The second half was looking bleak, as bleak as the first half ended. So much for just needed a rest at the All-Star break. Texas came back and lost two of three to the Cubs in Chicago, then went to Los Angeles to play the Angels, where they were swept in three. then lost the first game in Kansas City to the Royals. They were 1-6 in the second half, and a dismal 4-15 over their last nineteen, seeing their ten-game lead slip away to two-and-a-half games. Finally, the Rangers beat KC 7-4 behind Cole Hamels. But it was a nail-biter. Shawn Tolleson entered in the ninth and gave up three earned runs. Sam Dyson added fuel to the fire by allowing two of those to score, and loading the bases with one out before finally coaxing a game-ending double play to end the four-game losing streak. Barely.

*****

HOW TO STOP BLEEDING.
Originally published July 24, 2016.

How to stop bleeding, presented as a public service:

1. Apply direct pressure on the cut or wound with a clean cloth, tissue, or piece of gauze until bleeding stops, which is usually caused by a cut, a puncture or by pitch number sixty-three in the second inning.
2. If blood soaks through the material, don’t remove it. There is no material in the bullpen to help the bleeding stop, so what’s the point?
3. If the wound is on the arm or leg, but most likely the arm attached to the person wearing a Texas Rangers uniform standing on a small mound-shaped rise in the middle of a field, raise the limb above the heart, if possible, to help slow bleeding. Under no circumstance are you to use the Lohse method of blood flow stoppage. Patient may experience instant death or the longing of.
4. Wash your hands again after giving first aid and before cleaning and dressing the wound. After all, when you shake your opponent’s hand after the game and say, “great victory,” it is polite to do that with clean hands.
5. Do not apply a tourniquet unless the bleeding is severe and not stopped with direct pressure. And do not seek help from inside sources like your minor league system. There is no help there. There hasn’t been in years. There may never be.
6. Pitch Cole Hamels, who has the only two Rangers wins since the All-Star break and seems to be the only chance the Rangers have to win a game from here on out, and who got the victory in what was probably the most important game of the season for the Rangers, who are in hyper fall and desperately needed a win last night.
7. If bleeding persists, consult a physician, or the general manager of  the Chicago White Sox. They have an on-staff expert on cuts.