Some things you need to know about Texans and Texas teams involved in sports: • • • • • • • 1. Loss of Fielder not part of post-game victory celebration< In a curious sequence of events, the Rangers closed out a post-game show after a 9-2 road win over Detroit. Barely five minutes later Texas general manager Jon Daniels announced via conference telephone call from Arlington that first baseman Prince Fielder is scheduled for season-ending surgery next Tuesday. ... The disconnect between a Washington post-game conference was not explained. Fielder has been bothered by pain and stiffness in the neck for some time, but he reportedly only told the Rangers last month. He was initially given oral medication, but that did not fix the problem. Fielder had an injection last Friday that the Rangers hoped would be the solution. ... Fielder missed five games because of the problem. When publicly addressing the issue for the first time, Daniels said that surgery was not being considered, but he admitted that it was a possibility at some point if other remedies were not successful. ... Fielder tried to return to the lineup on Tuesday, but was scratched after feeling significant weakness in his left side. He also didnt play on Wednesday and went back to see Dossett on Thursday. The Rangers originally said Fielder could rejoin the team at some point in Detroit. ... Texas acquired Fielder last winter from Detroit in a trade for second baseman Ian Kinsler. Fielder is signed through 2020, the rest of the nine-year deal he signed with the Tigers after going there as a free agent for the 2012 season. ... Second baseman Jurickson Profar could also miss the rest of the season. Profar has been on the disabled list since the end of spring training with a torn muscle in his right shoulder. Now the Rangers have revealed that Profar has re-injured the shoulder and will have to go through the whole rehabilitation process from the beginning. Profar was supposed to be out 8-12 weeks. Now, he is looking at the same diagnosis or longer. ... • • • • • • • 2. Minus Fielder, Rangers put king-size lump on Tigers< With news that slugger Prince Fielder would be lost for the season about to be made official, the Texas Rangers put a king-size lump on on the Tigers, hammering them 9-2. .. Shin-Soo Choo had a two-run home run, Chris Gimenez went 4-for-5 with an RBI, Adrian Beltre and Alex Rios doubled in runs and Yu Darvish allowed two runs in seven innings in the opener of a four-game series in Detroit. Gimenez, starting at catcher for the second straight game, had a career-high four hits and had little trouble handling Darvish. ... The victory gives the Rangers a two-game winning streak. Its only the second time they have won consecutive games since they swept three from the Athletics on April 21-23 to move them a season-high six games over .500. That sweep of the As also put them in first place for the first and only time this season. ... Weve got to keep rolling, shortstop Elvis Andrus said. If we could take the next three (against Detroit), that would be awesome. We have to keep scoring like we did today. Put the pressure on the other team and let our starting pitcher get comfortable. ... The Rangers grabbed a 9-0 lead after four innings as 18 of their first 27 batters reached base on 12 hits, five walks and one error. Gimenez had a big hit in the second inning after Beltre led off with a walk and scored on a double by Alex Rios. Mitch Morelands fly ball moved Beltre to third. The Tigers then moved their infield in against Gimenez but he singled to right to give the Rangers a 2-0 lead. ... Beltre had a two-run double as the Rangers scored three in the third. A two-run home run by Choo and a two-run single by Michael Choice brought in four more runs in the fourth. Gimenez had singles in both innings. ... Its nice to see Beltre get some big hits, manager Ron Washington said. We battled and were able to do some good things offensively. Well see how it goes and take it day by day. Well just enjoy what we accomplished today and be ready for the next game. ... Darvish, with Gimenez catching him for the first time since being brought up from Triple-A on Tuesday, went seven innings and allowed two runs on six hits and three walks while striking out six. He did so even though he didnt feel at his best against the Tigers. ... Overall, it wasnt really my day, Darvish said. I didnt feel really well, but in key situations, I was able to get outs. Darvish said he had no problems working with Gimenez. He let me do whatever I wanted. ... The quick linkup was what Washington expected. Yu Darvish is a major league professional and Chris Gimenez is a major league professional, Washington said. The adjustment wasnt as hard as you think. They have been together for the past two days. I saw them on the same page all day. ... In his previous eight starts, Darvish had thrown to J.P. Arencibia five times, including the last three, and had developed a strong rapport with him. But Arencibia was sent to the Minors on Tuesday. ... I think I did OK, Gimenez said. It was a great first experience for me. I tried to gauge the movements on his ball and what he likes to do in certain situations. His stuff is unbelievable, located well. I just wanted (the transition) to