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Sigh. It’s a bit early in the season to be disenfranchised, and I really am not, but the road losses are getting rather annoying. We’re something 2-150 on the road this season so far. This franchise seems rather lethargic.
Everyone raise their hand when they thought that Sammy Sosa would be our most consistent offensive performer (in a power department) come April 25th. Sosa was the only real good thing to write about for Thursday’s game. He got his historic 44th different ballpark home run with two of them at Jacobs Field. I think I heard on the radio the only other current ballparks he hasn’t hit home runs in are RFK Stadium & New Busch. Unless it ends up being Rangers/Nats in the world series this year, he’s not getting one at RFK. :) Sosa also needs four more multi home run games to pass Babe Ruth for that record. Course, Barry Bonds is on that list too, one above Sosa at the moment.
We head to Toronto, where we’ll probably win one. Maybe. Sigh. At least it was nice seeing this image on ESPN’s site. That was fun. :)

You know there were a lot of great little moments in this game to talk about (Padilla’s first, Young’s RBI late, etc). There actually was a lot positive that happened. But the only thing I can think of about this game to say is…

SSSssssssshit!

I was driving around listening to the pre-game in my truck, figuring that either the game would be cancelled before it started, or it would be one of those ones they play in the rain, as it wasn’t raining very hard at the time.
It was officially cancelled right before first pitch time. Eric Nadel said that it would be made up as a doubleheader some time in July, which is the next time the Mariners are back here. That will likely be a day I go to, as I always go to doubleheaders. Gotta love the free extra game. They haven’t announced which date yet.
We’re off to Cleveland. I’m sure we’ll be hearing a lot about Sosa again, as it’s the only active MLB park he hasn’t hit a home run in. I’m sure we’ll also hear about all the games postponed already up there due to snow and other bad weather.

Odd quotes in the press by Kevin Millwood saying it was his best pitched game of the season. He may have felt like that, but the numbers don’t lie. 6 innings pitched, 5 earned runs, 2 walks. Did get five strikeouts, as well as ten hits. That doesn’t seem like his best game of the year to me. Although, it didn’t seem as bad as the line went. It felt like he was pitching better, but you can’t argue with the results.
Mahay, Feldman, & CJ Wilson did pitch well out of the pen. Not sure which of these guys was the closer today, as Gagne was put back on the DL (shocker), and Wash said in the pre-game that Aki was unavailable this game. Our three relievers went three innings, giving up just two hits and no walks combined. Not many strikeouts, but an out is an out.
Cha Seung Baek, who seems to be a second coming of Bartolo Colon vs the Rangers, was actually not as a good against us as he normally was. Baek went 4.1, giving up 4ER on 10H and 2BB. However, their pen was better than ours was. Using just two guys (Morrow & Putz), the M’s pen gave up just one hit and two walks with no runs over 4.2 innings (longer than Baek went by a little). Morrow looked particularly impressive. We were probably lucky we got the four runs we did.
Seattle’s offense was led by Ichiro who just needed a home run for the cycle. He was what he was supposed to be. I wonder where he’ll be after this year; I can’t imagine him sticking with Seattle. Unfortunately, he’ll probably end up a Yankee playing with Matsui when Abreu’s contract isn’t picked up.
Our offense was topped off by a home run by Hank Blalock into the wedgie in right, driving in two. We also had a triple by Calananotto, a double by Cruz, and six other scattered singles. However, the only person with more than one hit was Sammy Sosa. His .500 performance for this game now RAISES his batting average over the Mendoza line to .206. Blech. Actually, our hits were quite evenly spread out – everyone had one except Gerald Laird, whose season batting average has gone under .100 (.098). Is there a “Mendoza line” nickname for .100 batting averages? Wash has said many times that “whatever you hit is a bonus”. I’m wondering if that’s not the way to take it. Tell him “Dude, you need to get some hits”.
Disheartening loss, as it’s one we should have won. :(

I tuned in Sunday afternoon knowing I wouldn’t be able to watch this whole game. I had to leave for a Sunday evening event at my church at about 4:30, so I figured, OK, I’ll get 7 innings in or so. That’s about what I got. When I left, the game was in in the bottom of the seventh, and when I got to where I was going, it was just starting the bottom of the 8th. We were losing 3-1. It was a typical 2007 Rangers game so far; decent pitching, no hitting to speak of. It’s quite odd writing that. One of the guys who has regularly produced is Kenny Lofton, but the guys behind him (Cat, Young, Tex) aren’t doing much of anything at all, and Ian Kinsler is our only serious offensive threat.
Anyway, Oakland starter Chad Gaudin pitched well. He went six, giving up just one run (an RBI single to Kinsler in the second after a triple by Blalock) on four hits. He looked pretty decent. Noticed someone picked him up after the game in one of the fantasy leagues I am commissioner for through this site. That usually happens after some opponent pitches really well against us. :)
On the flip side, we got the good Robinson Tejeda. Outside of one mistake pitch to Shannon Stewart that was bopped over the fence, Tejeda was pretty good himself. Including the home run, his line was 6.1IP, 3ER, NO walks, and six strikeouts on nine hits. Now it’s not the kind of thing we saw the other day from Cole Hamels for the Phillies great, but this was a decent outing. It was a great outing if you took away the home run, so I’m satisfied with that. He was relieved by Willie Eyre, making his Rangers 07 debut, and Eyre was pretty good as well. Eyre finished the seventh, and pitched the 8th, allowing no runs and just one hit. He walked one, but it didn’t hurt him.
Then the offense clicked in the bottom of the eighth. Lofton led off with a single, and Catalanotto wasn’t the 2007 easy out, and he had a hustling double to right field. OK, now we’re good. Second and third, nobody out. Feeling good. Michael Young, who normally would drive those guys in struck out. Mark Texiera worked a walk, OK. Bases loaded, one out. Not feeling AS good, but still feeling good. That brings up Sammy Sosa, who I’m sure everyone would have loved to have earned his nickname, “Slammin”. He walked as well. OK, not a home run, but still gets a run in. That’s good. That brought in Oakland’s closer, Houston Street, who gave up an 0-2 single to Blalock, driving in Hairston (who pinch ran for Catalanotto) & Texiera, giving us the lead, and the eventual win. There was no more scoring, but that’s the kind of inning we haven’t had all season long, and the kind we need a lot more of going forward.
The ninth had some drama as Eric Gagne finally got to take the mound in Arlington in a save situation. He got Jason Kendall to ground out, but then Gagne hurt himself. He had to come out in the middle of the at bat to Mark Ellis; he was replaced by Akinori Otsuka, who did get the save. Can’t say I’m surprised by the Gagne thing – he still seems way to fragile to have offered 6 million guaranteed to.
Still, a win is a win, and we took the series from division rival Oakland. We now face a short two game series at home against Seattle against Cha Sueng Beck, who probably will be a hard game, and Jarrod Washburn, who we don’t seem to have a problem knocking around in Arlington. Good thing we’re missing Felix Hernandez. :)
We go into the series 8-10, one game behind Oakland and the Angels who are tied for first. Given how lethargic and crappy we’ve been playing overall, this could be a heck of a lot worse.