"17 straight games without a loss. And since I previously hadn't mentioned that, if Bondo loses tonight, I suppose you could blame me for casting the jinx."
-- From last night's Game Thread
Heh. Yeah, about that...
Okay, so maybe I cast the jinx on Jeremy Bonderman last night. It was kind of a rough night for the young man. But really, am I that powerful? In my house, sure, I love to tell myself that. If it makes you feel better to put it on me, I can take it. My bad.
Of course, if Bondo hadn't thrown the ball away from Sean Casey in the third inning, and Eulogio De La Cruz hadn't become the latest member of the bullpen to have a meltdown (What, is that an initiation for the relievers?), maybe I wouldn't be questioning my influence on the direction of the universe this morning.
(Note to Mr. De La Cruz: If a batter is trying to give you an out to advance the runner, take the out. Don't advance the runners for him by throwing the ball away from your catcher.)
The guy who truly exerted his influence on the outcome of the game, however, was Kameron Loe. After getting beat like a pinata the last time he faced the Tigers, Loe baffled the Detroit lineup. There were a surprising number of "oh-fers" in the box score. (Put your hand down, C-Mo. No one's surprised you went 0-for-3.) Today's Fort Worth Star-Telegram said Loe is the closest thing the Rangers have to an ace right now, and he pitched that way last night.
In the Game Thread, I also said we'd have an opportunity to watch Akinori Otsuka and Eric Gagne pitch. What I neglected to consider is that if those two were in the game, the Rangers were likely to have the lead. Oops. Once De La Cruz negated a save situation for Texas by giving up three runs, however, there was no need for Gagne to come into the game. Some other time, maybe. But hopefully, not for the rest of this series.
(Besides, didn't we already see enough of Otsuka last August when he got three straight saves against the Tigers?)