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ARLINGTON, Tex. — There wasn’t a lot to say.
Jason Frasor thought it had to be said anyway.
Frasor sought out starter Shaun Marcum in the trainer’s room tapped him and said: “My bad.”
“They only hit one ball hard,” said manager Cito Gaston after the Texas Rangers rallied for two runs in the bottom of the ninth.
Michael Young doubled off the wall in right, Frasor battled to strike out Josh Hamilton looking, when it appeared he was rung up two pitches before.
Then, Vladimir Guerrero reached on an infield hit and Nelson Cruz hit a jam-shot double over the head of first baseman Lyle Overbay to even the score an put runners at second and third.
Chris Davis was walked intentionally and Jarrod Saltalamacchia hit a fly ball between the drawn-in outfield in right-centre.
“That ball was hit OK,” Gaston said.
Frasor was given the closer’s job over Kevin Gregg because in the words of his manager: “He had not done anything to lose it.”
“I’ve blown a lot of saves over the years,” said Frasor, after his 13th blown save in 45 chances (a 71.1% completion rate).
“I’ve learned how to deal with it better than 2004. It’s a little easier, but unfortunately it’s 48 hours before our next game.
“It would have been nice to get that one and get off to a good start.”
One hard hit ball?
“Four hits are four hits,” Frasor said.
Marcum watched the nervy ninth from the clubhouse.
“I thought Jason made some good pitches,” Marcum said.
bob.elliott@sunmedia.ca
