ARLINGTON -- It was an odd debut for Rangers starter Rich Harden in what was an odd game at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington, won by Toronto, 7-4.
Check out this line: 3 2/3 innings pitched, one hit, three runs, one earned run, five walks, eight strikeouts, one HBP.
Harden had his changeup working and was tough to hit. But he didn't have any command. Harden's night ended after he walked three and hit a batter in the fourth inning. Harden walked two with the bases loaded.
More on his night coming up. BTW, you can view a replay of our in-game chat here. We'll be hosting another one during C.J. Wilson's start at 1:05 p.m. Thursday.
Some other thoughts on a strange game:
* Toronto got seven runs on just five hits with the three errors. And the wind was blowing all over the place. The whole game had a spooky, odd feel.
* Walks, as they often do, really hurt the Rangers. They had 10 on the night. That's right -- 10. Adam Lind walked right before Wells' homer in the fifth. Harden had three walks in the fourth, two of them with the bases loaded. The last time the Rangers walked 10 batters was Sept. 14, 2008.
* DH Vladimir Guerrero has a home run in a Rangers uniform. He blasted a high one to left field to lead off the fourth inning. He is 4-for-7 so far this season.
* OF Nelson Cruz continues to provide power. He hit this one a lot more solidly than his homer Monday, tying the game at three (sound familiar?). That made it consecutive homers for Guerrero and Cruz.
* OF Josh Hamilton had a tough night. He struck out all four times he came to the plate and just didn't ever seem comfortable at the plate.
* 3B Michael Young had a rare error, and it was costly. It allowed the fourth inning to continue, and two more unearned runs scored when Harden had control issues and walked two with the bases loaded. Young made a nice play to end the inning on a ground ball by Aaron Hill. Young made nine errors all of last season at third base.
* SS Elvis Andrus made a great play in the eighth, backhanding a grounder and throwing behind the runner at second base to get the lead runner. Nice vision by Andrus to see the runner was too far off the bag.
* More strange stuff in the seventh. The Blue Jays had two errors on the same play, allowing Taylor Teagarden to third and Elvis Andrus to second (after his single).
* Vernon Wells was a Rangers killer (again). He was hit by a pitch to start the crazy fourth that ended Harden's night and hit a huge two-run homer in the fifth to give the Blue Jays the lead back. Wells then hit his second homer of the night in the ninth off Darren Oliver.
* Dustin Nippert allowed a two-run homer to Wells in the fifth and gave the team some innings. He ran into trouble in the seventh with walks to Wells and Lyle Overbay. With two on and one out, Nippert was lifted for Darren O'Day.
* O'Day hit John Buck on a 1-2 pitch, helping set up a sacrifice fly to give Toronto a three-run lead. But O'Day got out of a jam after that and he looked healthy. He had a bone bruise near his elbow that slowed him late in the spring.
* Tough start to the season for Julio Borbon. He's 0-for-8 with two strikeouts and has yet to reach base.
* OF David Murphy pinch hit for Joaquin Arias in the ninth and struck out on a close 3-2 pitch. He is 0-for-8 in his career as a pinch hitter. Jarrod Saltalamacchia also struck out looking on a close pitch as he pinch hit for Teagarden in the ninth.