Rangers Weather The Storm, Beat Yankees 7-3.

Texas 1st baseman Chris Davis celebrates after hitting a solo home run, Davis hit 2 home runs on the day to help the Rangers to victory.
The Texas Rangers weathered not only an actual storm (which delayed the start of the game 2 hours and 24 minutes) but a storm of Yankee hits (13 to be exact) to pull out a win.

Texas managed to knock Joba Chamberlain out of the game early after scoring 3 runs on him in only 4 innings of work. The Rangers then knocked around the New York bullpen to the tune of 4 more runs in their 4 innings of pitching. Yankees' relief pitcher Alfredo Aceves allowed 3 earned runs and saw his ERA jump from 1.84 to 3.24 and received the loss (3-1).

Ranger starting pitcher Kevin Millwood managed to get through 5.2 innings but faltered after the Rangers gave him a 3-0 lead after 4 innings. Millwood walked 4 batters, allowed 9 hits, and 3 earned runs. Jason Jennings relieved Millwood to get the final out of the top of the 5th and the first out of the 6th before his night was done. Jennings got the win (2-1). Texas managed to persevere through New York's 13 hits by turning 3 double plays on the game. New York left 12 runners on base for the game.

The Rangers bottom of the 1st started out with a triple from Ian Kinsler that turned out to be insignificant. Michael Young followed Kinsler with a grounder to the third base side. Kinsler tried to fake to home in order to create some hesitancy in New York 3rd baseman Alex Rodriguez but his plan backfired as Rodriguez faked a throw to first and immediately ran at the 3rd base bag. A-Rod dove and touched the bag with the ball in his hand and in a close play Kinsler was out at 3rd on a fielder's choice. Amazing play by Rodriguez, somewhat of a head-scratching decision on Ian's part. Josh Hamilton came up next and hit into another fielder's choice, this time Young was out at second. The inning that started out with a runner on 3rd and 0 outs was now 2 outs and J-Ham on 1st. Luckily for the Rangers, hot hitting Nelson Cruz came up to bat next and knocked a double to left field that put runners on 2nd and 3rd. David Murphy followed with a walk to load the bases and then Marlon Byrd hit a 2-2 pitch to right field for a single. Josh Hamilton and Nelson Cruz both scored, giving the Rangers their first lead of the series at 2-0. Chris Davis followed with his 67th strikeout of the season to end the inning.

Texas struck again in the bottom of the 4th in their first at-bat of the inning. Chris Davis ended a 1 for 30 slump on an 0-1 pitch that he sent deep over the center field wall, making it 3-0 Rangers. That would be all for Texas though as Jarrod Saltalamacchia struck out and Omar Vizquel and Ian Kinsler both flied out to end the inning.

The Yankees would strike back quickly in the top of the 5th. Kevin Millwood started off the inning strong as he got New York shortstop Derek Jeter to ground out and then left fielder Johnny Damon to fly out to get 2 quick outs. Unfortunately for the Rangers Ace, the first pitch Yankees 1st baseman Mark Texeira saw was driven deep to right field into the upper deck for a home run that put New York on the board 3-1. Yankees 3rd baseman Alex Rodriguez reached next on an infield single that bounced off of Millwood's hand, but that was all for New York as 2nd baseman Robinson Cano hit a liner to Ian Kinsler's glove to end the inning.

New York wasn't finished yet and continued their string of hits in the top of the 6th. Yankees center fielder Brett Gardner (who came into the game in the 1st inning after Melky Cabrera was injured chasing Ian Kinsler's triple) led off the inning with a single and then stole second base. New York had 5 steals and Gardner had 3 by himself for the game. Yankees DH Hideki Matsui followed with a double to right field that scored Gardner and reduced the Rangers lead to 3-2. Kevin Millwood got right fielder Nick Swisher to strike out but then allowed catcher Francisco Cervelli to single to center field scoring Matsui from 2nd base, and tying the game at 3-3. Derek Jeter followed by hitting into a fielder's choice in which Cervelli was out at second, New York was down to their final out of the inning. Jeter stole second but it didn't matter as Millwood walked Johnny Damon who would be the last batter he faced. Millwood was done after 5 2/3 innings with 2 on and 2 out and Jason Jennings was brought in to clean up his mess. Jennings made a great defensive play after Mark Texeira hit a weak ground ball down the first base line that Jennings charged and made a great throw to 1st to end the inning.

