Photo Courtesy: Dominic Ceraldi
After losing Game 1 of their home series against the Detroit Tigers, the Rangers’ first place lead in the A.L. West dropped to just 1.5. In order to avoid a four-game losing streak, the Rangers desperately needed to win this game. The Rangers escaped this game with a hard fought 7-6 win. The best part was that the win was sealed when former Ranger Ian Kinsler flied out to center field.
Cole Hamels took the mound for the Rangers in this game. Pitching six difficult innings, Hamels allowed seven hits, surrendered six runs, and struck out eight batters. The bullpen allowed just two hits, and struck out one batter. The Rangers offense had a very solid performance, finishing with a total of nine hits, and were struck out a combined six times. The Rangers did a very good job forcing the Tigers to commit errors. As a result they forced Detroit to commit a total of four errors.
After narrowly escaping with this win, the Rangers need to stay focused because it’s not over yet. They’ll play the final game of the series tonight with Yovani Gallardo taking the mound for the Rangers. The Rangers must find a way to win again. A second straight win would give them a lot of momentum for the final series of the regular season, which will be against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. Because the Angels beat the Athletics, and Seattle beat Houston, the Angels are now in second place, and trail the Rangers by two games. So the final home series between the Angels and Rangers may decide who will win the A.L. West.
Upcoming Schedule – All Times Central
9/30 vs Tigers 7:05 pm
10/1 vs Angels 7:05 pm
10/2 vs Angels 7:00 pm
10/3 vs Angels 12:05 pm
10/4 vs Angels 2:05 pm
