The Rangers and their pitchers had a much better outing tonight in Houston. Kevin Millwood picked up his fifth win of the season, pitching seven scoreless innings against the Astros. He allowed just four hits and had six strikeouts. Andy Pettitte, on the other hand, picked up his fifth loss of the season, allowing five hits on twelve runs and five walks in six innings.
The Rangers took an early lead against Pettitte, with Gary Matthews, Jr. and Michael Young hitting back-to-back doubles to begin the first inning. After Mark Teixeira got aboard with a single, Young scored on a sac fly off the bat of Hank Blalock. Things seemed to calm down in the second for Pettitte, who pitched a one-two-three inning with two strikeouts. Things took another turn for the worse in the third. After striking out the lead-off man, he gave up a single to Tex and walked Blalock. Kevin Mench picked up an RBI with a ground-rule double. After pitching to some of the Rangers’ most formidable hitters, Pettitte intentionally walked Mark DeRosa who, along with Gerald Laird (whose season has also been abbreviated by injury), has one of the highest averages on the team. Brad Wilkerson singled to score Blalock before Laird and Millwood went out on strikes to end the inning.
In the fifth, Wilkerson and Laird hit consecutive singles and Millwood sent a sacrifice down Pettitte’s way to advance the runners. With first base open, he pitched around Matthews to bring up Young, who hit a sac fly that scored Wilkerson. When Laird hit the first homerun for either team in the series in the ninth inning, it was overkill, considering the Astros hadn’t advanced a runner past first base in the previous eight innings. They did get a man all the way to third in the bottom of the ninth when Craig Biggio doubled off Francisco Cordero and advanced all the way to third when Hank Blalock bobbled a Morgan Ensberg ball. Coco did manage to protect Texas’s six-run lead though, and struck out Mike Lamb to end the game.
The Red Sox were no worse for the waiting of this weekend. It took very little time for the Sox to get to Baltimore starter Rodrigo Lopez. They did not score in the first inning, but Lopez did allow two base runners with a single and a walk before handing things over to the O-bats. They took the lead in the bottom of the first when Miguel Tejada went deep on Josh Beckett, but it was their only lead- and only run- of the evening. Baltimore only got one more hit (and no walks) off Beckett in the following six innings and one last single against Keith Foulke in the bottom of the ninth.
The Baltimore lead did not last very long at all. In the top of the second, Jason Varitek led off with a walk. Wily Mo Peña gave Boston the lead with a two-run homer. In the third, the Sox went up 6-1 with a four hit, four run inning that included a lead-off double by David Ortiz. Lopez threw a decent fourth and looked like he may settle down, but began the fifth with a single to Trot Nixon and another walk to Varitek. He was relieved of duty after giving up a triple to Mike Lowell.
Although they were already up 8-1, the Red Sox continued to pile on in the ninth inning. Jason Varitek got his second hit (and second and third RBIs) of the evening with a two-run homerun against John Halama. The Boston captain and catcher went 2-2 on the evening with three walks and three RBIs and scoring four runs. Mike Lowell went back-to-back with Tek with another homerun to bring the final score to 11-1. The O-Birds had one final hit before dropping their twelfth straight game against Boston.
Meanwhile, the Rangers, who defeated Boston in a rain-shortened evening in their last game, lent the Sox a helping hand in regaining the number one spot in the AL East. They traveled to the Bronx following the cancellation of yesterday afternoon’s game and beat the Yankees 4-2 in their house after suffering a sweep when they last met in Arlington.
Texas was scoreless through the first half of the game and trailed by two going into the fifth quarter, but they managed to tie it in an inning that began with a homerun for Brad Wilkerson and included singles for Mark DeRosa and Rod Barajas and a sacrifice fly for Michael Young.
Mike Mussina did not get any more help from his teammates to salvage a victory. Through seven innings, he had allowed just the two runs on six hits and one walk. Kevin Millwood had enjoyed a similar outing with two runs on five hits, with six strikeouts. Funnily enough, it was Millwood that had the better support from his bullpen tonight, with Francisco Cordero and Akinori Otsuka allowing only one hit while holding the Yankees scoreless in the final two innings.
