A pitchers duel! This game rocked! I loved it, even though we lost. Helling made only one bad pitch all night, and it burned him. A 3 run home run to CJ in the late innings. However, Helling was masterful otherwise. Our normally huge offense didn’t cover the mistake, but we were up against another pitcher (Sidney Ponson) that really shut us down too, we were lucky to get the two we got.
Helling pitched the first complete game by a Ranger all season – unfortunately it was a complete game loss. :( There really isn’t a whole lot to say about this game other than Raffy remained red hot. Pitching was the story here, and there was little offense to speak of.
Commentary by Jim Meeks:
Great pitching will win most ballgames. Saturday, there was an exception to the rule.
Rick Helling pitched a complete game, seven-hitter. 99 times out of 100, Helling is going to win those type games. Friday is was one-uppped by O’s pitcher Sidney Ponson, who threw a complete game, six-hitter.
It was hard for either team to generate any offense. Raffy Palmeiro, perhaps the hottest hitter in baseball right now, homered against his former mates and for a while, the Rangers led 1-0.
Then Charles Johnson, who is red-hot himself as of late, blasted a 3-run homer off of Helling in the 7th inning. That was the ballgame.
This was the first game in the Major Leagues this year, where both pitchers pitched a complete game.