Rangers Thump the Royals

Game Date: July 30, 2006
Game Score: Rangers 15, Royals 2 / Box Score
WP: Koronka (7-6), LP: Redman (7-6)
Royal Home Runs: Brown (7)
Royals Record: 37-67

With visions of being trading dancing through his head, Mark Redman took the mound in Arlington last night and had his second worst outing of the season (his worst came home against the Twins on April 27, during which he gave up 5 earned runs in 1.2 innings). He didn’t walk anybody in his brief three inning stint, but he couldn’t get anybody out, and gave up six earned runs before he was removed from the game.

Things didn’t get any better when Brandon Duckworth took the mound. He gave up seven earned runs in 1.2 innings and injured his right elbow in the process. Sounds like he may be headed for the DL. Duckworth has only pitched out of the pen twice this season for the Royals, but he doesn’t seem at all comfortable doing it. He’s a starter. Much like Jimmy Gobble is a reliever. Why not get guys in their proper roles? I know that we’re trying to give some of the new guys a shot at the rotation, but Duckworth just doesn’t looked suited for relief work.

DeJesus had a couple of hits at the top of the line up. Esteban German had two more hits and a walk. And Emil Brown finally hit his seventh home run. Hopefully the Royals will see this game for what it was—a one-game blowout. They still won the series and now they get to return home for the next ten games. They begin a new series tonight against the White Sox, and then the Twins come in, followed by the Red Sox. Unfortunately, if you look at our schedule, we only play two teams with losing records the rest of the season (the Indians and the Mariners).

Tonight, Runelvys Hernandez (2-5, 6.80) goes against Jose Contreras (9-3, 3.52). Contreras owns us. He’s 6-0 in his career against us with a 1.93 ERA. Hernandez on the other hand is 2-5 with a 6.79 ERA against the White Sox. But Contreras has lost his last three starts. So, let’s hope that we can make it four in a row.