Josh Hamilton is the player that made a lasting impression with his performance at the Home Run Derby, but the Rangers lineup goes well beyond one slugger.
Hamilton, Ian Kinsler, Milton Bradley, Michael Young and Gerald Laird are all parts of a devastating offense that leads the major with 631 runs (5.6 per game).
“We feel good with anybody hitting in our lineup, no matter the situation,” Kinsler said. “We find ways to win.”
And as if they needed any more help, the call up of first baseman Chris Davis has added more potency. The rookie has hit 11 home runs in 33 games.
“Our offense has been taking off lately,” Davis said. “It’s a great time to be part of the Rangers organization.”
Which means Joba Chamberlain will have his have his hands full tonight (8:05 p.m., YES, WCBS) as the Yankees begin a make-or-break ten-game road trip that takes the Bombers to Arlington, Anaheim and Minnesota. All crucial with the Yanks 5 ½ games behind the first-place Rays and 2 ½ behind the wild-card leading Red Sox. When they return from this road trip there will be 41 games left on the schedule, not a lot of time to recover from a disastrous road trip.
“Every game now is a big game for us,” Joe Girardi said. “Each game is, to me, more important than the last. We’re going on a long, tough road trip, and you want to feel good about your club.”
Yesterday’s 14-9 win over the Angels could be a pre-cursor for the four-game set with Texas. It was the third highest amount of runs scored in a Yankees game this year. The most was in an 18-7 Yanks win against the Rangers on July 2. And with the heat in Arlington, which is expected to be around 100 degrees for all four games, the ball could be flying out of the park. Their impressive lineup left a lasting impression on A’s second baseman Mark Ellis after the Rangers scored 28 runs in a recent three-game series.
“That’s the best lineup in baseball,” Ellis said. “It’s a day game, it’s hot, the ball flies out. None of those were cheap. To me, Justin (Duchscherer, 2.33 ERA) looked the same as he always does, that’s just a tough lineup.”
Tonight’s Pithing Matchup:
Yankees RHP Joba Chamberlain (4-3, 2.24 ERA) Chamberlain has been dominant since the All-Star break. The flame-throwing righty has allowed two runs in 19 innings (.95 ERA) and is 2-0 in three starts.
Rangers RHP Vicente Padilla (12-5, 4.52 ERA) As usual, pitching is the Rangers achilles heal, but Padilla has been a bright spot. He is 1-1 with a 5.23 ERA in two starts against the Yankees in his career.
with Yankees.com and San Jose Mercury News