After Matt Joyce hit a two-run home run with two outs off Derek Holland, the Rays were probably feeling like they couldn't do anything wrong in the last month. Even better, they had James Shields on the mound.
Rangers Roar Back Against Shields
Even better for the Rangers, that is. Shields was uncharacteristically wild and hittable in the fourth, and the Rangers took the lead. Shields hit Elvis Andrus to lead off the inning, he hit Adrian Beltre to knock in the first Rangers run, and then gave up three singles, including an RBI single to Mike Napoli to tie the game at 3-3.
Shields hit five batters in all of 2011, and probably because of something they said. He's not a pitcher who usually struggles with his control. And after striking out Nelson Cruz, Shields threw a wild pitch, moving runners to second and third with one out. David Murphy struck out ... but made it to first on a wild pitch, with Beltre scoring on the play. Mitch Moreland then grounded out.
After Moreland’s ground out, Shields put his head down and walked towards the dugout. The only problem? It was the second out, and a run scored on the play to make it 5-3 Rangers. Whooooops. It’s possible that Shields was a little rattled.
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