Rangers Fail to Win but the RoughRiders Come Back

Luckily I was not in Arlington last night, but up the road just a little bit in Frisco Texas. The Rangers started well last night, and then crumbled after CJ Wilson’s premature exit from the game. After being selected to the All Star Game, he was fantastic on the mound.

Wilson went 7.1 innings allowed five hits and two runs (one earned). My favorite stat from CJ here, was that he had nine strikeouts and only allowed one walk. This was certainly a different CJ, this was an All-Star CJ, this is probably a CJ who will be playing for another team next March.

From here, Mark Lowe blew the save, Darren Oliver gave up a run, and Neftali Feliz gave up a run as well. This bullpen needs help…pronto.

That’s enough big league talk for now, what I saw in Frisco last night was one of the most impressive things I’ve seen from any team in baseball. Going into the eighth inning the Frisco RoughRiders were down 6-0 to Mike Trout and the Arkansas Travelers.

The Riders were able to put six runs on the board to tie the game in the 8th, and in the bottom of the 10th inning, Davis Stoneburner hit a walk-off RBI single to win the game. I should have known he would have a great night when a friend of ours opened up the program, and was excited that he loved “Saved by the Bell” and “Friday Night Lights”. I should apologize to those around us in section 121 for the things yelled every time he came to bat! 🙂

For me minor league baseball has become a passion, and I encourage any Rangers fan who has an opportunity, to check out a RoughRiders game. It’s a great distraction for nights that the big league team leaves you frustrated.

I have no doubts about the Rangers right now, the coming all-star break should be good for them. They can recharge the batteries, refocus, and get back to what Rangers baseball is all about. I look for the team to still seek bullpen help, but I think this will come from the minor leagues. Tanner Scheppers, or Neil Ramirez may be all the Rangers need to make a playoff run. I’m confident we will be watching the Rangers play in mid-October.

Happy Fourth of July Everyone!

-Jonathan