04.10.12 Notes Vs SEA 2012 Rangers Game Notes
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Seattle Mariners (3-2) at Texas Rangers (3-1) RHP Blake Beavan (0-0, ––) vs. RHP Neftali Feliz (0-0, ––) Game #5 • Home #5 • Tues., April 10, 2012 • Rangers Ballpark in Arlington • 7:05 p.m. (CDT) • FSSW / KSKY 660 AM / 1540 AM WINS AND LOSSES: The Rangers beat Seattle last night, 11-5, and WAY TO GO HAMILTON: Josh Hamilton is the only Ranger to hit safely have won 2 straight, club’s first win streak in 2012…team has won 3 of 4 in each of the club’s first 4 games this season, as his .500 average is T3rd to begin the year in a 7-game, 7-day homestand against Chicago-AL (2- among A.L. qualifiers…Texas is 3-0 in Hamilton’s 3 multi-hit games, which 1) and Seattle (1-0)…this is the 3rd time in the last 4 years (also 2009 and are tied for most in the league…Hamilton has homered in 2 straight…he 2011) for Texas to win at least 3 of the first 4, this after not having done has homered in more than 2 in a row twice in his career: 4 straight, May so since 1996 (4-0 start)…Rangers have only won at least 4 times in first 31-June 3, 2008; and 3 straight, Sept. 13-15, 2011. 5 games once in the last 15 seasons from 1997-2011, beginning the cam- paign 6-0 last year…Texas has won its first series for a 2nd straight year STILL THE ONE: The pitching staff’s 2.75 ERA (11 ER/36.0 IP) still ranks and 3rd time in the past 4 seasons (dropped 2 of 3 vs. Toronto in 2nd in the A.L., and the bullpen’s 0.73 ERA (1 ER/12.1 IP) is best in the 2010)…for 9 straight years from 2000-08, Texas did not win its first series A.L. and 3rd in the majors behind only Pittsbugh (0.00/9.0 IP/2 R-0 ER) of the season…that excludes 2001, when Rangers dropped one game in and New York-NL (0.68/13.1 IP/1 R-ER)…opponents are batting just .178 Puerto Rico against Toronto before returning home to take 2 of 3 from the (8-45) vs. Texas relievers with one extra-base hit, one walk, and 11 K’s. Angels in Arlington. PUT ME IN COACH: With Neftali Feliz’s start tonight, and Alberto ANOTHER FIRST: Neftali Feliz is scheduled to make his first career big Gonzalez’s appearance as a defensive replacement last night, there will league start tonight, one day after Yu Darvish did the same…it marks the be just one player from the Opening Day roster who has yet to appear in first time the Rangers have had pitchers make a first major league start in a game: Brandon Snyder…Snyder is looking to make his Texas debut. consecutive team games since July 8-9, 2008 vs. LA of Anaheim…Matt Harrison (W, 7.0 IP, 2 R-ER) made his ML debut on 7/8/08 here in IT’S EARLY, BUT…: Texas leads the A.L. with 8 home runs in the young Arlington, and the next day, the memorable Warner Madrigal made the season, 2nd-most in the majors behind only St. Louis (9), which has first start of his pro career on 7/9/08…both were pitching due to various played one more game…opponents have hit just 2 HR against Texas injuries in the rotation…the Madrigal game ended on Josh Hamilton’s pitching in 2012. walk-off HR off Francisco Rodriguez in the 9th. BYE GEORGE?: Ichiro Suzuki enters tonight’s game with 287 career hits ELIAS SAYS: Yu Darvish won his major league debut last night after against Texas, 2nd-most by any opponent to only Hall of Famer George allowing 4 runs in the first inning…according to Elias Sports Bureau, he Brett (291 hits vs. Texas)…Suzuki needs just 4 hits to tie and 5 to pass was the first pitcher in more than 100 years to win his ML debut in a start Brett on the all-time opponents list. in which he allowed 4-or-more runs in the first inning…that had last been done by Bill Steele of the 1910 Cardinals…on Sept. 10, 1910 at VS. SEATTLE: The Rangers and Seattle are scheduled to play 19 times Cincinnati, Steele surrendered 5 first-inning runs to the Reds, but earned in 2012…Texas has won 6 straight against Seattle dating to last season, the win when the Cardinals rallied for a 14-7 victory. and club is 9-1 in Arlington vs. M’s since beginning of 2011…the 6-game win streak is one shy of matching the 