Don't mess with Hamilton

Tonight's game was the beginning of the Battle for the Silver Boot. But it was also the battle of the NL and AL RBI leaders -- Lance Berkman (NL) and Josh Hamilton (AL). Given the subject of this post, you know who won.

Shawn Chacon probably doesn't care if he ever sees Josh Hamilton again. Ham knocked two home runs off the Astros starter for a total of FOUR RBI!!! He finished the night with five RBI, which was just shy of a third of his team's total for the night.

Berkman, by the way, had no RBI for the night.

Going into the top of the 5th, Sidney Ponson had an 8-2 lead. You'd think that'd be a pretty good cushion. But...not so fast. The Astros responded with five runs in an ugly, ugly half-inning. Thank goodness for some bad Astros baserunning (he was out by a LONG SHOT), or the bleeding would not have stopped there. Frank Francisco came into the next inning, and he was fine until he allowed that four-pitch walk to Hunter Pence (what was he thinking?!?), and a few batters later, the tying run cross the plate.

Yuck. I really thought we were done. Good thing a game is nine innings long and not just five. :)

Despite having the bases loaded for two batters in the 6th (thanks to Astros errors), the Rangers could not get another run. I really wanted to see Brandon Boggs get an RBI there, but he hit a chopper that took a few bounces and the catcher recovered it to get Hamilton out as he tried to score for the third plate appearance in a row. Then Chris Shelton pinch hit for Frank Catalanotto and gave the ball a good ride, but Pence denied his hometown team with a spectacular play. It made me want to puke, but it was still a good play.

I gotta say...I no longer cringe when I see Jamey Wright coming out of the bullpen. Last season was just rough for him, and I hope it was an abhorration. Wright did what Francisco could not -- retire three batters without letting a run score. Jamey now has a 3.24 ERA in 25 innings pitched. And he's gaining my confidence. Nice job, Jamey.

I think the neighborhood heard me loud and clear when Ian slid into home to give the Rangers the 9-8 advantage. I yelled so loud. It was a close play but Kinsler was safe. The replays showed it over and over. Good call by Campos. The yelling continued when Hamilton hit that standing-up triple!! OMG!!! I was practically jumping on the couch!!! A double away from the cycle. The last Ranger to hit for the cycle was GMJ in September 2006. (How ironic that he was our CF and major contributor that year? I was sad to see him go when he left, but I'd go through that again to bring in Hamilton.)

I also loved the lefty home run parade tonight -- Hamilton (times two), Saltalamacchia (it's ABOUT TIME, boy!) and Murphy (you already know how I feel about him). Shelton and Young decided to take it to the other side of the plate and out of the park as well. It must be starting to heat up in Arlington. The baseballs are flying out of the park. Love it. Three years ago, I was at the Rangers/Astros game where the Rangers hit eight home runs.

The bottom of the 8th inning was about as pretty as the top of the 5th inning was ugly. Homer, flyout, homer, reach on error, groundout (runner advances), triple, homer, walk, double, groundout. Seriously? Astros fans must have just been sick. But I was giddy, and I'm selfish when it comes to baseball. I only care about me. :)

KISS: Josh Hamilton. Five was his magic number for the night. 5 for 5, five RBI. That walk was a let down. (How many times is a walk a let down?) I really wanted him to get a double to complete the cycle. Or at least get a hit so he could have a six-hit night. Have I told you lately that I love him? I absolutely love him!! I'm so sad I won't get to see him play in Minneapolis on his birthday on Wednesday. *sigh* Why do I have to be so poor? Can anyone convince Tom Hicks to send the plane for me on Wednesday? Hey - it's worth a shot.

MISS: Sidney Ponson. He was good for the first four innings and then things just fell apart. It was bad pitching combined with some bad luck. He gave up seven runs (only three earned, but some of the unearned were his fault!) on nine hits. He didn't walk anyone and he struck out two.

I apologize for my extended absence from blogging. Life has been incredibly busy lately. On top of working two jobs, I'm also heavily involved in planning the Relay For Life and a monthly Friday night celebration here in town. And I've tried to have a bit of a social life too. Fear not, however, I've been keeping tabs on my boys. I was happy to see them dominate the two series against division foes. I'd have loved to have seen a three-game sweep (of either the As or the Mariners), but I'm not going to get too greedy. If they can keep winning two out of three, we'll be just fine.