The Texas bottom of the 6th started out harmlessly with a David Murphy groundout to 2nd base. Marlon Byrd followed with a double down the right field line. Byrd was 2-4 on the day with 2 RBI's and 1 run. Chris Davis was next and struck out for his 68th of the season. Jarrod Saltalamacchia came up to bat next and delivered with a single to right field that scored Byrd and gave Texas the lead back at 4-3. Omar Vizquel fouled out to end the inning.

The bottom of the 7th started out quick for Texas after Ian Kinsler hit a single on the first pitch he saw and Michael Young hit a double on his first pitch which combined to end the night for Alfredo Aceves. Phil Coke relieved Aceves and the first batter he faced was Josh Hamilton. Hamilton grounded into a sacrifice fielder's choice that scored Kinsler from 3rd and made it 5-3 Rangers. Nelson Cruz was intentionally walked which led to David Murphy hitting a sac fly to center field that scored Michael Young from third and gave Texas even more distance from the Yankees on the scoreboard 6-3. Marlon Byrd flied out to end the inning.

Texas wasn't finished padding their lead yet and the bottom of the 8th started the same way the 4th did; with a Chris Davis home run. Davis took a 1-1 pitch deep over the right field that hit the Kia sign just below the upper deck. Davis was 2-4 on the day with 2 solo home runs and 2 strikeouts. Texas led 7-3 with no outs but the inning would end after a strikeout from Salty, a groundout by Vizquel, and a fly out by Ian Kinsler.

Frank Francisco came for the bottom of the 9th (even though it wasn't a save situation) and didn't allow the heart of the Yankees order to hit the ball beyond the infield. Francisco got Texeira to ground out to second, A-Rod to pop out to the short stop, and the only hit he allowed was an infield single to Robinson Cano. After getting behind in the count 3-0 to Brett Gardner, Francisco settled down and got 3 consecutive strikes looking to end the game.

Texas Wins 7-3

News and Notes:

• Texas is now 27-18, the best record in the American League.
• The Rangers now have a 4-game lead on the Los Angeles Angels after their loss against the Chicago White Sox 4-2.
• Texas has the best record in the American League and the 2nd best in the entire Major Leagues behind the Dodgers. (Didn't know if you saw that the first time and yes I know its early)
• Texas is tied with New York with the best road record in the American league at 12-11.
• Chris Davis hit his 11th and 12th home runs of the year and is now tied for the team lead with Nelson Cruz and Ian Kinsler. Each are tied for 5th in the American League.
• Rangers Closer Frank Francisco still has not allowed a run this year in 16 and 2/3 innings.

The final game of the New York-Texas 3-game series is tomorrow at 7:05 pm central time. It will be the Yankees final game in Arlington this season. The Rangers go to New York for a 3 game series starting next Tuesday (June 2nd).

Orlando Wins 116-114, Takes Commanding Lead 3-1.

LeBron James was spectacular again with 44 points, 12 rebounds, and 7 assists; but yet another amazing 3-pointer at the end of the game (4 seconds remaining in OT) couldn't save the Cavaliers as Orlando now has to win just 1 of the next 3 games to advance.

The Cleveland Cavaliers led by 8 at halftime but their lead had diminished by the 4th as Orlando (who began to take over in the second half) had chipped Cleveland's lead down to 1 at 79-78. The Magic got ahead by as much as 8 in the fourth but couldn't hold on late. Orlando was down 98-97 with 6 seconds left until Rashard Lewis made a turnaround 3-point jumper that gave the Magic a 100-98 lead with only 4 seconds remaining. Then the referee's got involved and bailed the Cavs out with less than a second remaining (0.5). LeBron James drove wildly to the basket and it appeared as though he had tripped over his own feet while simultaneously losing the ball and pushing his defender (Mickael Pietrus) to the ground. Of course, King James got the call and made both free throws including the second which hit every part of the rim before going in, tying the game at 100 all with 0.5 to go. Then, on the other end, Orlando had one last shot to prevent overtime. It appeared as though Dwight Howard was clearly fouled by Anderson Varejao on a lob attempt to the basket, but the refs swallowed their whistles and Overtime was guaranteed.

