Hello, win column You might suspect I talk pitching here. Instead, I want to talk about a trumpet.
Some guy in the upper deck on the third-base side brought his trumpet to the game playing the "Mexican Hat Dance" and "Charge!" randomly throughout the game.
As folks were filing out on the ramp, you could hear him throughout playing "Take Me Out To The Ballgame" and everyone was singing along.
Best. Thing. Ever.
I don't know who the guy is but he is invited to sit with me anytime. He needs to be at every game. The way people reacted to him was remarkably cool. He played well and brought an extra element outside of Chuck Morgan's great theatrics to the Ballpark. Really cool.
Now, I want to talk outfield.
Ron Washington rolled out the recently popular outfield of Nelson Cruz in left field, David Murphy in center and Mitch Moreland in right.
Popular because I think Washington hates Julio Borbon, the Rangers were facing a lefty in Jo Jo Reyes last night and ... that's just the way baseball.
However, there's a fundamental problem with this threesome: They're all out of position.
I don't know the exact intricacies of playing left versus right, but there were two hits last night that looked extremely "gettable" and it looked like Cruz was out of position or discombobulated. I just imagine Dave Murphy or Josh Hamilton getting those balls.
Moreland looks the most natural. He has a good arm. Covers the field well. Still, he's not a guy you put in right for 100 games or even 75.
Murphy is probably the weakest link. In a pinch, he can play center with little issue. Nonetheless, he doesn't cover the field like Borbon and he doesn't have the arm of Josh Hamilton. You've got to have either/or, right?
Giving nights off is one thing. Rolling with the Cruz/Murph/Moreland outfield three or four nights a week, I think, is crazy. Seems like Washington is forsaking his own creedo of defense for offense. Not a good thing.
Notes:
1. Thought Cody Eppley was good again, despite the game-tying homer to Juan Rivera. Not to Eppley: Rivera's done that to the Rangers for years. He's an asshole. Don't let it get you down. Congrats on the first win.
2. Thought Derek Holland was bad. Kind of found a tiny speck of control and cadence in his final innings. Total lack of control, too much of the plate, bad things happen.
3. How good has Mike Napoli been? Given the at-bats at the Ballpark, he'd absolutely crush.
4. Mike Young continues his assault on Major League pitching. RBI double gives him 12, second in the American League. No one gets on a roll quite like Young.
5. Mitch "The Bitch" Moreland. The dude simply hits. There are no words for it. Considering his time in the Majors, he's probably the most remarkable hitter on the team.
6. Mike McCoy is the J.J. Barea of Toronto baseball: Short and annoying as shit.
7. Toronto mustered 18 baserunners. Left 12. Scored six.
