So where’s Julio? Down at the school yard?

mama pajama must have called him home.

EG: Why is Wash so set on having Kinsler leadoff. Elvis has almost a .400 obp vs LHP. It would be nice if Elvis hit first and Ian was moved down to 3rd. Sometimes I think Ron Washington has his head stuck in the sand.

I am tired of watching Andruw Jones bat fourth in the lineup.

Where is Uncle Julio? Andruw needs to get released.

Let’s see…..We have a guy knocking the cover off of the ball in AAA, leading off. We call him up and bat him 6th for one game and pinch hit for him after three ABs. Next night we bench him. He doesn’t get ABs at AAA or the Bigs. I must be missing something…like maybe a train wreck comin’. I don’t think the office management and the field manager are Geeing and Hawing very well together. Oh, I get it…Somebody wants Jones. Let’s Hope.

I put up a piece on my site (that’s my new strategy – write something every 2 months) on why we might want to tap the brakes on pulling up Smoak. Dug into the numbers a bit regarding how many ABs college/hitting prospects should get in the minors.

Thoughts? Agree? Disagree?

Post something similar under Evan’s article this morning, if you would rather look there.

Makes me think he shouldn’t be up before 9-1, if then.

@All: Borbon is most assuredly not playing tonight because the Angels are starting a premiere lefty in Joe Saunders. Just because you call a guy up and say you are going to play him regularly does not indicate playing him EVERY day. But it goes back to my point from today’s column – finding time for Borbon isn’t the easiest thing in the world since he is an outfielder by trade and the outfield isn’t a real issue.

@becca: who knows, they may even be sisters! Maybe Torii Hunter’s mom, too.

ha! scooper, you’re faster with the fingers and the typing than me!

i know i see him several times a year, but vlad is huge. a lot of baseball player.

Yeah! We need to hold a competitive eating and/or drinking contest for Cornerians!

per Evan’s 7:12 post about making up sports competitions.

Hey all!!! Just in time for Kin’s homers!!!

i was about to say, ‘geez, sure looks like an upper cut by ian’ but then i guess that was kind of the point.

work at night = poop

wait! I’m not sure about that! What was the count?

Never mind! I’m getting out of the judging game! It’s Evan’s decision.

hello bats. it’s nice to see you guys again.

Woo Hoo, great start!!

They should have an age limit on those that can get a HR ball in the grass. Some big guys pushing little kids around is not cool.

Nolan must’ve had another speech for the boys before today’s game. Keep it up, Rangers….

You’re kidding, right, Auditor? You don’t complain about when it’s hit in the stands, why should it be any different in the grass? Finders, keepers, losers suck….

@IrishP1: watch out! we’ll sick TAG on you!

he goes by poo-poo now.

Grieve? I love that guy! Why you wanna sick him on me? It’s an opinion, that’s all, take it for what you will.

@Fred – I get excited by the long ball, and it affects my typing. Hope I didn’t jinx him though…

Auditor–agree with you. It’s supposed to be a fun thing. Maybe one nite a months let the bigger guys out there now with the kids try it with the really big guys, and see how they like it.

i love great at bats like murf’s. walks really really are a good thing!

Here’s an idea, take the grass away and put seats there. Even field then…

@IrishP1: at least in arlington.

@IrishP1: No go. Batter’s Eye.

every time i see the name chone i think of ‘chode’ and then i giggle.

choda boy!!! LOL!!!!

K

@scooper: at least it shows an effort.

DP boys, and I don’t mean the sexual abbreviation….

Yeah, it was 2-2 before the K.

@fred: I would rather he slid and missed a foul ball than run all out, catch it and hurt himself running into the wall.

After Hamilton’s injury, would you?
Feldman starting to look like Saunders, here we go again….

i can live with that call.

uh, weird play

It feels like Feldman has been around for a long time, but I think he’s only 25. Is that right?

I voted 25 times evan. How do I get my tickets?

@evan: so kins is planning on spending the break with his agents? Mrs. Kinsler might have something to say about that!

@becca: i think he’s aiming for the toes.

@ehren: either way, it’s unexpected!

well, so i guess this angel team is legit, eh?

OK. This is not good.

Sigh, I don’t know how much more of this I can take…

Uh, I’m thinking we don’t have Feldman pitch against the Angels next week.

57 pitches thru 2 innings.

