Sunday, July 15, 2007 |
Nothing To Shields The Angels From Teixeira's InSpeiered Homer: Rangers 5, Angels 4
Shields' implosion wasn't especially predictable, even looking at his efforts in the inning, as he got first-pitch strikes to two of the first three batters, but then he gave up a first-pitch double to Mark Teixeira. Another double to Marlon Byrd, who's having a tremendous year, blew the Angels' lead and Jered Weaver's presumptive win. Weaver had earlier pitched well, retiring the side in order in the third, fifth, sixth, and seventh. He gave up only two runs, neither earned; the second one was particularly noteworthy, because it involved a misplay by Reggie Willits that allowed Byrd to score on a single that probably would have otherwise held him at third. The net result is that Weaver left the game with a lead and a possible win, and so bully for him.
The Angels blew their only chance to really do some damage against a vastly improved Rangers bullpen which has actually been better than the Angels' this season (3.57 ERA for the Rangers vs. 3.89 ERA for the Angels). The Halos loaded the bases with one out in the bottom of the eighth, but neither of Maicer Izturis or Jeff Mathis were able to do anything about Joaquin Benoit. Leaving Mathis in especially was a puzzler, though it was rather distantly defensible; he had gotten a hit, his first this year, and he had been in the game the whole time, an advantage for a catcher who might have to instantly adapt to a particular home plate umpire's strike zone. The alternatives, which included Jose Molina and Kendry Morales, had their own unique disadvantages, Molina's general uselessness with the bat, and Morales' recent idleness.
I touched earlier on the Rangers' improved bullpen, and while a good bit of the reason the Angels trail Texas in bullpen ERA is now gone in the guise of Hector Carrasco, the Angels got to see one of the reasons why the Rangers have such a good record in the bottom of the 11th. A revitalized Eric Gagne easily dispensed with the 8-9-1 batters, including a pinch-hitting Kendry Morales, who eventually did sub for Mathis — one inning, perhaps, too late for it to have done any good.
Finally, I should mention the good works done by both Willits (his flub in right notwithstanding) and Figgins. Willits got on base twice, once on a walk and once on an error on what should have been a sac bunt, and scored both times. Chone Figgins drove in two of the Angels' three runs and went 3-for-4, stealing two bases to give him the all-time franchise lead in front of the man who used to own that record, Gary Pettis (now the Rangers' first-base coach). Offensive goat horns went to Orlando Cabrera, for stranding five baserunners, and to Maicer Izturis, for failing to get anybody home in the eighth. Of course, Speier got the loss, and deservedly so.
Labels: angels, rangers, recaps
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