Chase Anderson and Nick Martinez both had great starts tonight, going seven and six innings respectively. They both held the other team to one run, and both had long stretches where they didn't give up a baserunner. Neither of them figured into the outcome of the game, however.
Daniel Hudson came in for the eighth inning with the game tied. By the time he finished the inning, the Rangers were leading 5-1. It was as ugly as it sounds. He had trouble finding the zone all inning long. For example, of the first 18 pitches he threw, ten were balls. And the balls that were in the zone were getting hit hard. He got the first runner out, but then he gave up a single, a walk, and a home run. Add in a bad throw by Tuffy, and a worse attempt at a catch by Cliff Pennington on a stolen base to bring home another run, and you have a recipe for a bad inning.
That ended up being the difference in the game. The Rangers added two more in the ninth off Evan Marshall and Oliver Perez, but they weren't really needed in the end. Full recap to follow.