Thoughts on a 5-3 Rangers win

Rangers 5, Mets 3

• I was out doing 4th of July festivity things yesterday with my family, and thus missed yesterday's loss.  In fact, where I was for most of the game, I couldn't even get cell coverage, so I couldn't follow the game.  As a result, I didn't do a post-game writeup on the game.  And given the outcome, I'm guessing most of you are okay with that.
• On the plus side, my brother's girlfriend took this cool picture of Seth enjoying the fireworks:

via fbcdn-sphotos-g-a.akamaihd.net

• So, on to today's game...Colby Lewis gave up three runs in six innings, but just two were earned, and just from looking at the line -- 6 IP, 8 hits, 7 Ks, 1 HR, 0 walks -- you can see Lewis had a very Colby-esque outing.  He got into a jam in the third when Ruben Tejada's leadoff single was followed by a Bartolo Colon bunt.  Adrian Beltre opted to try to get the lead runner at second, but threw the ball away, and then Curtis Granderson doubled home Tejada, putting runners at second and third with no one out.  Daniel Murphy then hit a shallow fly that Shin-Soo Choo dove for, had in his glove, but then dropped...while the runners didn't advance, it left the bases loaded and no one out, when it should have been a one on, two out situation.  Bobby Abreu laced a line drive to right field to drive in another run, and Colby looked on the ropes, but he fanned Lucas Duda and got Juan Lagares to ground out to Rougned Odor to get out of the inning with just two runs in.
• Something amusing about that inning...with the bases loaded and no one out, David Wright lifted a shallow fly ball to center field.  Leonys came in, made the catch, geared up to fire the ball home...and then realized it was Bartolo Colon on third base, and Colon wasn't going anywhere.
• Travis d'Arnaud blasted a homer to lead off the bottom of the 4th and make it a 5-3 game, and you had to be afraid Colby was losing it, but he settled down and shut the Mets down the rest of the way.  It was vintage Colby.  And Colby has now gone three straight games without walking a batter.  Colby had talked about how he was feeling better and getting his groove back, and his performance in his last few outings suggests that he's right...he is looking a lot better than he did earlier in the year.
• Interestingly, Ron Washington opted not to pinch hit for Colby with two outs and a runner on in the top of the 6th.  I am not sure if it is a lack of faith in the bullpen to shut down the Mets for four innings, or a lack of faith in his pinch hitters, that led Wash to leave Colby in the game.
• Actually, it is probably a lack of faith in both.
• Neal Cotts, Shawn Tolleson and Joakim Soria pitched the 7th, 8th and 9th.  Each gave up a baserunner apiece, and each got out of his respective inning unscathed.  This was Soria's first save since June 14.
• The Rangers jumped out early with a 4 run first inning, with one run scoring as a result of back to back doubles by Elvis Andrus and Alex Rios, and then three runs coming across when Robinson Chirinos hit a three run, two out bomb.  Adrian Beltre's third inning homer was the only other scoring the Rangers registered.
• Chirinos was 2 for 4 tonight.  He was supposed to spend this season in AAA, with Geovany Soto and J.P. Arencibia as the team's regular catchers.  But Soto's injury gave him a spot on the 25 man roster, and Arencibia's struggles gave him the starting job, and he's taken advantage of the opportunity.  In this lost season, they may have found a decent catching option in Chirinos.