Post-Game Show: Rangers 5, Orioles 4

Posted on April 24th, 2009 9:06pm by Evan Grant
Filed under Uncategorized

How silly we are to get caught up in managerial decisions.  Let’s just open it up to discussion. Michael Young has hit three game-tying or go-ahead home runs in the ninth inning in the last five games. Anybody ever seen that kind of stretch of clutch hits? I haven’t.

Also, you can start discussing just how automatic Frank Francisco is. The guy still hasn’t allowed an earned run since becoming the Rangers closer late last August.

But, if you want to get into other stuff, there is always:

• The decision not to pinch-hit for Chris Davis with two outs, the bases loaded and a lefty on the mound. Ron Washington called him back to the dugout before he went to the plate. What did he tell him? I’m assuming it was a warning about the offspeed stuff. Also, I have no reason to believe Andruw Jones was not available, but it will have to be asked about. And finally, I just don’t understand how Davis could be pinch hit for in this exact situation on Thursday, but not tonight.

•  If you were an AL manager/pitching coach would you allow your pitchers to throw the Rangers a single fastball until they recognize and lay off the breaking and off-speed stuff?

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33 Comments to “Post-Game Show: Rangers 5, Orioles 4”
  • alan @ April 24th, 2009 at 9:13 pm

    Evan..you’re right on…NEVER throw these guys a fastball

    And get rid of Washington ASAP..his in-game decision making gets worse every night

    And you’re exactly right, they are playing for the home run all the time

  • blalock @ April 24th, 2009 at 9:17 pm

    Frankie pounding the zone with his explosive fastball and hard slider = top 3 closer in the AL, its that simple. The guy doesnt mess around, I love it.

  • Ranger Blue(s) @ April 24th, 2009 at 9:17 pm

    Evan – 3 homers from MY in the last week. Carlos Quentin has 5 in a week. Lots of balls jumping off bats. After a couple of down years, are the juicing days back?

  • lsbs @ April 24th, 2009 at 9:24 pm

    I heart Michael Young in a very basebally way. Clutch and really starting to figure out third base.

    FX2 is a closer. So nice to have one again. And nice catch Marlon.

    I would have hit Jones instead of Andrus but that’s just me.

    Nice win. Finally.

  • Tom B @ April 24th, 2009 at 9:28 pm

    Davis K’s but makes the stop down the line in the 9th. The Rangers didn’t aways have that assurance. You have to be sure what signal you want to send to a 19 y.o. S. Jones would have looked better but at what cost?

  • Tsing Sao @ April 24th, 2009 at 9:31 pm

    There’s no doubt Ron Washington’s approach seems to always favor ‘gut feeling’ over in-depth analysis. Basically the problem with this style is that worked 30 years ago… in today’s baseball with so much research, analysis, scouting reports and more and more advanced scouting reports its inevitable to go that way.

    There’s a reason why you have Andruw Jones on your bench… use it. Good management is about using what you have, maximizing value and minimizing failure.

    –

    Josh needs a break and some extra BP

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    Good for Salty, he’s bat is coming a little more

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    Cheers for Frankie, he’s been solid. A lot of that I believe is his mental approach. CJ should learn from him

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    Good win, especially away…

  • Jolly @ April 24th, 2009 at 9:42 pm

    Orioles announcers were talking how the Rangers live and die off the HR…..but wow does Andrus change that perspective and it is so refreshing……

  • tunbleweed @ April 24th, 2009 at 9:45 pm

    I believe that the 3 home runs by MY in clutch situations out does 5 home runs at other times. MY is the go to guy when the game is on the line. Not much else to say about “WASH” he is just not a big league manager. Sure is nice to have a CLOSER now and CJ is still a head case. “SALTY” had a good night at bat, defence is still on the questionable side. I say let them keep trying the hard stuff.

  • dude in Afghanistan @ April 24th, 2009 at 9:45 pm

    I think Wash handled the pitching staff real well. Too many times, the bullpen has allowed a couple of runs and squashed a nice late rally by the offense…

  • JustSaying @ April 24th, 2009 at 9:47 pm

    It’s always good to win……I wish JD would call Wash to the side and say “hey listen dip****, I won’t get rid of you for making baseball calls but when you pull snakes outa your fourth point of contact, I’m going to fire you……..so chill out and go manage and stop puckering up”

  • tomckil @ April 24th, 2009 at 9:50 pm

    I think you have to leave Davis in there for his defense at first, especially with young Andrus at short. Using Andruw at first is a bit of an emergency measure, and with Davis doing better it’s not an emergency situation. I think Washington learned his lesson on Thursday, watching Andruw play first. Too bad you can’t switch out the DH, put Andruw at DH with Hank at first.

    I grudgingly agree with Evan that Washington seems to be getting a better grip on things lately.

  • OldVeteran @ April 24th, 2009 at 9:51 pm

    hey dude: Andrus really made CJ look good…..to me that is the hidden story of the night……so dude if you were to do a sitrep in baseball lingo, what would you say?

  • Evan Grant @ April 24th, 2009 at 9:56 pm

    There are other things that I’ll address in the game story coming up that were “hidden” gems: Andrus play to smother Izturis’ hit. Another run scores if Andrus doesn’t full-out extend and smother the ball. Marlon Byrd’s catch for the second out of the ninth, running into the wall, with a fan leaping out of the stands. Kinsler’s at-bat. The last two innings of the game, the Rangers looked like World Champions. It does change your whole perspective.

