Thoughts on a 16-3 win

Apr 2, 2023 - 2:47 AM

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Rangers 16, Phillies 3

• Some fun facts…
• The Texas Rangers have scored double digits in back-to-back games for the first time since April 27 and April 28, 2019, when they beat the Seattle Mariners by the scores of 15-1 and 14-1.
• The 2023 Rangers are tied for the second most runs scored in the first two games of a season (since 1900), per Sarah Langs.
• The Texas Rangers are ending the day in sole possession of first place in the American League West for the first time since the end of the 2016 season.
• Texas jumped on Zack Wheeler early, and the end result was a blowout, but Nathan Eovaldi’s Ranger debut was shaky, and it looked at one point in the fourth inning that the Rangers were going to spit up the lead.
• J.T. Realmuto walked to start the fourth, with Darick Hall following that with a double. Nick Castellanos hit a shot back up the middle that would have been a two run single had Eovaldi’s leg not gotten in the way. The ball hit Eovaldi and ricocheted out to right field, resulting in a double, and cutting what had been a 4-0 Ranger lead to 4-2.
• Bryson Scott then hit a fly ball to deep right — well hit but playable. Robbie Grossman lost the ball in the sun, and it fell for a double, though Castellanos had been tagging up and so only advanced to third.
• So runners on second and third, no one out, a gimpy Eovaldi on the mound. It seemed a near certainty that the Phillies would tie the score.
• It didn’t happen, though. Alec Bohm grounded out to third. Nick Cave struck out swinging. And then, on a 3-2 pitch to Brandon Marsh, Eovaldi was bailed out by home plate umpire C.B. Bucknor, who called a pitch that was clearly out of the zone strike three. Bucknor had a bad day behind the plate, and that was one of his worst calls.
• Philly ended up pushing across a run in the fifth, when Trea Turner hit a fly ball by to right that went for a triple when Grossman once again lost the ball in the sun, scoring on a Kyle Schwarber grounder to make it 4-3. Texas scored the next 12 runs though, so it didn’t matter.
• Dane Dunning came in in the sixth for Eovaldi and went three shutout innings, allowing three hits while not walking or striking out anyone. Taylor Hearn pitched a scoreless ninth. The only relievers who haven’t gotten into a game yet for Texas are Ian Kennedy and Will Smith.
• Texas jumped on top in the bottom of the first when Marcus Semien led off with a home run off of Phillies starter Zack Wheeler. Robbie Grossman singled home a run later in the inning, and two more scored in the third, giving Texas their early cushion. After it became a 4-3 game, Wheeler left after a one out walk in the fifth, having reached 95 pitches. A Josh Jung single and a Grossman K brought up Mitch Garver with two on and two out.
• Garver worked the count to 3-1 against reliever Yunior Marte before taking a ball off the plate. He dropped his bat and started to head to first before heading Bucknor call it a strike. He chatted with Bucknor about it a moment and then used his one timeout of the plate appearance to clear his head. I was irritated by the missed call but thought it would be improper to get too mad about it given the Marsh called strike three.
• And as it turned out, it worked out. Garver turned on the 3-2 pitch and drove it into the left field seats for the fabled two out, three run home run. Everything came up Milhouse after that. Garver had another three run homer in a six run seventh, Texas chased Craig Kimbrel in the eighth and made Philly turn to a position player. Josh Harrison, to finish out what was a three run eighth, and everyone left the park happy. Well, not the Phillies or their fans, but everyone else.
• Every position player except Jonah Heim got into the game for Texas, and they all got hits except for Ezequiel Duran, who came in late as a pinch hitter and was 0 for 1. Nathaniel Lowe and Adolis Garcia each had three hits. Texas totaled 17 hits and 6 walks on the day.
• Thats what we call an ass whoopin.
• Nathan Eovaldi’s fastball maxed out at 97.5 mph, and averaged 95.9 mph on the day. Dane Dunning’s sinker topped out at 91.0 mph. Taylor Hearn’s fastball touched 97.0 mph.
• For the second game in a row, Corey Seager had the hardest hit ball of the game, reaching 110.0 mph with a single. Mitch Garver’s home runs were 107.0 and 106.9 mph off the bat. Adolis Garcia had singles of 104.7 mph and 103,7 mph. Robbie Grossman had a 103.9 mph single. Josh Jung had a 100.3 mph line out. Marcus Semien’s home run was 98.9 mph, and he also had a 100.4 mph fielders choice and a 98.7 mph lineout.
• Two very fun wins in a row to start the year. Let’s enjoy our First Place Texas Rangers while we see if Texas can sweep the Phillies tomorrow.