The Rangers were no-hit through six innings and lost 5-0.
The A's were no-hit through six innings and won 3-2.
It's like the entire first half of the 2013 baseball season all in one day.
The Rangers are now two games back of Oakland as they get some much needed rest during the All-Star break. Considering the Rangers have a team on the disabled list that is probably better than Oakland's healthy team, I ain't mad.
ESPN Dallas' Chuck Pleiness offers the Rapid Reaction to the Rangers' first half finale 5-0 series-losing defeat at the hands of the Detroit Tigers.
T.R. Sullivan recaps the game in which the Rangers were held hitless by Justin Verlander into the 7th inning even though he didn't have his best stuff.
Jeff Wilson's game story focuses on the loss but also on the fact that the Rangers head into the All-Star break in position to contend despite a metric ton of things going wrong in the first half.
Pleiness writes about Martin Perez's day and of how the Rangers lost a game started by Perez for the first time since May 27. There is also quotes from Ron Washington where you get the sense that he doesn't quite trust Perez just yet.
Behind the DMN paywall, Evan Grant writes that despite the flaccid finale, the Rangers had a first half filled with more success than failure.
Pleiness writes about the Rangers persevering through a ton of injuries in the first half of the season to remain in the American League playoff hunt.
Now that the All-Star game is all that is on the baseball horizon, Gil LeBreton writes a piece on how he'd fix the Midsummer Classic.
With the Rangers opening the second half on Friday against the Baltimore Orioles, Wilson ponders if Chris Davis could have been baseball's top All-Star Game votegetter and mid-season home run leader as a member of the Texas Rangers.
Sullivan's Notebook covers Joakim Soria entering the Ron Washington circle of trust, the pursuit of Matt Garza, the state of the rotation to open the second half, and various other items.
Wilson has notes on Ross Wolf being penciled into the second half rotation, Derek Holland getting repeatedly snubbed for the All-Star Game, Ian Kinsler grabbing the Ranger all-time stolen base record, and Jeff Baker, Colby Lewis & Craig Gentry rehabbing in Frisco this week.
Finally, as the DMN notes, future Ranger second half MVP Manny Ramirez dong'd yet again for Round Rock and is hitting 300/.364/.600 with three home runs overall and 500/.500/1.250 against lefties.