Los Angeles Angels slam the Texas Rangers with a record losing season (Part 3)
The Texas Rangers were hosting their last series in the American League against the Los Angeles Angels. The teams were drawn in the games – set and the final match up provided both sides with an opportunity to appeal to the baseball
spectators.
The Rangers were 2 – 1 down in the bottom 5th and they were batting on the strike zone bag, looking for a way to catch pitcher Dan Haren in an awkward delivery.
With Jorge Cantu on second base, Julio Borbon made his appearance to the strike zone. The 5th batter in the bottom 5thinning connected well with Dan Haren’s pitch to shoot a single to the shallow left. The
hit got Cantu the ample space to run two bases to make it to the dugout with the 2nd equalizing run. The teams were now tied and much was expected to be played for in the remaining fixture.
The Angels were not in for a win. They were there in the Rangers Ballpark to make a point and they looked much confident in the top 6th inning. Peter Bourjos wasted no time in making his point. He smashed a strong homer
to the left, 387 feet high to get Los Angeles on top again and this was a possibility that now had been realized.
The Rangers stayed quite in the following innings and it was going to be tough for the side after going behind again. Dan Haren had been productive and the bullpen was just as effective for the Angels. The ball club was eventually
set to score and they did that in the top 9th through some good hitting from the club stars. Bobby Abreu started the inning with a walk to first base. Torii Hunter tried to hit a home run but miserably failed as he plucked a fly out towards the
centre. Eric Aybar was the next man to come in and his impact on the game proved to be helpful. He managed a single to the right and that got Abreu to second base. With the player set on second position, Alberto Callaspo came on to bat. The strong hitter made
a charming single to the centre and availed Abreu his goal scoring opportunity of the day. Alberto, in a moment of confusion made it to second base after a throw to the other base.
The match was not over yet and neither was the inning. Hank Conger was the next batter coming on for the Angels. His role was short lived after reliever, Mark Lowe, struck him out swinging. With Aybar and Callaspo on the third
and the second base, respectively, Mark Trumbo made his way to the strike zone. The new comer didn’t take long to impress as his 2 Runs Batted In single to the centre got the necessary runs Los Angeles needed to close the game. Eric and Alberto ran home clear
off the diamond to convert their sprint to two runs. The score was 6 – 2, favouring the visitors and it locked the game to a close.
The Rangers were relentless in their attempt to clinch the victory before their playoffs encounter. Unfortunately, that was not to be the case ultimately as the side went in to the post season with a loss. However, Josh Hamilton,
who averaged 23 points higher than National League’s batting champion, Carlos Gonzalez was upbeat about the coming days. He commented on the occasion with, “Going to the playoffs means a lot more."
On another note, the post season meant a lot to Michael young. The longest player tenure on the roster belongs to the batter and for a man, who’s been with the side for the past ten seasons, would be facing the Tampa Bay Rays in
his first playoff after 1508 games. The hitter had a few words to share in the post game session about the much awaited game, “We're excited. The flight can't leave early enough.”
Tags: