As I put this page together on Monday morning, I’ve had only 5 hours sleep in the last two days – my recall of the game is next to nothing. We’ll have to rely on Jim’s commentary today. :)
Commentary by Jim Meeks:
Is it possible the Rangers’ pitching staff has turned it around?
Since last Sunday (April 18th), the Rangers ERA sits at a very lovely 3.00. The addition of Mike Venafro and the subtraction of John Burkett to the staff should only make things better.
In his last outing, Joe coined Mike Morgan, “the steal of the off-season”. I don’t think it could be put any more eloquently. Morgan pitched 7 innings on Saturday and held the Twins to 2 earned runs. Venafro and – here’s that name again – Jeff Zimmerman – each pitched a scoreless inning and the Rangers won 7-2.
Morgan, along with Aaron Sele and Zimmerman, have been the saviors of the Rangers. If not for them, this team likely would be in the cellar, Remember how poorly Rick Helling, Mark Clark and John Burkett pitched their first 2 outings and 3 outings, respectively? As ineffective as they were, Morgan has been supreme.
Saturday, Morgan got help from Juan Gonzalez, who collected 3 more RBI’s and 3 hits. The Rangers scored 7 runs on 10 hits, making the most of each hit. Raffy Palmeiro belted a homer (his 4th) and drove in 2.
It is interesting to note that for the second time in a span of 4 days, Tom Goodwin stole a run in the first inning. Against Roger Clemens on Wednesday, he walked, stole two bases and came home on a catcher’s error and Saturday the exact same thing happened. If Goodwin could only get on base more, he would be such an intimidating factor…
Even though the Rangers lost both games in New York on Tuesday and Wednesday, they finished the week at 4 wins and 2 losses. This long road trip began April 13th and the Rangers are 7-4 so far on the road, which is nothing short of outstanding.