The moon was not blue. No cows came home. Pigs are not sharing airspace with 777s.

Every once in a while, though, the cosmic tumblers click just right and land on the correct combination. This is a team that cannot score late runs to win a game and cannot prevent late runs to keep a lead. For once both things happened in the same game. A game the Rangers desperately need to win. Which is the case for the final eleven games. 

They have played themselves out of a margin for error. For once, they played like a team capable of winning when it matters.

Up 1-0 after an Adolis Garcia home run, the Rangers immediately turned around and gave up three in the Red Sox’s next at-bat. That’s how the season has gone since August.

In the fifth, they had a golden opportunity to tie the score, and break out something big, and they let it slip away, scoring just one. It looked like another Rangers failure. That’s not being negative. That’s being honest.

They broke through in the sixth to take a 4-3 lead. Then it was time for the seventh inning and the nightly bullpen meltdown. This time, coming out of the clown car was Andrew Heaney. After a strikeout, he gave up a double and a walk. Meltdown alert issued. 

The one aspect of the Rangers game that hadn’t failed them was defense. It was rock solid. Of course, when they really needed it, it let them down.

Heaney got the ground ball he needed for the inning-ending double play but Corey Seager threw it away. So, not only did they not get out of the inning, Boston tied it, had runners at first and third, and looked like they had it teed up for yet another failure.

But Adolis Chapman found his old self. He came in blazing. Throwing strikes for once. In control. He got out of the seventh and made it through the eighth.

Still time for the blown save though, and the master of the blown save was called into pitch the ninth. But Jose Leclerc found his old self as well. He got out of the ninth. 

The Rangers scored late runs. The Rangers bullpen didn’t melt down.

The Rangers won. 

Hell enjoyed a cold, refreshingly crisp day.

*****