ARLINGTON – Matt Harrison braved the afternoon heat in Arlington wearing long sleeves Sunday to keep his hands dry.
But not sweat, nor heat, nor the Oakland A’s could get to Harrison in the 2-0 win.
“I threw a lot of pitches in the first two innings, but from there I was able to settle down and get ahead of guys, mix my [pitches] and keep them swinging the bats throughout the game,” Harrison said.
A high pitch count early was practically the only negative aspect the 25-year-old lefty could bring up from his start, in which he pitched seven and two-thirds scoreless innings, giving up six hits while walking one and striking out seven.
“It was what we needed, especially in that heat,” said Texas manager Ron Washington. “He was prepared for it and he went out there and did an excellent job.”
The game-time temperature was 98 degrees Sunday.
“It was very hot,” Harrison said. “I have to say, I’m pretty tired right now. It’s tough to pitch in day games, but the other guy has got to do it, too.”
Harrison did manage to stay cool mentally, however. The lefty held the A’s without an extra-base hit and never allowed an Oakland runner past second base. He allowed two singles in the eighth, but felt no worse for the wear.
“I felt like I had enough to finish that inning,” Harrison said. “But I knew it was about that time with the pitch count getting up and the middle of the order coming up.”
So Harrison left the game to claim his seventh win of the year and fourth in his last nine starts. In that period, he has gone 4-3 with a 2.04 ERA to lower his season ERA from 4.27 to 3.04.
Designated hitter Michael Young said Harrison is making internal improvements.
“I think he’s showing exactly what he’s capable of doing,” Young said. “You never want to sit here and say, ‘A guy is starting to figure it out,’ because really none of us do. But I think he’s starting to figure himself out a little better. He’s starting to realize what he needs to do in order to have success on the mound.”
For Harrison, who missed much of 2009 with injuries and was converted to a reliever in 2010, 2011 is shaping up to be a good year.
“It’s been big for me,” Harrison said. “Big for my confidence. These last two years have been pretty rough for me with the injuries and moving to the bullpen, but I’m feeling pretty good right now.”
Rangers head to the All-Star break:
Michael Young, Adrian Beltre, C.J. Wilson, Josh Hamilton and Ron Washington all knew this week they would be heading out to the MLB All-Star Game in Arizona this week, but Alexi Ogando found out earlier Sunday he would be joining his teammates and manager as a replacement.
“I just point-blank told [Ogando], ‘You made the All-Star team, congratulations, you deserve it,’” Washington said. “And Ogando, the type of guy he was, hat was cocked to one side, he smiled and said ‘thank you.’”
Washington said it was a credit to the talent of the Rangers to have five players make the American League All-Star Team.
“It means the Texas Rangers organization has some talent,” Washington said. “They can play. The fans recognize them, the players in the league recognize them and that’s huge right there. It’s not like I had to choose these guys, the fans and the players chose these guys.”
Young, a seven-time All-Star, said it will be nice to have some camaraderie in Phoenix this week.
“My best memories of the All-Star Game are when I’m with a lot of my teammates, so there’s five of us going – should be a lot of fun,” Young said.
Team hopes momentum carries into second half:
Texas’ win Sunday gave the team a season-high, seven-game win streak heading into the All-Star break.
Harrison said despite the team’s hot streak, they are ready for a few days off.
"I think we need the break; it's a good time recuperate and relax," Harrison said. "But [a winning streak is] better than a losing streak going into the All-Star break and we just want to keep that momentum going and get after the guys when we get back from the break.”
Young said the next few days will be fun, but after that the team will go right back to work.
“At the forefront of my mind is how well we’ve been playing here as a team,” Young said. “So I’m going to enjoy myself for a couple of days, and then I look forward to getting back to this group of guys and look forward [to our next game] Thursday.”
Washington said though the team hasn’t always looked as sharp as it did in 2010, they are coming into form. Even so, Texas reached 51 or more wins prior to the All-Star break this year for just the third time in franchise history and ensured themselves sole possession of first place in the AL West with the win Sunday.
“We never lacked confidence, we just wasn’t getting it done,” Washington said. “Now they’re getting it done, so I don’t foresee anything other than us coming out and playing the type of game we know we can play, and then the chips fall where they fall.”
