They didn't make it to 30 this time, but it wasn't for a lack of trying, both from the Rangers' bats and the Orioles' pitchers.
Mark Hendrickson was officially charged with just two of the nine runs surrendered in his second start of the season (3.2 IP), but then came Radhames Liz, Brian Bass and Matt Albers.
Liz and Albers were called up to replaced the DL'd Alfredo Simon and Melvin Mora, and both were lit up, as was Bass. Check out these sexy lines, ladies and gentlemen:
| Name | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | Season ERA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| R Liz | 1.0 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 36.00 |
| B Bass | 2.0 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 14.73 |
| M Albers | 1.1 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 11.25 |
Yee-haw! Woo!
For the Rangers: Ian Kinsler was 6-for-6, hitting for the cycle. He hit two doubles, a triple, a homer, and two singles, scored five times, and drove in four. Nelson Cruz had a grand slam and six total RBIs, going 2-for-5. Marlon Byrd was 5-for-6 with 3 RBIs. DH Andruw Jones had my favorite line, though: 1-for-3, 2 BBs, 4 runs scored.
For the Orioles: Erm, Chad Moeller hit a homer, and so did Adam Jones. We did have a 2-0 lead after the top half of the first inning. Jones also hit his sixth double and had three RBIs.
The team's pattern is to win the first two and then get completely embarrassed in the third game. This "well we won two!" thing is nice and all, but it completely ignores the probability that the team is a lot closer to their 11-3 and 19-6 losses than they are the 6-0 wins. At 6-3, they've been outscored by opponents 69-56. Continued success like that is unlikely; the '07 Diamondbacks did something similar, but it's very rare.
Pretty freaking ugly game, to say the least. Tomorrow we kick off a four-game series with the Red Sox at Fenway.
Katie, bar the door.
One more note: Alfredo Simon is expected to be out a while and the doctor he met with feels the condition in his elbow is degenerative. That's a real shame and could threaten his career. Albert Belle retired with a degenerative hip condition, and Troy Percival has battled through one for years now, and hasn't been close to the pitcher he was in his prime. Mora will probably be back soon.