There's a lot to like about Kauffman Stadium, which completed its renovations in time for Opening Day 2009. A little more than two years later, it still feels like a brand new facility. Kauffman is one of the cleaner stadiums I've ever visited. The floors are nicely kept, the seats are clean. The atmosphere of the lower and upper concourses has a contemporary, modern feel. Heck, even the bathrooms are clean. My favorite part of the renovation was the massive scoreboard installed in centerfield. Still my favorite scoreboard in baseball.
Mom and I had two seats in the upper deck on the third-base side. Same preference as Arlington. And, like Arlington, it doesn't feel like you're in the third deck at Kauffman when taking in a game. No obstructed view and all of the action was clearly visible from our seats in section 410, row A.
As for the game, the first eight innings breezed by with Derek Holland pitching a gem. The southpaw took a 1-0 shutout into the final inning. It was just after 9 p.m. going into the ninth; pretty remarkable for a 7:10 p.m. first pitch.
Texas manager Ron Washington elected to leave Holland in the game to face the K.C. leadoff man, Eric Hosmer. Couldn't disagree with that since it was a lefty-lefty matchup. Hosmer, a polished rookie with an insanely high ceiling, did his part to keep the game alive and knocked a base hit to center. That was it for Holland, who was pulled for Neftali Feliz after tossing eight innings and giving up nine hits, one walk and striking out five. It was a brilliant game.
...And then there's the bullpen. Feliz simply hasn't located his pitches since coming back from the disabled list. He induced only two outs before leaving the game with the bases loaded (two hits, walk, RBI single) in favor of Mark Lowe, who bailed him out with an inning-ending groundout. The game was tied, 1-1, until former Ranger Jeff Franceour put the Texas bullpen out of its misery with a game-winning single in the bottom of the 10th off Cody Eppley. 2-1 final.
The Rangers dropped to 23-21, and the bullpen woes continued to plague the team in the late innings. Nine of Texas' 21 losses have come in the opposition's final at-bat. The bullpen has no reliable eighth-inning option, and the surest thing, or so we thought (Feliz), has struggled mightily to miss bats. Moving Alexi Ogando from the rotation to the bullpen doesn't seem like a safe option. He's doing extremely well as a starter, and he's needed in the rotation with Tommy Hunter, Brandon Webb and Scott Feldman still on the disabled list.
There's perhaps a ray of hope underneath the bullpen disaster. The batting lineup, which has struggled to produce runs lately, will get Josh Hamilton and Nelson Cruz back from the DL on Monday, when the Rangers play host to the Chicago White Sox in Arlington. That will help get Craig Gentry and Endy Chavez, serviceable options, but not MLB starters, out of the regular lineup. Hopefully, the offense gets a needed jolt with the return of its two best power hitters.
It really seems like it can't get a whole lot worse, and the Rangers are still hovering around .500. I'm ready for a winning streak.
Plaza restaurants don't disappoint: With my mom staying at the Plaza in Kansas City, we tried some restaurants that left a lasting impression and did not disappoint.
The Capital Grille could be one of my favorite places in Kansas City. It's a little pricey, so I won't be going there regularly, but they had the best salmon I've ever tasted, by a long shot. It was honey- and citrus-glazed and grilled just perfectly around the edges and in the center. String beans and bread chips accompanied the dish, which was the most memorable meal of my mom's visit.
We also had breakfast at the Intercontinental Hotel, which was super tasty. I just had Oatmeal, blueberry yogurt and granola, but it was the real deal.
We finished the trip with Kona Grill on Friday for lunch. I had a lettuce wrap with teriyaki chicken, shrimp, carrots and corn. Stellar way to continue my recent change of eating better and healthier.
Now if we can only get that bullpen to hold a lead.
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