This one was pretty much over by half-way, as the Rangers poured on six runs in the fifth, scoring five off Edgar Gonzalez, who in all likelihood can now be firmly crossed off the list of contenders for starting pitchers. [Though ESPN's stats have mixed up the figures for him and the other E.Gonzalez who pitched in spring training. I've switched over to the more comprehensive Sportsline ones]
Ortiz didn't exactly cover himself in glory (see the comments on yesterday's gameday thread) either and I must confess, while I wasn't initially down on the deal, sixteen hits and six walks in 10.2 innings isn't the kind of performance I was hoping to see in spring training. On the other hand, Brandon Lyon remains perfect through five, which give me hope we might not have been totally fleeced in the trade that sent Curt Schilling to Boston. Jon Cannon and Kevin Tolar have also been pleasant surprises.
Apart from the performance of our catchers (add Ansman and Myers to the trio mentioned yesterday, and collectively, they're hitting .478!), Alex Cintron is doing unexpectedly well, not just by hitting .409, but still leading the team in homers this spring...albeit with only two. Jose Cruz (.407) and Luis Terrero (.385) are tussling nicely for the CF spot, while it's nice to see Matt Kata averaging .321. Conor Jackson's .348 is hopefully the shape of things to come for one of our best prospects. Less impressive are Chad Tracy (.208) and Gonzo (.176), though they are learning a new position and coming back from injury respectively.
Heroes and Zeroes (surviving players only):
Hitting (Min. 17 AB)
Glaus, 8-for-18, 8 RBI
Hill, 8-for-19
Cintron, 9-for-22
----------------------------
Tracy, 5-for-24
L.Gonzalez, 3-for-17
Quentin, 2-for-17
Pitching (Min. 3 IP)
Lyon, 5 IP, 0 H, 0 ER
Tolar, 3.2 IP, 0 H, 0 ER
Nance, 3 IP, 1 H, 0 ER
----------------------------
E.Gonzalez, 3 IP, 6 H, 6 ER
Acevedo, 3.2 IP, 11 H, 8 ER
Valverde, 3 IP, 4 H (+ 6 BB!), 10 ER
I suppose I should talk about the Senate hearings on steroids, though I doubt that much in the way of startling revelations will come out of them. I tried watching the coverage on ESPN - which seems to have renamed itself CSPN for the day - but felt my consciousness rapidly draining, and still have a nasty droning sound in my ears. Seeing politicans pontificate about baseball, is about as interesting as hearing Curt Schilling ramble on about politics. I'll wait for the edited highlights on SportsCenter tonight, I think.
Much more interesting is the news that Barry Bonds has had a second session of surgery on his knee, and his appearance on Opening Day is now in serious doubt. That splashing sound you hear is thousands of Giants' fans plunging, lemming-like, into McCovey Cove, while the rest of the NL West celebrates. I believe the Hall of Fame in Cooperstown has already requested the table on which Bonds banged his knee last month...