Yesterday's game was interesting. The Rangers, all things considered, got lucky. They were lucky that the starting pitcher Anderson had to leave the game, having given up only one earned run through 5. They were lucky when the defensively sound Orlando Cabrera let a grounder go through his legs. They were lucky when Hank Blalock's grounder went in the direction of the defensively inept Jason Giambi. They were lucky when Matt Holliday bobbled Nelson Cruz's single in the eighth. The Rangers caught a lot of breaks.
But you know what we can take from all this? The Rangers didn't beat themselves. While the defense wasn't spectacular, the team kept scraping their way back into the game and kept Oakland from running away with it. So, yes, the Rangers got lucky. But they kept themselves in a position to win. We don't have to many of these games, so I think this game (lucky or not) was a huge step forward.
Game Boxscore, Recap
Now let's hear from the losing locker room:
[Author's note: Unfortunately, Athletics Nation (the SB Nation A's blog) was the only A's blog I could find with updated game recaps, which makes them my only source here. If anyone reading out there knows of another one, please let me know in the comments!]
A's lose four, then the game from Athletics Nation
"I don't know why, but it always seems like weird things happen in Texas. There was an ejection. There were four errors, two by each team. But costliest of all for the time being, the A's lost four players to injury, then they lost the game 5-4 . . . Prior to leaving the game, Anderson was having a fine start for the A's . . . Overall, a very bad night for the A's. Only in Texas."
Additionally, they had this humorous bit to share about Vicente Padilla in a preview for tonight's game:
"On the mound for the Rangers is righty Vicente Padilla, who is as enigmatic as they come. Padilla can be brilliant and certainly has great stuff, or he can give up back-to-back-to-back HRs or he can decide to plunk a hitter in the 1st inning and opt for an early shower."
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Hello Win Column, Win #9: Rangers Take Series From O's, 6-4
The Rangers win their first series since the opening sweep of Cleveland . . . feels pretty good.
Game Boxscore, Recap
I'm a little tardy with this losing locker room report, so I'll keep it brief:
Rangers 6, Orioles 4: Breakdown! Go ahead, give it to me. from Camden Chat
"The O's went out and blew a 4-0 lead today . . . Matt Harrison (1-2) got the win for the Rangers. Their new "no pitch counts" philosophy is in its infant stages, but today it caused Harrison to pitch himself out of a jam and give them seven innings with four earned . . . the Birds just couldn't get their bats in gear."
Texas Takes Three from The Baltimore Sports Report
"All I’m saying is “thank goodness Texas is leaving.” The Orioles play horribly against the Rangers, I’m just glad it’s over . . . Matt Harrison kept the Orioles virtually silent at the plate. He surrendered only 7 hits over 7 innings, giving up 4 runs early. After the second inning the birds turned in their bats."
Game Boxscore, Recap
I'm a little tardy with this losing locker room report, so I'll keep it brief:
Rangers 6, Orioles 4: Breakdown! Go ahead, give it to me. from Camden Chat
"The O's went out and blew a 4-0 lead today . . . Matt Harrison (1-2) got the win for the Rangers. Their new "no pitch counts" philosophy is in its infant stages, but today it caused Harrison to pitch himself out of a jam and give them seven innings with four earned . . . the Birds just couldn't get their bats in gear."
Texas Takes Three from The Baltimore Sports Report
"All I’m saying is “thank goodness Texas is leaving.” The Orioles play horribly against the Rangers, I’m just glad it’s over . . . Matt Harrison kept the Orioles virtually silent at the plate. He surrendered only 7 hits over 7 innings, giving up 4 runs early. After the second inning the birds turned in their bats."
