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Stop us if you’ve heard this one before.
Arizona Diamondbacks ace pitcher Dan Haren supplied a strong performance last night against the Texas Rangers at Chase Field, but it proved to be a futile effort as (you guessed it) his squad came up short in the runs department once again, resulting in a 2-1 lost to the visiting American League squad.
While Haren (6-5, 2.25) spent his 15th appearance of the season striking out eight batters through seven innings of work, he also got a little shaky early on. After retiring the side in efficient fashion in the first with a flurry of four-seamers and sliders, Hard Luck beaned Rangers outfielder Marlon Byrd and walked Hank Blalock before giving up a double to slugger Taylor Teagarden, which put Texas on top, 1-0. Things didn’t get any better in the third inning, as Ian Kinsler singled and was later plated by a David Murphy knock, stealing second base in the process.
The summer is traditionally a time for reruns, so it’s only fitting that the Snakes decided to resurrect that same offensive anemia they’ve suffered at various times throughout this turd of a baseball season, stranding a total of nine runners in Wednesday’s game, three of which were in scoring position.
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If he’s furious with his teammates, Haren certainly didn’t show it by throwing a tantrum in the dugout (as he did back in April) or during post-game interviews, where he simply shrugged off the loss to inquisitive members of the press. Perhaps he’s grown used to this kinda thing by now, or (even worse) maybe he’s just given up on the 2009 season.
His indifference provided a stark contrast to the bliss of the Rangers, who ended a five-game losing streak behind a solid start by Nicaragua-born pitcher Vicente Padilla (6-3, 4.48). The former D-Back, who was sent to the Philadelphia Phillies in 2000 as a part of the trade that landed us Curt Schilling, K’d three and allowed six hits. He gave up only one run to Arizona, which came during the fifth inning. Miguel Montero plopped a single, was driven to second courtesy of a bunt by Haren, and scored after a Felipe Lopez double.
The series with the Rangers concludes tonight with the rubber match at Chase Field, which features a match-up between Arizona’s Jon Garland (4-7, 4.99) and Texas’ Scott Feldman (5-2, 4.02). First pitch is at 6:40 p.m. As always, Fox Sports Arizona will broadcast the contest on the TV side, with Greg Schulte handling the play-by-play on KTAR-AM 620. More info: www.dbacks.com.
