I'm not really that upset about last night's loss. It was disappointing, sure, but the Rangers were running a rookie out there against one of the best pitchers in baseball. King Felix was great last night, and it was only by some remarkable good fortune that the Rangers scored a run.
Tommy Hunter was terrific, so you have to feel good about that. And C.J. Wilson, who has been great this year, just left a pitch up to Franklin Gutierrez. Yeah, I think it would have made sense to bring Frankie Francisco in in that situation...but then, Francisco hasn't exactly been sharp of late, he's been homer-prone recently, and since coming off the d.l., I think the Rangers are trying to be cautious with him, and use him for fewer 4 out saves.
I probably would have preferred to have seen Francisco face Gutierrez in that situation, but I can understand leaving Wilson in there. And Junior Griffey deserves a ton of credit for fouling off a bunch of pitches and working a walk against C.J. right before the homer. That, to me, was a huge at bat, and a guy C.J. needed to get.
Jeff Wilson's game story focuses on the Griffey walk, with Ron Washington saying it was the key AB of the night.
Despite the quiet night from the bats last night, the offense has awakened since Josh Hamilton's return from the disabled list.
Nelson Cruz apparently isn't thrilled that he's sat three straight days, but is going to keep working and preparing as if he's starting, so he'll be ready when he goes back out there.
Richard Durrett has some thoughts on last night's game, as well.