Wednesday: The Good Health
The Rangers, despite their flaws, seem to be in better shape than they were this time last year, thanks in part to the struggles of the Angels and the Athletics (the Angels can be excused due to the tragedy of Nick Adenhart and the injuries inflicted on Guerrero, Lackey, and Santana). Texas is in second place in the West, and only three games behind the Mariners, whose unforeseen success has been a bit of surprise. I know it’s still only April, but one thing that I haven’t heard much talk about is the Rangers’ health situation. Right now, Kris Benson is the only starter who’s been shelved, but his injury isn’t serious, plus Scott Feldman should do a stellar job during Kris' absence. Willie Eyre is also out, which is a shame because he's worked so hard since 2007 to stay healthy. As far as the offensive players go, there have been no serious problems, though right now we must wait with baited breath to see if Josh Hamilton’s rib injury is serious. Also, according to T.R. Sullivan’s Inbox column, David Murphy has occasionally felt discomfort from last year’s collision at the plate with Ivan Rodriguez. But besides that, this is a healthy Rangers club, and though injuries are never good excuses for answering a team’s failures, they do in fact bring a team down.
Around this time last year, injuries were plaguing the Rangers left and right. On April 30th, Jason Jennings went down, and the day before Hank Blalock began what would be an injury riddled season. On April 23rd, Dustin Nippert headed to the DL, preceded by Marlon Byrd, Eddie Gaurdado, and Brandon McCarthy, who was hurt before the season even started. Soon after Jennings went down, Kevin Millwood followed. So compare that to April this year, and things don't seem so bad.
Josh Hamilton may end up on the DL, and though that would dent the Rangers’ offense, their lineup is still good enough to keep producing (I mean, they’re hitting all these homeruns even without Hamilton smacking the ball like we expected). What’s really important though is that the pitching staff remains healthy. If the Rangers want to play meaningful baseball through August and even September, they’re going to need the rotation, especially Millwood and Padilla, to stay off the DL.
So far so good (I don’t think we need to worry about Padilla’s velocity, seeing as he seemed to be back to normal with his last start) with the staff health wise. Quality innings aside, the good health is a necessity that always comes first, because without the good health, pitchers wouldn’t throw quality innings in the first place.
Around this time last year, injuries were plaguing the Rangers left and right. On April 30th, Jason Jennings went down, and the day before Hank Blalock began what would be an injury riddled season. On April 23rd, Dustin Nippert headed to the DL, preceded by Marlon Byrd, Eddie Gaurdado, and Brandon McCarthy, who was hurt before the season even started. Soon after Jennings went down, Kevin Millwood followed. So compare that to April this year, and things don't seem so bad.
Josh Hamilton may end up on the DL, and though that would dent the Rangers’ offense, their lineup is still good enough to keep producing (I mean, they’re hitting all these homeruns even without Hamilton smacking the ball like we expected). What’s really important though is that the pitching staff remains healthy. If the Rangers want to play meaningful baseball through August and even September, they’re going to need the rotation, especially Millwood and Padilla, to stay off the DL.
So far so good (I don’t think we need to worry about Padilla’s velocity, seeing as he seemed to be back to normal with his last start) with the staff health wise. Quality innings aside, the good health is a necessity that always comes first, because without the good health, pitchers wouldn’t throw quality innings in the first place.
Monday, April 27, 2009
Tuesday: On Luis Mendoza, Juan Cruz, and Wes Littleton
In lieu of the recent transactions that have been made, I have a few comments:
1) Why bring up Luis Mendoza? You remember, he of the 8.67 ERA (dead last in the majors for pitchers with at least 50 IP). He seems to be having some success at AAA Oklahoma (approximately 10 scoreless innings pitched), but after last season's train wreck he's going to have to spend a lot more time in AAA to convince me that he's ready. I imagine he'll be kept on a short leash and optioned back down at the first sign of repeating last year's debacle.
2) A great option would have been signing Juan Cruz (check out his stats if you aren't familiar . . . or just know that he has a career 3.99 ERA coming off of three straight solid seasons in the bullpen), but the Rangers apparently couldn't compete with the high-octane, payroll-driven financial behemoths: the Kansas City Royals. There's nothing else to say.
