No fuel for the Rangers in the Motor City

Where did Vicente Padilla v2008 go? The 2007 version seemed to be in the ballpark tonight. He's had such a strong season until tonight. I suppose everyone's allowed a down day, but I didn't expect his to come quite so early. I thought he'd at least wait until the temperatures had climbed a little. I definitely saw the old Padilla at the end of the 3rd, when he took his sweet time picking up that come-backer and then spearing it to first base. *shakes head*

I love this team, and will always love this team, but tonight's game was painful to watch. Nothing seemed to be going the Rangers' way. But a lot of that was their own fault. I still say Gerald Laird was safe at second early in the game, but that play alone probably wouldn't have helped the guys much.

I'm beginning to wonder if frustration is getting to the team. They all just seem to have these weights on their shoulders ... even from the first pitch. That's not going to bring any wins. I'm not saying they should be smiling and cheerful, but they need to at least appear confident in themselves, and I'm not seeing that lately.

Anyhow. Back to tonight's game.

Josh Rupe was great for four innings, but got into trouble right away in his fifth inning of work. Then Wes Littleton had to come in and try and clean things up ... or at least stop the bleeding. He could not seem to find an adequate bandaid.

Thankfully, all of the pitchers had some good defense behind them. Any night where there are no errors is one I'll celebrate...at least modestly.

KISS: Jon's gonna hate this, but I have to give it to Gerald Laird. Not only was he 2 for 3 on the night, he also did a good job of handling some wild pitches from all three pitchers.

MISS: Padilla's line is just hideous. Seven runs (all earned) on eight hits, which includes three homeruns. Two of those were hit back-to-back. He also hit one batter (although I thought it was a questionable call) and walked one.


Earlier in the day, I listened to a radio broadcast of the RedHawks/I-Cubs game. The RedHawks could not finish the sweep. Elizardo Ramirez struggled and the offense just could NOT get anything going. I-Cubs starter Sean Gallagher was LIGHTS OUT, with 12 strikeouts on the day. He only needed 101 pitches to get through eight innings. The announcers were very complimentary of Kevin Richardson, Nate Gold and Nelson Cruz, however.

A few notes I forgot to share from the weekend...

I am a very shy person, and am usually hesitant to request attention or anything else from the players, but I was proud of how I handled this weekend.

--- Saturday evening, when Kameron walked by, I took a deep breath and called out his name. He had to look around a minute, but he finally spotted him. I relayed greetings from the Snake Pit (as I had just spoken to Craig that day) and told him he was stuck with me as his Snake Pit for the night. Kam smiled and said, "Right on! I'm in good hands. Thanks for being here!" Totally made my night. I won't lie.

--- Frankie Francisco walked back and forth between the bullpen and dugout a lot Saturday night. Probably trying to stay warm. Every time he walked by, he would look at me (probably because I was one of only about six people in the park wearing Texas stuff...yes there were others), so I finally said "hi." I was surprised that he gave me a friendly smiled and returned my greeting.

--- Sunday, after the game, I was packing up my camera and noticed a single baseball in the dugout. All the players appeared to be gone, but I really wanted the ball. To my relief, I saw Nelson Cruz returning to the dugout. I waited for him to gather his things and then called out his name. I called him "Nelly" (which I hope isn't too informal) and asked if I could have the ball. He nodded and retrieved it for me.

Again, I'm never certain how to handle players. I want to appear a supportive fan without being overzealous. My theory is they don't really owe me anything -- not a ball, an autograph or even a wave. Although I'll admit I do get disappointed when I don't get an autograph, photo or greeting I'm hoping for. But I'm certainly thankful when I am acknowledged. I put a lot of time and energy into my fandom.