The OT period was extremely close and the largest lead was when Orlando pulled away and got up 111-105 with 1:12 remaining in overtime. LeBron James immediately brought the Cavs back to within 2 after he got a dunk and made 2 free throws in less than 30 seconds. Orlando responded by going into the paint to Dwight Howard who got fouled and made both of his free throws to give the Magic a 113-109 lead with 21 seconds remaining. Howard made another great play, this time on the defensive end on a James drive to the basket, as he completed capped LeBron which resulted in a jump ball. The Cavaliers managed to steal the tip from Orlando as Delonte West ended up with the ball. James subsequently missed a 3 pointer but Zydrunas Ilgauskas got the offensive rebound and was fouled. After 2 made free throws from Big Z with 7 seconds remaining made it 113-111 Magic, Cleveland quickly fouled Rashard Lewis on the in-bounds play with only 1 second going off the clock. Lewis made both free throws (making it 115-111) and the Cavs took a 20 second timeout with 6 seconds remaining on the game clock. Then it was time for another Horse shot from the King. LeBron James put up a fall away into the Orlando bench three pointer that somehow went in and made it a 1 point game with 4 seconds left. Rashard Lewis was fouled again and only hit 1 of 2 free throws but Cleveland had no more timeouts and couldn't advance the ball. This resulted in a 38 foot shot from LeBron that grazed the left side of the basket to end the game; 116-114 Orlando Magic. Dwight Howard had 10 of Orlando's 16 total points in Overtime after scoring only 4 points in the 3rd and 4th quarters combined.

Orlando's Dwight Howard had 27 points (62.5% shooting), 14 boards, 4 assists, and 3 blocks but the real hero was Rafer 'Skip To My Lou' Alston who had 26 points on 10 for 17 shooting and also went 6 of 12 from distance to lead Orlando's 3 point brigade. The Magic had 80 total field goal attempts for the game. Of those 80, nearly half were from three (38) and Orlando made 17 of those (44.7%) to break their previous franchise record for made three pointers in a game. Who says "jump shooting" teams can't win in the playoffs?

Cleveland, on the other hand, had over 50 points in the paint but were dreadful from behind the arc as they only hit 6 of the 22 three's they attempted (27.3%). Although LeBron was a monster scoring the basketball, on the boards, and in getting his teammates good looks at the rim; critics will note that he did have 8 turnovers for the game including 6 in the 4th quarter and Overtime combined.

• Only 8 teams in NBA history have come back from being down 3-1 in a 7 game playoff series.

Texas Loses The Game 4-3; Gets Swept For The Series.

Nelson Cruz tagged out trying to score a run in the top of the 2nd inning. Texas had the bases loaded and only 1 out in the inning but could not capitalize.


Texas rallied back from down 3-1 in the top of the 8th to tie it at 3-3 but Millwood couldn't hold the tie in the bottom of the 8th and the Rangers lost their 3rd straight game.

The Detroit Tigers, on the other hand, have now won 6 straight games and were led by their starter Edwin Jackson. Jackson came into the game 2nd in the American League in ERA at 2.42 and did not disappoint as he only allowed 3 earned runs, had 7 strikeouts, and scattered 7 hits in 8 innings of work. He improved to 4-2 on the season with the win. Fernando Rodney pitched for the 3rd consecutive game and got his 2nd straight save for his 8th of the season.

Kevin Millwood, 8th in the AL in ERA, had a normally adequate outing with 8 innings pitched and 4 earned runs on 6 hits; but the Rangers couldn't put enough runs on the board to win the game. Millwood got the loss and is now 4-4 for the season. Home runs led to his downfall as he allowed 2 for the game which led to 3 runs for the Tigers. Both pitchers combined to throw 253 pitches for the game.

Texas started it off in the top of the 1st, after an Ian Kinsler pop out, David Murphy took the second pitch that he saw deep over the right field wall to make it 1-0 Rangers. It was his 2nd home run of the season. The runs would stop there, though, as Michael Young and Hank Blalock had consecutive ground outs to the shortstop to end the inning.

Unfortunately for the Rangers, Detroit came right back in the bottom of the 1st to tie it. After a fly out to center field by Tigers center fielder Curtis Granderson and 2nd baseman Placido Polanco grounded out; Clete Thomas hit a monster home run over center that tied the game at 1-1. It was Thomas' 1st home run of the year. Millwood got Detroit DH-first baseman Miguel Cabrera to ground out to him to end the inning.

Texas had the bases loaded with only 1 out in the top of the second but couldn't take advantage. It all began after Marlon Byrd grounded out to start the inning. Nelson Cruz singled to center field and then Chris Davis followed with a walk on 4 pitches. This was a wild inning for Edwin Jackson as he walked Jarrod Saltalamacchia next on 4 pitches also. Elvis Andrus followed with a fly ball out to right field. Nelson Cruz tried to tag up and score on the play from 3rd but was called out on a close play at the plate. 2 quick outs and Jackson survived the inning.

