When last we left the 2011 Texas Rangers Timeline, the team was coming off an 18-9 July and had high hopes that the bullpen issues -- which had been a problem all season -- had been solved with the trade deadline acquisitions of Koji Uehara and Mike Adams.
The Rangers began August with a two game lead in the American League West and had been in first place for all but 10 days on the season.
The final game of July completed a lousy series loss to the Toronto Blue Jays:
Game 109 - July 31 - 61-48 1st Place lead 2.0 - Texas @ Toronto:
Blue Jays 7, Rangers 3
Game 110 - August 2 - 61-49 1st Place lead 1.0 - Texas @ Detroit:
Tigers 6, Rangers 5
The first game after the trade deadline saw Mike Adams make his Rangers' debut and allow an 8th inning home run to break a 5-5 tie after the Rangers had evened the game with three runs in the top of the inning. Oops.
Game 111 - August 3 - 61-50 1st Place lead 1.0 - Texas @ Detroit:
Tigers 5, Rangers 4
This was the Rangers fourth consecutive loss against the Tigers at Comerica and all were by one-run. Comerica remains cursed.
Game 112 - August 4 - 62-50 1st Place lead 1.0 - Texas @ Detroit:
Rangers 5, Tigers 2
Alexi Ogando at Comerica on the season: 13 2/3 innings, 2 ER, Other Rangers starters at Comerica on the season: 19 2/3 innings, 12 ER. Ogando is confirmed immune to the Comerica curse.
Game 113 - August 5 - 63-50 1st Place lead 1.0 - Cleveland @ Texas:
Rangers 8, Indians 7 in 11 innings
Game 114 - August 6 - 63-51 1st Place lead 1.0 - Cleveland @ Texas:
Indians 7, Rangers 5
Feliz blows his sixth save and loses his third game of the season. In Feliz's Rookie of the Year winning 2010 campaign, he blew only three saves all season.
Game 115 - August 7 - 64-51 1st Place lead 1.0 - Cleveland @ Texas:
Rangers 5, Indians 3
The Rangers were down 3-0 going into the bottom of the 8th inning while getting totally Brett Cecil'd by Josh Tomlin. Then the Rangers began their half of the inning with six consecutive baserunners and ended it with five runs and a win in the rubber match of a wild series against Cleveland.
Game 116 - August 8 - 65-51 1st Place lead 1.5 - Seattle @ Texas:
Rangers 9, Mariners 2
Adrian Beltre would have feasted on Charlie Furbush...
Game 117 - August 9 - 66-51 1st Place lead 1.5 - Seattle @ Texas:
Rangers 7, Mariners 6
Bengie Molina came to Arlington on this day to collect his 2010 AL Championship ring. He stayed long enough to tell Neftali Feliz to stop being afraid of throwing his off speed pitches. Feliz won the game and then ran the table in save situations for the rest of the regular season. Bengie Molina: The Feliz Whisperer.
Game 118 - August 10 - 66-52 1st Place lead 1.5 - Seattle @ Texas:
Mariners 4, Rangers 3
Koji Uehara allowed the winning run in the 7th inning of this game. I choose to remember the good Koji times instead:
Game 119 - August 12 - 67-52 1st Place lead 2.0 - Texas @ Oakland:
Rangers 9, Athletics 1
"I hate pitching there. The mound sucks, the fans suck. There's no fans there..."
Game 120 - August 13 - 68-52 1st Place lead 3.0 - Texas @ Oakland:
Rangers 7, Athletics 1
For the 1,876th time in one and a half seasons, Colby Lewis matched up against Trevor Cahill. For the first time, the Rangers won.
Game 121 - August 14 - 69-52 1st Place lead 4.0 - Texas @ Oakland:
Rangers 7, Athletics 6
Game 122 - August 15 - 70-52 1st Place lead 5.0 - Texas @ Anaheim:
Rangers 8, Angels 4
Game 123 - August 16 - 71-52 1st Place lead 6.0 - Texas @ Anaheim:
Rangers 7, Angels 3
The Dutchstache began to take shape as the Rangers beat the Angels for their biggest AL West lead on the season.
Game 124 - August 17 - 72-52 1st Place lead 7.0 - Texas @ Anaheim:
Rangers 4, Angels 3
C.J. Wilson outduels Ervin "No-Hitter Warning Shot" Santana and the Rangers reached 20 games above .500 for the first time in 2011. CRACKING OPEN CHAMPAGNE EVERY NIGHT!
