World Series - Giants lead 2-0
Game 2 - Giants win 9-0
The Rangers bullpen strikes again, surrendering seven runs and allowing a 2-0 divot to morph into a 9-0 chasm. The bullpen has now given up 11 runs in the first two games of the series. Perhaps even more disturbing than the amount of runs they've allowed is the manner in which they've allowed them. In last night's game all seven runs were scored with two outs in the eighth inning. Derek Holland surrendered three runs without even allowing a hit. He walked three consecutive batters, and at one point threw 11 straight balls before finding the strike zone. And after Holland was lifted Mark Lowe stepped onto the mound and walked his first batter before surrendering a two-run single to Edgar Renteria. It was the most pathetic pitching I've seen since Little League--or at least since Oliver Perez's last regular season start . . .
Is that the Rangers' lineup or the Yankees' lineup? Texas was held to just four hits last night . . .
Matt Cain was stellar, extending his consecutive scoreless innings streak to 21⅓. If you have any doubts about how good he was just ask Nelson Cruz, who went 0-4 with two strikeouts and looked completely overmatched in all four at-bats . . .
If I am the Rangers what concerns me even more than being down 2-0 in games is that I'm not catching the breaks that I caught in the ALCS. Against the Yankees everything the Rangers hit found an opening, whether the hit was a screaming line-drive or a flare over the infield. That is not happening in this series. In fact, the Giants are the team catching the breaks, as evidenced by RF Cody Ross' play in the sixth inning. With Michael Young on first, Josh Hamilton hit a sinking line-drive that Ross charged but was unable to reach. Caught in no-man's-land, Ross dove and smothered the ball, hoping to prevent it from getting past him. Luckily, the ball took a true hop and hit him in the chest. If the ball had bounced a foot to his left or to his right, not only would Young have scored, but Hamilton may have even circled the bases . . .
Although it became irrelevant, Rangers' C Matt Treanor deserves a lot of credit for his defensive play in last night's game. On numerous occasions it was only Treanor's nimble feet and solid glove that prevented the Rangers staff from repeatedly hitting the backstop with wild pitches . . .
I don't know who is to blame for it, but it was dumb for Elvis Andrus to steal second base with one out in the top of the eighth inning and the Rangers trailing 2-0. Your team is down by two runs and your standing on first base with Michael Young at the plate and Josh Hamilton in the on-deck circle--two men who are more than capable of homering and tying the game. Getting caught stealing, and Andrus was caught but Renteria dropped the throw, negates the batter as the tying run. The risk is far greater than the reward . . .
Week 8 NFL Predictions
- Miami over Cincinnati
- Dallas over Jacksonville
- Washington over Detroit
- Kansas City over Buffalo
- St. Louis over Carolina
- NY Jets over Green Bay
- Denver over San Francisco
- Tennessee over San Diego
- Oakland over Seattle
- New England over Minnesota
- Tampa Bay over Arizona
- Pittsburgh over New Orleans
- Indianapolis over Houston
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