2) With all of this bullpen trouble going on, it makes me wonder why we traded Wes Littleton to the Red Sox (he's now with the Brewers, having been claimed off waivers). Granted, at this time the Rangers didn't know that Eric Hurley and Joaquin Benoit were out for the year, so he was a little bit more expendable at the time. That having been said, however, he has had some success (albeit not last year) in the big leagues, which is more than can be said for most other options to which the Rangers could have turned.
Opposing hitters have posted a modest .239/.317/.349 line against him in his career (all major league appearances have been with Texas). A look at how opposing hitters have perfomed against the other Rangers bullpen options this season:
Josh Rupe: .290/.380/.432
Kason Gabbard: .257/.364/.374
Luis Mendoza: .324/.387/.493
Willie Eyre: .301/.374/.474
Scott Feldman: .280/.357/.443
The obvious arguments against Littleton are that he was out of options and, with young stars on the way, it wasn't worth hanging onto him. But what about now?
1) Why bring up Luis Mendoza? You remember, he of the 8.67 ERA (dead last in the majors for pitchers with at least 50 IP). He seems to be having some success at AAA Oklahoma (approximately 10 scoreless innings pitched), but after last season's train wreck he's going to have to spend a lot more time in AAA to convince me that he's ready. I imagine he'll be kept on a short leash and optioned back down at the first sign of repeating last year's debacle.
2) A great option would have been signing Juan Cruz (check out his stats if you aren't familiar . . . or just know that he has a career 3.99 ERA coming off of three straight solid seasons in the bullpen), but the Rangers apparently couldn't compete with the high-octane, payroll-driven financial behemoths: the Kansas City Royals. There's nothing else to say.
2) With all of this bullpen trouble going on, it makes me wonder why we traded Wes Littleton to the Red Sox (he's now with the Brewers, having been claimed off waivers). Granted, at this time the Rangers didn't know that Eric Hurley and Joaquin Benoit were out for the year, so he was a little bit more expendable at the time. That having been said, however, he has had some success (albeit not last year) in the big leagues, which is more than can be said for most other options to which the Rangers could have turned.
Opposing hitters have posted a modest .239/.317/.349 line against him in his career (all major league appearances have been with Texas). A look at how opposing hitters have perfomed against the other Rangers bullpen options this season:
Josh Rupe: .290/.380/.432
Kason Gabbard: .257/.364/.374
Luis Mendoza: .324/.387/.493
Willie Eyre: .301/.374/.474
Scott Feldman: .280/.357/.443
The obvious arguments against Littleton are that he was out of options and, with young stars on the way, it wasn't worth hanging onto him. But what about now?
Rangers Weekly Scoreboard: 4/18 to 4/26
So yeah... I fell waaay behind with this this weekend's scoreboard. As Murphy's law would have it the critical stuff in life always seems to fall on what's supposed to be your recreational days/evenings... and as you can see, the result is it's now this Monday's scoreboard. With that in mind, I hope nobody minds if we skip the formalities jump right into this week's recaps...
Saturday: Royals 2, Rangers 0
Zack Greinke does not feel sorry for Kevin Millwood. If you're like me, you probably felt for Millwood when you saw see the Rangers lose 2 starts in which Millwood gave up just 2 runs in 16 combined innings (going back to April 12th in Detroit), but Zack Greinke felt no such emotion. He didn't feel sorry for the Ranger hitters either, as he carved them up like little bars of soap. It's not that Zach Greinke is cruel - no, he's just really, really good at throwing baseballs. And that's really all you need to know about this game.
