2007 Spring Training Game Thread

[Molina00]

After a 6 month layoff, Ranger baseball is finally back. Starting things off is today's game against the Kansas City Royals at Surprise Stadium set to start at 2:05 PM central (just 15 minutes away).

Kameron Loe will be starting off the pitching for Texas and he is to be followed by John Koronka, Edinson Volquez, Willie Eyre, Joaquin Benoit, and Wes Littleton.

I will post an update to how the game went in this thread once it is complete.

[Molina00]

It's a good thing spring training games don't count, otherwise I would be thinking "here we go again".

Kam Loe pitched 2 scoreless innings allowing just 1 hit but Koronka was much less impressive. He shut downt he Royals in the 3rd but got slammed for 6 runs, including a Ryan Shealy 3-run homerun, in the 4th inning as the Royals jumped out to a 6-2 lead. The Rangers pecked away at the Royal lead scoring single runs in the 5th and 6th, and then 2 runs in the 7th to tie the game at 6. Wes Littleton gave up a run on 2 hits and a walk over 1.1 innings to give the Royals a 7-6 lead, and Willie Eyre gave up the final run of the game in the 9th giving the Royals and 8-6 victory over the Rangers in the spring training opener.

On the offensive side for Texas, Guillermo Quiroz and Victor Diaz each hit homeruns, Diaz's being of the 2-run variety. Frank Catalanotto went 2 for 4 with 2 doubles and a walk. Taking over at first base for Teixeira, Nate Gold went 0 for 1 with 2 walks and 2 runs scored.

Rangers Spring Training Record: 0-1

[redsrbetter]

Big offense in this one. Royals have a pretty strong young core they are building with. Looks like they have abright future. Tough loss bro, but you said it, it is just ST.

[Molina00]

Seems like a strong young core is something the Royals have never really lacked. What they always have lacked are the means to hold on to that core. Gil Meche looked pretty solid with 3 scoreless innings for the Royals. Maybe he'll be getting back to being a solid pitcher again.

This loss really was a lot like a lot of the Rangers games turn out anyway. They get some solid pitching early on then give up a big inning and peck away but often isn't enough. I've become far too accustomed to seeing that. Oh well. It's a new season with new reason for optimism.

[Molina00]

Spring Training Game #2: Rangers-8, Royals-5
Vicente Padilla started the game for Texas going 2 innings allowing 1 run on 2 hits and striking out 2. The only run he allowed was a Mark Teahen solo homerun with 2 outs in the first inning. The Rangers quickly responded with 2 runs in the bottom of the inning taking a 2-1 lead, and then added 2 more in the 2nd taking a 4-1 lead. The Royals pecked away at the lead scoring a run in the 4th and 2 in the 6th to tie the game at 4. The Rangers responded with three 6th inning runs to take a 7-4 lead and basically put the game away. Francisco Cruceta came on in the 8th and shut down the Royals offense for the final 2 innings of the game and the Rangers went on to win 8-5.

Kenny Lofton went 1 for 2 with a double and scored a run.
Ian Kinsler also doubled and drove in a run.
In Sammy Sosa's first grapefruit league game he went 1 for 3 with a single and struck out once.
Jerry Hairston went 1 for 1 and scored twice.
Jason Botts doubled and drove in a run.
Brad Wilkerson did not have an official AB as he walked twice, scored a run, and stole base.

Rangers Spring Training Record: 1-1

[Molina00]

Spring Training Game #3: Rangers-5, Royals-0
Brandon McCarthy made his debut in a Ranger uniform dominating the Royals by striking out 4 over 2 scoreless innings. That pretty much set the tone for the game Bruce Chen, Scott Feldman, Franklyn German, and Mike Wood all pitched scoreless ball for Texas.

Sammy Sosa set the tone for the offense hitting his first homerun of the spring in the 2nd inning to give Texas a 1-0 lead. The Sosa blast was the only damage the Rangers could do to Royals starter Luke Hudson who pitched 3 innings. The offense was dead until the 5th inning when the Rangers broke through for 3 runs off Zach Greinke, including a 2-run homerun by Ian Kinsler. Gerald Laird added a 9th inning RBI to give the Rangers a 5-0 lead.