  • Jolly @ April 24th, 2009 at 10:03 pm

    This is why our panties have been in such a wad cause we know this team has the potential…..”know”

  • Red @ April 24th, 2009 at 10:06 pm

    Wash mishandles this lineup bad… I bet if he gets the ax, don’t be surprised if Jim Sundberg might be a canidate.

  • L @ April 24th, 2009 at 10:07 pm

    It was far dumber not to hit Andruw for Andrus if he was available.

  • JustSaying @ April 24th, 2009 at 10:07 pm

    Any chance since Trevor Hoffman is coming back that we can get Todd Coffey from the Brewers? What would it take? MJH? Jamey?

  • walrus @ April 24th, 2009 at 10:10 pm

    I’ve read a lot about how the Rangers started this season playing teams that all had losing records last year. Tomorrow, when the Rangers face 8-9 Baltimore, that will be the first game this year against a team with a losing record, with the exception of the opening series with Cleveland. Granted almost all of these teams lost last year, and will possibly revert to their losing ways, but we seem to have caught them all getting off to hot starts. Now possibly part of that hot start had to do with the fact they were facing our pitching, but this stretch of the schedule hasn’t turned out to be the cakewalk it was made out to be. Bats are slowly coming around, the bullpen is even more slowly improving, and maybe Holland can fill 2 or 3 of the spots in the rotation, then the sky is the limit. One can always hope.

  • blalock @ April 24th, 2009 at 10:15 pm

    yea, lets go with the two man rotation, milly and dh

  • Sledgehammer @ April 24th, 2009 at 10:20 pm

    MY hit the home run to win the game, last year it would not have mattered they would have lost. As great as MY is and I am a huge fan he would not have made the play that Elvis did in the 8th to save a run. That play allowed the Rangers to have a chance (game saver). WOW defense, decent pitching, and clutch hitting. Things are looking up!!

  • woo rangers @ April 24th, 2009 at 10:54 pm

    Simple math equation for you losers that seem to hate HR’s

    HR>Single

  • JustSaying @ April 24th, 2009 at 11:14 pm

    two man rotation now that’s got chutzpah……..

  • Tom B @ April 24th, 2009 at 11:18 pm

    Evan used Rangers and World Champions in the same sentence. That must be like the final exam question in Sports Writers U. Don’t go peddling HOPE when misery is all that awaits us. We’re strong but Not that strong.

  • Chris @ April 24th, 2009 at 11:26 pm

    Tom, it seems your spirit is strong BUT not that strong.

  • Chris @ April 24th, 2009 at 11:28 pm

    A lot of you guys are jokes. Nothing of any real substance to say. Everyday it’s the same story with 3 or 4 of you. Fire Washington, Fire Daniels, Fire Hicks. I hate my life, I hate myself, I hate my team.

  • becca @ April 24th, 2009 at 11:44 pm

    i think it’s more that it’s so frustrating to not score and play small ball when games are so close. yes! home runs are fantastic and get crowds in the stands. but they don’t always equate to winning.
    i will say i’m not for firing washing, daniels, et al, but i understand the frustrations. people want to blame.
    i’m not a huge stat’s guy so i don’t have strong baseball arguments with guys like these. but i feel the frustrations and applaud the successes. i’m just happy we can win every now and again!

  • Bobby in Bryan @ April 24th, 2009 at 11:54 pm

    Yeah, maybe Jones gets a pinch hit for Elvus, and maybe Omar cuts off that ball as well. But this team will improve only when the young players have an opportunity to produce in clutch situations.

  • EpiphanyWinWatershedVictory @ April 25th, 2009 at 12:06 am

    Andrus makes CJ a winner….WOW
    Kinsler has MVP AB…….ok……
    Young has “the world is just” AB
    Padilla….you wild thang wacked out I luv ya
    Frankie….you are puting me to sleep…..
    Byrd…..just more ammo to the defense now voice of the Rangers…..
    And Davis can play defense….don’t even worry about the hits cause the defense you are moving to is what we want…….But Andrus makes CJ a winner is something I want to say over and over again……….

  • EpiphanyWinWatershedVictory @ April 25th, 2009 at 12:09 am

    Chris….no narcissistic yourself……

  • Jolly @ April 25th, 2009 at 12:10 am

    That was one hella baseball game

  • Chris @ April 25th, 2009 at 12:58 am

    Epiphany…I have no problem with myself. Invalid comment as there is no evidence that I am one way or the other.

  • Chris @ April 25th, 2009 at 1:02 am

    But, sure, lets fire Wash, fire JD and fire Hicks. Solutions for sure. As for the small ball? Take a look at our farm system up and down. Full of pitching, defense, speed and contact hitters. You don’t think upper management wants to play small ball and utilize every opportunity given to this team? You don’t think they have pin-pointed the aggressiveness of this team as a bit of an issue and have made every move to change that for the future? Borbon, Pina, Boscan, Perez…just be patient nitz.

  • Chris @ April 25th, 2009 at 1:03 am

    Washington’s true colors will arise when he’s given the team that suits him well…which, of course, is on its way.