Kyle Farnsworth, on the other hand, gave up a double to the first batter he faced (Matthews) when he relieved Mussina in the eighth. Matthews advanced to third on a wild pitch and scored the Rangers’ go-ahead run on a single to Mark Teixeira. After Phil Nevin drew a walk, Tex added another run to Texas’s late lead on a Hank Blalock single. With Coco throwing a solid inning and Otsuka going lights-out in the ninth, the Rangers came away with a win in their first game in New York on the year.
The Rangers extended their current winning streak to six games in the final game of their brief series against Baltimore this evening. Kevin Millwood pitched the complete game, the first Rangers pitcher to do so in nearly an entire year, and his teammates did plenty of damage to Orioles starter Bruce Chen and his ERA.
In the bottom of the second, Chen allowed three singles and a walk before getting his first out. That first pop fly from catcher Gerald Laird didn’t help much, as Chen allowed three more runs on another two singles and a sacrifice fly before he struck out Mark Teixeira, the ninth Rangers batter and third out of the inning.
Things did not improve much for Chen in the following inning, either. With two outs, Kevin Mench had a solo home run off him. After that, Brad Wilkerson singled and then scored on Nick Markakis’s fielding error of Gerald Laird’s single to left. Although Chen was not charged with that run, he picked up another two with Teixeira hitting a homerun in the fourth that also scored Mark DeRosa.
In the meantime, Kevin Millwood had not allowed a hit since the first inning. He maintained the one-hit shut-out through seven innings. In the top of the eighth, Corey Patterson and Chris Gomez got things started with a pair of singles. Patterson scored the Orioles’ first run on a Markakis’s fielder’s choice before Millwood got out of the inning. He allowed one more hit and a run in the ninth with Jay Gibbons taking it out to the Porch for a homerun.
Millwood’s four-hit, two-run complete game was a pleasant reminder of why Texas so desperately wanted to bring him here from Cleveland.
It is finally here, after all the hype! I am celebrating six months of blogging and 250 posts (if anybody is counting, that includes posts from my blog on my website before I joined the crowd here on the FOX Sports blog site at the beginning of the year). I have been talking to myself since late last fall and some people have even been listening and talking back.
To mark the occasion, I have gone through my accumulated ramblings (more for my own sake than anything else) and fished out a handful that caught my eye.
Here I am bright-siding the loss of Johnny Damon, in Moneyball-inspired fashion.
“The most important number, though? $2.75 million. That is the (relatively) bargain price Boston will be paying Coco Crisp for 2005. For a guy who's younger, has comparable stats, and has the potential to be every bit the popular personality that Damon was in Boston (if he wants to), I like our chances. George Steinbrenner can keep Johnny D. and his new $52 million four-year contract.”
This piece about former Rangers GM John Hart never got any comments on FOX Sports blogs, but I liked it. Maybe making fun of social anxiety disorder is not cool, but, in my book, the Empty Golf Shirt is fair game.
“However, this new wave of Hart-bashing seems to focus primarily on Hart’s relationship (or total lack there of) with the public and the media. I have heard many complaints about Hart hiding from (or at least avoiding) the press... There have also been implications that he eliminated the wildly popular Fan Fest because he hates the fans. All this talk got me wondering, though: what if John Hart has Social Anxiety Disorder?”
My skeptical analysis of Jon Daniels’s pitching maneuvers.
On the Young for Eaton & Otsuka: “perhaps since these are both National League pitchers, maybe they can at least hit. If they can’t pitch worth a damn, maybe we can convert them to outfielders.”
On Kevin Millwood’s Five-Year Deal: “In Millwood’s losses, he had an ERA of 3.09, which is better than many pitchers can manage over an entire season. Unfortunately, his teammates scored an average of 1.18 runs during those eleven games. With numbers like that in Cleveland, I’m curious to see how he’ll do with some run support. His 20 home runs given up in 2005 are slightly unnerving, I am going to refrain from judgment for a while- maybe until the All-Star Break.”
