“Sometimes you eat the bar, and sometimes the bar eats you,” a good friend once wrote. To that end, sometimes you go to a fine local establishment to share a few drinks in a joyous environment with friends, and sometimes you feel a bit slow in the morning — this being one of those times. Forgive me. The Rays came from behind late in the game Saturday, walking away with 5-4 against Ron Washington’s crew. This being their third consecutive win, I believe that’s what the sabermetricians call a winning streak. Since I’m under, urm…precarious conditions at the moment, I’ll stick with the game peripherals, as opposed to a full on game recap.
Tag Archives: Texas Rangers
Looking Backward While Moving Forward: Rodriguez, Hanigan Power Rays Past Rangers, 8-1
The Tampa Bay Rays have strung together a pair of wins on the heels of an 8-1 bloodletting of Joe Saunders and the Texas Rangers, Friday night. If I had to summarize the game in a sentence; Sean Rodriguez and Ryan Hanigan powered the Rays past the Rangers, while Jake Odorizzi stifled the boys from Arlington in his first start of the season.
Rays 4/4/14 Starting Lineup, Etc
Jennings CF, Myers RF, Zobrist 2B, Longoria 3B, Forsythe DH, Rodriguez 1B, Guyer LF, Hanigan C, Escobar SS, Odorizzi RHP
The New What Next: Goodbye Blue Jays, Hello Rangers — A Series Preview of Sorts
Despite crossing the plate only twice in the 18 innings of what I like to call the losing sandwich (Wednesday and Thursday) — going 1-for-17 (.059) w/RISP — the Tampa Bay Rays offense came back to life Thursday night, tagging the Blue Jays for seven runs on 11 hits and five walks. The Trop dwellers were mightily productive, mashing three doubles, a triple, and their first homer of this very young season — a seventh inning three-run shot off the bat of Evan Longoria (career homer number 163, tying Carlos Pena for the franchise record). Chris Archer looked good in his first start of the season, slashing 6 IP/4 H/2 ER/2 BB/7 K on 98 pitches (60 for strikes). And though they didn’t win the first home series of the season, the Rays salvaged the four game set.
Looking Backward While Moving Forward: Rays Live to See Another Day
Sunday’s 7-6 — game 162 — victory can be summed up in five words: A tale of two halves. Tampa Bay charged out the gate, tagging a pair of pitchers (Todd Redmond and Neil Wagner) for six runs in the first inning, but almost, predictably, blew it in the late innings. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again — a win is a win is a win. However, this win was bittersweet. The pitching and offense looked dominant in the front five, yet they didn’t resemble a playoff team in the bottom four. Be it as it may, the Rays will head to Texas Monday for a one game tie-breaker, ahead of the AL Wildcard game Wednesday, in Cleveland. A few game peripherals are below.