Rangers Magic Number

This is driving me nuts. I wanted a win yesterday, and looked like A's were going down. DOUBLE DAMN!! I"m going into bunker today. I"m not Catholic but taking rosary beads with me.

Thank goodness Horns won.
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Hook'em!!!
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Well, the 1st game got off to a nice start for Yu as the Rangers built a 4-1 lead against Greinke. However, the Angels have gotten back to within a run as Yu gives up a run in the 6th, a solo shot to Trout in the 7th, and leaves after giving up a two-out double to Hunter in the 7th and throwing 117 pitches and giving up 9 hits. Ogando coming in to face Pujols.

Man, the Rangers can't do anything lately to make their push for the playoffs any easier. They lead 4-3, but have only managed 5 hits off of Greinke (who has thrown just over 80 pitches through 6 innings). The offense is still struggling.
 
Well, crap. Nathan comes into the 9th to face the bottom of the Angels' order and eventually gives up a 2-out, 2-run double to Torii Hunter. Rangers now trail 5-4 going to the bottom of the 9th. They're going to blow this game and the series.
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And blow it they did. Lead over Oakland down to 2 and the magic number is still at 3. The Rangers are going to have to win at least one game in Oakland. But, if Seattle doesn't take down the A's today, Rangers have a must-win game tonight IMO. Otherwise, they'll have to take 2 out of 3 from Oakland. Based on the way the Rangers have been playing, that they will not do.
 
Ron Washington's inability to handle a pitching staff has come home to roost. All those games Nathan came in w/ a 5 run lead, all those back-to back games Nathan pitched, it's all piling up

And at a bad time.

Nathan didn't go over 94 that I saw today, and those 94 mph's were flat as a biscuit......Nathan has Ianetta down 0-2 and didn't have the courage nor the stuff to put a weak hitter like that away.

Why Wash didn't stick with Nefti as our closer I'll never know. He was the 2nd best closer in the game, and we try to make a starter out of him? And replace him with a Tommy John surgery survivor.....Who's running the damn zoo, anyway?

Wash= great with players. They run thru brick walls for the guy....Awful handling pitchers. We needed Ross badly in Aug-early Sept to give our starters a break & ease the pressure off the closer...but he was overused to th epoint of going on the DL

He needs to learn from Buck and Girardi....you have an "A Bullpen" and a "B Bullpen". You don't over use the Pen to win a game vs a non contender in May. That's stupidity....But here we have Wash doing just that for 5 months
 
^^^^ I agree to some extent as I've never been a big fan of how Wash handles the bullpen. It came back to bite him in the WS last year and is biting him again this year. I don't know that I have a problem with the Feliz decision as that was an organizational call. It just didn't pan out. Besides, he was pretty shaky as a closer last year, especially in the post-season.
 
Tonight is about to become a "must-win" game for Texas if they want to win the division. A's are continuing to live a charmed existence. They are getting out hit by the Mariners, but just got a solo HR and a 2-run HR to go ahead 5-2 in the bottom of the 8th (and they are still batting). A's are about to sweep Seattle. Amazing.

A Rangers win tonight means they only have to win one game in Oakland to win the West. A loss means they have to take 2 out of 3.
 
And Holland promptly puts the Rangers in a 4-0 first inning hole, including a 2-run HR to Trumbo.
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Rangers are in deep doo-doo, not only for this game but for the rest of the season. If they cannot stage a comeback in this one (and Santana is a good guy for them to do that on), we may be witnessing another monumental collapse by this team.
 
could the Rangers miss the playoffs completely?

If they lose the last four in a row, and LA wins their last four in a row, the Rangers would be tied with LA for the 2nd wild card, depending upon what the Yankees/Orioles do.

the Angels hold the series lead head-to-head, so does that mean the Angels automatically get the 2nd wildcard?
 
NAP-O-LI
NAP-O-LI
NAP-O-LI

Call for delivery, looks like this one's going to last for awhile. Thank goodness LAA has a lousy middle Pen
 
Wow. Rangers have come all the way back (and then some) on the back of Napoli. 6-4 Rangers, bottom of the 3rd.
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Keep 'em coming boys. This one is far from over and I have a feeling we're going to need every run we can get.
 
It's not good for my ticker, but I think the Rangers enjoy fighting through adversity and coming back. Win tonight and we have to win one in Oakland to clinch the division title. That much pressure is good preparation for playoff baseball.
 
Wow (again). Napoli gets 2 more RBI on a double in the 5th to give him six for the game and extend the Rangers lead to 8-4. Anyone think Napoli likes playing against the Angels?
 
