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The Depot: Rangers-Padres Live Game Blog (Minus Evan), News And Notes

ARLINGTON - Evan either is dealing with jet lag or still bothered by the man-sized taco in the booth in Arizona. We move ahead without him.

6:55: Following up on what Chris Davis told Evan after Thursday night’s heroics, Ron Washington noted two things this afternoon about Davis: This struggling at the plate is a new experience, and, yes, his fielding has kept him in the lineup.

“Michael Young, Kinsler, Marlon Byrd, Andruw Jones, Hank Blalock – they’ve all struggled before and found a way out of it. Chris has never had to find a way out of it. The thing that has helped him is he hasn’t taken one single at-bat to the field. I know when I was young, I was always told if I can’t get nothin’ done on the offensive part and you come my way, you’re out. That’s what that kid has done.

“What about the play he made [ late in Thursday's game]. I’ve seen that ball end up in the outfield because people try to get out of the way of it. He put himself in position, and when that ball made that bad hop he was in position to catch the ball. He wasn’t in the position of, ‘Oh, Lord. Now I’ve got to try to protect myself.’ ”

Also, Washington said Brandon McCarthy should soft toss over the weekend, the next step toward his return. He’s on the 15-day DL with a stress fracture of his right shoulder, last pitched on June 4 at Yankee Stadium.

7:11: Though the thermometer reads 96, official scorer Steve Weller has announced the game-time temperature as 100. After Kevin Millwood’s last winning start here, he said the weather here is more pleasant than in his native North Carolina. He came into the game with the fifth-best ERA in the AL and a stellar 2.08 here at Rangers Ballpark. But he just gave up Tony Gywnn Jr.’s first career home run in 345 official at-bats.

7:15: Adrian Gonzalez is walking down to first base, a common sight. The former Ranger leads the majors with 60 walks, related to him ranking second in the NL in homers with 24.

7:27: Tony Gywnn Jr. was supposed to start in center, moved to right after Will Venable was scratched. Maybe that threw him, resulting in the E9 that has knotted the score.

7:40: That’s 45 pitches for Millwood through two.

7:46: A big cheer for Chris Davis working a walk out of an at-bat that began with him unable to solve fastballs in the mid- to high 80s and curves in the mid-70s.

7:52: No winners in the Home Run Pool, nor should there have been – anyone picking No. 2 hitter Murphy in the second inning.

7:54: For 30-something rookie Walter Silva, progress comes in small steps. Fifty-one pitches in two innings after throwing 54 in two innings last time out.

8:08: Nifty, twirling stab by Michael Young has gotten Millwood out of the third inning at 68 pitches. He should let everyone except Gonzalez put the ball in play (despite the Gwynn HR). The Padres are last in the majors in runs and tied for last in batting average with the Swingin’ A’s.

8:17: I’ll defend Davis and state that called strike on the outside corner by Jim Wolf (older brother of Dodgers pitcher Randy Wolf) was farther outside than other pitches called as balls.

8:19: Hi ho, Silva, away! Rangers fans might be worried about a stressed bullpen, but the garden variety Padres fans must deal with a team whose three best starters are all on the DL.

8:39: That Blalock OTB homer (over the bullpen) was his first since June 12 against the Dodgers.

8:33: Millwood’s fourth: eight pitches, seven strikes.

8:53: Have to give Young effort points for that force out at third, battling the ball and sticking his glove hand into the base.

9:00: Radio conversation has moved to bad uniforms, prompted by those camo outfits that the Padres wear at home. Of Astros’ rainbow look of the ’80s, Eric says yea and Dave says nay. I also liked those. And you?

9:09: Jason Grilli is warming for the second time. Millwood through six has thrown 113 pitches. This is his 12th quality start of the season, one more than his total for 2008. And he now leads the AL in innings pitched.

9:18: Millwood exits, his home ERA actually rising to 2.21 after allowing two earned runs in six innings.

9:19: Scoreboard watching: The D-Backs left the bases loaded in a scoreless bottom of the first, and the Angels have struck for six in the second and are still batting.

9:27: The Angels ran out of gas after scoring eight in the second.

9:45: German Duran has indeed been signed to a minor league contract after being released from the major league roster this afternoon in the domino of moves that activated Willie Eyre, who has pitched the eighth. Doug Mathis is warming, though Ron Washington said this afternoon he could look to Eyre for two innings.

9:58: As Mathis finishes, Orlando Hernandez pitched a scoreless seventh inning for the RedHawks with two strikeouts and one walk in Oklahoma’s 2-1 win over Round Rock.