Thoughts on a 6-5 Rangers win

Rangers 6, Twins 5

• So, it seems like Mitch Moreland saved the Rangers season, or at least kept it alive for a while longer.
• I mean, its not like the Rangers would have been out of the playoff hunt if they'd lost today.  It is just one game, and there are a bunch more games to go.  But still, when the Twins were putting up a bunch of runs early, it certainly felt like the season was slipping away.
• The Twins batted around in the second inning, and with no real long man available behind spot starter Chi Chi Gonzalez, it looked like things were going to get out of control early.  Minnesota put four on the board and had the bases loaded with two outs and Miguel Sano at the plate, in position to make it a blowout.  But Sano flew out to right field, and after that, Chi Chi settled down.  He didn't allow a hit the rest of the way, getting pulled with two outs in the sixth and two runners on via a pair of walks, and while Keone Kela promptly gave up a run-scoring single, the go-ahead run was thrown out at home, and Minnesota didn't threaten again, with Kela, Jake Diekman and Shawn Tolleson shutting out the Twins the rest of the way.
• The offense, meanwhile, chipped away at the 4 run deficit in the top of the fourth, when Adrian Beltre singled and then Mitch Moreland went deep, cutting the lead in half.  Texas took the lead in the fifth, on a Prince Fielder RBI single and a Moreland two-RBI double.
• The 7th inning saw Texas start off with a pair of singles by Delino DeShields and Shin-Soo Choo, but DeShields was thrown out trying to go to third on the hit, and then Prince hit into a GIDP, seemingly setting up a missed opportunity that we'd point to later as the difference in the game.
• But, nope...a Beltre single and a Moreland single in the 8th set up Elvis Andrus, who got down 0-2, batted back to work a full count, and then lifted a fly ball to center to bring Beltre home with what was ultimately the winning run.
• Big time games from Beltre, who was 3 for 4, and Moreland, who was 4 for 4.  Good work from Chi Chi, who averted would could have been a disaster (or even more of a disaster) in the 2nd, and then settled down and gave the Rangers innings.
• Texas is now 5 games back in the A.L. West, and will either be 2.5 or 3.5 games back of the 2nd Wild Card spot, depending on what Anaheim does.
• Its not a great spot to be in.  But its better than if they'd lost today.
• It was quite a win.  Now to do work at home.