D

@Evan: Good to hear, really wanted to watch this game tonight after how last night’s game ended.

looks like mccarthy has been doing some training with padilla.

Can anyone tell me what Cruz’ walk-up music is?

i wanted to make it out tonight, but thunderstorms scare me. you think if there are left over nolan figurines, they’ll pass them out some other night?

and i agree with alan. blalock’s hit some big hits, but i’ve never been a huge fan. and no, it’s not because dale hanson thinks he’s a chump. there was trade talk in spring training. what ever happened to that? i would think the rangers would be happy to deal him. is there just no interest?

@Alan: I’ve got to say Blalock has been a disappointment for much of the season. He’s hit six homers, but the numbers in key situations have just not been good and with the team needing somebody to step up as a run producer in Josh Hamilton’s absence, he has not done so. Don’t think he’s washed up. He’s 28, for Pete’s sake. Disappointment, yes. Can’t argue that.

Nice call by TAG.

Well, I guess you are sorry you called Blalock out now. Just kidding!

@Tom B, if it means he starts hitting well, i’ll start talking about his mother as well!

The Michael Young at bat just before Hank’s home run in the third was the single worst at bat I’ve ever witnessed in my 55 years of watching baseball. Period. I will never understand why he chooses to stand in left field when he’s hitting, and then swinging at pitches, one after another, that are outside. And why are we batting this type of hitter third in the order?

I agree that at-bat was bad, but let’s not crucify the guy! He’s actually doing pretty well this year.

Remember, He’s playing a game where he can fail two out of three times and still be a star and three out of four failures and be pretty dang good.

if the game is called before the end of the top half of the 5th, will they finish the game at a later date from this point forward, or do they start all over again?

does that mean that all the stats get wiped away?

that stinks. makes sense. but still stinks.

everyone enjoy their rain delay. i’m grabbing a beer.

that beer sounds good! are we picking this back up when the rain delay is over?

While I admit that is possible, I don’t think that even Ozzie would tell his pitchers to give up hits/runs in the hope of a rainout. You may stall, but you don’t give up runs! (Do you?). I’m curious. How many of you think that Ozzie was willing to give up hits/runs in the hope of a rainout because his team was already behink?

We are about to resume play.

Geez I’ll be starving now!

Wow! Sorry guys! I guess there are new rules that I didn’t know about! TAG says it would have been “suspended” and resumed at that point! Damn, I’m behind the times. Why didn’t someone correct me?

@tom b: i like the way you think.

well, the bulls/celtics game is at least an interesting stand-by.

Had the game been called before the top half of the fifth was complete, it still would have been no game. Stats would have been washed away. The only thing MLB has done away with is tie games.

Message to Ozzie (And don’t tell me isn’t watching this) You have Danks in the rubber match tomorrow. Let it go. Omar will buy you a Mequita or something similar. Take a break Ozzie.

scooper – i heard Tom say that too and scratched my head. Took off for the rules.

See Rule 4.12(a) here. I see Evan has already clarified the mistake. Only 6 ways a game is suspended. Bookmark these rules. Helpful about 6 times a year.

http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/downloads/y2008/official_rules/04_starting_ending_game.pdf

jack daddy is showing us all up by pulling out the smart on a saturday night. show off.

btw, i actually can speak english and spell — too tired to correct typos!!

@Jack Daddy Thanks cause now I know what the umpire is supposed to call out as the game begins…….It’s “Play” not “Play Ball”……Really think that rule has to change…….

what’s wrong with me tonight? refinish? moron.

I’m ok with Rod Carew on the rules committee….but what about Nolan, he should be on it to discuss the rules on mound charging…….LOL

Wilmer Font – 5ip, 2 Hs, 1 run just 1 walk tonight.

Ozzie is entertaining! I’m sure he’ll have a lot to say about this game, even if we end up finishing 9 innings. It will still be some kind of conspiracy!

I still love Ozzie’s comment about A.J. Pierzynski. This isn’t verbatim, but it’s close and the gist of it is correct: He’s the kind of guy that you hate when he is on the other team, and you hate a little less when he is on your team!

Ozzie has to be po’ed about this……first he was was to get to the bar early and now he gets his nose rubbed into to it in a slow painful motion……Rangers bullpen can’t give up 8 runs in 4 innings right?

@justsaying: since cj pitched last night, you’d think the worst risk of it happening would be gone.

@becca — are you a cj hater? I think he would be a very good pitcher if he could ever mature emotionally and stop acting like a spoiled little boy! “If I can’t play with all my pitches every time out (no matter what the team needs), then I’m gonna pout!”

and for real. maddox has GOT to keep padilla from haning out with the bullpen guys.