3rd-longest in series history for the MORE OF YU: Some notes from Darvish’s first ML start/win last night… Rangers…record is 10 straight wins in 1978…Texas went 15-4 (.789) • He is just the 2nd pitcher in Texas history to allow 5+ runs in a start in against Seattle in 2011…it was the most wins ever by Texas against any his big league debut and still earn the win…only other Ranger to do it was opponent in a single season, the most by any team over another since Paul Mirabella on July 28, 1978 at Chicago-AL…the only big league Boston was 16-2 vs. Baltimore in 2009…last year was the 4th consecu- starter to win such a debut last year was Seattle’s Anthony Vazquez (5.1 tive season that Texas has posted at least 10 victories vs. the M’s with the IP, 6 R-5 ER) on Aug. 23, 2011 at Cleveland (G2). club having a 49-27 advantage in that span…Rangers went 7-3 at Safeco, • Became just the 3rd Texas pitcher to win his ML debut in a start in the most single-season wins ever at that park, and were 8-1 in Arlington in last 11 years (2002-12)…only other starters to win a debut for Texas in 2011…Rangers lead all-time series 265-258, including 142-123 in that span were Matt Harrison (7/8/08 vs. LAA) and Josh Rupe (9/16/05 vs. Arlington and 86-66 at Rangers Ballpark. SEA) • Became the first Japanese native to win a start for Texas. VS. A.L. WEST: This series marks first of 57 scheduled meetings with A.L. • He is the youngest native of Japan to win his ML debut, just the 8th West opponents in 2012, as this 4-game series provides the Rangers’ Japanese pitcher to earn a win in his first major league appearance…the only games versus the division over team’s first 32 contests…Texas does other 7 on that list all did it in starts, most recently with Kenshin Kawakami not play another intradivision series until 3 games against the Angels, May and Koji Uehara doing it in April 2009. 11-13 here in Arlington. JAPANESE NATIVES TO EARN WIN IN MAJOR LEAGUE DEBUT (8) Rangers have won 7 straight, 14 of 17, and 35 of last 44 games against Pitcher Team Date/Opp. IP R-ER the division, the latter stretch beginning May 15, 2011…went 40-17 (.702) Hideki Irabu NYY 7/10/97 vs. DET 6.2 2-2 against A.L. West foes in 2011, the 2nd-best record by a club against a Masato Yoshii NYM 4/5/98 vs. PIT 7.0 0 single division last year, bettered by only Philadelphia vs. N.L. West (.719, Kazuhisa Ishii LAD 4/6/02 vs. COL 5.2 0 23-9)…Texas’ previous best record against the A.L. West was a 47-31 Daisuke Matsuzaka BOS 4/5/07 at KC 7.0 1-1 (.603) mark in 1986…last year’s .702 mark is highest winning pct. by any Hiroki Kuroda LAD 4/4/08 at SD 7.0 1-1 team in the A.L. West since the introduction of the unbalanced schedule, Koji Uehara BAL 4/8/09 vs. NYY 5.0 1-1 surpassing previous high of .690 (40-18) by Seattle in 2001. Kenshin Kawakami ATL 4/11/09 vs. WSH 6.0 3-3 Yu Darvish TEX 4/9/12 vs. SEA 5.2 5-5 AT HOME: Texas has won 10 of 11 in Arlington dating to last season, as club has also won 6 consecutive series and gone 11-1-1 in last 13 series MAKING THEM COUNT: Home runs accounted for 9 of the Rangers’ 11 at Rangers Ballpark…the only home series loss in that span was dropping runs last night…Texas had 3 different multi-run home runs in the win, 3 of 4 to Boston, Aug. 22-25…Rangers have not lost a 3-game series at something the club did just 2 times in 2011 (April 22 vs. KC and June 24 home since July 1-3 vs. Florida. vs. NYM - 3 multi-run HR in each)…Nelson Cruz and Ian Kinsler each hit 3-run HR last night…in 2011, the team had multiple HR of 3+ runs in a MISCELLANEOUS: Feliz enters tonight’s start having never allowed a hit game just once: Aug. 26 vs. LA of Anaheim (Cruz and Murphy). against Seattle (0-for-48)…Rangers have trailed at the end of just 4 of 36 innings this season…Texas has won both series openers to begin this INFIELD STILL PERFECT - ANDRUS TOO: Through 4 games, the season after going 37-15 (.712) in first game of series in 2011…club has Rangers have committed just 2 errors, both in Saturday’s loss, one by won 5 straight and 16 of last 18 series openers in reg.