Detroit shortstop Adam Everett led off the bottom of the 3rd with a walk on 5 pitches. The Tigers back-up catcher Dane Sardinha struck out looking and then Millwood made a pitch to Curtis Granderson that he would regret. After getting down in the count 2-0, Millwood hung a breaking ball that Granderson took deep over the right field wall for his 11th home run of the year and Detroit had gained the lead 3-1.

Texas came back in the top of the 8th starting with a David Murphy walk. Murphy was 3 for 3 on the day with 2 walks, 2 runs scored, a homer, and an RBI. Michael Young followed with a pop-out but then Hank Blalock scorched a double to right field that gave the Rangers runners on 2nd and 3rd with only 1 out in the inning. Marlon Byrd came up to bat next and couldn't capitalize as he lined out to the shortstop. Nelson Cruz stepped up to the plate and knocked the ball into the gap in center field for a bases clearing double that made it 3-3 all. Nelson Cruz then stole third and he was 2-4 on the day with 2 RBI's and 2 steals. Chris Davis followed with a walk that gave Texas runners on the corners with 2 outs. Unfortunately for the Rangers, Jarrod Saltalamacchia struck out swinging to end the inning.

The bottom of the 8th started out well for Millwood after he got Dane Sardinha to strike out and Curtis Granderson to ground out to begin the inning. Placido Polanco was next in the order and knocked a single to center field. Millwood then walked Clete Thomas to put 2 on with 2 outs for the inning. Miguel Cabrera took advantage with a single to center field that scored Polanco from 2nd and gave Detroit a 4-3 lead they would not relinquish. Millwood got the next batter, 1st baseman Kevin Larish, to ground out to end the inning.

Texas threatened again in the top of the 9th after Elvis Andrus walked and David Murphy singled but Ian Kinsler struck out and Michael Young grounded out into a double play to end the game.

Rangers Lose 4-3.

News and Notes:

• Texas had 5 steals as a team for the game (2 by Nelson Cruz). Texas in 6th as a team in Major League Baseball with 29 steals on the season. Ian Kinsler leads the team with 10 and is 8th in the American League.
• Texas has now lost 3 games in a row after winning 7 straight.
• The Rangers have lost 11 games in a row in Detroit dating back to September of 2007.
  
• This was the first series Texas has lost in the month of May.
• Texas is now 23-17 for the season and still in 1st in the AL West; leading the Angels by 2.5 games.
  

Detroit comes to Arlington starting July 27th for a 3 game series.

Texas Wins With Pitching, Defense, and Clutch Hitting 3-0

Rangers starter Scott Feldman went 6 innings and didn't allow a run on 4 hits. The Texas pitching staff combined to throw a 5 hit shutout against The Los Angeles Angels.

The Texas Rangers continue to surprise baseball fans everywhere with their play in the month May. Texas is now 13-3 this month and have won 7 straight games overall.

This game was tied 0-0 until the bottom of the 7th inning when the Rangers' batters got it going. Hank Blalock led off the inning with a double to right field on a 1-2 pitch, Blalock was 1-4 on the day. Nelson Cruz got his first and only hit of the day also as he hit a single to left field which put runners on the corners with 0 outs in the inning. David Murphy followed with the go-ahead Sac Fly that scored Blalock from 3rd and gave the Rangers a 1-0 lead. A Chris Davis fielder's choice and a Jarrod Saltalamacchia ground-out ended the inning.

Texas wasn't done as Omar Vizquel began the bottom of the 8th with a triple to the left field corner. Ian Kinsler didn't waste any time and hit the first pitch he saw to deep left field for a double that scored Vizquel, making it 2-0 Rangers. After Michael Young struck out swinging to record the first Texas out of the inning, Marlon Byrd hit another pitch down that same left field line for another double that scored Kinsler from second, giving the Rangers a 3-0 lead. Consecutive strikeouts by Hank Blalock and Nelson Cruz ended the inning, but the 3 runs were all Texas would need going into the 9th.

Darren O'Day came into the game and got the final out for the Rangers for the 8th inning. He returned for the 9th and got the save as he struck out 2 Angels batters and retired all four of the batters he faced for the game. It was O'Day's second save of the season.

