Texas Rangers beat Minnesota Twins: Vladimir Guerrero, Josh Hamilton hit homers
For Christopher John Wilson, the match between the Texas Rangers and Minnesota Twins was another test of strength and intellect. However, for Vladimir Guerrero and Josh Hamilton, this fixture was more about patience and timing. And what else would a team want but to have these three players be part of their roster.
For the Texas Rangers, things could not get any better than they are right now. The squad that came as a revelation this season in the world of Major League Baseball has come out on the field, night after night to prove that they are the deserved kings of the American League, Western Division. For the Minnesota Twins, this series would be a trip to forget. Much to the delight of their spectators on the other hand, they must be happy to have seen their team perform well in the Rangers Ballpark.
The Minnesota Twins came to Arlington, Texas in an effort to translate their recent success to the Rangers’ ballpark. Having won their last 5 series, the team was in a preferable situation to upset the West Division leaders. That wasn’t to be the case as yesterday night was the only last chance that the ball club had at saving the series. They were already 2-0 down in the games set and if they wanted to get a draw, they needed a win quite badly.
For the pitching duties, Brian Duensing was brought in. The 27-year-old has been involved in 8 starts with 7 wins and 1 loss. Before the game, the pitcher availed a respectable earning run average of 1.92. However, the slender loss faced by the Twins was something that the player couldn’t avoid. He played for 6 innings and pitched 99 times, striking out 5 hitters. He conceded 6 hits, 4 runs and a walk during the course of the match.
The Rangers, on the other hand, wanted to rebound from the series square with the Baltimore Orioles. Prior to that, they were swept off their feet by the Tampa Bay Rays who defeated them 3-0 in their series. Fans were now hoping for the win in this fixture because this could spell out their mental strength in the league. With the Twins being the opponents, the task was a hard one. The Minnesota Twins is currently leading the table in the Central American League Division. The Texas club expected a fierce battle and even though many runs were not scored, the fixture was a competitive one nevertheless.
C. J. Wilson was the ball thrower to make way into the berth again. The high class pitcher came in with a 6 games winning streak. And it wasn’t a surprise the fixture would spell out a win, given the bowler’s high morale and a 12 wins record for the season. He pitched 103 times in his 6 innings of play, striking out 6 players. He allowed 7 hits, 3 runs and 2 walks in his pitching exhibition. The remaining innings were saved by the bullpen. The relievers did the best job to maintain the runs and prevent further scoring.
Josh Hamilton is proving to be a serious contender for the Most Valuable Player award for 2010. He began the show with the first run as he made his mark in the game in the bottom 1st with a signature home run. The up and coming hitter proved his mettle in the park when he smashed a 422 feet homer to the centre, leading Michael Young to the dug out to bring up two runs for the Rangers. The Twins mustered a response in the top 2nd when Danny Valencia got Jason Kubel through the last base with a grounder out to shortstop.
Vladimir Guerrero then came on in the bottom 3rd to single to the centre. That hit got Young through the last checkpoint for his second run. Twins then scored in the top first with Valencia who ran home off Denard Span’s double to the centre. James Jerry Hardy brought the third run to the Minnesota ball club when Joe Mauer grounded out to second.
With the game squared, Guerrero broke the deadlock with his 416 homer to the left. The 4th run for the club ensured the Rangers won the game and the series. As the innings came and went, the Twins were not able to reply. The game ended on Texas 4-3 Minnesota.
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