Texas looked to be in control, with Yu Darvish on the mound pitching three innings without allowing a hit while striking out three San Diego hitters and walking two.
But after Darvish left the game, the Padres got to reliever Neal Cotts, as Kyle Blanks launched a solo homer in the fifth inning to cut the Texas lead to 2-1, and then Gregorio Petit tied the game when he singled home Rico Noel in the top of the 7th.
Kyle Blanks added another run for San Diego in that same inning, hitting a sacrifice fly to center field that scored Petit. The lead went to 4-2 for the Padres when Jonathan Galvez doubled to center field, scoring Yasmani Grandal. It appeared that the Rangers bullpen had once again let Texas down, losing a late inning lead and costing the Rangers another win in Cactus League play.
But the Rangers fought back with a cast of characters that you will more than likely see spread throughout the Texas minor league affiliates when the season starts or will be looking for work when the spring ends. Aaron Cunningham, who appropriately came through for Texas the day after being featured on this blog, singled home Brandon Snyder in the bottom of the 8th inning to cut the San Diego lead to 4-3.
Then, to start the bottom of the final inning, down 4-3, Jim Adduci drew a lead-off walk before Mike Olt went down on strikes. Julio Borbon then delivered a clutch double, moving Adduci to third base, and putting the winning run for the Rangers on second base. Luis Sardinas was supposed to be the next man to the plate for Texas, but Joey Butler replaced him and delivered a single to second base that scored Jim Adduci to tie the game at 4-4 and advanced Borbon to third base. Guilder Rodriguez came to the plate next for Texas, but went down swinging, leaving Jeff Baker at the plate with a chance to win the game. Baker delivered, looping a ball into right field and scoring Borbon as the Rangers walked-off with a 5-4 win to move their record to 3-7-1.
Baker, who is competing for a utility type role during Spring Training, has been around the major leagues for quite some time. He made his debut in the big leagues way back in 2005 with the Colorado Rockies. During his time in Colorado, Baker saw time at every defensive position except for shortstop and catcher. Baker saw his most extensive playing time in 2008 with Colorado, playing in 104 games and hitting .268 with 12 homers and 48 RBI in 299 plate appearances. Baker was traded to the Cubs during the 2009 season, and played in Chicago until he was traded to the Detroit Tigers, where he spent 15 games. The Tigers shipped him to the Braves not long after that, and he played in 14 games with Atlanta.
For his career, Baker has a .266 batting average with 37 home runs and 178 RBI in 543 games. Baker was signed to a minor league deal by the Rangers in late January, with the hope that he would compete with guys like Leury Garcia, Yangervis Solarte and Brandon Snyder for a utility role on the big league club.
The 31 year old veteran has not disappointed this spring, as he has recorded seven hits in 20 at-bats, giving him a .350 batting average. The Rangers have used Baker at each infield position except for shortstop, and have used him as an outfielder and as the designated hitter. Baker has appeared in nine of the Rangers ten games this spring.
Other Notes from Monday:
Adrian Beltre made his spring training debut in 2013, going 1-3 at the plate with a double in his first at-bat. The Rangers utilized Beltre in the lead-off spot to get him an extra at-bat. David Murphy went 1-2 in the contest with that two RBI single in the first inning, as his spring average is now at .316. Lance Berkman started as the designated hitter and went 0-3 batting in the third spot. A.J. Pierzynski finished the day 1-3, with his lone hit being a double in the fourth inning. Pierzynski and Yu Darvish appear to be working together nicely and progressing in their relationship. Darvish is working on a change-up to add to his arsenal, but says he is not close to throwing it in a real game yet.
Next Up: The Rangers will have their first off day of the spring on Tuesday, and Ron Washington says he does not expect his players to be at the training complex. The Rangers will host the Cubs on Wednesday, with Robbie Ross scheduled to start for Texas as he hopes to earn the final spot in the Rangers rotation.
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