Thursday, June 18th 2009
Astros 5
Rangers 3
W: Arias (1-0) | L: Jennings (2-2) | S: Valverde (3)
astros.com
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Game Zone
I hate fucking interleague baseball. There’s no way I could sum up the reasons better than Andyzipp, but I wanted to make sure everyone knew I was on board with my disgust. This idea really can’t be that popular, can it? Since it fucks the balance of the season anyway, why don’t they just have it in the only place that cares about it, New York?
The ‘Silver Boot’ (I even hate indulging in the goofiness of it) was already safely in the Rangers’ trophy case when they met tonight on Thermal Field at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington. So really, what else was there to play for? Well, for the Astros, I suspect that six straight punkings by the other team in Texas would leave a somewhat bad taste in one’s mouth heading into a tough series at the Twins.
Anticipation was high (as was the HR over/under) for Brandon Backe’s first start back from a long DL stint and he didn’t disappoint, depending on your perspective. He didn’t really look good, but then he kept the Astros in it for the 4 innings he labored. Solo dongs in the 1st and 2nd set an ominous tone but Brandon settled somewhat and turned it over to Wright at 3-0 Rangers after doing all he could to keep the wheels on in the 4th.
Defensively, the Astros combined for sloppiness AND stellar plays. Kepp’s stab and throw DP in the 3rd was awesome. Q’s throw to 3rd in the 4th was not. Guther snagged a blistering fly ball headed to the wall and was able to gun it to 1st in time for huge DP in the 5th.
The Good Guys scratched one out in the 5th on a 2-out double by Estad followed by a single by Q. They got closer in the 6th with a run on a Kepp walk, Miggy single and then a sneaky single into right by Lee. A Berkman walk loaded them up with no outs for PENCE!!! No dice, K. Kaz up next and Taylor Teagarden had a whiff of his own, letting a pitch sail right past his glove to the backstop, scoring Miggy. That’s all they could do for that threat but it was a whole new ballgame.
Wright did an excellent job holding back the Rangers for 2.2, he had a huge K of Davis, the last batter he faced, with a runner on 2nd and 1 out. Arias then came in and K’d Teagarden for his only work.
Top 8, Beaker senses there’s some actual drama to be had from this god-forsaken match up and takes matters into his own hands. The hometown boy delivered a textbook Arlington fly ball to deep center that landed on the grassy knoll. Go, Arlington Boy, GO! That ended up being all the Astros needed on this night, despite the insurance run on a SWEET triple by Bourn later in the inning.
Papa Grande’s first save opportunity since returning from the DL was interesting. A leadoff single, but then a ground out FC, a steal of 2nd, then a K. Next batter, PH AndrUw Jones laced a liner into RF. PENCE!!! says, “I ain’t done dazzlin’!” and dives for the catch and the win!
Fucking good thing this interleague shit is over. What? Eh? Oh.