8:53 p.m.: No Happy Felix Day tonight, as Hernandez exits after only 4 1/3 innings, having given up six runs, walked four batters (one intentionally) and hit three others. Not to mention a wild pitch in the fifth that nearly got him killed when he raced to cover home plate and got knocked over (on his bad ankle) by Marlon Byrd. Hernandez stayed in the game, walked Nelson Cruz, then watched reliever Randy Messenger surrender a two-run double. So, it's now 6-1 for the Rangers as we enter the bottom of the fifth. Hernandez is done after 97 pitches (yikes!). He was missing his spots all night. And to think, I just gave him my vote for the team's Pitcher of the Year earlier today. Both my picks aren't looking so hot in this one. Gave my MVP vote to Raul Ibanez.

8:10 p.m.: Make that 72 pitches for Felix Hernandez after only three innings. The only reason he's not down more than 4-1 at this point was likely the best defensive play made all year by shortstop Yuniesky Betancourt in the third. With a runner on second, Nelson Cruz hit a hard chopper deep in the hole to Betancourt's right. Betancourt snared it on his backhand, then somehow twisted his body and made a leaping throw that one-hopped straight to first baseman Bryan LaHair for the out. When Betancourt makes plays like those, it makes you wonder about all those routine balls he's missed this year. That stuff tonight makes highlight reels across the nation, which is why folks elsewhere consider Betancourt a Gold Glove candidate. He would be if he was consistent with other fielding aspects. Something to work on for next year.

7:57 p.m.: Felix Hernandez is in serious pitch count trouble after only two innings and trails 4-1 on the scoreboard. Hernandez has thrown 55 pitches already, much of that due to Matt Tuiasosopo's inability to knock a ball down at third base. Two hard smashes have already gotten by him and allowed runs to score from second base both times. The first came from Taylor Teagarden (already a name on my all-time top-5), a smash that hit Tuiasosopo's glove and went into shallow left for a single. The next was from Michael Young. Tuiasosopo made a flop-like dive for the ball and it shot on by him. Adrian Beltre likely gets both of those, bad thumb or not. Raul Ibanez wasn't exactly Vlad Guerrero with his throws home, either. The byproduct is Hernandez has now allowed more earned runs in two innings than in his last two starts combined.

7:38 p.m.: Ichiro just narrowed the Texas lead to 2-1 in the bottom of the first. He led off with an infield single off personal whipping boy Vicente Padilla, then took second on a throwing error by shortstop Michael Young. Ichiro advanced to third on a flyout to right by Jeremy Reed and then -- after Raul Ibanez walked -- scored on a fielder's choice grounder by Jose Lopez that the Rangers failed to turn an inning-ending double-play on. Lopez gets the RBI, but it was not a great showing by the revamped middle of the order. Lopez got away with his grounder, but new DH Tug Hulett took a called third strike to end the inning.

7:26 p.m.: He's up against it already, trailing 2-0 after a half inning of play. Hernandez hit Joaquin Arias with his second pitch of the game, then walked Josh Hamilton with one out. Milton Bradley then pulled up lame after the first pitch of his at-bat, forcing Brandon Boggs to come on and pinch-hit. Hernandez struck him out, but then Marlon Byrd skied a ball to left. Raul Ibanez had room to make the play, but appeared somewhat surprised the ball stayed in the park. Ibanez leaped for the ball and may have struck the wall as he was doing so. The ball came down in a place he could make the catch, but he missed it. It went for a double and two earned runs scored.