Today’s match-up has our Rangers facing the San Francisco Giants, and let me tell you right from the start I don’t have a good feeling about this. Y’all, our bats have been sleepy. A downright snoozefest.
Kluber’s out. LeClerc is out. Santana is out. Odor is out. What in the world is happening with our guys? Is 2020 just cursed all around?
The Giants have Samardzja on the mound, facing off against Allard.
If you’re new to “Not Your Daddy’s”, we do things a bit different around here. Don’t expect a pitch by pitch. In fact it may not even be a play by play. We focus on the highlights and whatever else crosses my mind that game.
Choo strikes out and this better not be a sign of things to come. Calhoun flies out. I miss an out because my husband used my laptop yesterday and I had to track it down before I could start this. Married life.
Allard throws a first pitch strike. Slater smacks it on the ground back to Allard who fields it cleanly for the first out. Flores grounds out on a ball played well by IKF. Allard has looked good but he’s facing his first real challenge in Yastrzemski. Yastrzemski has already had 11 walks this season…but Allard strikes him out. Great inning young man.
Pitching this year has actually been decent, even without Kluber; it’s the bats that need a spark.
Gallo at the plate and he’s due for a home run. Before I know it he’s at 0-2. He reaches for a pitch and bloops one into center. Y’all, we have a base runner! Now for Frazier to hit it out, we know he can. Instead he pops it out in front of the mound. Solak smacks it into left field and we have runners on first and second with one out for Heineman. He shoots it into the outfield and it rolls to the wall, hitting in both Gallo and Solak. I’m cynical after what’s happened the last few games, with the Rangers taking an early lead only to fall flat the rest of the game. But we’ve got two in, and there’s only one out with IKF at the plate and Heineman on second. IFK flies out to center, and Heineman can’t advance. Mathis hits one up and away to left center for a single that scores Heineman. They throw Choo out at first after a rolling grounder for the third out.
See, this is a good inning. I want to celebrate. I want to yell “HECK YEAH” here we go. But the Rangers have made me jaded. I haven’t given up all hope, I just want them to prove me wrong and keep scoring throughout the game.
Pence leads off with a triple on a ball to right that bounces to the wall. Longoria with a sac fly that scores Pence. Allard walks the next batter. Ruf flies out to center. IKF completely misses the ball and there are now runners on first and third. Crawford to the plate and he strikes out. It’s amazing we got through this inning only allowing one run, but I’ll take it.
Can we talk masks for a minute? I understand they probably aren’t terribly comfortable to play with, and you really don’t need to be wearing one in the outfield. But mad props to Frazier for keeping his on at first. The last thing the MLB needs are more teams ineligible to play because of COVID. We’re teetering on a season cancellation as it is!
Andrus flies out to center, Calhoun grounds out to second, Gallo grounds out to right. Nothing at all promising about this inning. Thankfully it’s a 1-2-3 inning for Allard.
Frazier out. Solak out. Heineman out. A completely unremarkable inning. Where’s the SPARK?
Former Ranger Hunter Pence collects a walk, so the Giants have a runner on first. Longoria almost hits into the double play but just beats the ball to first. Would have loved to see a Guzman stretch there. That’s something I definitely miss this season! Guzman playing Stretch Armstrong at first base. Yes, I know Guzman has things to work on, but give me little slivers of highlights please! Solano singles and now SF has runners on first and second with one out. Mathis decides it’s time to go out and have a talk with Allard. We are only at one out. Ruf pops it up, and thank the gods there is an infield fly rule because Frazier misses it. Pence advances to third. Tromp flies out to Heineman and we somehow get out of this inning.
It’s the top of the fifth now, and Samardzja is back out to pitch. Will he make it through the inning, unlike so many other Giants pitchers this year? IKF hits a single to start things off and now Mathis is up. He bunts it into the air for Samardzja and that’s the first out. Choo is due, he’s 0-2. Choo hits it into the cove and we add two runs. There is no such thing as social distancing when it comes to the cove. I can’t believe the absolute fight there is in the water after the ball. Give it to a kid, people! To me, giving the ball to a kid is the unwritten rule of baseball. Nothing else remarkable this inning but hey, we’re up 5-1 now.
Gibaut in to pitch and the first one is hit into the outfield for a long single. Gallo’s arm is what keeps that from going extra bases. Crawford on first with Slater at the plate. He hits one off of Gibaut’s foot but he recovers and gets the out at first. Flores gets a single and Crawford stops at third. Not a great showing by Gibaut. Wild pitch advances Flores. They throw Yastrzemski out at first but Crawford scores. This is the creeping up that I worry about. They do get out of the inning without further damage. If I were Woody, Gibaut would not be back next inning.
Y’all I love Ranger’s baseball. But this game feels flat, blah. And we are winning! How can that be?
Walk for Gallo but then Frazier flies out to center field, Solak flies out, but Heineman hits one through the outfield and we’ve got runners on first and second. That’s it for Samardzja, Triggs is in to pitch with two out and two on. He gets out of the inning with no damage done.
I’m obviously not the manager because Gibaut is back. Second pitch is a home run by Longoria. Now a base hit by Solano. We need to get Gibaut out of there. Sandoval in to pinch hit as the tying run at the plate. He flies out to center field, and that’s it for Gibaut. In comes Jesse Chavez. The jury is still out of Chavez’s hair, but if he pitches good I’ll profess my love for it. Two run home run for Tromp and I can no admit I’m not a fan of that hair, Chavez. I don’t think it’s a lucky look, and Not Your Daddy’s readers know I’m more than a little bit superstitious. Crawford flies out to center for the second out. Dickerson hits the top of the wall for a double. All my fears about this game are coming true. Flores flies out to Gallo and thank you very much this inning is over, but not without damage.
5-5, top of the seventh.
Triggs struggles and walks Mathis, Choo and Andrus. Time for a pitching change. Anderson on the mound now. Calhoun hits it out far enough for second and third to tag and advance, and we’re up again by a run. Gallo crushes the ball and we add three more runs.
See, this is what we need, late inning runs. No more “let’s score a few and then let the other team catch up.” Another walk, this one to Frazier. It looks like the wheels are coming off the Giant’s bullpen today. Solak flies out to center and Heineman hits it right to the pitcher to end the inning. Nice seeing four runs in, though. Now we just gotta hold on.
9-5 bottom of the seventh.
Hernandez in to pitch and it’s a 1-2-3 inning. That’s just what we need.
Y’know I try not to say much about officiating here. I know they have a tough, high pressure job. But the home plate ump has blown so many calls you can’t let that go by unnoticed. He blows another one in IKF’s at-bat and he goes down on strikes. Mathis strikes out and Choo is thrown out at first. Another 1-2-3 but for the wrong side.
We have Hernandez back. He records a walk and three strikeouts and the Rangers are up for their final trip to the plate.
I’m scared to look. But I listen. One out. Two outs. And then Joey smacks a great sounding double. Frazier walks. Solak to bat. I’m gonna peek through my fingers for this one. Full count…ball four! Bases loaded! I’m full-on watching this now. Oh well, thrown out at first. Will nine runs be enough to win this?
Volquez will pitch what we hope is the final inning. He faces Dickerson. Dickerson hits a bouncer to second and is thrown out at first. Flores grounds to SS and is also thrown out at first. We are down to the final out. Three pitch strike out for Volquez and it’s a win.
I’m so happy to be wrong today. Strike this one up for the win column!
