding error, R Sanchez to second. Sweeney flied out to shallow left. Je Giambi struck out swinging. Randa struck out swinging. (0 Runs, 1 Hit, 1 Error) TEXAS 3, KANSAS CITY 0.

TEXAS 5TH: T Goodwin grounded out to shortstop. Mclemore grounded out to second. Greer flied out to center. (0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors) TEXAS 3, KANSAS CITY 0.

KANSAS CITY 5TH: Vitiello grounded out to shortstop. Fasano grounded out to third. M Lopez hit by pitch. F Martinez ran for M Lopez. Damon grounded out to pitcher. (0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors) TEXAS 3, KANSAS CITY 0.

TEXAS 6TH: F Martinez at second. J Gonzalez singled to left. R Palmeiro struck out looking. Zeile grounded into double play, second to first, J Gonzalez out at second. (0 Runs, 1 Hit, 0 Errors) TEXAS 3, KANSAS CITY 0.

KANSAS CITY 6TH: R Sanchez grounded out to third. Beltran tripled to right. Sweeney homered to left center, Beltran scored. Je Giambi singled to left. Je Giambi to second on 1st baseman L Stevens' fielding error. Randa doubled to left, Je Giambi scored. Vitiello grounded out to shortstop, Randa to third. Fasano doubled to deep center, Randa scored. F Martinez grounded out to second. (4 Runs, 5 Hits, 1 Error) TEXAS 3, KANSAS CITY 4.

TEXAS 7TH: L Stevens flied out to deep center. Clayton struck out swinging. Zaun singled to right. T Goodwin doubled to deep right center, Zaun thrown out at home. (0 Runs, 2 Hits, 0 Errors) TEXAS 3, KANSAS CITY 4.

KANSAS CITY 7TH: Tim Crabtree relieved Aaron Sele. Damon reached on infield single. Damon caught stealing, catcher to shortstop. R Sanchez walked. Beltran grounded into fielder's choice to second, R Sanchez out at second. Beltran stole second. Sweeney walked. Beltran to third on Crabtree wild pitch. Je Giambi singled to right center, Beltran scored, Sweeney to third. Sweeney scored, Je Giambi to second on right fielder J Gonzalez's fielding error. Randa flied out to right. (2 Runs, 2 Hits, 1 Error) TEXAS 3, KANSAS CITY 6.

TEXAS 8TH: Alvin Morman relieved Jay Witasick. Damon in left. Dye in right. Mclemore grounded out to third. Greer struck out swinging. J Gonzalez grounded out to pitcher. (0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors) TEXAS 3, KANSAS CITY 6.

KANSAS CITY 8TH: Jeff Zimmerman relieved Tim Crabtree. Vitiello struck out swinging. Fasano hit by pitch. F Martinez flied out to left center. Fasano caught stealing, catcher to shortstop. (0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors) TEXAS 3, KANSAS CITY 6.

TEXAS 9TH: R Palmeiro popped out to shallow left. Zeile struck out swinging. Alicea hit for L Stevens. Alicea flied out to shallow right. (0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors) TEXAS 3, KANSAS CITY 6.