Sunday: Rangers 6, Royals 5
Sunday marked the dawn of Michael Young week, which officially kicked off sometime in the seconds after the first walkoff homer of his career soared off his bathead and into the seats in right center. It had of course been preceded by an 8th inning rally against former Ranger relievers Ron Mahay and Jamey Wright, in which Chris Davis' drove home the game-tying run with a pinch hit single. The 11th-hour rally erased yet another lackluster effort from Vicente Padilla, who gave up 8 hits and 5 runs in 5 innings but found himself saved by Young's heroics and a sparkling effort from the bullpen (as aggressively managed by Ron Washington). Jason Jennings, CJ Wilson and Frank Francisco combined for 4 innings of 1-hit baseball after Padilla's exit, paving the way for the Rangers timely comeback against the truly mystifying bullpen management of KC manager Trey Hillman, who sent the struggling Kyle Farnsworth to the mound in the stead of his well-rested closer Joakim Soria for the decisive 9th inning.
Tuesday: Rangers 5, Blue Jays 4
You know what the only thing better than a miraculous walkoff win is? Beating one of the best pitchers in baseball on a good day, that's what. Roy Halladay's 5.36 career ERA against the Rangers may be his highest against any American League opponent, but that doesn't make beating him in the friendly confines of the Rogres Centre in Toronto any less of an achievement. "Doc" Halladay would go 8 innings, strike out 9 Rangers and walk no one, needing just 104 pitches to do it. But when the free-swinging Texas bats weren't making outs early in counts they where pounding the baseball, tagging Halladay for 8 hits and 5 runs - including two 2-run homers by Nelson Cruz and Ian Kinsler, the latter of which put the Rangers ahead for good in the 7th.
Brandon McCarthy turned in a second straight effective but fairly unspectacular start, going 6 innings and allowing 3 runs on 6 hits and 2 walks - good enough for a "quality start", but more importantly good enough to keep the Rangers in the game against Halladay. The Ranger bullpen as usual did it's best to make things interesting in the 8th, as CJ Wilson allowed an inherited (and unearned thanks to an Elvis Andrus throwing error) to score, before Frankie Francisco came on and loaded the bases before inducing a lineout to Young and a flyball to center to escape with the lead. He went on to allow a 1-out double in the 9th, but again recovered to record his first 5-out save and show that maybe - just maybe - Ron Washington has learned a thing or two about managing his late inning relievers.
Thursday: Blue Jays 8, Rangers 7
Try not too hard to look at the linescore of this one, because if you do you'll be disappointed. And you shouldn't be. Sometimes special occurrences during a game outshine the end result, and Derek Holland's Major League debut was one of those occurrences. Called upon to clean up Scott Feldman's bases loaded mess with 2 out in the 6th, Holland allowed an infield RBI single to Adam Lind, his first ML batter - and then proceeded to induce a pop fly from Scott Rolen and fire 2 more scoreless innings. He sent Aaron Hill down to a knee with a wicked slider for his first strikeout in the 8th, and later froze Vernon Wells with a sneaky fastball at the knees to end the inning. He would be pulled after allowing a single to Lind (again) to open the 9th, but that couldn't possibly detract from an overall sparkling debut - 2.1 innings pitched, 3 hits, no runs, no walks and 2 strikeouts. Not bad for a kid with just 5 starts above A-Ball.
The Rangers did eventually go on to lose the game, despite Michael Young's second 9th inning homer of the week, which tied the game and sent it to extras. Waiver pickup Darren O'Day also made his Rangers debut, donning Kason Gabbard's jersey to do so - but he couldn't wriggle out of the 10th inning jam that CJ Wilson had created, allowing the game-winning single to Scott Rolen. To be forgotten in all the drama, good and bad was yet another sub-par effort from Matt Harrison - 9 hits, 2 walks and 5 runs in just 4 innings.
Wednesday: Blue Jays 5, Rangers 2
Remember John Paul's post last Tuesday chronicling the eerie similarities between Kevin Millwood's 2008 start (and eventual collapse) and his sharp beginning to the 2009 season? Well, for those of you who enjoy a good kneejerk, Millwood made it seem more like prophecy than speculation on Thursday. Okay, so maybe giving up 4 runs on 5 hits and 2 walks over 7 innings isn't that bad, but giving up 3 home runs isn't exactly good, either.