Rangers Spring Training Record: 2-1

[Molina00]

Rangers Spring Training Game #4: Rangers-8, Rockies-2
Robinson Tejeda started for Texas and pitched 2 scoreless innings allowing 2 hits and striking out 1. Rockies starter Ubaldo Jimenez matched him for 2 scoreless innings until the 3rd. The Rangers broke out for 3 runs off Jimenez in the 3rd taking a 3-0 lead and driving the Rocky starter out of the game. The Rangers added 2 more runs in the 4th thanks to a 2-run homerun by Miguel Ojeda. Josh Rupe pitched a scoreless 3rd and 4th for Texas before Frankie Francisco came on to pitch the 5th. The Rockies got their only runs of the game off Francisco who allowed a hit and 2 walks in his inning of work, although the fielding error by Hairston didn't help. Joaquin Benoit, Wes Littleton, A.J. Murray, and S. Rice finished the game each pitching 1 scoreless inning for Texas.

Other offensive highlights include Jason Botts who tripled and drove in 2 runs,
Ian Kinsler going 2 for 3 with a double,
and Jerry Hairston who went 2 for 3 with 2 runs scored and an RBI.
Hairston also stole 2 bases in the game.

Rangers Spring Training Record: 3-1

Rangers have outscored opponents 27-15

[Molina00]

Rangers Spring Training Game #5: Mariners-10, Rangers-3
The Rangers 3 game winning streak is now over. It really wasn't that bad of a game for the Texas pitching, at first. Starter Jamey Wright allowed 2 runs over 2 innings, but both of them were unearned. Aki Otsuka and Edinson Volquez were the next 2 pitchers and combined for 3 scoreless innings, and the game was 2-0 Mariners after 5 innings at that point. Tom Diamond came on in the 6th and allowed a run, then gave up another in the 7th giving the Mariners a 4-0 lead going into the bottom of the 7th. It was then that the Rangers finally got their bats going. The Texas offense scored 3 runs on 4 hits off Seattle's Jon Huber, including a triple by Ramon Vazquez, that made is a 4-3 ballgame. That would be it for the Ranger offense however but just the beginning of Seattle's. Willie Eyre pitched 2 scoreless innings before giving way to an erratic C.J. Wilson. Wilson only gave up 1 hit but also walked 3 and let 5 Mariners score to make it a 9-3 game, and they went on to win 10-3.

Rangers Spring Training Record: 3-2

[Molina00]

Rangers Spring Training Game #6: Rangers-9, Diamondbacks-8
The Rangers got back to their winning ways thanks to 3 innings of no-hit ball by starter John Koronka. He shut down the D-Backs offense allowing just 1 walk while striking out 1 over 3 innings of work. The Rangers, on the other hand, totally hammered Arizona starter Livan Hernandez for 9 runs over 3.1 innings. Hernandez held Texas scoreless through the first 2 until giving up 6 runs in the 3rd followed by 3 more runs in the 4th. Gerald Laird hit a solo homerun in the 3rd and Sammy Sosa added a 3-run shot in the same inning, his 2nd homerun of the spring. Those 9 runs were all the Rangers would get, but it would prove to be enough. Kam Loe pitched well allowing just 1 unearned run over 3 innings but the rest of the bullpen struggled. Francisco Cruceta allowed 4 runs on 5 hits over 2/3rds of an inning, and Vargas and Wood combined to give up 3 more runs in 2.1 innings of work. The Rangers held on to win 9-8 and improve to 4-2 this spring.

Other offensive highlights:
Kenny Lofton went 2 for 3 with a double and 2 runs scored.
Brad Wilkerson went 2 for 3 with a run scored and is batting .444 this spring.
Mark Teixeira went 2 for 3 with a 3 double and 3 RBI.
Gerald Laird went 2 for 3 with a homer and 2 runs scored.
Sammy Sosa finished 2 for 3 with a homer and 3 RBI.

