Three Then Four

I had to borrow an album title as my blog title for tonight. It was just appropriate to bring one of my favorite musicians, Dave Barnes, into the fold as the Rangers defeated the As for their third consecutive shutout and their fourth consecutive win.

Not bad for a team that has hardly been known as a pitching team in recent history.

April 1-9, the Rangers surrendered 28 runs in six games.
May 1-9, the Rangers surrendered 18 runs in nine games.

In April, the Rangers gave up 172 runs in 27 games, which was an average of 6.37 per game.
So far in May, the Rangers have given up 18 runs in nine games, which is an average of 2 per game.

I know it's early in the month, and the Rangers might raise that average, but for right now, I'm enjoying the ride that is great Rangers pitching.

Scott Feldman wasn't perfect tonight, but he got the job done and held the As scoreless for six innings. He walked four and allowed just two hits while striking out a pair. He retired 18 of the 24 batters he faced and didn't give up a hit until the 5th inning. I really like the Starter Feldman MUCH BETTER than I liked Reliever Feldman.

Jamey Wright, Joaquin Benoit and C.J. Wilson each pitched a scoreless frame, extending the Rangers' shutout total to 31 innings. Wright and Benoit made quick work of their innings, needing just a total of 20 pitches (11 for Wright and nine for Benoit) to tally three outs. C.J., on the other hand, added some unnecessary drama. He just seemed shaken up or unfocused for those first two batters -- giving up singles to Jack Cust and Frank Thomas. Fortunately, he calmed down and got Emil Brown to ground into a double-play and striking out Bobby Crosby to preserve the shutout streak. The entire ordeal cost him 22 pitches.

Oakland pitcher Greg Smith entered the game with a 2.50 ERA, but the Rangers nudged it up to an even 3.00, hitting him up for four runs on two walks and six knocks, including a home run. This is the same guy who mowed down 10 Rangers batters just last Sunday in Oakland. Unbelievable.

KISS: The pitching was magical, but I gotta go with Brandon Boggs. That kid laid out and nearly injured himself trying to make a play on a long fly ball in the first. Fortunately, he was OK, because he provided three of the four Rangers runs with a 3 for 4 night at the plate. His night started with a solo home run in the bottom of the 2nd. Then he singled in the 4th and doubled in two runs in the 6th. His buddy Marlon Byrd will be returning from the DL soon, but Boggs is definitely making it difficult to even consider sending him back to AAA.

MISS: I don't even have one tonight. Except for maybe the fact that Richie Sexson only got a six-game suspension for last night's debacle in Seattle. Of course, he's appealing it.

Other notes...

- The Rangers traded Kevin Mench to Toronto for cash considerations. Great move by the organization. The outfield was getting crowded in Oklahoma, and I really wasn't too keen on listening to Mench whine some more about being stuck in the minors.

- David Murphy was voted AL Rookie of the Month for April. Can I get a Murphy player tee yet? LOVE THAT GUY. Absolutely love him. (I was also thrilled to see Geovany Soto earn the NL Rookie of the Month honor. I watched him play in Des Moines for a long time while the Chicago Cubs tried out the Jason Kendall experiment instead of calling Soto up. Nice to see him finally getting his due. Soto is currently batting .345 with 13 doubles, six homers and 24 RBI.)

- And, finally, some sad news. For months, I've been planning to take in my first two Rangers games of 2008 in Minneapolis on May 21-22. I requested the time off, bought some cheap tickets and was all set to go. But it looks like gas prices are going to keep me home. To drive up and back (even in my little fuel-efficient car) would cost me roughly $100, and I just can't justify the expense right now. Not even for baseball. You know it's bad. If gas prices don't drop, I may not get to any Rangers games this year...but I really don't want to think about that right now.