Game 36 vs. Texas

Not exactly a repeat of yesterday’s pitchers’ duel. Both teams sent a starter and three relievers to the mound, and with all the mid-inning substitutions it seemed like a lot more.

The Rangers scored three in the first off a home run by Adrian Beltre. But after that the Royals dug in and held the visitors scoreless for five. Sadly, we didn’t fare much better. In the first Billy Butler doubled in Alcides Escobar, so at least we got over the “at least it wasn’t a shut-out” fairly early. But we couldn’t do any more damage until a pair of doubles earned us another run in the sixth.

Feeling us at their heels, Texas went back to work. Michael Young led off the seventh with a home run, and they scored two more before the inning ended. At least Alex Gordon made a great catch to turn a sure double into a sac fly.

We didn’t just give up without a fight. The Rangers tried the suddenly-strangely-popular move of walking Jeff Francoeur to pitch to Eric Hosmer, which in this case ended up costing them. Both teams scored again in the eighth, and despite mounting a last-ditch effort in the bottom of the ninth we came up short.

The box score:

RANGERS (7) AT ROYALS (6)

RANGERS              AB  R  H BI  ROYALS               AB  R  H BI
Ian Kinsler           4  1  2  1  David Lough           3  0  0  1  
Elvis Andrus          4  0  1  1  Alcides Escobar       5  1  1  1  
Josh Hamilton         3  1  1  0  Alex Gordon           5  0  0  0  
Adrian Beltre         4  2  2  3  Billy Butler          4  2  3  1  
Nelson Cruz           4  0  1  1  Salvador Perez        3  0  1  1  
Michael Young         4  1  1  1  Mike Moustakas        4  0  0  1  
David Murphy          4  0  0  0  Jeff Francoeur        3  1  0  0  
Geovany Soto          2  1  0  0  Eric Hosmer           3  1  2  0  
Mike Olt              2  0  0  0  Johnny Giavotella     4  0  1  0  
 Mitch Moreland       2  1  1  0  *Jarrod Dyson         0  1  0  0  
TOTALS               33  7  9  7  TOTALS               34  6  8  5

RANGERS                       300 000 310 -- 7  
ROYALS                        100 001 211 -- 6  

LOB--RANGERS 3, ROYALS 6. 2B--Ian Kinsler, Mitch Moreland,
Billy Butler (3), Salvador Perez. 3B--Adrian Beltre.
HR--Adrian Beltre, Michael Young. SACF--Ian Kinsler, David
Lough. SB--Eric Hosmer (2).

 RANGERS                         IP    H    R   ER   BB   SO   HR
Ryan Dempster                     6    4    2    2    2    8    0
Alexi Ogando                      1    1    2    2    1    0    0
Mike Adams                        1    1    1    1    1    0    0
Joe Nathan                        1    2    1    1    0    0    0
 ROYALS                     
Everett Teaford               4 1-3    3    3    3    2    5    1
Vin Mazzaro                       2    3    3    3    1    0    1
Aaron Crow                    0 2-3    1    0    0    0    0    0
Jeremy Jeffress                   2    2    1    1    0    0    0

WP--Mike Adams, Alexi Ogando. SO--Geovany Soto, Elvis Andrus
(2), Michael Young, Nelson Cruz, Alex Gordon (2), Alcides
Escobar, David Lough, Mike Moustakas, Johnny Giavotella (2),
Salvador Perez. BB--Geovany Soto (2), Josh Hamilton, Jeff
Francoeur, David Lough, Eric Hosmer, Salvador Perez.

LOCATION: The K

CONDITION: Dry

WEATHER: Hot, Clear

Buck: W- (a nurse doing her job)
Guard: Job Corps JROTC
Anthem: Country duet

Umpires
H: Culbreth
1: Johnson
2: Cederstrom
3: Barksdale

Time: 7:10
Temp: 91