Rangers Spring Training Record: 4-2

[Molina00]

Rangers Spring Training Game #7: Rangers-7, Athletics-6
Vicente Padilla, one of the Ranger pitchers who actually doesn't have to compete for his job, had a rocky start in Thursday's win over the Athletics. He allowed 3 runs on 6 hits over 3 innigs of work, but the offense bailed him out of a loss in the late innings. The bullpen was on target most of the game as Benoit and Francisco combined for 3 scoreless innings. German struggled allowing 2 runs on 3 hits in 1 inning but A.J. Murray struck out 2 in a perfect 8th and Armando Galarraga pitched the 9th for the save.

Offensively, the Rangers could get very little going early on only managing 1 run in 3 innings off of Dan Haren. The Oakland pen kept the offense shut down for the next 3 innings until the 7th. Former Ranger Erasmo Ramirez was hammered for 5 runs on 5 hits in just 2/3rds of an inning and the Rangers took a 6-5 lead at that point. They added 1 more run in the 8th but Galarraga gave up an Oakland run in the 9th and the Rangers went on to win 7-6 and improve to 5-2 this spring.

Offensive Highlights:
Marlon Byrd went 1 for 1 with a double, a walk and 2 runs scored.
Frank Catalanotto went 2 for 2 with a double, and a walk.
Jason Botts went 2 for 2 with a run scored and an RBI.
Sammy Sosa went 2 for 3 with a run scored and is now batting .467 this spring.
Nelson Cruz tripled and drove in 2 in his only at bat.

Rangers Spring Training Record: 5-2

[Molina00]

Rangers Spring Training Game #8: Rangers-11, Cubs-9
Brandon McCarthy made the start for Texas, and it was much less than stellar. The Cubs hammered him for 5 runs on 7 hits over 2 innings to take a 5-0 lead going into the bottom of the 2nd. White Sox starter Neal Cotts proceeded to give up 4 Ranger runs on 7 hits to make it a 5-4 game. Ben Howard relieved Cotts and pitched a scoreless 3rd but ran into trouble in the 4th. Texas broke loose for another 4 run inning including a Marlon Byrd 2-run homerun. Howard was pulled and the White Sox pen shut down the Texas offense for the next 3 innings. The Ranger pen was solid, including Bruce Chen who pitched 3 scoreless innings of work. C.J. Wilson was not solid however. He allowed 2 runs on 3 hits in an inning of work cutting the Ranger lead to 1 at 8-7. The Rangers responded by scoring 3 more runs in the bottom of the 8th to take an 11-7 lead and went on to win the game 11-9.

Offensive Highlights:
Ian Kinsler went 2 for 4 with a double, 2 runs scored, 3 RBI, and a stolen base.
Marlon Byrd went 3 for 4 with 2 runs scored, 2 RBI, and hit his first homerun of the spring.
Michael Young was a perfect 4 for 4 raising his spring BA to .350.
Slammin' Sammy went 2 for 3 with a walk and a run scored and is now batting .500 this spring.

Rangers Spring Training Record: 6-2

[Molina00]

Spring Training Game #9: Giants-13, Rangers-9
The Rangers brought out the bats in Saturday's game scoring 9 runs on 14 hits, but it wasn't enough to overcome Barry Bonds and the Giants as they fell 12-9 to end their winning streak.

Robinson Tejeda started for Texas and the Giants quickly scored 2 runs in the 1st to take a 2-0 lead. Tejeda pitched a scoreless 2nd and was pulled. The Rangers responded by scoring 4 runs over the 2nd and 3rd innings, including a 2-run homerun from Victor Diaz. The Giants proceeded to score 4 runs over the 3rd and 4th innings to take a 6-4 lead. Jumping foward to the 9th inning, Texas was trailing 13-7 in the top of the inning when Steve Murphy hit a 2-run homerun with 1 out in the inning to attemp to mount a rally. It fell short though as the Rangers lost 13-9.

Offensive Highlights:
Jerry Hairston went 1 for 2 with a triple, 2 walks and 2 runs scored.
Steve Murphy went 2 for 3 with his first homerun of the spring and drove in 3 runs.
Victor Diaz went 2 for 4 with a double, a homer, 3 runs scored, and 2 RBI.

