Game 163: One Game

One game. 

That has been the mantra of Rangers nation for the past three days and, unfortunately, the West was lost in game 162. The A’s did things the right way & absolutely earned the West division title. They executed timely hitting, launched the long ball & had a stable of rookies deliver quality starts & wins. Congrats to them & their hard work. Truly, a job well done for a team that had little expectation placed on it.

One game.

MLB Rookie Yu Darvish has had an excellent season, all things considered. In an earlier post, I gave an overview of his evolution in the MLB & how far he’s come in one season. Even when getting tattooed for nine hits in his last start, he still kept walks at a minimum & allowed only three runs to cross. He may not feel totally adjusted, but his play is solidifying & he looks comfortable now.

He will be called upon  to deliver the most important quality start up to this part of the season against the Baltimore Orioles in game 163. This game will determine who advances into the playoffs as the AL Wild Card team. He has delivered big for his home country of Japan in some very important playoff scenarios, so I have no doubt he will bring his best to the mound Friday & will have Arlington celebrating once again.

One Game. 

The 2012 Rangers have had a roller coaster of a season. After starting as hot as possible, things leveled out quickly. Without a 15-4 start in April & a superb interleague record, they would be a .500 ball club for the 2012 season. There will be room to debate & talk about what worked & what didn’t in the off season, but Friday night needs to be the night the Rangers put their foot down & play with zeal & passion again. The pitching has kept them involved in every September game; the offense has not delivered. It’s time to pull out the stops & do work. Simple as that.

Note: Darvish has never faced the Baltimore Orioles this season; either his spot just wasn’t up in the rotation or he was out with a quadriceps injury.