Rangers falter after nine-run 4th inning by Red Sox

Talk about the difference between night and day.  Today's game was the polar opposite of last night's game.

Colby Lewis was terrible.  Just terrible.  He only made it 3.1 innings, in which time he threw 89 pitches, allowed four runs on seven hits and three walks. 

Yoshinori Tateyama was worse.  In just one-third of an inning, he faced five batters, walked two and allowed four runs on two hits.  Ugly, ugly, ugly.  Merkin Valdez stepped in and allowed one more run on three hits before finally and mercifully ending the 4th inning.  The Red Sox weren't done feasting on Rangers pitching though.  Mark Hamburger gave up three runs in two innings of work.  Surprisingly, Darren Oliver was the only Texas pitcher who did not allow a run. 

The Rangers offense wasn't terrible.  In fact, they got on the board early and had a 3-0 lead in the 3rd inning.  Josh Hamilton had three hits.  In the daytime.  I guess no one told him it was a day game.  Elvis Andrus and Michael Young each had two hits as well. 

But then the 4th inning happened, and ... let's face it, a 12-3 deficit is not exactly inspiring.  The Rangers tried to rally late in the game.  They got three runs in the 8th and one more in the 9th (on an Esteban German home run, no less), but it was too late.

The game ended with a blown call at first base.  Hamilton was supposedly picked off, but my sources say there was no tag applied.   That's fitting.  Everything went Boston's way today, so might as well give them the last call too.

 

KISS:  Andrus.  He was 2 for 4 with a walk and two runs scored.  He had a few nice defensive plays too.  There wasn't much more he could have done.

MISS:  The pitching.  All of them except for Darren Oliver.

 

FINAL SCORE

Rangers :: 6 R, 11 H, 5 TLOB

Red Sox :: 12 R, 16 H, 1 E, 10 TLOB

 

Sunday's match-up

@ BOS, 12:35 p.m. CST

Matt Harrison (10-9, 3.54 ERA) vs. John Lackey (12-10, 5.94 ERA)