Ervin Santana did not have the magic with him nor did he have the wind at his back as the Jet Stream-aided Cocaine Cowboys of Arlington gave new meaning to "blow", scoring seven times in a game where almost as much trash was blowing around the field as there was sitting in the Hicksville stands.
Backup catcher Jeff Mathis got the start and his Catchers Earned Run Average (CERA) was destroyed by being unable to frame a single pitch of Santana's. With ample long counts, the Rangers were able to square up the ball as Mathis practically announced what pitch was coming their way. Santana seemed lost as his batterymate destroyed any chance the Angels had, fumbling around behind the plate like a blind man reading the braille issue of Playboy.
Torii Hunter grounded into a double play and left a man in scoring position with two outs, so the many blown chances that were scattered around stood as sad reminders that the Angels managed 10 hits in the game.
Meanwhile, Angels hitters managed key groundouts whenever two men were on, making Arlington Lefty C.J. Wilson overconfident in his below average nibbling. Santana's frustration with the incompetent Mathis boiled over when he tossed a squeeze bunt to first base with an apathy that sailed the ball down into right field foul territory. The Rangers did not take batting practice, having arrived home at 5 AM local time. But they did not need to with Jeff Mathis assuring them meatballs served for dinner buffet style - all you could want. Just add pasta and you know why manager Mike Scioscia must keep trotting him out there.