The lineup was watered down due to injury. The game pitted a fifth starter making his fourth big league start against a fifth starter making his third. The offense was down to its final strike before delivering three straight singles and extending the game.
But for me that was the worst of the Rangers’ seven losses this season, Joe Nathan’s meltdown against Seattle notwithstanding. Bullpen hiccups will happen, but walks and errors and plays unmade are killers.
And the biggest question mark for this team going into 2012 was put right back in the frame last night: Neftali Feliz’s fitness to be a reliable Major League starting pitcher, even in the long term.
Still, one of the losses has to be the worst.
Win the series.
Dallas attorney Jamey Newberg has been commenting on Rangers from the big club down through the entire farm system since 1998.
Scott Lucas was born in Arlington, Texas, to Richard and Becky Lucas. He lived mostly in Arlington before moving to Austin, where he graduated from The University of Texas. Scott works for Austin Valuation Consultants, Ltd., and has published several boring articles about real estate appraisal and environmental contamination. He makes a swell margarita and refuses to run longer than ten kilometres.
Eleanor grew up watching the AAA Mudhens in Toledo, Ohio. A loyal Ranger fan since 1979, she works "behind the scenes" at the Newberg Report.
