Thoughts on a 5-0 win

Rangers 5, Giants 0

• This was the second 5-0 win for the Rangers in three games. And the Giants, of course, won last night's game 5-2, and in the 8th inning it looked like it would almost certainly end up 5-0, since it appeared the Rangers weren't going to be able to put any runs on the board. That's kind of weird.
• Alexi Ogando, pressed into spot starter duty because of Derek Holland's trip to the disabled list, pitched three perfect innings while going 1-2 at the plate. Ogando only threw 39 pitches, and would have likely gone another inning or two into the game, but that "1" in the "1-2 at the plate" was on a bunt where he legged out a single, and apparently injured his groin. The injury didn't look that bad, but Ogando said after the game that it was hurting pretty bad. Ogando's next scheduled start is on Saturday, and you have to at least hope that he could go then. If not, the Rangers could use Robbie Ross as a spot starter, or call up Martin Perez or Justin Grimm, both of whom are pitching today.
• Perez as a spot starter is problematic, of course, given that he hasn't pitched all that well of late. Perez went 7 innings today for Round Rock, and the good news is that he didn't walk anyone. The bad news is that he didn't strike out anyone, either, and allowing 11 hits (including a home run) and 5 runs in those 7 innings. His ERA on the year is now 5.40.

• Although Ron Washington said after the game that Robbie Ross isn't pitching himself into the rotation, its hard to see what else he could do at this point to merit consideration. After Ogando was lifted with his injury, Ross came into the game and pitched 4 innings of one hit ball, striking out two and not walking anyone, needing only 45 pitches to do so. Ross now has a 1.30 ERA on the season.
• Mike Adams and Joe Nathan each pitched a scoreless inning today, as well. With the off-day tomorrow, Ron Washington likely just wanted to get them some work. Nathan had only pitched twice in the previous 11 days.
• The Rangers had a perfect game going in the 5th inning, which was broken up when Ian Kinsler made an error on a routine grounder with two outs in the inning. The no-hitter was broken up with one out in the 6th, when Aubrey Huff looped an opposite field double down the left field line. As it is, the Giants only had four baserunners all day -- one on the Kinsler error, one on the double by Huff, and two singles off of Adams.
• The Rangers spread the wealth around on offense today, with every starter except Mike Napoli picking up a hit, and Kinsler and Craig Gentry each recording a pair of hits, and Josh Hamilton picking up a pair of walks to go with his two-RBI double. Elvis Andrus and David Murphy each had triples on gappers that went into the deepest part of the park in right-center field, and with Andrus, I thought there was the possibility he would try to score on an inside-the-park homer.
• Nelson Cruz and Michael Young both were out of the starting lineup today, although Cruz did pinch hit in the 9th, picking up a single. Cruz has a sore Achilles tendon, but I think with both players, it was just a matter of getting them a day off more than anything else.