Michael Young (above) scores the game-winner on Nelson Cruz's sac-fly in the ninth inning. Texas won despite a one-run disadvantage after Josh Hamilton's obvious home run was called a ground-ruled double. (AP Photo/LM Otero)The Texas Rangers (23-18) continue to have home success, even in a game like Wednesday night where things didn't go there way.
Down 2-1 to the Baltimore Orioles (13-28) in the bottom of the fourth inning, Josh Hamilton knocked a 2-0 pitch just over the left field wall on what appeared to be his second home run of the game. Hamilton had already supplied the first run of the game for the Rangers on a solo shot to center, but this time, because the ball bounced off a metal piece that connects the wall to the scoreboard and back onto the field, it was ruled a double. Replays showed that the ball had not hit the top of the wall and, if crew chief Dana DeMuth had taken a look, the call would have been reversed.
"It should have been a home run," DeMuth said after watching a postgame replay.
Luckily for Texas, despite stranding 12 runners on the night and going 1 for 14 with runners in scoring positions, they were able to rally in the seventh. Even though they couldn't get the ball out of the infield, two Orioles' errors in the seventh allowed two Texas runs to come in and the Rangers took a 3-2 lead going into the eighth.
Rich Harden settled down after loading the bases and allowing two quick runs in the second inning. Harden used his fastball, which was consistently in the mid 90's, to get up in the count on hitters and Baltimore didn't get many good pitches to hit. He had some of his best stuff all-season long and he finished the game after 5 1-3, scattering eight hits, allowing two earned and striking out six batters. The Orioles tied it up in the eighth inning, 3-3, after Rangers' reliever Chris Ray allowed a walk and a couple of two-out singles that scored a run and gave Harden his third straight no decision.
Texas rallied in the ninth, leading off with Michael Young's double into the gap off the glove of the diving short stop Cesar Izturis. Ian Kinsler followed with a walk, Vlad Guerrero flied out, and then Hamilton walked to load the bases with one-out for Nelson Cruz. On the second pitch he saw, Cruz knocked a fly ball just deep enough to center to score Young from third on the sac fly. Even though Texas shouldn't of needed to play the bottom of the ninth in the first place if the umpires had done their job right, Young didn't hold any ill-will after the game.
"There's no reason for us to sit here and bury the ump and state the obvious," Young said. "It's over and we won the game, and it ended up being a non-factor."
That's three straight wins for the Texas Rangers, by a combined three runs. These guys seem to have a penchant for the dramatic and these one-run games are beginning to pile up.
Texas and Baltimore close out their two-game quickie Thursday night. Scott Feldman (1-4, 5.89 ERA) gets the start for the Rangers while Brian Matusz (2-3, 4.18) takes the hill for the Orioles with a scheduled 7:05 p.m. start time.
(Portions of this article were taken from The Associated Press)
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