|
GRUBIN GUNS DOWN CATS — RANGERS MAUL FLORIDA, 14-6
By Daily News Sports Staff
Call it a Broadway beatdown. The Rangers turned Madison Square Garden into a house of horrors for the Florida Panthers Friday night, unloading for seven runs in the second inning and never looking back in a 14-6 blowout to grab a 2-0 series lead in the Conference Semifinals.
The star of the show? Mark Grubin. The left fielder lit up the Garden faithful with a three-run bomb in the second and finished the night 2-for-3 with three RBIs, three runs scored, two walks, and three stolen bases.
“Big games need big swings,” Grubin said afterward. “We’ve got the momentum, and we’re not letting go.”
He wasn’t alone. The Rangers’ offense was a sledgehammer:
Ike Bliebernicht launched a grand slam in the sixth, giving him three homers and 11 RBIs in just two games of the series.
Will Cuylle went deep again in the eighth — his third of the postseason.
Avery Grubin added a three-run shot of his own in that second-inning onslaught.
Florida tried to claw back with late homers from Eddie van de Griendt, Niko Jaffre, and Zhao Shih, but it was too little, too late against an offense firing on every cylinder.
Panthers starter Jose Alvarado was rocked for seven runs before escaping the second inning, and the bullpen didn’t fare much better. By the time the carnage was over, Florida pitching had surrendered four long balls and handed the Rangers a commanding advantage.
On the mound, Sergio Godinez battled through 7.1 shaky innings, giving up three homers himself but keeping the lead intact before handing it off to the bullpen.
The Rangers now head south with swagger and a 2-0 cushion. Game 3 is Sunday in Sunrise, where Florida faces a must-win to avoid the brink.
Daily News Back Page Headline:
"GRUBIN SHOW!"
|