But in the 7th, Hank Blalock went yard for the 4th time this season, cutting the lead to 2. Marlon Bryd then singled in another run in the 8th. But after Orioles closer George Sherrill sat down the first two hitters of the 9th, things were not looking good for Texas. That is, until Ian Kinsler laced a single over the head of shortstop Cesar Izturis.
"I'm just doing what I can to get on base," Kinsler said. "Once it got to two strikes, it became a defensive at-bat. Get the barrel on something and give Mike (Young) a shot."
Michael Young delivered, crushing an opposite field home run, giving Texas a 5-4 lead.
"I got pretty lucky," Young said. "I was hoping it would stay left. A couple feet to the right and it would have hit the scoreboard."
Rangers closer Frank Francisco would make the lead stand up, setting Baltimore down in the bottom of the 9th, picking up his 3rd save of the season. He has yet to allow an earned run.
But the day belonged to Michael Young who, for the 3rd time in 5 games, hit a 9th inning homerun.
"It's a lot different on the road," Young said. "Against Kansas City, the game was over, you've got your teammates waiting for you at the plate and you can celebrate for a few minutes. This game, they still have [the middle of the order] coming up and you still have to get three outs. Fortunately, Frankie did a great job."
Ron Washington is impressed with more than Young's flare for the dramatic: "Mike is becoming a team leader big-time. Every team has a superstar that steps up, and Mike has been stepping up big-time for us."
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