Rangers vs. Giants Game Highlights (8/11/23)

We see the opener tonight for the San Francisco Giants and a guy chosen probably because of Seager, the lefty Scott Alexander. I have a feeling that early is all Scott Alexander has here tonight. He has faced an average of 3.6 hitters per opening appearance that he has had so far this year. So he won't be out there for long. He'll face probably the first four Texas hitters and that could be it. Even if it makes it that long, it might just be three and out. Misses the change up and misses for strike three. Alexander gets a strikeout to start the game. That's going to have to be the pitch. Doesn't matter right handed batter or left handed batter that change up. He throws with conviction down in the zone. This is a pitcher's pitch. Sameon recognizes it. He gets the foot down a little bit too early and can't hold back. So one away and here is the former Dodger Corey Seager and he is when he's been healthy and just having a monster year for the Rangers this year hitting 353. That's strike three called at the bottom of the zone and it's back-to-back strikeouts for Scott Alexander to start his game. Seager did not like that call in that location. That ball broke down, but that's an excellent pitch by Alexander to be able to use that sinker. So two down and now Adonis Garcia will come up. That's just off the outside corner. So Alexander after the back-to-back strikeouts on the outside corner there, but ends up walking Garcia. Yeah, fell behind and tried to backboard that sinker and he feels real confident with that arm side run with that sinker and he's already showing the Texas Rangers. That's what he's going to trust especially behind an accountant. Lowe had an outstanding year for the Rangers last year. He's having a very similar year this year 280 average 374 on base percentage. He swings here and hits a high fly ball to left in and toward the foul line comes Jack Peterson shadow that he's got it in over John Gray who has struggled badly against the Giants in his career back from his days when he was with Colorado on the mound for Texas and over the last eight starts. He's one and three with a six ERA and a big reason why is the lack of command of the fastball Lamont Wade Junior leads off and the pitch swung on and missed in on the hands that brings up Tyrell Estrada of the second baseman Strata right handed batter hitting 267 chopper to Marcus Simeon and an easy out off the bat of Estrada Flores hitting a 307. He's been carrying them offensively 15 homers Tapper right back to Gray and it's a quick bottom of the first for the Rangers starter one of the newest Texas Rangers Max Scherzer Hey Max, how are you? Hey, how's it going right now? If you put the baseball down your first bat at the Hall of Famer, is it to love? What is it? Love love playing baseball love competing and a chance to be able to win the World Series. That's all you need to be able to go out there every single day and go out there and compete. I'm back with Maddox. So, you know, I got history with him. So I know how he thinks and works. And so we're kind of getting back on the same page with that throwing twice now the Mitch Garver seems and we're starting to catch some rhythm starting to understand, you know, how I like the pitch where he's thinking we're getting on the same page with that, you know, once you get your pitching coach and your catcher going like that's when you catch a rhythm and you start rolling. So, you know so far so good, but there's a lot of big ball games Max, you've played for a lot of Hall of Fame caliber type manager, including the guy being honored here tonight in Bruce Bochy Buck Showalter Dusty Jim Leland Bob Melvin a number of guys. Is there anyone that really stands out to you as a manager? Yeah, all those guys like they're kind of a version of this like they're the same old school mind. It's great to play for those type of managers, you know, they know where to use analytics, but the most important thing know where not to use analytics. They know when to trust trust the human element of the game trust the players and they just got so much experience. They've seen so much different things over the years. So they're great baseball minds to talk to and learn from so that I've always enjoyed my time with all those managers. You just mentioned I've been so fortunate enough to be able to play for all of them when you do give up some early runs and but you do find a way to settle back in and find a way to compete and finish the start yet. You just don't cave in. So those sometimes those outings are more fun than that. I might have been slowed down by stripling as Crawford makes the play to first. Max Serger the future Hall of Famer. Max, thanks a lot. Appreciate it. Thank you, brother. We are back in San Francisco where they honored a great Bruce Bochy the future Hall of Fame manager in between innings here. Love that this man is getting his flowers. One of the patented great smiles, great teachers of the game in Bay Area and really an MLB icon. Kind of a typical Giants game here at Oracle Park. It's nothing, nothing. Rangers have three hits. The Giants have two hits. So two down and here is Nathaniel Lowe. This one is drilled a deep right field. That one's got a shot at leaving the yard and it does. Nathaniel Lowe finds the bay and gives Texas a one-nothing lead. As Bruce Bochy has seen the ball flying to McCovey Cove quite a bit in his favor and he gets one more here tonight. Now, here's Mitch Garver hitting one high and deep to left toward the glove. That one's gone. Back-to-back pitches. We've got home runs from Lowe and Garver and a two-nothing Texas lead. John just masterful here tonight working on a two-hit shutout. Two outs for JD who has struck out twice. Swing and a miss. He puts him away with the slider again. Seven strikeouts for John Gray through seven two-hit shutout frames. Rolled this Chapman. That was over 300 saves in the big leagues. Been a closer for the large majority of his career. He's setting things up now. Will Smith delivers ball forward to Patrick Bailey. So the Giants get a base runner. And now Mark Mathias is going to pinch hit for Crosswood. That's to the backstop and Bailey goes to second. Yeah, he tried to mix in that little timing hitch. Sometimes he picks up the target late and with that arm swing coming down, you almost have to guess and that's trouble. Here's the pitch and that goes off the middle Garver to the backstop and over the third base goes Bailey. Bruce Bochy has commented numerous times this year on how difficult to roll this Chapman is to catch and it is being those words are being borne out right now. Swing and a miss. Chapman battles back to get a strikeout. And it is up to the 21-year-old rookie Matos who was called up June 4th. Tonight, he's gone 0-2. He's their number nine hitter. Chapman blows him away with the fastball to win the inning. They have done so much scoring in the late innings this year. They're used to coming back late in games. There is a runner at third and here is Estrada. Slow roller. This will score a run. Josh Smith gets it to first for the out. What's important to the Rangers, they get the out at first. But Ramos breaks the shutout. Giants are down to their final out. Jacque is on his own against Will Smith. Swings at the first pitch and pops it up. Shallow left center. Leone Tavarez comes in and makes the catch as the Texas Rangers and Bruce Bochy's return to San Francisco pulled off the Giants back-to-back homers in the top of the six was all they needed to score a two-to-one win here at Oracle Park.