Hushing the Halos

I had to take an early exit from the game last night in order to get plenty of sleep for class this morning. I just knew that I was gonna be missing something special when I turned off the television.

While it might not have been a historic night for Alexi Ogando or the Texas Rangers (56-41), it certainly was the type of game I love to wtch my team play.

Ogando pitched 8 innings of shutout ball, allowing just 4 hits, and the Rangers went deep three times in a 7-0 road win over the Angels (51-46).

The win made it a league-best 12-straight for the Rangers, and also increased their AL West lead to five games over L.A. This winning streak is the second longest in club history, second only to the 14-game win streak from 1991. Ogando also continued an impressive run for the Rangers' starting rotation, during which they've allowed just two earned runs over the past six games - including four shutouts.

The series continues tonight from Anaheim, as Derek Holland (aka The Dutch Oven) will face the Angels' Dan Haren in a 9:05 p.m. contest.

Elsewhere,

Both sides of the NFL lockout mess appear confident a deal will be reached by weeks' end. As if I cared anymore. Just get on the damn field and play some ball!!

Yao Ming officially announced his retirement today, putting an end to all the speculation about just how many games he would miss due to injury during the 2011-12 season.

And how about this, the Pittsburgh Pirates remain in sole possession of first place in the NL Cenntral after a 1-0 shutout of the Reds. The Pirates are due for a second-half meltdown, but for now they remain a feel-good story.

That's it for me, I'm off to class.