Get him outa there……..

I am really getting ticked at hearing excuses why we’re not using Jennings…..geez he’s a free agent after this year….let’s get our money’s worth and stop this painful coddling………

9-1 was a perfect spot to get Mendoza in the game for the first time. I doubt if a grand slam homer was part of the plan.

Nice 36 ERA, Mendoza.

@Dylan: We will use coveritlive some,but more for chats than live blogs. I like the separation here of my commentary and our conversation. In coveritlive, it’s all kind of bunched together. There are some issues with that, too, but overall it’s really good software, I think.

ouch. why couldn’t they have just called the game after the 5th?

@Evan: I agree. If they can’t trust him to pitch in a 9-1 game, he doesn’t need to be here.

Thank God for Kason Gabbard! Oops! Darren O’Day!

@becca: He is the long reliever and the Rangers had a chance to go to him last week when the club took a 5-4 to the sixth inning in a Brandon McCarthy start. That’s where the long man can demonstrate real value to the team. Instead, the Rangers went to their right-handed setup man, Jason Jennings. And it meant another five days on the shelf for Mendoza. So, he’s not only untrusted, but rusty. A bad combo.

I think it’s almost unanamous how we feel about Eddie but he is starting to remind me of Charles Heston in Solvent Green as he is being carted off at the end of the movie……….WE LOVE YOU EDDIE

Actually, Holland should be. He should never have been used last night in that situation. This was his place tonight. Heat and strike.
Let him drive the bus home but Nada Wash job.

another beaned player and an ozzie outburst. fantastic.

i guess that’s 4 moves

Jack Daddy is a Radical Ranger. I like your style if not your substance

If I’m Frankie’s agent I’m just licking my chops over this opportunity for Frankie…..add another save in a high percentage situation……strange how business effects the game…..

@Evan – yes, it IS embarrassing! Any suggestions?

so another rain delay…are they just going to call it? i don’t know if i can bear anymore alternative fox sports network programming. it might be bed time.

I also usually don’t mispell every third word. I think I’m drunk.

After tonite’s painful yo-yo game I think a Inside Corner reader should be designated as a “game gopher” for Evan to run back and forth to the press room and then cover for potty breaks in case of 5 hour marathons…….Becca I know he would go for that if you volunteered for initial duty…….maybe even have a special uniform (RED) and an “EG” cap……I’d fly in for that special duty……pay would be a special patch……..

Evan,

I know A.J. is coming back from a major injury and I also knew he had been dominate so far in Frisco. But can you run a piece on him soon to catch us up on his story? It’s been a while and I have kindo lost track of him. Also, why they call him Pirate.

Safe flight to Sea.

@JackDaddy – it is frustrating, but pitching has always been our weakness. It’s just ridiculous because we have a better team than this!!! The closer we get to being a really good team, the less patience we are going to have with the pitching. Things that we have learned to tolerate (like tonight) are going to really drive us crazy! That feeling of frustration is a sign that we believe the team can be really good. Wow! Enough amateur psychoanalysis! I think I’m the one who’s drunk! ‘Night, y’all!

I love it……it’s only 10 on the west coast folks…….c’mon buck up!

Is their an artist in the crowd to design Evan’s goghers caps……..maybe we could be “Evan’s Kids”…….or “Evan’s Drinking and Smokin’ Buddies”……..I like kids better cause that keeps it family friendly……

scooper – you nailed it. the frustration is increasing because we are CLOSE to being a really good team. There aren’t a ton of missing ingredients right now, but they are big ones.

I didn’t realize until just now that we have one, ONE, lefty arm at OKC (Michael Ballard). Kiker and Young need to move fast – we’ll need them in pen next year.

EVAN – does the A.L. still have the 1:00 a.m. curfew rule, where an inning can’t start past that? I was trying to explain it to my 6 year old, and I hadn’t seen it come into play since I was in high school.

@ becca : I thought YOU were forcing ME to drink!

You’re right,Evan, the 6th tonite would have been a good spot for Holland but who know that yesterday? Today could have just as easily been postponed or called after 5 inn. That’s the problem with Holland being in the ML bullpen. When and how do you get him regular work and still manage the bullpen effectively. What’s the priority?

We survived! Good night!

on the bright side, my important fantasy team (read big payout) just got 13 points from Frankie and I’m in a dog fight this week.

Night all.

McCarthy was great tonight. I really like what he has brought to the table this year. Now let’s hope he can stay healthy.

“see” everyone tomorrow night.