Rangers reaction: Remember to embrace such games as fans, win or lose

Sheesh, what a game, right? OK, forget for a second that you live and die with every Rangers game. Forget that each loss, even those in April, can feel like someone has kicked you in the rosin bag. Allow yourself to embrace the kind of game we witnessed Saturday at U.S. Cellular Field.

The White Sox won 4-3 in the 11th inning after lead changes in the seventh, eighth and ninth innings. The back and forth affair included runners being thrown out at home, defensive gems, and clutch hitting against the other team’s most dominant reliever. Oh, and that Rangers rookie in right field made a game-saving, home-run robbing catch over the wall in the ninth.

“That’s a great character builder for a ball club that’s going to continue to battle and fight,” Rangers manager Jeff Banister said.

Here are three Rangers reactions after one of the best-played games so far this season:

1. Mazara’s catch — Nomar Mazara, already a Rangers fan favorite based more on his promise as a prospect than what he has done thus far in 11 major league games, which, by the way, has been astounding, added another stamp of his potential greatness with a ninth-inning, game-saving catch atop the wall in right field. He robbed Todd Frazier of his second homer of the day and made the White Sox wait a couple more innings to taste victory.

Mazara, who went 1 for 5 Saturday, singled with one out in the tenth but was stranded. Although he’s coming down to earth somewhat at the plate, he’s still showing unerring poise in the box, and showed again Saturday he does that defensively as well.

2. Bullpen situation — Several of you on social media (and perhaps many more of you at home silently to yourself) were wondering why Phil Klein didn’t return to the mound in the 11th after striking out the side on 11 pitches in the 10th. Good question, glad I rhetorically asked it. Klein threw 26 pitches the night before. Said Banister: “To send Phil back out there creates too much collateral damage for a reliever.”

Jake Diekman was unavailable because the club wanted him to get two consecutive days off after working nine of the Rangers first 16 games. In a word, that current pace was: unsustainable.

3. Dawn of Desmond — Ian Desmond is in a zone at the moment. In the past 10 days (eight games), the left-fielder has raised his average 64 points to .167. Since getting a day off (which turned into three with Sunday’s rainout) he has five hits, including two homers, two doubles, five RBI and seven runs scored. He also has five walks in his past five games to just three strikeouts. After Saturday’s game he credited his veteran teammates.

“When I signed here it was because I felt I could get better. Watching those other guys take their at-bats, and watch Prince [Fielder] go about his business and AB [Adrian Beltre], when [Shin-Soo] Choo is here. Those are the guys that intrigued me beyond the pitching staff. I felt like those guys could help me with my offense and so far they have. The numbers don’t say that but the way I feel and my approach at the plate is better than it has ever been.”

This story was originally published April 23, 2016 at 11:56 PM with the headline "Rangers reaction: Remember to embrace such games as fans, win or lose."