Game 125 - August 18 - 72-53 1st Place lead 6.0 - Texas @ Anaheim:
Angels 2, Rangers 1
With the Angels facing an eight game deficit, Mark Trumbo took a defibrillator to the cold, lifeless heart of the Angels and brought back a pulse with a two-run walk off home run off of Mike Adams. Warning shot III
Game 126 - August 19 - 73-53 1st Place lead 6.0 - Texas @ Chicago:
Rangers 7, White Sox 4
Jake Peavy looked awesome for three innings -- and the Rangers looked jet lagged -- but Mitch Moreland had his best game of the second half (2-4, 2 HR, 5 RBI) and the Rangers powered their way to a nice bounce-back win.
Game 127 - August 20 - 73-54 1st Place lead 5.0 - Texas @ Chicago:
White Sox 3, Rangers 2
The umpires blew a call at every base in this game. They went around the horn in screw-ups. But, while that was frustrating, nothing could top the way that the Angels beat the Orioles on this night to make up a game in the standings. After the O's took a two-run lead in the 12th inning, the Angels did the following to beat Kevin Gregg:
- E. Aybar singled to right
- M. Trout hit by pitch, E. Aybar to second
- H. Conger safe at first on third baseman J. Bell's throwing error, E. Aybar to third, M. Trout to second, E. Aybar scored, M. Trout to third
- V. Wells ran for H. Conger
- P. Bourjos singled to third, V. Wells to second
- A. Callaspo walked, M. Trout scored, V. Wells to third, P. Bourjos to second
- T. Patton relieved K. Gregg
- B. Abreu hit sacrifice fly to deep center, V. Wells scored
THE ANGELS BELIEVE!
Game 128 - August 21 - 73-55 1st Place lead 4.0 - Texas @ Chicago:
White Sox 10, Rangers 0
Oof.
Game 129 - August 22 - 74-55 1st Place lead 4.5 - Boston @ Texas:
Rangers 4, Red Sox 0
Game 130 - August 23 - 74-56 1st Place lead 3.5 - Boston @ Texas:
Red Sox 11, Rangers 5
Holy crap. After a long road trip, following months of historic heat in Texas, the Rangers appeared exhausted at this point.
Game 131 - August 24 - 74-57 1st Place lead 2.5 - Boston @ Texas:
Red Sox 13, Rangers 2
Holy crap. The Red Sox are going to win the World Series.
Game 132 - August 25 - 74-58 1st Place lead 2.0 - Boston @ Texas:
Red Sox 6, Rangers 0
Holy crap...the Rangers were shut out by Andrew Miller and the seven game lead in the West the Rangers had just ten days previously was down to two.
Game 133 - August 26 - 75-58 1st Place lead 3.0 - Anaheim @ Texas:
Rangers 11, Angels 7
In preparation for completing their destined comeback, the Angels planned to pitch ace Jered Weaver and Ervin "Don't Sleep on the Angels" Santana on three days rest. First, however, the Rangers had to tangle with Angel ace #2, Dan Haren. Mired in a season-long slump, David Murphy hit a grand slam off of Haren on the way to this enormous series opening rout.
Game 134 - August 27 - 75-59 1st Place lead 2.0 - Anaheim @ Texas:
Angels 8, Rangers 4
In two seasons as a starting pitcher up to this start, C.J. Wilson had allowed 20 total home runs. In this game alone, he allowed four. One of those home runs was hit by Bobby Wilson. It was the first home run Bobby Wilson had hit since August 14th of the previous season. Baseball.
Game 135 - August 28 - 76-59 1st Place lead 3.0 - Anaheim @ Texas:
Rangers 9, Angels 5
In one of the more intense games of the season, on national television, facing the growing worry that the Angels were going to finally overtake the Rangers for the division lead, the Rangers came back to beat a short-rested Jered Weaver and complete a huge series win over Angels.
Game 136 - August 30 - 77-59 1st Place lead 3.5 - Tampa Bay @ Texas:
Rangers 2, Rays 0
FELDMANIA RETURNS!
Game 137 - August 31 - 77-60 1st Place lead 3.5 - Tampa Bay @ Texas:
Rays 4, Rangers 1
The Rangers ended August with a loss to James Shields who looked particularly dominant. But, no worries! The Rays moved to nine games out of first with the win heading into September. It's not like the Rangers would see him again in any important games, right? Right?
The Rangers finished 16-12 in August. After an up and down month that saw the Rangers win an early homestand with comebacks and walkoffs, go 7-3 in the longest road trip of the season, falter against both Sox teams, and see a near-eight game division lead dwindle to two games in about ten days, the team ultimately gained 1.5 games over the course of the month. When it really mattered, as usual with the 2011 Rangers, they came through.
The Rangers continued to have success against the Angels and the American League West, specifically. In August the Rangers went 5-2 against the Angels and 10-3 overall against the A.L. West. Texas began its march into September looking to wrap up its second consecutive division title but with the Angels, at least from the perspective of the pennant race hungry media, hot on their heals.