My Sordid History at Rangers Ballpark

We all know the Rays have a dismal record in Arlington. Maybe it's the ballpark, maybe it's that the Rangers have normally been at least as good or better than the Rays when they play there, maybe it's the brutal heat that an indoor team isn't used to.

Or maybe it's just because I keep showing up to these games. I've been to seven Rangers-Rays games at Rangers Ballpark in the Maddon era, and every single one of them has been a giant bummer. Let's recap:

• April 10, 2007: Rangers 12, Rays 9. Very similar to last night's game. They spot the Rangers 3 runs, then score five in the top of the 3rd (with a three-run bomb by Ty Wigginton). Then Jae Seo goes out there in the bottom of the inning and gives up a touchdown, capped off by a three-run homer by noted slugger Frank Catalanotto.
• June 6, 2008: Rays 12, Rangers 4. This was the day after BRAWLFENSE. Yes the Rays busted out in the late innings and won comfortably, but it was also literally the last good game Scott Kazmir ever pitched. Immediately after this game, he settled into his "5 1/3 IP, 4 ER, 5 BB" phase and never recovered.
• August 16, 2008: Rangers 3, Rays 0. Perennial Cy Young candidate Matt Harrison holds the Rays to three hits, walks none, and strikes out eight. This is the same Matt Harrison who gave up nearly 11 hits per nine innings that year, who had a negative WPA, who had a FIP of 5.06, and who was all over the place last night. I guess what I'm saying is that he stinks.
• July 3, 2009: Rangers 3, Rays 1. Once again the Rays get all of three hits off the vaunted combo of Tommy Hunter (who picked up his first win in the majors), Jason Jennings, C.J. Wilson, and Frank Francisco. Also it was hot as balls out at the park and the people in front of us were drinking their paychecks and acting like dickheads.
• July 4, 2009: Rangers 12, Rays 4. David Price goes Chernobyl on the mound and only lasts 1 1/3 innings. Three hits, six earned runs, five walks, and every ball was crushed. It was also even hotter than the day before, and I had to suffer through mandatory Lee Greenwood music because it was the Fourth of July. 
• September 25, 2009: Rangers 8, Rays 3. Derek Holland pitches one of his few good games ever, the Rangers bullpen goes four innings and only gives up one hit. Also Grant Balfour nailed the door shut for his own team by giving up three runs in the 8th on two walks and a homer, all with two outs. SF1 probably had some kind of hissy fit in the GDT.
• September 27, 2009: Rays 7, Rangers 6. I had tickets to this game, but it was almost 100 degrees that day and the seats were out in the sun, so I just said fuck it and stayed home. I watched the Bucs get neutered by the Giants on TV, while the Rays won in dramatic and improbable fashion, crippling Texas's playoff chances.

And then last night's game, which I don't have to recap for you. So in seven games I have personally attended, the Rays are 1-6 and gave up a total of 51 runs.

In closing, I hope these two teams don't face off in the postseason. I'd be tempted to go out there, and everything would probably go to crap.