Really though, Thursdays loss was probably more about the Ranger offense failing to score off of 'Jays righthander Scott Richmond, a 29 y/o who just 2 years ago was pitching in the independent league. They scored just 2 runs (both on solo homers) despite mustering 6 hits and 2 walks in 6 innings against Richmond. They also managed to whiff 8 times, including Taylor Teagarden K'ing with the bases loaded in the 4th. I know every dog has his day, but Richmond is a guy with a tRA+ of just 72 on the season for petes sake.
Friday: Rangers 5, Orioles 4
The offense managed to redeem themselves Friday, however. Things didn't go well early for the Rangers, but the bats saved their best for last as they erased a 4-1 deficit by scoring 4 runs in the final 3 innings, 3 against the O's best late inning relievers. Michael Young capped things with his MLB record third game-trying or lead-changing 9th inning homer in 5 days, a 2-out, 2 run shot to right center off George Sherrill.
He again spared Vicente Padilla from a loss, despite Padilla making his "best" start of the season so far, allowing 4 runs on 7 hits and 3 walks but working into the 7th inning for the first time. Not-so-fun tidbit: remember how I said Scott Richmond's tRA+ was only 72 on the season so far? Well, Vicente Padilla's tRA+ is just 50. Youch.
Saturday: Rangers 6, Orioles 5
As any readers that know me from Lone Star Ball probably know, I'm not exactly Scott Feldman's biggest fan. But after his performance Saturday, I'm among the first to admit I don't really know why this club considers Kris Benson a better starting option than Feldman. Sure, it was just one start, which doesn't even amount to a short jaunt in the land of small sample sizes. And sure, he hasn't exactly shined in his previous appearances out of the bullpen this year (to say the least). Maybe just like last year, comparison to a lackluster group of peers makes it seem better than it was. But his 5 innings of 4 hit, 1 run ball - the rotations best effort since Millwood's complete game loss the previous Saturday - where awfully convincing.
Another thing that was awfully convincing was Derek Holland. In his second major league outing, Holland went 3 innings and gave up his first major league walk, and his first major league home run - but not much else. He didn't appear to have the quite the command he had in his debut, but he didn't appear fased, either. The polish and maturity on the mound Holland has shown in his two appearances so far has been nothing short of impressive. It's probably still a bit soon to be calling for his slotting into the big league rotation, but if he keeps showing this kind of poise and nasty stuff for another week or two out of the bullpen it's going to become an imminent eventuality - especially if Matt Harrison's inability to miss bats continues the way it has.
Sunday: Orioles 8, Rangers 5
These are the kind of losses that hurt. Your offense knocks around a rookie pitcher and builds you a 5-1 lead... and bam. In the space of two innings it completely evaporates. Not exactly anything new for the Rangers this April, or for the past few years, really. But after seeing this team pull off 2 straight wins, seeing them blow up again yesterday and kill all that good momentum again is pretty disappointing.
The good news is Chris Davis and Hank Blalock are coming around, at least where their slugging percentages are concerned. David Murphy finally made contact with a baseball for the first time since August 6th, 2008. Jarrod Saltalamacchia in particular seems to love Baltimore - he's 7 for 12 on the series and now holds a .419/455/.645 line in 8 career games at Camden Yards. Going back to Toronto he's got a 5 game hitting streak going - in fact since April 16th, he's hit .407/.429/.630. Hopefully I haven't jinxed anything by pointing all this out, but so much for that slump I discussed last time.
As for Brandon McCarthy and Jason Jennings... bleh. Everybody has bad days, and it's worth noting Rangers pitchers have been getting almost blatantly squeezed all series. Still, Jennings has now allowed 5 runs on 6 hits and 4 walks in his last 3.2 innings and McCarthy's peripherals are looking increasingly fringy. Through four starts the hits have increased while the strikeouts have decreased every time out. To his credit he hasn't staged any Harrison or Padilla-esque meltdowns yet, but that's what things are trending towards if he can't start missing bats again like he did in his first two starts.
