Another stinker. We really need to get it together with our pitching. It’s digusting that after Game 7 of the season, our bullpen has more innings pitched than the starters. Only Aaron Sele is anywhere near effective, and if he wasn’t, our only win would have been from a bullpen pitcher. Ugh! We gave up 20 hits again. Not counting last night’s game, we gave up fifty-one hits to the Angels in three games (13, 19, & 20). Johnny Oates must have a locker full of Pepto Bismol now. The game took 3 hours and 28 minutes, probably bolstered by the fact that the total number of pitches thrown by both teams was 368 – 195 by the Rangers and 173 by the Angels. We also gave up 10 doubles in the game to the Angels. Don’t really feel like talking about bad pitching anymore – look below at the numbers. Except this. Anyone notice that last year’s castoffs are pitching decent (Bobby Witt, Julio Santana) – hell, even Darren Oliver is pitching better than we are! :)
I thought we had a shot in the beginning when Juan Gonzalez was up with the bases loaded against a really ineffective Ken Hill. He popped out to first, ending the inning. That seemed like the omen to me. Juan is impotent against Hill, now going 0-8 (or is it 0-9) in his career against him. In the sixth, we almost had two home runs as Rusty Greer really rode one, but Orlando Palmiero hauled it in, and Tim Salmon robbed Juan Gonzalez on an opposite field shot that should have gone, but Salmon pulled it in.
The one bright spot here was Todd Zeile, who continues to be on fire so far. He went two for four with a home run and two RBI’s, and scoring two runs. His average now is .440 – Makes me wish I had kept him in my fantasy league. :)
As bad as all of this looks, it’s still only the first week (give or take a day) of the season, and standing this early in the season don’t mean a whole lot. We’re off to the West Coast for a bit, so I’m hoping that the change in scenery does something good. However, it’s bad when you need to go on the road for a “change of scenery boost”.
Commentary by Jim Meeks:
Finally, they are gone. Monday, the Angels left town, but not before collecting 20 hits, 10 of them doubles. It’s safe to say the Angels had more doubles than an alcoholic on payday.
This was another ugly, smelly, – insert your own sarcastic adjective that ends in ly – pitched game. Mark Clark pitched like banjo player Roy Clark. Eric Gunderson, the sacrificial lamb to finish the game, was even worse. Only Esteban Loaiza pitched with any kind of command at all, and even he wasn’t pretty.
Everything the Angels hit was hit with authority. This wasn’t a ‘dumb luck’ game where the opposition hits bloops and Texas Leaguers, this was a team possessed with winning the ball game and destroying the memories of last September.
Even though Angels’ starter Ken Hill pitched really badly, the Angels’ bullpen bailed him out, surrendering no runs in the last five innings. The Rangers were actually ahead 3 to 1 at one point, but that seems like years ago (the contest lasted 3 hours and 28 minutes but seemed more like 6 hours and 59 minutes).
This is getting to be old hat. With the Rangers departing on a long road trip to Washington to face the Mariners, it seems very likely that a personnel move or moves will be made. Firstly, it’s very probable that Scarborough Green will be sent down to the minors and Jeff Zimmerman, impressive in spring training and impressive in two appearances for the Oklahoma RedHawks this year, will be called up to give an extra arm to the bullpen. After all, there’s no need for a pinch-runner when the score is 13 to 5, is there?
As far as other possible moves, there is no telling what Doug Melvin has going. Rest assured however, he’s be on the phone with several other general managers looking for help.
With the way the Rangers’ have been pitching, perhaps he simply dialed 9-1-1.