Bend, don't break I think others feel the same. Despite most critics picking the Texas Rangers to win the American League West, there was this hesitation, insecurity that permeated our hearts as Spring Training rolled along and guys seemed lost. Guys went down with injury and the holes in the roster revealed themselves.
Despite the tailgaters showing up at 8 a.m. for Opening Day, the revelry, the pennant revealing, the eighth-largest crowd at the Ballpark, everyone, I think, is thankful that game No. 1 is come and gone.
We feel even better that the Rangers won. A 9-5 comeback win over the Boston Red Sox. Any win against the Red Sox is a good win. That line-up made me shit my pants. You face Jon Lester -- a lefty that's ruled the Rangers in the past -- and get a win, that is a good thing always.
Granted, we can't have 161 games of that. Iffy pitching, famine or feast hitting, bullpen giving up a lead, shotty defense and fighting from behind.
I think we did answer some questions:
Is Adrian Beltre an improvement at third base, defensively?
Yes. Not that Beltre made plays that Mike Young didn't make 1,000 times last season. But I felt 1000 percent more confident with Beltre at the hot corner.
Has C.J. Wilson improved on his control?
So far, so good. Threw 109 pitches, and 70 were strikes. Not bad. Not great. Walked just two batters, and against a line-up like Boston's, that's pretty good.
Will the Boston Red Sox struggle against left-handed pitching?
Hate to judge with 161 games left, but it doesn't look good. They worked C.J. Wilson over, forcing him to throw a lot of pitches. But Carl Crawford was lost. If not for David Ortiz' game-tying home run against Darren Oliver (Ortiz had two home runs all of last season against lefties), it would have been a disaster.
Did Julio Borbon solidify his role on this team?
Hardly. He is a bone head at times. He'll be given ample time to screw it up.
Have we overestimated the plight of the bullpen?
If not for Ortiz' weird home run, I thought Mark Lowe, Arthur Rhodes, Oliver and Neftali Feliz were pretty phenomenal.
Does Mike Napoli and Dave Murphy deserve more than 300 at-bats?
I've always hated Murph as a pinch-hitter. He's always felt like a hitter who needs at-bats to get on track. As evidenced by his poor pinch-hit average a year ago, my point should remain true. Then he belts a two-run, opposite-field double that pops up the chalk in place of Borbon to win the game. Napoli, too, made Ron Washington look genius by sitting Mitch Moreland against Lester. Over time, we may learn they are both best served getting chances at the plate.