Stat of the week
Yeah, I know, at this point it seems like I've been spouting random stats all entry long. But one more for the road here, and this one is a biggie:
It may not seem like it looking at the overall line, but Chris Davis has a 7-game hitting streak. After logging just 1 hit over his first 22 AB's, Chris is hitting .308/.341/.718 since his 3-4 breakout against the O's back on April 13th. In fact, he's only gone 0-for in one game since then (back on the 18th against KC). Good to have you back, Chris.
Saturday: Royals 2, Rangers 0
Zack Greinke does not feel sorry for Kevin Millwood. If you're like me, you probably felt for Millwood when you saw see the Rangers lose 2 starts in which Millwood gave up just 2 runs in 16 combined innings (going back to April 12th in Detroit), but Zack Greinke felt no such emotion. He didn't feel sorry for the Ranger hitters either, as he carved them up like little bars of soap. It's not that Zach Greinke is cruel - no, he's just really, really good at throwing baseballs. And that's really all you need to know about this game.
Sunday: Rangers 6, Royals 5
Sunday marked the dawn of Michael Young week, which officially kicked off sometime in the seconds after the first walkoff homer of his career soared off his bathead and into the seats in right center. It had of course been preceded by an 8th inning rally against former Ranger relievers Ron Mahay and Jamey Wright, in which Chris Davis' drove home the game-tying run with a pinch hit single. The 11th-hour rally erased yet another lackluster effort from Vicente Padilla, who gave up 8 hits and 5 runs in 5 innings but found himself saved by Young's heroics and a sparkling effort from the bullpen (as aggressively managed by Ron Washington). Jason Jennings, CJ Wilson and Frank Francisco combined for 4 innings of 1-hit baseball after Padilla's exit, paving the way for the Rangers timely comeback against the truly mystifying bullpen management of KC manager Trey Hillman, who sent the struggling Kyle Farnsworth to the mound in the stead of his well-rested closer Joakim Soria for the decisive 9th inning.
Tuesday: Rangers 5, Blue Jays 4
You know what the only thing better than a miraculous walkoff win is? Beating one of the best pitchers in baseball on a good day, that's what. Roy Halladay's 5.36 career ERA against the Rangers may be his highest against any American League opponent, but that doesn't make beating him in the friendly confines of the Rogres Centre in Toronto any less of an achievement. "Doc" Halladay would go 8 innings, strike out 9 Rangers and walk no one, needing just 104 pitches to do it. But when the free-swinging Texas bats weren't making outs early in counts they where pounding the baseball, tagging Halladay for 8 hits and 5 runs - including two 2-run homers by Nelson Cruz and Ian Kinsler, the latter of which put the Rangers ahead for good in the 7th.
Brandon McCarthy turned in a second straight effective but fairly unspectacular start, going 6 innings and allowing 3 runs on 6 hits and 2 walks - good enough for a "quality start", but more importantly good enough to keep the Rangers in the game against Halladay. The Ranger bullpen as usual did it's best to make things interesting in the 8th, as CJ Wilson allowed an inherited (and unearned thanks to an Elvis Andrus throwing error) to score, before Frankie Francisco came on and loaded the bases before inducing a lineout to Young and a flyball to center to escape with the lead. He went on to allow a 1-out double in the 9th, but again recovered to record his first 5-out save and show that maybe - just maybe - Ron Washington has learned a thing or two about managing his late inning relievers.
Thursday: Blue Jays 8, Rangers 7
Try not too hard to look at the linescore of this one, because if you do you'll be disappointed. And you shouldn't be. Sometimes special occurrences during a game outshine the end result, and Derek Holland's Major League debut was one of those occurrences. Called upon to clean up Scott Feldman's bases loaded mess with 2 out in the 6th, Holland allowed an infield RBI single to Adam Lind, his first ML batter - and then proceeded to induce a pop fly from Scott Rolen and fire 2 more scoreless innings. He sent Aaron Hill down to a knee with a wicked slider for his first strikeout in the 8th, and later froze Vernon Wells with a sneaky fastball at the knees to end the inning. He would be pulled after allowing a single to Lind (again) to open the 9th, but that couldn't possibly detract from an overall sparkling debut - 2.1 innings pitched, 3 hits, no runs, no walks and 2 strikeouts. Not bad for a kid with just 5 starts above A-Ball.