@becca: I’m with you! There is still a lot of time!

it’s not a loss till the 9th.

SAFE!

whoo, hoo! a stolen base by elvis!
@Irish: I’m just practicing the power of positive thinking.

I really don’t want to see Holland come out of the bullpen again. Either throw him out there every day 5th day or send him down to OKC where he can throw on a regular schedule.

Ok, scooper and becca have me thinking positive. Plenty of baseball left, and the bats look decent tonight.

@Evan: You’re having, I’m Arbys…
I could go for a Roast Beef sandwich right about now.
Looks like the ump can’t see now. There goes that strike zone. Ha!

Hey Evan, are the Rangers gonna face Price when the Rays come in to town this weekend?

TERRIBLE CALL!!!!!!!!!

At least we already knew that the ump can’t see.

@scooper: I have no idea. maybe something like…”I will hit, I will hit…”

@evan: what was the distance on Kins’ HR?

i was having some hot laundry action and missed the rangers not scoring in the 3rd. dangit.

but repeating things that have said before, young looks good at third and i’m happy that he’s there.

@TD: well, he did get vlad the ranger impaler out twice!

Good inning, Feldy. Let’s get those 3 runs back and then some!!!!

@becca: absolutely agree! i wonder if he felt kinda like a putz for making such a big deal about it now.

@BECCA: haha…but this is not your grandfathers’ VLAD.

Check your Tivo and see how many real shots off Feldman.?Lots of ground balls. A couple Davis usually gets.
Control not sharp, but they ain’t blasting im.

NELLIE!!!! There we go! God, I love watchin his HR swing.

WOO HOO! And nice catch by the fan!

TD that was a really nice catch. surprised that he didn’t take a header.

wedgie warning with the home run dance.

@Ehren: That’s the second soccer reference today. It’s finally catching on. Ha!

hat tip to you, irishp1

@IrishP1: it has a ways to go. you know it’s for real when we start breaking out the yellow and red cards. LOL

Horrible play by play gal!!! LOL

@becca: the balk is SO subjective though. I’d put the strikeout throw to first up there, especially if the batter doesn’t run.

6 in a row retired by Feldy. Maybe he has calmed down.

@Ehren – I didn’t post until 11 that night. We’re good!

Does anyone else get nervous when Josh makes proclamations? Such as Chris Davis being back, the offense being back, Feldy being back, etc…I think its all going to fall apart as soon as he says it! Like a curse…

Nice!

Anybody know how to scroll directly to the bottom of the comments on an iPhone? It’s a real pain having to move the side cursor all the way down. Takes about a minute.

Balk with a runner on third is the most emabarassing imo..

@TD: I don’t know. I think Becca is more fun.

i’ll officially retire as a play by play typer…. that being said, great steal!

steal home Andrus!!!

WOW!

holy homer dance with a byrd arm remix! exciting times in the living room, folks!

EVAN: Where is he now? (Alex Johnson) Is he still in the game somewhere?

Saunders has 100 pitches w/ 2 outs in the 4th.

nice remix!!!

Love the way Byrd stepped up last night and put it on his shoulders. Loved even more the way he has backed it up. That’s called stepping up, brutha. The man has my respect. That’s a team leader. Nice walk by my to set it up.

I like him as a play-by-play guy too…he just makes me nervous!

andruw steals? i didn’t know he could even run full speed!

i don’t think jones can run at full speed. i think i saw in the dugout sucking in a tank of O2.

I think Andruw doesn’t want to see any of HIS playing time go to Borbon. He’s saying, “See, I can steal, too!”

evan – please tell me at some point…Ian’s ridiculous look to pull EVERYTHING mentality is going to start being investigated/written about. His HR was great. When you look to pull, sometimes you’ll catch that middle-in fastball and hit a rope. But his second AB bloop to Tori came on a good pitch to hit, and bloops like he hit then…and chopping groundballs to the left side like in his 3rd AB are so common when a hitter gets in a left-shoulder-flying/pull everything mentality.

I think this is prob a result of the HR mentality that has obviously existed in Arlington for many yrs, but for whatever reason…the “pull mentality” isn’t being frowned upon by Wash or Rudy. Or…if it is, nobody is listening. To me – (regardless of any result tonight good or bad) Ian typifies our teams current offensive mentality (except for elvis), and I know I for one believe it to be irresponsible, fundamentally incorrect, and even borderline selfish. Love to hear your thoughts.

