Post-Game Show: Orioles 5, Rangers 4

D-tails
• Boxscore, AL West Standings, AL Wild Card Standings

Story of the Game
A long summer slide continued for RHP Kevin Millwood, even as the unofficial end of summer approaches. Millwood could not hold early leads of 3-0 and 4-1 and ultimately lost Saturday. It was his fourth loss in his last six decisions and it kept the Rangers from cutting Boston’s lead in the wild card race to one game.

Staked to a 3-0 lead in the top of the first, Millwood gave one run back in the bottom of the inning. He allowed another in the second. Then, after the Rangers built the lead to 4-2, he failed to produce the shutdown inning the team needed. Instead, he allowed a pair of runs in the third to tie the game. An infield single by Nick Markakis to start the fifth, a ground out and a base hit by Melvin Mora produced the go-ahead run.

Millwood, who took a 2.62 ERA into the first official day of summer, is 3-4 with a 5.65 ERA since June 21. The Rangers are 5-7 in his 12 starts since then; 34-21 with any other pitcher starting.

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The Depot: Rangers-Orioles Live Game Blog, News, Notes and Prudential College Football Scoreboard

1:30: The Home Run Pool is open, even if we’re not entirely sure who is in it. Also, you can get yourself situated for an afternoon/evening of scoreboard watching with Race Day.

2:49: I should confess this: While I will be manning The Depot today, I may be more distracted than usual. First, there was a hot dog excursion for SideDish that involved a place that smelled like moth balls and potentially serious sinus damage; Second, the PS Era (Post Stafford) has begun at my beloved University of Georgia and I am spending some time watching the Bulldogs and Oklahoma State.

3:20: So, some blowhard kind of says maybe Ian Kinsler should be hitting third and Marlon Byrd not today. Then Byrd doubles home Elvis Andrus to give the Rangers a 1-0 first-inning lead. The Rangers are 50-18 when they score first this season.

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It’s Never Cloudy at Our Homer Pool

No winners last night. Some Nelson Cruz predictions, but everybody thought his 31st homer would come much earlier than the sixth inning.

Today, the Rangers face another one of those pesky left-handed pitchers, rookie Brian Matusz, the Orioles first-round pick in 2008. While I’ve been advised that Josh Hamilton is “in the building,” he is not “in the lineup.” Here’s the Rangers lineup and it’s a doozy:

2B Ian Kinsler, SS Elvis Andrus, CF Marlon Byrd, RF Nelson Cruz, LF David Murphy, C Ivan Rodriguez, 1B Chris Davis, DH Jarrod Saltalamacchia, 3B Esteban German and pitching for the Rangers … RHP Kevin Millwood.

If there was ever a day that I thought Julio Borbon would get a chance against left-handed pitching, this was it. Apparently he’s not going to get that chance against a lefty at any point this year. While moving Cruz into the No. 4 spot is inspired, I wonder about hitting Kinsler leadoff with Michael Young and Josh Hamilton both out of the lineup. Kinsler is the Rangers’ top run-producer this year. Gut (knee-jerk) reaction is that right now they need him in a run producing spot.

Race Day: A Look at the AL Playoff Races

About the Wild Card Race
Boston: RHP Tim Wakefield will try to get the Red Sox back on track this afternoon. It will be only Wakefield’s second start since July 4. Both will have come against the White Sox. On August 26 at Fenway, he limited them to six hits in seven innings to pick up career win No. 189. The Red Sox need to bounce back as they’ve lost two games on the Rangers in the last four days.

Friday’s 12-1 thrashing at the hands of the White Sox can’t just be dismissed as “one of those games.” RHP Paul Byrd, making his second start of the year, gave up 10 hits and seven runs in just 2.1 innings. It was quite a change from his debut when he allowed three hits in six shutout innings. The question is which is the realy Byrd? The Red Sox certainly gambled when they went for the 38-year-old Byrd, who had not pitched this season, and then bypassed LHP Scott Kazmir when the Angels put him on waivers.

Tampa Bay: The only thing that has kept the Rays on the fringe of the race is that Boston has played just .500 baseball this week. Tampa Bay lost for the third time in four games and the sixth time in their last nine onf Friday. They came back from a 1-0 deficit against Justin Verandler to tie Detroit heading to the ninth. And then the teams began a whole new game of survival.

Tampa Bay went to closer LHP J.P. Howell to keep the game tied so the Rays could try to manufacture a game-winning run in the bottom of the ninth for another walkoff win. Didn’t happen. Howell walked the two of the first three batters he faced, then allowed a run-scoring single before being pulled. His successors, LHP Randy Choate and ageless wonder RHP Russ Springer (two months shy of his 41st birthday) each allowed an inherited runner to score. The Rays did rally for two runs and had 1B Carlos Pena at third with two outs when PH Willy Aybar grounded out. It didn’t take the sting out of the late-season fade of Howell, who has blown three of eight save chances since August 1. In that time he’s got a 6.43 ERA despite a .200 opponents batting average. The problem? Walks. He’s allowed 12 of them in 14 innings.

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Road To Arlington: Rangers Farm Report (9/5)

Triple-A: @Memphis 5, Oklahoma City 3

RHP Kris Benson (4-5; 5.24) was the sacrificial lamb last night, needing 120 pitches to get the eight inning complete game. Benson allowed five runs on twelve hits and two walks while striking out five batters.

LF Jared Bolden, in his second game up from Hickory, got his first hits in triple-A by singling twice in four trips. CF Greg Golson (.260/.302/.344) was 1-4 with a double, the RedHawks’ only extra base hit, while 1B Royce Huffman (.296/.380/.413) got a single, walk, and RBI. He also stole his fifth base of the season.

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