The Rangers Are 20-15

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Your Texas Rangers just took a series from the AL-best Chicago White Sox.

  • Cole Hamels started today, and early on, it seemed like the White Sox would struggle to score a single run while he was on the mound. Unfortunately, to lead of the top of the 3rd inning, Dioner Navarro hit a ball straight back at Hamels. After the ball initially hit him right in the glove, it hit the ground. Hamels hurriedly picked the ball up and made a rushed throw in the general direction of Mitch Moreland at first base. Instead of recording an out on the play, the ball got by Moreland, and Navarro was standing on second with no outs. Austin Jackson singled him in later in the inning.
     
  • Ian Desmond had himself a game from the two-hole, and in the bottom of the 3rd inning, he drove in Ryan Rua with a single. After Nomar Mazara hit a sacrifice fly to center field to score Rougned Odor, it was 2-1 Texas, and it seemed like handing Hamels a lead would be the end of it.
     
  • Todd Frazier -- who later left the game after diving into the stands and mangling his face on the stadium seating -- led of the 4th inning with a solo home run. Melky Cabrera followed up with a single, and Brett Lawrie hit a home run of his own, making it 4-2 Chicago.
     
  • Prince Fielder had two doubles on the day, the most important coming in the bottom of the 5th inning, driving in Ian Desmond and Nomar Mazara, and tying up the game.
     
  • After giving up another run in the top of the 6th inning to make it 5-4 Chicago, Cole Hamels saw his day end. From there, Tony Barnette came into the game to bridge things to the bottom half of the inning.
     
  • Suddenly, in the bottom of the 6th, the Texas bats came alive. Ryan Rua, who is certainly making a case to have expanded playing time, singled to lead off the Texas half of the inning, then promptly stealing second. Ian Desmond ended up driving him in to tie the game, followed by a Nomar Mazara single. Adrian Beltre -- who else? -- drove Desmond in to give the Rangers a 6-5 advantage.
     
  • The bullpen did its job today. After Barnette, Tom Wilhelmsen, Jake Diekman, and Sam Dyson each pitched an inning, cumulatively allowing only two hits and a walk over the final three innings of the game, and closing out a 6-5 win and a Rangers victory.
     
  • So, after sweeping the series in Detroit, Texas won a tough series at home, and now has an off day tomorrow before welcoming in Toronto for a weekend series. Winning baseball is fun baseball.