@jack daddy: i tool have baseball pants happiness. THIS is why i love summer! now if only julio borbon were julio franco…i’d be in heaven.

@Evan: Do you really think this is Kinsler’s mentality? To me his swing looks the same…if you look at replays of games he was lights out..it looks the same. Is this a timing thing? Isn’t that what it means with getting pop ups? Getting under the ball a little?

@Jack Daddy – no way to skip to the bottom on an iPhone. Do the double thumb to scroll faster, but that’s all I’ve got.

question: when hamilton comes back, who’s in the outfield? both murphy and byrd look good. and they’d still want cruz’s bat, right? plus there’s this julio kid you may have heard about who’s been called up…

@becca: I really wish they would DH Josh. If you can’t talk him out of running into walls, then don’t put him in the position where he can. We need his bat much more than we need his defense.

And then rotate the other 4 in the outfield.

Elvis is having an excellent game.

Speaking of…another steal.

Hey, anyone know the big ROOKIE of the YEAR competitors, other than him?

@TD: Reimold (sp?) in Baltimore; Porcello in Detroit. I’m not sure about any others.

@rangers fan – with Ian, it’s tough to say. I do agree that his swing looks the exact same as when he is going well. I think it’s more a matter of timing. He said he had gotten away from looking fastball and instead was hitting “backwards”. His splits would support that – he’s killing lefties (a lefty uses the change to neutralize righties).

@cameron – thanks.

Wow, drive home and look what I miss. Go Elvis!

Looking at the boxscore and it cracks me up. 8 hits, 4 HRs, no doubles or triples. 4 singles. Why I find this funny I do not know, but I do.

it’s attack of Rick Renner’s HAIR!!!!!!!

Looks like a good night in Rangertown.

@td – a few weeks ago I proclaimed that Elvis will win an MVP in the next 6yrs. Also that he will be the most popular ranger within 3 yrs. Finally, I think his power will increase in a similar fashion to pudge (steroid adjusted of course – a 12-15 hr guy). I’m with you. You can’t take your eyes off of him while he plays.

plus the elvis smile, it’s good to see guys enjoying the game while they’re playing.

he’s hittin .235. i hope they do base more on production than rep. i wasn’t to sure about longoria winning it but everyone was just blowing him up.

Sisters should have been wieters. Darn itouch key board.

how much fun would it be if knoxy came and did spots at random places. like, imagine going to the copy room of your office and knoxy’s there ready to interview you about your coallating copies and faxes.

these are things that i believe would add to my quality of life.

@evan: I don’t think we are going to break that record.

@ryansdad: yeah, he has been doing much better lately.
@becca: I refuse to believe that your quality of life is that bad!

small ball is great and all, and yes, the chicks still dig it, but if this is how we have to beat the angels, well, ok. i’ll take it.

Woot, Murph!!

check out the mass of humanity on the hill for that ball!!!!

Darn it, looks like Davis is going to wear the collar again tonight.

@rangerfan: w/ a 9-3 lead, at least that collar is a little less obvious.

@beerguy: we’ve missed you! where have you been?

@scooper: Oh man, I had a great night! I met a girl for a few pints and confessed some long time feelings! The reception was positive! Good news all around

@rangerfan: after the slump that we’ve been in, I’ll take runs any way we can get them. It’s not like I think that our problems are over, but it sure is nice to see 9 runs (ESPECIALLY against the Angels)!

@beerguy: That is reason for celebration! Congrats, buddy!

@JackDaddy: I haven’t exactly been depressed, but I haven’t been having a lot of fun, either!
@rangerfan: you are right! Friggin O’Day IS awesome!

Holy moley, Byrd on fire tonight, eh??

@scooper: thanks let’s see how it goes from here on out!

Boy, looks like we have left a lot on base tonight, which stinks, but also means we really got to their pitchers I guess? Saunders looks like he got lit up!

I think that is an awesome managerial move. Always leave them wanting more O’day.

@beerguy: the hardest part is over; you never even have a chance unless you take that first step. And too many people are too scared of rejection to even try. I am impressed and I absolutely tip my hat to you!

@evan: don’t be silly, i’m not worried about records! that was scoops! but i am always happy with inside cornerians efforts during the live game blogs. especially since i can bug you guys with my baseball musings instead of my friends, which quite frankly, don’t really care that much.

