It was a tough loss tonight. Down 8-0 in the 2nd, the Rangers came back to make it a game and lose 9-6. After a well pitched ballgame at Yankee stadium you want to see Mendoza come back and pitch well at home. 1 1/3 innings, 2 walks, and drilled hard with 9 hits. Hats off to Dustin Nippert though. 7 innings of one run ball kept the Rangers in the game until the very end and earned him a standing ovation as he left the field. Makes for an exciting game when you have an explosive offense because your team always has a chance to battle back.

In case you missed Max Ramirez’s double play: Max gets two

Tonight was also the debut of AA RoughRiders pitcher Nefali Feliz: 5 innings, 6 hits, 2 ER, 1 BB and 6 SO. They look similar to the numbers he put up at Class A Clinton: 82 innings, 106 strikeouts and 28 walks. A high strikeouts to walks ratio. Sent to Texas in the Teixeira deal, scouts described his stuff as “flat-out, God-given gasoline”. Feliz was the Midwest strikeout leader and now moves to the Texas league. I hope Rangers management keeps their patience with Feliz and does not move him up to the majors too soon. References have been made to Edinson Volquez, who was rushed very quickly to the big leagues a couple years ago.

One game down and three to go. I am making the trip out to the ballpark tomorrow night to see the major league debut of Matt Harrison. Like Feliz, he came to the Rangers organization in the Teixiera deal. Between Frisco and Oklahoma City he is a combined 6-3 with a 3.43 ERA in 15 starts. He starts tomorrow against the 12-4 Joe Saunders. Texas needs to take these next 3 games of the series to stay in the division race.