This is not my best piece of Mavs writing, but it certainly was one of the biggest games of the season. This was a pretty quick wrap-up of the game and does not get into as many statistics as usual- maybe that’s a good thing.
“Although consistency has been a problem for the Mavs lately, they certainly had it tonight. This was not a game where they built up a huge lead to coast on (or, worse yet, squander in the second half). Nor was it a game where they fell behind and had to fight back, digging their way out of a hole. This was a game they were in from the beginning, with Jason Terry matching Manu Ginobli’s first basket in the first eighteen seconds of the game.”
This was an exclusive on my FOX Sports blog (paradoxically because it had nothing to do with sports). It gave me a chance to vent after being immersed in the girly world in the weeks before my best friend’s wedding. Still, am I really such a freak if I try to avoid some of this insanity and enjoy sports instead?
“10. Because I’m a woman, I will demand your undivided attention during the bottom of the ninth inning and after the two-minute warning.”
This is a follow-up to a better, older piece (see below) but, with all due respect to Elton John, this is just a much catchier title.
“Yes, I know that every player would like to win and most would take the best deal offered. Way to break it down for us, though, and say it really is all about the money (and the Rocket).”
Here, I applauded the Astros for not getting suckered into arbitration with Roger Clemens. I also discussed why he might be a good mid-season acquisition for Houston or the Rangers.
“If recent history is any indication, Clemens's presence would make little difference in April. The team has a nerve-wracking tendency to get off to a horrifically slow start and pick up as the All-Star Break approaches. If Clemens decides he wants to play when 1 May rolls around, Houston can decide how badly they need or want him at that point. Everybody involved might be better off that way, especially if they have enough time to decide if they might really be better off apart.”
I put my two cents in when Vince Young decided to turn pro and enter the draft after his junior year. So far it has worked out well for him, at least.
“With the state of college athletics today, it is hard to criticize an individual for opting out. When a young man chooses to turn pro before graduation, there are different criticisms tossed about, some more reasonable than others. The most obvious problem is that he is not just an athlete but a student. By foregoing their senior years, Vince Young, Reggie Bush, and other prodigious athletes prematurely end their education and forego receiving their degrees. Is this really a travesty? As somebody with an advanced degree, I want to say yes, but I do not truly believe that it is.”
Pretty self-explanatory: on New Year’s Eve, I gave my countdown of the top sports events of 2005. It was also my first post on this site!
“April 11- Opening Day at Fenway Park. The Boston Red Sox having their World Series rings presented after the 86-year championship drought was a moment that was a lifetime in the making for many fans… Even the Yankees looked on, respectfully from the dugout during the ceremony. Speaking of the Yankees, Boston’s 8-1 victory over New York capped off that day quite nicely.”
This, too, is probably not my best analysis of a ball game, but nothing compares to opening day. I think the pictures also add a little something special (at least for me). I usually don’t bother poaching somebody else’s photos (unless an illustration is required), but I enjoyed sharing the shots I took at the game.
“I can still smell it (in my hair) and feel it (on my sun-burnt skin): Opening Day. Ladies and gentlemen, baseball season has officially kicked off, and the Boston Red Sox came to Arlington to take on the Texas Rangers in one of its first games.”
This whole series was a lot of fun to write. In the weeks leading up to Super Bowl XL, I reflected back on some of my favorite memories of Super Bowls past.
“That season was an incredible year for the Cowboys. After starting out in an 0-2 hole, including a 13-10 loss to Buffalo in an early rematch of the previous Super Bowl, the defending champions quickly went on a tear, winning seven straight games. They hit another two game skid, losing to Atlanta and then Miami on Thanksgiving Day. Despite the embarrassment of losing to the Miami Dolphins during an ice storm inside the open roof of Texas Stadium, they finished their season with another five game winning streak.”
