23-19. 78 comments


After The Punch, the Rangers went on to lose three in a row, getting swept by hapless Oakland. But, fear not, their next three games were against Houston. No better way to regain your sea legs than a series with the Astros. Texas went into Houston and won the first of the three-gamer 2-1 for their twenty-third win of 2016. You may recall this game. Colby Lewis took a line drive squarely off the head, and kept ticking. It didn’t jar his programming or anything.

*****

INDESTRUCTIBLE.
Originally published May 21, 2016.

Rougned Odor is the craziest S.O.B. in baseball. It’s undeniable that Colby Lewis is the toughest.

He is indestructible.

He had his shoulder rebuilt in 2004, and came back stronger than ever.

He had his elbow rebuilt in 2012, and came back stronger than ever.

He had his hip rebuilt in 2013, and came back stronger than ever.

There’s that old saying, “What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.” Colby owns that.

Last night he took a 101-mile-per-hour line drive off the top of his head, yelled for Rougned Odor to catch the ricochet, rubbed it off, then went on his way getting outs as if nothing happened.

Everybody else would have died instantly. He casually finished the inning.

Remarkably, that wasn’t the best highlight reel play Colby Lewis made last night. Earlier, he got an out at first base on what was a sure infield single when, in one motion, he swiped at the ball and flung it off the side of his glove to Mitch Moreland at first.

The Rangers were coming off being swept in Oakland with their bullpen in tatters. The thing they needed most was a great outing from a starting pitcher.

What they got was a Jeff Banister-complete-game seven innings from Colby Lewis.

Seven innings of dominating shutout baseball.

He used his fastball. His breaking ball. And the steel plate in his head.