Brandon McCarthy got the start for Texas last night, but unfortunately he didn’t stay in the game long enough to get the win. He deserved a win (which he didn’t get) in his last outing, when he pitched 7 2/3 scoreless innings, but the bullpen gave away the game. In last night’s outing, he pitched 4 2/3 innings, but he gave up all 4 of the Mariners runs for the night during his stint.The Rangers were leading 3-0 early in the game. But the Mariners came back to score 3 runs in the bottom of the 4th inning to tie up the score, and another run in the bottom of the 5th to lead the Rangers 4-3. And that was when McCarthy came out of the game.
Dustin Nippert came in to pitch 2 1/3 innings of scoreless relief, and he did a fantastic job. He came in with a runner at first base and 2 outs in the 5th inning, and he got the Rangers out of the inning to keep the game close.
In the top of the 8th inning, Andruw Jones stepped up to the plate to lead off the inning. And, amazingly enough, he got a double on a line drive! Luckily, Ron Washington realized that Andruw Jones is not a guy that you want running the bases in a clutch situation, and he replaced him with pinch runner Esteban German. 
Taylor Teagarden came up next and struck out for the first out of the inning. Then Elvis Andrus worked a walk to put runners on 1st and 2nd. Julio Borbon lined out for the 2nd out of the inning. And then Michael Young stepped up to the plate. 
Michael Young singled to right fielder Ichiro Suzuki. Esteban German really turned on the burners coming down the third base line, and I got a sinking feeling in my stomach as I watched Ichiro fire the ball to home plate. Ichiro has a cannon attached to his shoulder. The play at the plate was close, but not nearly as close as I had feared, and Esteban slid behind the tag to tie the game 4-4!
The 2 teams were still tied going into the top of the 9th inning. And it didn’t look good as the Rangers got 2 outs before they got their first baserunner. Then Chris Davis hit a single to left field to start a Rangers’ rally. Nice!
At this point, Wash realized that CD wasn’t looking too great on that sore hammy, and he replaced him with speedy runner Craig Gentry. So Taylor Teagarden was coming to the plate with 2 outs and 2 on. Uh oh. Taylor hasn’t gotten into very many games this year (only 58 out of 160), and his batting average is only .214. Probably not the guy you want in a clutch situation.
But Taylor came through with a single, and Craig Gentry hauled @$$ to score, putting the Rangers ahead 5-4. Thank you, Taylor!!! Runners at the corners, still 2 outs.Game Notes:
Marlon Byrd
*Marlon Byrd started last night’s game after missing the previous two games with a strained hip capsule. Hank Blalock was also expected to start last night, but he missed his 2nd straight game due to a mild concussion.
*Chris Davis went 3-for-5 last night, and it was his second night in a row to do that. These 3-for-5 outings come after 2 days riding the bench, resting his sore hamstring. In his last 2 games, he has been DHing, so he won’t be tempted to stretch at 1st base and cause himself further injury. CD credits his 2 days of rest with his power at the plate, because he says that taking those days off took away some pressure. Davis said, “Even though I was rehabbing the hamstring, it was good to sit back and watch a few games and take a break. It’s probably helped me that I’m not trying to do anything like go up there and hit the ball out of the ballpark. Instead, I’m just doing what I can and taking nice, easy swings.” Keep it up!!
Julio Borbon
*Julio Borbon started in center field last night for the first time, and unfortunately he didn’t do such a great job. He doesn’t have a very strong or accurate arm, and he will certainly have to work on that in the off-season. In tonight’s game, he’s supposed to start against a left-handed pitcher for the first time in the Bigs, and I’m anxious to see how he handles it.*With their win last night, the Rangers assured their #2 spot in the AL West division. I knew it would be a pride thing for the Rangers to be able to finish in 2nd place instead of 3rd, but I didn’t know that there was a monetary incentive. T.R. Sullivan said in an article on the Rangers’ website today, “Finishing second in any division means some extra pocket money for every player. Last year it was worth approximately $12,000 per player.” Huh. Interesting. This means that the Rangers have now finished 2nd in the AL West for the second straight year, after 8 straight years of placing no higher than 3rd place.
Tonight’s pitching matchup: Tommy Hunter (9-5) against Ryan Rowland-Smith (4-4). Tommy is coming off his worst outing of the season, and Ryan is coming off his best outing of the season. In Tommy’s last start, he went less than 5 innings for the first time in 18 starts this year, and he gave up 7 earned runs in 2 1/3 innings against the Angels. It was just bad. That was the first game in the series against the Angels, and the Rangers knew they had to win out to make the post-season. I think Tommy just buckled under the pressure. 
Baseball Addict 