I do need to thank those of you who do read and share your thoughts. This whole idea of writing my thoughts about sports and posting them on a public forum, such as the internet, seems less narcissistic when other people actually bother to listen and talk back. I have enjoyed sharing my thoughts with all of you and reading your posts, as well. In the four months I have been on this site, nearly one hundred different members of our blogging community have taken the time to read a post of mine and tell me what they thought, and I appreciate each comment.
I’ll raise a virtual toast to some particularly loyal (or at least vocal) readers now. HalfBaked, UltraMega, Born2play, The Sports Intellectual, Metswon, and Raerae have all dropped in and shared their thoughts. Apar4me, SoCal, Cuz, and The Dan have been particularly frequent and supportive readers. Dudski was the very first blogger to check out my blog and leave some kind words, and I have learned a lot from his blog since then. Thanks and cheers to you all!
When Kevin Millwood turned over the game to Antonio Alfonseca in the eighth inning, Texas had a 7 – 2 lead over the Cleveland Indians. After some recent struggles, the Rangers got going quickly this evening. Gary Matthews, Jr. led off with a walk to start the game, and Young, Teixeira, and Nevin followed that up with three consecutive singles. Hank Blalock and Kevin Mench added two more RBIs with a fielder’s choice and sac fly to put the Rangers ahead 3 – 0 before Cleveland sent their first batter.
Millwood had one tricky inning in the bottom of the third that began with two back-to-back singles. However, Grady Sizemore erased the two runners with a ground ball Rod Barajas used to put out Ramon Vazquez between third and the plate and Casey Blake at second. The Indians did not score against their former teammate until the fifth inning, when they strung together three hits for two runs, including a double for Blake that scored Vazquez and Ben Broussard.
With their lead narrowed down to one run, the Rangers wasted no time in roughing up starting pitcher Fausto Carmona and his reliever, Jeremy Guthrie, for five hits, including two doubles (to D’Angelo Jimenez and Matthews) and a two-run homer for Brad Wilkerson, and four runs. That brought the Rangers’ lead up to 7 – 2. Millwood gave up only two hits in two more scoreless innings before Alfonseca relieved him in the eighth inning. He allowed three hits, including a homerun, for a total of three runs in the inning.
The Rangers’ lead was shaved down to 7 – 5, but, fortunately, Akinori Otsuka had slightly better luck in the bottom of the ninth. In his first save attempt since taking over closing duties for struggling Francisco Cordero, Otsuka could have had an easier time but worked through it. He allowed a lead-off walk to Ronnie Belliard and a single to Grady Sizemore (after striking out Blake). However, Todd Hollandsworth lined into a double play to end the game.
The Rangers’ short-lived win streak came to an end tonight, halted at just four games with a 3 – 2 loss to the Oakland A’s. Kevin Millwood’s hopes of a second win were dashed early on, in the sixth inning, as well. He struggled with his control through the first several innings and left after the fifth, handing a slim 1 – 0 lead to C.J. Wilson.
Although the Rangers lost, Kevin Mench’s hitting streak continued. The solo home run he hit in his first at bat extended his streak consecutive-game hitting streak to nine and was the fourth straight game in which he homered. After going ten games and two and a a half weeks into the season without an RBI, the outfielder had been pegged as a slow or non-starter, but he went 3 – 4 tonight, batting Phil Nevin in for his fourteenth RBI of the season (and the Rangers’ only other run of the game). How’s that for new shoes?
Unfortunately for Texas, Kevin Millwood is not having such good luck at the moment. Although he did hold Oakland scoreless through the first five innings, he could not get his pitches where he wanted them. Nearly half of his pitches (45 of 96) were balls, well off his usual ratio (he has averaged about 1 ball / 3 pitches so far this season). With those extra balls came extra walks and a lot of them. In twenty-five innings pitched before tonight, Millwood had walked just one batter and had not given up a base on balls since opening day. Tonight, in five innings, he walked six more, including Eric Chavez three times, in addition to giving up four hits.
