The Texas Rangers hosted the Baltimore Orioles for the first ever 1 game, AL Wild Card playoff game at the good ol’ temple in Arlington. So, here’s the deal…I’m not really sure where I want to take this recap because of all the feelings and emotions rolling through my alcohol feeling fingers. So, this will be all over the map and pretty much, PG.

On one hand,  I’m kind of thinking I should put as much effort into this recap as the Rangers offense displayed for tonight’s game, and the last few games. And on the other hand, maybe I should dominate it like Yu Darvish almost did tonight. Almost. I just don’t know where to take it, but it’s going to be all over the freaking place…

Here’s the recap…The Texas Rangers welcomed the Baltimore Orioles to the ball park for the first ever 1 game wild card playoff game. The Rangers sent Yu Darvish to the mound while the Orioles provided Joe Saunders as fish bait to the Rangers. Joe Freaking Saunders! JOE MOTHERF-ING SAUNDERS! The same guy who has been terrible in Arlington. TERRIBLE!

Oh, but wait…the Rangers can make anyone terrible turn to gold, and Saunders was GOLD while going 5.2 innings, allowing 6 hits, 1 earned run, and striking out 6. He would induce one too many double plays and eventually get the win. Meanwhile, the Rangers left their enthusiasm and offensive skills somewhere to be found at a later date.

I don’t really want to recite all the scoring, bullshit, missed 0pportunities, 1st pitch swings, post game biblical quotes, etc, so I’ll just say this…The final score was Baltimore 5, Rangers 1. The Orioles move on and the Rangers set up tee times, and Darvish gets the loss and Saunders gets the win…nice work Buck!

Here is what I did like about the game tonight…Yu Darvish was great even though he did get the loss. He pitched 6.2 innings, which in my opinion, was not enough time on the mound. The old school brother pulled him a little too early. But during his time on the bump, Darvish gave up 2 earned runs while striking out 7.

I also liked that the weather was beautiful tonight at the ballpark and the beer was cold.

And last but not least, expect this team to look completely different next season. I know that’s common sense, but it should be noted.

Go Rangers! 2013!

Instead of being all doom and gloom, I’ve decided that I (and probably many other Rangers fans) need to change my attitude.

1.  The Rangers are going to the playoffs for the THIRD YEAR IN A ROW.

2.  The Rangers finished the 2012 season with 93 wins, tied for the 3rd best record in the AL.

3.  They are facing the Baltimore Orioles in the Wild Card game.  This year, the Rangers have gone 5-2 against the O’s and have outscored them 56-24.

4.  Yu Darvish will be taking the mound for the Rangers.  If you have been paying any attention, you know that Darvish has been one of our best starters this year.  An overall ERA of 3.90, a winning percentage of .640 and those 221 strike outs should excite you.

5.  The O’s, on the other hand, will be sending out either Steve Johnson or Joe Saunders.  The Rangers have had a lot of success against Joe Saunders.  He also has a career ERA of 6.48 against the Rangers and a 9.38 ERA in Arlington.  The Rangers have only seen Steve Johnson once in a relief appearance.  The rookie Johnson has gone 4-0 in 2012 with a 2.11 ERA with only 4 starts.  (And the 90210 fan in me will collective just refer to them as Steve Sanders because yeah…)

6.  The boys will be coming home to Arlington for the game on Friday.  Hi, home field advantage.

Friday, Oct. 5, 2012. 7:30pm CT.  It’s on.