Some things are surprising.
The Mavs’ season came to a screeching halt in blowout fashion. Yu Darvish went almost a month between wins. The NFL still hasn’t held this year’s draft.
Other things, you can count on. Like Ron Washington’s gut.
The manager, who enjoys trashing the baseball “book” in favor of his instincts, juggled the Rangers’ lineup Sunday and got smashing results. In an offensive funk that had led to five losses in six games, the Rangers snapped out it Sunday with 15 hits and a season-high 14 runs in a blowout of the Angels.
The tweaked lineup was so ready that it even produced runs for Darvish – three of them in the top of the 1st before he threw his first pitch.
Wash’s boldest move was the dropping of Elvis Andrus from No. 2 to No. 9 in the order. Andrus, who hadn’t hit No. 9 since early in 2010, bottomed-out in Saturday night’s loss to Anaheim, going 0-for-5 with three strikeouts and the game-ending double play.
Sunday, hitting last, he responded with a hit, a walk and an RBI in three at-bats. In other words, Washington’s move worked.
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At this point, we shouldn’t be surprised. When Wash goes with his gut, we’d all well-served to go with him.
A native Texan who was born in Duncanville and graduated from UT-Arlington, Richie Whitt has been a mainstay in the Metroplex media since 1986. He’s held prominent roles on all media platforms including newspaper (Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Dallas Observer), radio (105.3 The Fan) and TV (co-host on TXA 21 and numerous guest appearances, including NBC 5). He currently lives in McKinney with his wife, Sybil, and two very spoiled dogs.
