From the Beltre There's something about them that over the past two seasons that the Rangers can't figure out. The Rangers are in a peculiar spot. They've lost the first two games of a series and will need to battle tonight to avoid the home sweep.
For one, there are several guys the Rangers just can't get out.
Adam Lind is one. He has five career multi-homer games. Three are against the Rangers. Career at the Ballpark: 45 ABs, nine home runs, 24 RBI and 1.611 OPS.
Jose Bautista is a career .324 hitter against the Rangers with a .446 OBP, six homers and seven doubles.
There there's Juan Rivera, who has given the Rangers headaches for years.
The Jays also have some effective pitchers that the Rangers can't handle. Jesse Litsch is 2-0 against them and I know there was a game last season that he absolutely killed them.
Or maybe that was the lefty Ricky Romero who has a .92 ERA against the Rangers.
It's just match-ups. You take your lumps and move on. The Blue Jays simply give the Rangers fits.
Notes:
1. Chris Davis hit eighth and rewarded the Rangers with a pair of doubles and no strikeouts.
2. Even Julio Borbon had a two-RBI hit. Yorvit Torrealba went 3-3. He's quietly hitting .292.
3. Mike Young's hit streak died at 15.
4. Everyone needs to quit freaking out after any Rangers pitcher has a tough outing. The only guy to really play himself out of a spot is Mark Lowe. Matt Harrison will have his down days. The question is whether he can rebound. I honestly don't hate Brett Tomko. He went five and gave up three runs. Had Harrison done that, the Rangers are in the game.
5. Nothing wrong with Darren O'Day last night.
6. Interesting pitching match-up tonight. Derek Holland is important to watch. For the Jays is Jo Jo Reyes, a name Rangers fans might no. Back when the Rangers traded Mark Teixeira for a group of prospects, Reyes was in the Braves' system, regarded as the best pitching prospect passing Matt Harrison. According to Baseball America at the time, the Braves had Jarrod Saltalamacchia, Matt Harrison and Elvis Andrus as the top three prospects. Neftali Feliz wasn't in the top 10. Reyes and Yunel Escobar were Nos. 8 and 10, respectively. Reyes was apparently off the block. This winter, Escobar and Reyes were traded to the Blue Jays.
7. The Braves might want that trade back.