be as seamless as possible. I think he was OK with today. Im trying to be better for him. Actually, before the game, I told everybody I was more worried about catching him than hitting, then I ended up getting four hits today. ... Darvish threw 106 pitches before leaving after seven innings. He is now 4-2 with a 2.35 ERA on the season, including 3-1 with a 2.10 ERA in his last four starts. He is also 5-0 with a 3.60 ERA in five career starts against the Tigers. ... Hes always tough, Tigers manager Brad Ausmus said. Hes been tougher. But hes still Yu Darvish and even without his best stuff, hes a very effective Major League pitcher. One of the best in the league. ... Ian Kinsler, who was traded to Detroit for Fielder in an offseason blockbuster, went 1-for-3 in his first game against the Rangers. The Tigers breezed to a 27-12 start before being swept in a three-game series at Cleveland. ... • • • • • • • 3. Two-run infield single dooms Astros against Mariners< The two-run single with the bases loaded that never left the infield proved the difference in a 3-1 Houston loss to Seattle. ... Umpires ruled that Michael Saunders narrowly beat Astros reliever Tony Sipp to first base for a two-run infield hit in the seventh inning, breaking a tie score that had held from the first inning. ... The hit was confirmed via replay and ended Sipps perfect start since joining Houston, All I did was hit the ball soft and run, Saunders said. With the game tied at 1, two outs and a full count, Saunders hit a chopper to first and narrowly outraced Sipp, who was covering the bag. The batters were running on the pitch, allowing two runs to score. ... Cosart (3-4) gave up three runs on five hits and four walks over 6 1-3 innings. He struck out six and largely kept Seattles offense bottled up until the seventh inning. ... Houston starter Jarred Cosart (Houston Clear Creek HS) suffered another hard-luck loss after allowing three runs, four walks and five hits in 6 1/3 innings while striking out six. He walked four batters for the second start in a row and for the fourth time this season. Its one of those things that will eat at me for a while, Sipp said. You try to assess the situation, see what was what and it was that little half second that I got beat by. ... Cosart, watching from the end of the dugout, thought second baseman Jose Altuve was going to field the ball. Had Altuve fielded it, he would have thrown to Guzman covering the base. Instead, first baseman Jesus Guzman slid in front of Altuve to field it. ... That is tough, Porter said. We made the pitches to get out of it. It was bang-bang, but at the same time, if we break straight to the bag, I think we get him. It looked like there was a hesitation, and their guy busted down the line. ... Both teams scored in the opening inning. Altuve homered on the games first pitch for the Astros, who have lost three in a row. Altuve took Roenis Elias opening pitch deep into the visitors bullpen in right field for his second home run. It was Altuves third career leadoff homer and first this season. ... Houston outfielder George Springer was held out of the lineup after injuring his hip while getting picked off in the ninth inning Wednesday. Astros manager Bo Porter said Springer could be back as soon as Friday. ... • • • • • • • 4. Wacha has stitch marks showing, no apparaent injury< Michael Wacha (Texarkana Pleasant Grove HS) showed two red seam marks but little bruising and no numbness after a foul ball into the Cardinals dugout ricocheted off the back wall and into his right elbow. Wacha played catch without issue, clearing the way for him to make his next scheduled start in Mondays series opener against the Yankees. ... The Brewers say Yovani Gallardos (Fort Worth Timble Tech HS) sprained left ankle was improved, and the right-hander will throw a bullpen on Friday to determine whether he is ready for his next scheduled start against the Marlins on Sunday in Miami. ... Baltimores Chris Davis (Longview HS) is tentatively scheduled to miss Sundays game against the Indians at Camden Yards for the birth of his first child. Davis wife, Jill, is scheduled to induce labor on Sunday if she doesnt have the baby before then. ... The Pirates have designated Wandy Rodriguez for assignment. The Bucs acquired Rodriguez from Houston in a July 2012 deal for outfielder Robbie Grossman (Houston Cypress-Fairbanks HS) and a pair of minor league pitchers, Colton Cain and Rudy Owens. ... Hunter Pence (Arlington HS and UT-Arlington) is described as a big reason the first-place Giants, who are off to a 29-18 start with a three-game lead in the NL West. Every once in awhile, a guy comes along who gets it, a guy who is almost too good to be true. Thats how the Giants feel about Hunter Pence, writes Richard Hustice of MLB. ... Rangers outfielder Daniel Robertson sustained non-displaced fractures of his left cheekbone, but showed no signs of a concussion after an outfield collision with Alex Rios. The Rangers will send him to an ear, nose and throat specialist before deciding how to proceed with him. ... • • • • • • • 5. Sports Notes: Tomlinson named to College Football Hall of Fame< When former Waco University HS, TCU and San Diego Charger running back LaDainian Tomlinson has been named