Two of three from the hated Angels, in Anaheim? Hank Blalock with a game-winning grand slam in his first game in over three months? C.J. pulling a Cordero, giving up a couple of runs and walking Vlad with the bases loaded before striking out Garret Anderson to lock down the game?
Geez...if only we were still in the playoff race.
And don't look now, but if the season ended today, the Rangers would have the 11th pick of the draft. That's right, there are currently 10 teams with a worse record than the Rangers. And if the Rangers win tonight against Kansas City, they'll be less than 10 games under .500 for the first time since May 22, when a loss to Johan Santana and the Twins dropped the Rangers to 18-28 on the season.
Of course, the last time the Rangers were 10 games under and starting a series against the Royals, they got swept. For what it is worth...
Blalock and Wilson are the focus of Evan Grant's game story today, with Grant pointing out the great job Blalock did working the count all game, and fighting off tough pitches with 2 strikes against Scot Shields in the 8th before getting one he could drive.
Grant also says that Guillermo Quiroz will get called up today to give the Rangers a third catcher, with Chris Stewart likely staying in the minors. In addition, Eric Hurley had his final start for Oklahoma this weekend, giving up 4 runs in 4 innings, giving him a 4.91 ERA for the season in AAA and a total of 162 innings overall for the year.
Those two numbers, along with his late struggles, should be enough to quell any calls for Hurley to get called up for September. He had a terrific year, and is poised to join the Rangers at some point during the 2008 season...there's no need to bring him up now.
Dave Sessions says Nelson Cruz was pulled from the game yesterday because of an upset stomach. Also from Sessions, Brandon McCarthy says he's 90% sure that he'll pitch again this season, and thinks it will be beneficial to get 2-3 more starts in before the season is over.