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If the Rangers trade Yu Darvish, and they can’t re-sign him, man they should look into bringing Chris Archer to Arlington.
Not only is Archer charismatic, conscientious, and a future broadcasting star, he’s also a damn good pitcher.
Archer on this evening got the Yu Darvish treatment of allowing just one earned run while striking out 11 Rangers on just four hits and a walk but was pinned with the loss after the gloves decided to take an inning off in the top of the sixth and the bats stopped scoring runs off a shaky Andrew Casher.
The big blow came with two outs and two on for Adrian Beltre with two outs in the fateful sixth when the Rays and Archer decided to pitch to Beltre with a base open. Perhaps that was the mistake. Or perhaps it was center fielder Mallex Smith dropping a deep fly ball off Beltre’s bat for a two-run, game tying two-base error.
Beltre eventually scored the winning run just three pitches later on two separate wild pitches that Rays’ catcher Wilson Ramos played as if he were Jonathan Lucroy with a couple of detached retinas and a bad case of vertigo.
But we’re Rangers fans here first and foremost, so yay! I am glad all these bad things happened to the other team and the Rangers won! It’s about time the Rangers won one of these kinds of games they’ve inflicted on their own starters so many times this season.
Nevertheless, I feel deep empathy for Archer in this current Yu Darvish environment and I would be more than happy to see the Rangers save him from any further torment in obscurity in Tampa by bringing him to Arlington.
Player of the Game: It feel like if Elvis Andrus could play every game at Progressive Field, The Big A, and Tropicana Field, he’d win the AL MVP every season. Tonight, Elvis had his second straight three-hit game highlighted by another home run.
Up Next: In the post-All-Star Game ten game road trip finale, the Rangers go for a sweep of the Rays with Tyson Ross on the mound opposite RHP Jake Odorizzi of Tampa Bay. First pitch from Tropicana Field is scheduled for 12:10 pm CT.