to the National Football Foundation College Football Hall of Fame. Tomlinson and the other members of the class will be officially inducted at the NFF Annual Awards Dinner on Dec. 9 in New York. ... Tomlinson was a first-team All-American after his senior year in 2000 and led the nation in rushing his junior and senior seasons with 1,850 and 2,158 yards as he helped put TCU back on the map of college football relevance. “We take a great deal of pride in it. It’s something that we still talk about -- some of my teammates that played on those teams,” he said. ... Connecticut basketball coach Kevin Ollie, a Dallas native, has agreed to a $15 million, five-year contract with the national champion Huskies. Its a humbling experience to be around the UConn fans and the UConn family and to know that I am their basketball coach for the foreseeable future, Ollie said. ... Outfielders Cassie Tysarczyk (Spring Branch Smithson Valley HS) of Texas A&M and Brejae Washington of Texas have signed with the USSSA Florida Pride of the National Pro Fastpitch League. ... • • • • • • • 6. Johnsons 65 sets opening pace at Colonial< Dustin Johnson, Hilton Head, S.C., who had played Colonial only once before -- six years ago -- shot a 65 to take a one-stroke lead after the first round in the Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial. ... Colleyville resident Hunter Mahan, playing in the group ahead of Johnson, led before a double-bogey six at the 433-yard 18th hole for a 66. He was tied for second with Harris English, Tim Wilkinson and Robert Streb. ... San Antonio resident Jimmy Walker, a three-time winner this season, and 20-year-old Dallas native Jordan Spieth (Dallas Jesuit HS and UT) were in the group of 10 players at 67. ... Johnson shot a bogey-free round, driving a lot of 3-irons off the tees into the fairways and hitting 16 of 18 greens in regulation. Ive got to keep doing what Im doing, Johnson said. Ive got a pretty good game plan for the golf course off the tee. So Im going to stick to that, just trying to keep getting birdie looks on every hole. ... His only birdie on the back nine was a 2-footer at the 177-yard 16th hole. That was enough to lead after his front-side 31 that included a 45-foot birdie putt on the difficult par-4 fifth hole. ... Mahan started eagle-birdie and was already six under after a 3-foot birdie on the 178-yard eighth hole. He had two bogeys and two more birdies before his drive at the 18th hole into the right rough, with trees blocking a clear shot to the green. After punching the ball back into the fairway, his approach came settled on the edge of the fringe and he eventually two-putted from 7 feet. ... Adam Scott, playing as the No. 1 player in the world for the first time, shot 71 after playing his first nine holes at 4-over 39. Scott had bogey-six on the straight 631-yard 11th hole, his second of the day, when he hit twice from fairway bunkers. After a two-putt from 11 feet at the 433-yard 18th hole, Scott was bogey-free the rest of the way, with consecutive short birdies after making the turn. ... Johnsons 65 was the highest score to lead after the first round at Hogans Alley since another 65 in 2002. There were opening 62s in two of the previous three Colonials. When he first played at Colonial in 2008, Johnson made the initial cut. But after a 72 in the third round, he was among six more players trimmed to reduce the field to 73 for the final day. ... • • • • • • • 7. Texas, TCU in winners bracket in Big 12 tourney< Texas and TCU recorded wins Thursday to advance to the Big 12 tournament semifinals. With the wins, they earned a day off for Friday. ... The Longhorns shut out Oklahoma State 3-0 and TCU took a 6-2 win over West Virginia in the Big 12 tournament at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark in Oklahoma City. Joe Sabatini had two hits and knocked in a run to help Baylor defeat Kansas 4-3. Texas Tech gave up an 8-3 lead in the eighth inning as Oklahoma won 9-8 on a two-run walk-off single in the bottom of the ninth. ... Preston Morrison threw a complete game for TCU. Morrison, the Big 12 Pitcher of the Year, allowed two runs on seven hits, struck out six and walked just one. Dylan Fitzgerald had two hits and Garrett Crain and Jerrick Suiter each knocked in two runs for the second-seeded Horned Frogs. ... Dillon Peters and Parker French combined to blank the Cowboys on five hits. Peters, coming off a combined no-hitter, worked into the sixth inning. Kacy Clemens’ line-drive single in the second inning drove in Madison Carter for the only run needed. Clemens added an RBI single in a two-run eighth for insurance. Mark Payton extended his on-base streak to 93 games with a base hit. ... Winning Baylor pitcher Drew Tolson went six innings and gave up three runs on six hits. He struck out five and walked one. Daniel Castano and Josh Michalec combined for three innings of scoreless relief for Baylor. ... • • • • • • • 8. FYI: This blog features Texas teams and athletes with Texas connections. It is compiled by retired newspaper journalist Bob Sonderegger (anglebob61@yahoo) who covered many of the teams mentioned. Your comments or additions are welcome.
Posted on: Fri, 23 May 2014 18:51:38 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015