The Rangers did eventually go on to lose the game, despite Michael Young's second 9th inning homer of the week, which tied the game and sent it to extras. Waiver pickup Darren O'Day also made his Rangers debut, donning Kason Gabbard's jersey to do so - but he couldn't wriggle out of the 10th inning jam that CJ Wilson had created, allowing the game-winning single to Scott Rolen. To be forgotten in all the drama, good and bad was yet another sub-par effort from Matt Harrison - 9 hits, 2 walks and 5 runs in just 4 innings.
Wednesday: Blue Jays 5, Rangers 2
Remember John Paul's post last Tuesday chronicling the eerie similarities between Kevin Millwood's 2008 start (and eventual collapse) and his sharp beginning to the 2009 season? Well, for those of you who enjoy a good kneejerk, Millwood made it seem more like prophecy than speculation on Thursday. Okay, so maybe giving up 4 runs on 5 hits and 2 walks over 7 innings isn't that bad, but giving up 3 home runs isn't exactly good, either.
Really though, Thursdays loss was probably more about the Ranger offense failing to score off of 'Jays righthander Scott Richmond, a 29 y/o who just 2 years ago was pitching in the independent league. They scored just 2 runs (both on solo homers) despite mustering 6 hits and 2 walks in 6 innings against Richmond. They also managed to whiff 8 times, including Taylor Teagarden K'ing with the bases loaded in the 4th. I know every dog has his day, but Richmond is a guy with a tRA+ of just 72 on the season for petes sake.
Friday: Rangers 5, Orioles 4
The offense managed to redeem themselves Friday, however. Things didn't go well early for the Rangers, but the bats saved their best for last as they erased a 4-1 deficit by scoring 4 runs in the final 3 innings, 3 against the O's best late inning relievers. Michael Young capped things with his MLB record third game-trying or lead-changing 9th inning homer in 5 days, a 2-out, 2 run shot to right center off George Sherrill.
He again spared Vicente Padilla from a loss, despite Padilla making his "best" start of the season so far, allowing 4 runs on 7 hits and 3 walks but working into the 7th inning for the first time. Not-so-fun tidbit: remember how I said Scott Richmond's tRA+ was only 72 on the season so far? Well, Vicente Padilla's tRA+ is just 50. Youch.
Saturday: Rangers 6, Orioles 5
As any readers that know me from Lone Star Ball probably know, I'm not exactly Scott Feldman's biggest fan. But after his performance Saturday, I'm among the first to admit I don't really know why this club considers Kris Benson a better starting option than Feldman. Sure, it was just one start, which doesn't even amount to a short jaunt in the land of small sample sizes. And sure, he hasn't exactly shined in his previous appearances out of the bullpen this year (to say the least). Maybe just like last year, comparison to a lackluster group of peers makes it seem better than it was. But his 5 innings of 4 hit, 1 run ball - the rotations best effort since Millwood's complete game loss the previous Saturday - where awfully convincing.
Another thing that was awfully convincing was Derek Holland. In his second major league outing, Holland went 3 innings and gave up his first major league walk, and his first major league home run - but not much else. He didn't appear to have the quite the command he had in his debut, but he didn't appear fased, either. The polish and maturity on the mound Holland has shown in his two appearances so far has been nothing short of impressive. It's probably still a bit soon to be calling for his slotting into the big league rotation, but if he keeps showing this kind of poise and nasty stuff for another week or two out of the bullpen it's going to become an imminent eventuality - especially if Matt Harrison's inability to miss bats continues the way it has.