Rangers Win 3-0

News and Notes:

• Texas is now 6th in the American League in ERA (4.54), 5th in opponent Batting Average (.260), and first in Saves with 12.
  
• Josh Hamilton made a spectacular catch in the top of the 7th which likely prevented a run from being scored, but injured his groin on the play. He is listed as Day-to-Day.
• Ian Kinsler was 1-3 for the day and collected his 32nd RBI of the season, tying him for 8th in the American League.
• Texas drew their largest crowd of the season with 37,146 fans in attendance.

The Texas Rangers go to Detroit next for a 3-game series starting Tuesday at 6:05 pm.

The Texas Rangers Win In Walk-Off Fashion For the Second Straight Game 3-2

Chris Davis is mobbed at home plate as the Rangers get yet another come from behind victory.

Texas Gets It Done Again Using Great Starting Pitching and The Long Ball
For the second straight game the Rangers refused to quit, as they were down late in the game. Chris Davis hit a 2-run walk off home run to center field to win it for Texas in the bottom of the 9^th. Matt Harrison pitched his second consecutive complete game and allowed 2 runs on 5 hits to go along with 7 strikeouts to get his 4th win of the season (4-2). Harrison lowered his ERA on the season to 4.23.

Felix Hernandez was brilliant for the Mariners as he pitched 7 innings, had 6 K's, and didn't allow a run on 4 Ranger hits. Mariner closer Brandon Morrow couldn't hold it again as he allowed 3 runs on 3 hits (2 home runs) and only got 1 out before the game was through.

Rangers starting pitcher Matt Harrison went into the top of the 4th with 23 consecutive innings without allowing a run. The inning began for Seattle with a single from 2nd baseman Jose Lopez. DH Mike Sweeney followed with a fly out to center and then 3rd baseman Adrian Beltre doubled to deep right center that advanced Lopez from first to third. Seattle had runners on 2nd and 3rd with only 1 out in the inning. 1st baseman Russell Branyan was next up and hit a grounder to Matt Harrison who got the out at first, allowing Lopez to score from 3rd which put Seattle on the board first with a 1-0 lead. Left fielder Wladimir Balentien continued the inning with a double into the left-center field gap that scored Beltre and gave the Mariners a 2-0 lead. Seattle catcher Rob Johnson popped out to end the inning.

Brandon Morrow came into the game in the bottom of the 9th and the first batter he would face was the same one who hit a game-winning 2 run double off of him last night: Hank Blalock. Blalock came up to bat and worked the count to 3-2 before unloading on a high 95 mph fastball. He absolutely crushed the ball as it ended up landing 8 rows deep in the upper deck, narrowing the defecit to 2-1. Nelson Cruz try to follow with another home run but got underneath the pitch and hit a sky high pop up to the shortstop. David Murphy came up to bat and got his only hit of the day at the right time; a double to the right field corner. Chris Davis laid off of the first two high fastballs he saw that were out of the strike zone to get ahead in the count 2-0. Morrow threw another high fastball that was actually in the strike zone and Davis was behind the 96 mph pitch and popped it up into the stands behind home plate. Davis wasn't fooled on the next one as he knew immediately after the ball hit the bat that it was gone as he flipped his bat and ran the bases with his head down, never once looking at the ball. Rangers flooded the field from the dug-out, Davis had hit a 2-run home run to win it.

Rangers Win 3-2

News and Notes:

• Texas has won 4 straight games and their record is 20-14 on the season.
• Texas has now beaten Seattle every time they have played this season (5-0).
• The Rangers are now 9-3 in May with a 3.06 team ERA in the month.
• Matt Harrison won his 4th straight start, improving his record to a team leading 4-2 on the season. His ERA was 7.98 at the start of his winning streak (4.23 now).
  
• Hank Blalock and Chris Davis continue to be tied for the team lead in home runs with 10. Blalock went 1-4 with a home run and Davis was 2-4 on the day with a 2-run home-run.
• Michael Young went 2-4 and has continued to surge since being injured for 2 games earlier in the month. Young leads the team (minimum 50 AB's) with a .348 batting average.
• Ian Kinsler continued his mini-slump and is now 0-7 his last 2 games.

This was a great game to relieve a Mavs induced (maybe some alchohal too?) hang-over, maybe the Rangers are actually going to do something this year (haha jk). Texas now has a 2 game lead on the Los Angeles Angels, who come to town for 3-games starting tomorrow night a 7:05.