Game 146: Matthews, Rangers whip Tigers
posted in Texas Rangers, The Stretch Run |Justin Verlander didn’t have it tonight. Mike Maroth didn’t either. Nor did Jason Grilli. That, or the Rangers really brought their hitting shoes. Texas blew Detroit out of the water, 11-3. Gary Matthews Jr. hit for the cycle, in order, in his first four at-bats. Quite a spectacle. And he didn’t take the short porch either for his home run swing off Maroth.
After the Rangers took a 4-0 lead, Detroit cut it to 4-3 with some good swinging in the third inning. Sean Casey drove in a couple of runs. Brandon Inge drove in another. Earlier, the Tigers were taking slow approaches at the plate and working Kevin Millwood. Texas answered with three runs in the top of the fourth and that was that. Detroit never scored again. It got ugly.
I found this note at ESPN by the Elias Sports Bureau funny:
• Gary Matthews Jr. became the seventh player to hit for the cycle over the last two seasons and the fifth to do so from the leadoff slot in the batting order. Only three leadoff hitters — Eric Byrnes (2003), Craig Biggio (2002) and Neifi Perez (1998) — had cycled over the previous 13 years.
Just another pitiful game making this a pennant race not a fun one. The Tigers have a day off Thusday then a set with Baltimore. They’d best start looking like the Detroit of old, because we can only count on the Twins and White Sox losing so many times.
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