Sunday, September 6, 2009
Baltimore Orioles 7, Texas Rangers 0
The Texas Rangers couldn't do themselves any favors Sunday afternoon, losing 7-0 to the Baltimore Orioles in Baltimore. The loss, their second straight, dropped Texas to 76-60 on the season.
Photo not provided by the Texas Rangers
The Rangers have got to stop drinking this stuff between at-bats.
With the loss, the Rangers fell further back in both of their playoff chases. They are now three games behind the Boston Red Sox for the wild card, and five and a half games behind the LA Angels for first place in the AL West.
Rangers rookie starter Derek Holland continued his up-and-down season with another "down" performance, surrendering six runs on six hits over three-plus innings. This was after a perfect first inning, where Holland was able to notch two strikeouts and looked to be regaining his early-August form.
Holland fell to 7-10 with a 5.93 ERA. Four Texas relievers combined to close out the final four-plus innings, allowing just a single runner to score.
Predictably, it was the Rangers' bats that let them down in this one. Normally a powerhouse team of hitters, the Texas lineup has had an uncharacteristically bad year at the plate, and this game was no exception. The team as a whole hit just seven harmless singles, and has now been shut out in 15 consecutive innings.
Posted by Todd M.
