Cruz missile.

C.J. Wilson's short night led Texas to use a franchise-record 11 pitchers, who combined to allow one run (on Pedro Strop's bases loaded walk in the sixth) over 10 innings. Ron Washington summoned Matt Harrison, Strop, Alexi Ogando, Michael Kirkman, Dustin Nippert, Clay Rapada, Neftali Feliz, Darren O'Day, Darren Oliver, and Scott Feldman, and he might have even slipped Gary Mielke, Rosman Garcia, Mike Bacsik Sr., Mike Bacsik Jr., DeWayne Vaughn, and the feared combination of Dale Mohorcic and Cecilio Guante in there at some point. If Tommy Hunter doesn't go deep tonight, maybe we'll see Duff Brumley, Eric Moody, Danilo Leon, and Tanyon Sturtze come to the rescue. If those guys aren't available, Texas could summon Guillermo Moscoso and Zach Phillips from Oklahoma City, whose season and 28-year run as the Rangers' AAA affiliate came to an end last night. (More on that in Scott Lucas's report later today.) Doug Mathis is on the 40-man roster, too, but he started last night's playoff loss to Memphis. Chris Davis is heavily rumored to be on his way back to Arlington as well. He pitched a bit at Navarro College, you know. But really, only Strop and Oliver and Feldman and O'Day are probably in need of a night off. If the audio file attachment of Eric Nadel's walkoff call didn't work for you last night, you can click the "Media/Audio" link on the Newberg Report website and listen to it – and also to Cruz's extra-inning, walkoff blast against Boston on August 13 and a couple other things. You can also click this link (http://www.sny.tv/media/video.jsp?content_id=11903475&topic_id=6298950) for a TV spot that my voice did on SportsNet New York yesterday, helping host Ted Berg preview this series. The Rangers probably won't catch Minnesota for home field, and the A's probably won't catch Texas for a post-season berth, but one thing that got lost a bit in last night's awesome awesomeness was that, with New York losing and Tampa Bay winning its own game in the ninth, the Rays have pulled to within a game and a half of the Yankees as those two clubs battle for home field and Wild Card, with the loser in that race likely hosting Texas when the playoffs get underway. Hunter's job tonight is to eat innings. His teammates' job is to continue punishing A.J. Burnett, whose ERA is 8.10 in his last four starts. Six Rangers have homered off of Burnett, though that includes Josh Hamilton, who's out indefinitely but was right in the middle of the home plate scrum last night, awaiting Cruz, whose three-run bomb off Burnett on June 2 last year was all that Texas could muster in what was a 12-3 loss to the Yankees. Burnett may not end up in New York's playoff rotation, and tomorrow's starter Dustin Moseley won't either, and as we've discussed this series in many ways shouldn't really be thought of as a playoff preview. But there's a playoff atmosphere in Arlington this weekend, and if the Yankees can hold off the Rays over these next three weeks – and maybe even if they can't – tonight and tomorrow won't be the last time these two teams tee it up in Texas this year. One thing that last night reinforced: I'm not going to sit here and predict we might have a new Senor Octubre, but Nelson Cruz sure likes bringing the Boomstick out when the moment is big. ============= Yes. I screwed up this morning and wrote that the loser of the battle between the Yankees and Rays for the AL East crown will host Texas in Game One of round one of the playoffs. That's 100 percent wrong. The winner of that race hosts Texas, and the loser goes to Minnesota. (There's still a small chance that the loser will travel to Texas, if the Rangers manage to catch the Twins in win-loss record, but there's no chance that the Wild Card would host Texas.) Sorry for the mistake. I was probably still intoxicated by my outstanding Cecilio Guante reference. =========================================================== To join the free Newberg Report mailing list so you can get e-mail deliveries of every edition of the newsletter, daily minor league game recaps, and frequent Newberg Report News Flashes, go to www.newbergreport.com and click the "Mailing List" link on the top menu bar. (c) Jamey Newberg http://www.newbergreport.com Twitter @newbergreport