He does not go home at night and catalogue his level of frustration from year to year, but he doesn't need to.
For Kevin Millwood, 2008 has been the most tormenting, frustrating and humiliating season of his career. Nothing else -- not even last year's 10-14 record and 5.16 ERA -- is even close. And that's why his complete-game, 9-1 win over Detroit on Wednesday was significant. It gives Millwood a chance, with six weeks remaining, to make something out of this season yet.
"To this point, I've felt like I put a lot of work into getting ready for this season and I haven't gotten a lot out of it," Millwood said after his 113-pitch, six-hit outing. "A game like this shows me that the work I'm doing is paying off. It helps build my confidence because this has been a long, tough year. I just want to get things going in the right direction to finish off this season."
A week ago, Millwood (7-7) returned from his second stint of the season on the disabled list with a strained groin. He pitched three shutout innings against Tampa Bay, then gave up four home runs in the time it took him to get his next five outs. It pushed his ERA to 5.58, which was almost a half-run higher than the previous high of his career.
It was unseasonably cool Wednesday, only 75 degrees at game time due to late afternoon showers, and perhaps that helped Millwood. It was clear he had the ability to locate his fastball and the ability to throw strikes early in the count, both of which gave him an advantage.
Millwood allowed just one runner -- on a walk -- on the first trip through the order. The second time around, he allowed a pair of doubles to Ramon Santiago and Miguel Cabrera, but that constituted the sum of Detroit's significant threats.
RANGERS 9, TIGERS 1: The Rangers hit six home runs, including two by potentially displaced 3B Travis Metcalf, to beat Detroit for the first time this season. Metcalf, who could lose his job when INF Hank Blalock (shoulder inflammation) returns from the DL on Friday, had the first multi-homer game of his career. When Blalock returns, he will play first base and Chris Davis will move to third. It leaves very little, if any, playing time for Metcalf. He could also end up as the odd man out in a numbers game only 10 days before rosters can be expanded. But with Blalock and Davis needing to play every day, there is no guarantee that Metcalf would get called back up for September if he's sent back down now.