Remarkably, Millwood escaped without any runs. Oakland, after stranding ten, did not get on the board until C.J. Wilson took the mound in the sixth. After Mark Kotsay drew a walk with two outs, Nick Swisher and Eric Chavez hit back-to-back home runs to put the A’s up 3 – 1. The Rangers got one back in the bottom of the inning when Phil Nevin, after leading off with a double, scored on Mench’s single.
Antonio Alfonseca and Ron Mahay held Oakland scoreless, with just three hits, in the next two innings before Akinori Otsuka struck out the side in the top of the ninth. However, the Texas bats had nothing going. They stranded two runners in the seventh and another in the eighth, wasting a double from Gary Matthews, Jr. and singles from Michael Young and Mench.
With two outs in the bottom of the ninth, Young reached on an error by Marco Scutaro. It seemed as if the Rangers might be showing signs of life when the count went full on Mark Teixeira after a called strike with a 3 – 1 count. On the next pitch, however, he grounded out to left field to end the game.
Elsewhere in the Lone Star State, the Dodgers were down 2 – 1 in the top of the ninth against the Astros when Nomar Garciaparra came to bat with the bases loaded. It was only his second game of the season after starting out on the DL when he hit a grand slam to put LA up 5 – 2. The Dodgers ended up defeating Houston 6 – 2 and robbing Andy Pettitte of what would have been his second win of the season. Brandon Lidge picked up the blown save and loss for the Astros, while Pettitte, who carried a no-hitter into the seventh inning, remains 1 – 3.
The Rangers had a couple firsts for the season tonight. Kevin Millwood picked up his first win of the season, and Texas won the opening game of their series, which they had yet to do.
Texas also handed Oakland’s Barry Zito his second loss of the season after touching him for five runs off six hits, two walk, a hit batter, and wild pitch. Zito started off the inning by getting a little too close to Phil Nevin and then walking Hank Blalock. He did manage to fan Rod Barajas and Brad Wilkerson but then walked Mark DeRosa to load the bases. Zito only gave up one hit in the inning, but his two-out single to D’Angelo Jimenez allowed two runs in.
The fourth inning got even uglier for the Oakland “ace” (as they continually referred to Zito during the game). Blalock led off with a double and then scored off a Barajas single. Wilkerson hit another double before Zito got an out, with an RBI sac fly for DeRosa. He went on to score on a wild pitch before Zito got out of the inning. By then, the Rangers were up 5 – 0.
The A’s did not get any of their runs back until the bottom of the fifth when Frank Thomas led off with a homer. They picked up another run when Nick Swisher scored on a Dan Johnson base hit after doubling to deep right.
After Millwood got the A’s out in order in the sixth, he had a close call in the seventh. Milton Bradley and Swisher each reached on singles before Jason Kendall grounded into a double play to end the inning. The double play was a bit of a nail-biter as Jimenez was a bit slow with the relay to first, but they pulled it off. Fortunately, the Rangers wasted no more time getting their bullpen going and Akinori Otsuka came in for the setup in the eighth. He did allow a pair of two-out hits before ending the inning with a ground-out to Eric Chavez.
During the ninth inning, Adrian Brown scored on a double from Gary Matthews, Jr. after singling and stealing second. With the insurance run, the bullpen no longer had a save opportunity. Perhaps fortuitously, that brought out Antonio Alfonseca instead of Coco in the bottom of the ninth. Although Milton Bradley went deep to bring the score to 6 – 3, Alfonseca still managed to escape with the win for Millwood and the Rangers. At least there is no longer any reason to fear getting swept in Oakland, and, with the A’s ace out of the way, Texas may even pick up another win before moving on to Seattle.
"Basketball, football, baseball- if it has balls, I'm all over it. Puck hockey."
I am a Red Sox fanatic and otherwise sports-obsess ed nut. Favorite teams include: Boston Red Sox, Los Angeles Dodgers, Houston Astros and Texas Rangers; Kansas City Chiefs and New England Patriots; Dallas Mavericks and Boston Celtics.
I’ll raise a virtual toast to some particularly loyal (or at least vocal) readers now. 
