Photo Courtesy: Darryl Briggs
Brought to you by: Big Shucks
The Rangers began the week at 62-62 with hopes of the playoffs. The Angels were their first foe. The Rangers took three of four, were a game above .500 and talks of a Wild Card playoff berth began to grow. Then the Rangers took on the A’s in Oakland for a weekend series. The Rangers were swept and now it looks like they’re on the outside looking in. Yep, another roller coaster week for your Texas Rangers!
8/21 – Game 1 at Angels – Cole Hamels started for the Rangers and looked excellent. Hamels was sharp, and continued his brilliant August. Hamels lasted seven innings and gave up two runs. The Angels did not homer in this clash. Delino DeShields had two hits. Adrian Beltre had a massive three run homer. Alex Claudio successfully closed the game despite giving up a run. Rangers win a solid game against Tyler Skaggs 5-3.
8/22 – Game 2 at Angels – Game two was an absolute obliteration. Tyson Ross was shelled so badly he was moved to the bullpen after this start. The Rangers had two errors. They did not hit a homer. Albert Pujols had 4 RBI. Angels win big 10-1.
8/23 – Game 3 at Angels – Game three of the series was close. The game went into extra innings after the teams were tied at four. Mike Trout and Pujols were limited in the damage they did. They combined for 0 RBIs and one hit. Robinson Chirinos was hot all week. He got three hits and two RBIs. Mike Napoli struck out three times. Adrian Beltre hat two hits and two runs. The most entertaining play of this game was when Robinson Chirinos was coming around to home as the winning run in the 9th and Mike Trout gunned him down at the plate. The throw was insane, and saved the Angels until the 10th. The Rangers scored three in the top of the 10th to with 7-5. Andrew Cashner was average in the start. Alex Claudio was excellent in relief and got the win.
8/24 – Game 4 at Angels – Game four of the series was a perplexing affair. Martin Perez was excellent in a night game on the road. He was followed by an equally excellent bullpen that threw two scoreless. Jason Grilli had an incredibly close inning that included two walks, but we worked his way out of it. Drew Robinson was excellent this week. He homered and drove in a teammate. Mike Napoli also homered. Rangers win 3-0 and look to threaten in the wildcard race.
8/25 – Game 1 at A’s – The Rangers struggled against the A’s… as usual. The Oakland A’s have always played Texas close, despite having poor records. Nick Martinez was excellent for the Rangers. He turned in a quality start and received absolutely no help. Napoli struck out three times. Rougie Odor hit a double. Beltre drove a run home. The A’s win behind Kendall Graveman. 3-1.
8/26 – Game 2 at A’s – The Rangers sent their ace, Cole Hamels, to deal with the A’s. Hamels was shelled badly. He gave up six runs in 4.1 innings. Tony Barnette was also ineffective. Barnette’s ERA has been in the 5’s for most the year. Seeing Cole Hamels get smacked around by the poor A’s offense was disheartening. Hamels was having an excellent August. Adrian Beltre had three RBIs in this game. Oakland’s bullpen was solid. 8-3 Oakland.
8/27 – Game 3 at A’s – The A’s handed Texas a brutal sweep in the final game of the series. It was very similar to last game. The A’s chased the starter early. Texas ended the game with three runs. The game was actually pretty close until the 8th inning, when Oakland scored four. Shin-Soo Choo had a homer. AJ Griffin was roughed up in this game. He gave up two homers, three walks, and lasted three innings. Marcus Semien had a great day at the plate. This sweep is crushing for the hopes of the Rangers. 8-3 Oakland.
Upcoming Schedule – All Times Central
8/29 @Astros 7:10 p.m.
8/30 @Astros 7:00 p.m.
8/31 @Astros 8:10 p.m.
9/1 vs Angels 7:05 p.m.
9/2 vs Angels 6:15 p.m.
9/3 vs Angels 2:05 p.m.