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. Stop me if you've heard this before. True to form, Holland gives up another HR to someone who has no business going deep (left Derek in a bit too long there Wash). This time, Kendrick (a guy that has hit 7 HR all year) hits a 3-run shot that makes it a one run game. 8-7 Texas going to the bottom of the 7th.
 
Looks like it's going to be another white-knuckler. Uehara strikes out the side in the 8th, but takes 23 pitches to get there. The question will eventually be who will end up facing the 3-4-5 hitters (who are a combined 7 for 12 tonight) in the 9th? Probably be Nathan.

Sure could use some insurance runs in the 8th. They'll have to do it without Beltre though, who left the game after aggravating his shoulder injury. That doesn't bode well.
 
So much for insurance runs. Going to the 9th leading by one run.

In comes Nathan to face the heart of the order. Anyone else a little nervous?
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Ball game. Nathan retires Pujols, walks Hunter, and then retires Trumbo and Morales.

Rangers hold on to win a "must-win" game, 8-7.
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Just need to get one in Oakland to win the West.
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TWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

And Nathan throwing 96 for those of you concerned about him....and Wash.

Hook'em!!!
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Well, despite the crappy homestand, the Rangers are in the same boat they would have been in even if they had swept the doubleheader with the Angels. Texas will still have to win one game in Oakland to take the West.

It sure would be nice to do it tomorrow, but me thinks the deck is stacked against 'em a bit: Bullpen got taxed a lot today; Beltre may be hurt (though I bet he still plays); and its the dreaded 5th spot in the rotation, which means Perez, Feldman, or some other high risk pitcher will get the start against the Parker kid who has been lights out for the A's lately (then again, who hasn't been lights out for those guys). Anywho, I don't expect a "W" tomorrow, but I'll still be dialed and hoping for the best.
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I haven't really started thinking about the post-season yet because, if I do, I'll really start to worry about this team-- it is currently not equipped for a deep post-season run, especially the pitching staff. But we'll save that discussion 'till the end of the regular season.
 
Maybe adrenaline will still be flowing. Hitting in cavernous A's Stadium ought to help. Let's get'er done!

OBTW, Nathan threw 96 in 1st game as he did in 2nd. And his change up was 82 just like it's supposed to. He screwed up and threw Hunter a bad pitch who was dialed in all day long. **** happens. Now let's go finish this thing.

Hook'em!!!
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Well that was a long day and evening. Eliminating any chance of the Angels winning the west is nice way to end day and now just need to win one in Oakland.
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Never thought I'd spend an entire Sunday during football season watching baseball. But, man the tension was gripping.

Hook'em!!!
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not to be argumentative, but Nathan lost game 1 today. His fastball was flat. Even his out pitches in game 1 were hitable

Game 2, flat again. Look at Hunter's reaction to missing that hanger. Nathan scares me right now

Even more scary is that he even pitched in game 2. Over use defined

As big a Ranger fan as I've been for 40 yrs I doubt seriously we're going to win the WS b/c of the way this staff has been handled. Flame away at me. We shoulda won last year but Ogando was out of gas as was CJ. I'd like to see this year being different, but I look at Johnson and Rodney throwing hard and live, and wish we had that to end games right now

Koji is hot right now...he s/b our co-closer (with Nathan).

rant over
 
8-7 win - all I can say is whew! I was worn out watching that game... R's really needed to hang on and win it. Just need one game vs. A's but they are going to fight hard to win every game.
 
it's hard to believe the Angels are finally out of it.

I dont' get the A's, I just don't understand how they can play so well.

But, at the same time, how can the Rangers continue to make so many baserunning mistakes, all year long, but still win.

If the Rangers can somehow win tonight, I say screw the homefield advantage thing, and rest all regulars.

Just win the west, baby
 
Winning the west will have no impact on who the Rangers play as that will be decided by who wins the wildcard game between Oakland and the eastern team that doesnt win the east. Rangers could win west and have best record and still have to play Detroit if Oakland wins the W/C game so once the Rangers get a win you rest your staff the rest of the way. Of course still have to get that win and today with the black hole number five spot doesnt look promising.
 
FWHorn, i'm pretty sure this year division teams can play each other in the ALDS. rules changed due to the 2nd wc spot...
i think it'll pan out like this.... rangers win 2nd or 3rd game from oakland to win the west. yankees absolutely crush the red sox who have given up on life and take the overall best record. O's/A's have play in game, winner gets yankees, rangers host the tigers. of course the first 2 games of the ALDS this year go to the ROAD team, which is insane.

so rangers fly to detroit, yankess fly to balt/oak.
 
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