Game Note:
Every pitcher, from both sides (5 Rangers/ 4 Giants) allowed at least 1 run. Nobody had a scoreless outing.

Rangers Spring Training Record: 6-3

[Molina00]

Spring Training Game #10: Angels-2, Rangers-0
It was a real pitcher's duel in Surprise yesterday. Dustin Mosely started for the Angels and pitched 5 scoreless innings allowing just 5 hits. Jamey Wright started for Texas and dominated the Angels striking out 2 in three perfect innings for work. Ranger relievers Hurley, Wood, and Murray combined for 4 scoreless innings allowing only 2 hits, but they were matched by Angel relievers Bootcheck and Serrano who also combined for 4 scoreless innings. The only mistake Ranger pitching made was in the 8th inning when Scott Feldman gave up a 2-run homerun to Erick Aybar for the only runs of the game, and the Angels went on to win 2-0.

Offensive Highlights:
Michael Young was a perfect 3 for 3 with a double and raised his spring BA to .435.
Nate Gold walked in his only 2 at bats of the game.

Rangers Spring Training Record: 6-4

[Molina00]

Spring Training Game #11: Rangers-11, Brewers-7
Compared to the previous days game where only 2 runs were scored, this game was a slugfest as both teams combined for 18 runs on 28 hits and 2 homeruns on the Rangers side.

Brewers starter Carlos Villanueva pitched very well going 4 innings and allowing just 1 run on 2 hits while striking out 4. That 1 run was courtesy of a Miguel Ojeda homerun however which gave the Rangers a 1-0 lead at the time. The Brewers scored 2 unearned runs off Kam Loe in the 4th to take a 2-1 lead but it wouldn't last for long. The Rangers broke out for 4 runs in the 6th off of Milwaukee reliever Gallardo to take a 5-2 lead. The Rangers would not trail again, although the Brewers did come back in the bottom of the inning to tie the game at 5, thanks to 3 runs given up by John Koronka. The Rangers broke the tie with 3 runs in the 7th including Nate Gold's first homerun of the spring. The Brewers tried to comeback in the bottom of the 8th scoring 2 runs off C.J. Wilson to make it an 8-7 Ranger lead, but that would be all the brewers could get. Walker shut them down for 1.1 innings to finish out the game. The Rangers also added 3 more runs in the 9th for good measure and went on to win 11-7.

Offensive Highlights:
Drew Meyer went 1 for 3 with 2 runs scored.
Sammy Sosa tripled and drove in a run.
Joaquin Arias had a hit in his only at bat and scored 2 runs.
Ian Kinsler drove in 2 runs.
Miguel Ojeda and Nate Gold each had 1 hit, each of them with homeruns.

Rangers Spring Training Record: 7-4

[Molina00]

Spring Training Game #12: White Sox-12, Rangers-8
The White Sox jumped all over Ranger starter Vicente Padilla early on scoring 4 runs off of him over the first 2 innings, including an A.J. Pierzynski homerun, but Padilla managed to settle down and shutout the Sox for the 3rd and 4th innings. The Rangers did not take long to respond to the 4 White Sox runs scoring 3 run in the bottom of the 2nd and 3 more runs in the 3rd, to take a 6-4 lead. Ron Mahay pitched 2 scoreless innings in relief of Padilla, but the rest of the bullpen failed to hold the lead. Frankie Francisco and Franklyn German each gave up 1 run in 1 inning of work, and Wes Littleton and Francisco Cruceta combined to give up 6 runs over just 1 inning. After their first 6 runs the Rangers did not score again until the 7th. They scored 2 runs against former Rangers top prospect John Danks. Danks also struck out 3 in 3 total innings of work. The White Sox went on to win 12-8 and drop the Rangers to 7-5 this spring.

Offensive Highlights:
Sammy Sosa went 2 for 3 with a double, 2 runs scored, and an RBI. He is now batting .464 this spring.
Marlon Byrd went 2 for 4 with 2 runs scored.
Catcher Chris Stewart went 1 for 1 with a run scored, 2 RBI, and a walk.

Rangers Spring Training Record: 7-5