Rangers Win In Detroit
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DETROIT — Some games you lose when you win.
The Texas Rangers drubbed the Detroit Tigers 9-2 on Thursday but received more bad injury news when it was revealed that first baseman Prince Fielder will undergo neck disc fusion surgery on Tuesday and miss the remainder of the season.
“He saw Dr. (Drew) Dossett the first thing this morning,” Rangers general manager Jon Daniels said. “He had another scan. Unfortunately, his symptoms had gotten worse. The recommendation at this point is (neck fusion) surgery. The typical recovery for that type of surgery is 3-4 months.
“It’s tentatively set for Tuesday. We’ll get a second opinion as a matter of course. He would miss the rest of the season.”
The Rangers got five innings of shutout ball from right-hander Yu Darvish (4-2) and two-run hits from three different players to hand the Tigers their fourth loss in a row after a six-game winning streak.
“Regardless of the team, you’re going to go through a stretch like this,” Detroit manager Brad Ausmus said, “where maybe you don’t get the starting pitching you think you’re going to get and it ends up taxing your bullpen and it ends up snowballing for a period of time.
“We come back Friday and we’ve got Anibal Sanchez going. His pitch count is up because he’s one
start off the disabled list. There’s not a team in the league that doesn’t go through a stretch like this.”
Catcher Chris Gimenez had four hits in his second start for Texas. He spent the past two days briefly talking with Darvish about the Detroit hitters.
“I felt very good, but overall I was not at my best,” Darvish said. “I didn’t feel very well, but in key situations I was able to get hitters out.”
Darvish gave up two runs in the sixth, allowing four of his six hits and had three walks to go with six strikeouts. Tigers first baseman Miguel Cabrera had an RBI double and is now one RBI shy of the league lead at 41. Left fielder Don Kelly had a run-scoring single.
“He’s been sharper,” Ausmus said. “We had some good at-bats, hit the ball hard, but he’s still Yu Darvish. Even without his best stuff, he’s a very effective major league pitcher. He’s one of the best in the league.”
Tigers left-hander Robbie Ray (1-1) struggled with his control to the extent he threw 40 balls to go with 43 strikes. The only inning in which he did not allow a run — the first – was because he picked a runner off first and catcher Alex Avila threw out a runner at second after a strikeout.
Rangers third baseman Adrian Beltre had an RBI double during a three-run second. Left fielder Shin-Soo Choo hit a two-run homer and designated hitter Michael Choice added a two-run single in Texas’ four-run fourth.
Right fielder Alex Rios had an RBI double in the second and scored on a single by Gimenez. Texas got its final run in the three-run third on an error by Cabrera.
Detroit’s highlight was a scoreless, four-batter ninth pitched by shortstop Danny Worth, who featured a knuckleball that he has thrown since his youth league days when he used it because he could not master a changeup.
Gimenez got his fourth hit off Worth, but the infielder struck out both designated hitter Michael Choice and center fielder Leonys Martin.
“Martin and Choice are both in the box right now,” Rangers manager Ron Washington said, meaning the club’s Kangaroo Court was punishing both. “You don’t let any position player get you out.
“You either get a base hit or a walk. That’s a free base hit (when you face a position player pitching).”
Worth was the first position player to pitch for Detroit since Kelly pitched against the New York Mets on June 29, 2011.
Texas starting center fielder Daniel Robertson had to leave the game in the third inning after a collision with Rios. He passed his concussion tests, but X-rays showed some non-displaced fractures to his left cheekbone, which hit Rios’ knee.