Another scratch your head Wash move with CJ.

@beerguy: we’ve scored 9. I’m not sure how many we’ve lob, but what that means to me is that we were getting runners ON BASE. we haven’t been doing much of that lately.

i’ll be there tomorrow and i hope above all hopes that milly goes all 9! gets a shut out! a perfect game! high hopes for the horse, i tell ya

I’m guessing that our late inning guys need some work. We haven’t had many saves lately. And we have an off day on Thursday, so they can pitch tomorrow if we need them and still have a day off.

This is also a very, very, very critical game for a lot of reasons. Not a good night to take any chances. If you have a better chance of getting an out with CJ, run him out there.

I’m thinking about going tomorrow night too…

I got a new jersey that I keep telling myself I will wear, but everytime I get ready to go to the game, I think “IT’S SO DAMN HOT” and wear a t-shirt…..

When Josh gets back I hope they DH him too. Who knows,maybe after the All Star break they realease Jones and Blalock and go with Josh at DH, and interchange the others like now. Maybe that is the grand scheme by bringing Borbon up at this time. My personal opinion is that Josh at DH is the only way to go for the remainder of the season. Also frrom a much earlier post, the competetion for playing time among the other outfielders could only help. Also, w/ injuries and such there is enough playing time for the others now that the Borbon promotion gives them come center field flexibility.

@Jericho: no way they release those two guys. They both could be used in trades, and Blalock’s salary is way too high to eat.

If something crazy were to happen like the Holland start earlier in the year that almost slipped away. There would be nothing but parents and girlfriends in the bleachers for the rest of the season.

@ryans dad: and dorks like me. i think i have tickets for 5-8 more games.

Ranger Fan Willis you are right. I guess I was simply thinking more about blowing them out of here—was not thinking return. You are right. I think the energy level would get a lot higher without those two guys.

@auditor: I cannot believe that you really said, “Down side for tonight is too many homers.” Come on! Relax! Enjoy! After these last 2 months, how can we say that there is a “down side” to any offense?

Like you said earlier,scooper, homers are not always bad, just like they are not always good. The ones that fly out on a line to center are GOOD home runs. Ones that are skyed and catch the jet stream are mistakes that they got lucky on.

And this one has to be tough to take for the Angels. Joe Saunders is one of their studs (I don’t care what his stats in Arlington are). You KNOW that they didn’t expect to lose tonight. They are on a roll and feeling great about themselves. They wanted to pound us and ground us into the dirt.

and i fully agree on the jersey. i have one, shockingly it’s a julio franco one, and it is just so hot, it’s hard to wear much past May.

@ryansdad: Who was it that said, “I’d rather be lucky than good.”? Personally, I agree with him. And, right now, I’ll take offense any way I can get it!

I think it was Beer Guy that said that.

Well, Beer Guy is on a roll tonight, so he must be right!

bases loaded, no outs….tying runner is in the hole….corrected 1 out.

Guess Napoli will move next time a pitch is inside.

FRANK THE TANK here to save the day!! (??)

Cj always makes it interesting

it was more fun when it was 9-3

yeah, this is getting un-fun real fast.

@scooper: i usually hear those words in the bedroom

@scooper, the reason I consider it a down side is that it only encourages the “swing from the heels” approach to hitting. Not ever hit needs to go over the fence. I would take a few more doubles honestly.

Were we not having a discussion last night about how awful Rudy was and the lack of plate discipline? I enjoy an offensive outburst, just want it to be peppered with hits the other way and solid line drives into the gap. Nothing wrong with that.

@auditor: i completely agree and as has been documented, i love the small ball. BUT this night has also had two 10-pitch at bats by murphy, several walks… i am just chalking it up to baby steps!

Hahaha, they dragon has been slayed. For tonight at least.

and then there’s that. happy victory everybody!

And Evan got his wish, we went over 319

@auditor: if a couple of those home runs were doubles, we very well may have lost this game. I’ll take the home runs. You are absolutely entitled to your opinion, but I will still take the HR’s.

BALLGAME!

But hey, what do I know. The Phillies and Rays both hit 3 HRs while only scoring 4 runs total.

But then again Pujols jacks another two.

Why did I not pick him up on my smallworld team? Why!!!!

What does Pujols mean in Spanish?

@Jack, that is no lie!

I hope it means something different than what it means in English.