Sunday: Orioles 8, Rangers 5
These are the kind of losses that hurt. Your offense knocks around a rookie pitcher and builds you a 5-1 lead... and bam. In the space of two innings it completely evaporates. Not exactly anything new for the Rangers this April, or for the past few years, really. But after seeing this team pull off 2 straight wins, seeing them blow up again yesterday and kill all that good momentum again is pretty disappointing.
The good news is Chris Davis and Hank Blalock are coming around, at least where their slugging percentages are concerned. David Murphy finally made contact with a baseball for the first time since August 6th, 2008. Jarrod Saltalamacchia in particular seems to love Baltimore - he's 7 for 12 on the series and now holds a .419/455/.645 line in 8 career games at Camden Yards. Going back to Toronto he's got a 5 game hitting streak going - in fact since April 16th, he's hit .407/.429/.630. Hopefully I haven't jinxed anything by pointing all this out, but so much for that slump I discussed last time.
As for Brandon McCarthy and Jason Jennings... bleh. Everybody has bad days, and it's worth noting Rangers pitchers have been getting almost blatantly squeezed all series. Still, Jennings has now allowed 5 runs on 6 hits and 4 walks in his last 3.2 innings and McCarthy's peripherals are looking increasingly fringy. Through four starts the hits have increased while the strikeouts have decreased every time out. To his credit he hasn't staged any Harrison or Padilla-esque meltdowns yet, but that's what things are trending towards if he can't start missing bats again like he did in his first two starts.
Stat of the week
Yeah, I know, at this point it seems like I've been spouting random stats all entry long. But one more for the road here, and this one is a biggie:
It may not seem like it looking at the overall line, but Chris Davis has a 7-game hitting streak. After logging just 1 hit over his first 22 AB's, Chris is hitting .308/.341/.718 since his 3-4 breakout against the O's back on April 13th. In fact, he's only gone 0-for in one game since then (back on the 18th against KC). Good to have you back, Chris.
Monday: Baseball and the Movies.
In the recent post about the upcoming ‘Moneyball,’ I, though not a huge fan of sports films in general, got to thinking about movies about baseball. Baseball has not had a major effect on the cinema, but it has a certain place of its own nonetheless. There are some baseball pictures that nearly everyone has seen, whether they’re a fan of the game or not. I mentioned that baseball movies have not had a great effect on the cinema, and I think it’s because they aren’t advertised the way some ‘great’ movies are. For example, I consider ‘The Pride of the Yankees’ to be a vintage classic, but we rarely hear about it in the critics’ ‘classic movie discussions’ or when Gary Cooper’s career is brought up. Modern baseball movies simply aren’t advertised as anything but ‘sports movies,’ which are usually released in the early months of the year, the garbage can for movies, or in August or September, when people are getting back to school. By then they’re a little tired of movies, seeing as the massive Summer blockbuster season is over (though, it’s sort of funny that the critics grind through the Summer, so they can get to the Fall, when most of the actual 'true cinema' rides in). So there really isn’t a lot of attention drawn to these sports yarns. They come and go, and are usually then forgotten completely (and not just baseball movies—look at ‘The Express,’ a football flick released last year). The bottom line though is that usually baseball movies don’t really deserve a moment in the spotlight, because nearly all of them contain clichéd messages, and copious moments of cheesiness. But notwithstanding the negative elements, baseball movies are still known around the world, and there are some that are actually quite good, despite their occasional flaws. So, here’s a look at, in my opinion, the top ten baseball movies of all time.
10. Fever Pitch. The movie is one of the rare romantic comedies that I actually enjoyed. No, it is not even close to a great movie, but it isn’t terrible either. Solid acting, a funny story, and some classic comic baseball moments make this worthy of a top 10 list, though just barely.
9. Angels in the Outfield. Most of you are probably thinking the 1994 movie with Danny Glover. But it’s actually a remake of a film of the same name, released in 1951. Paul Douglas and Janet Leigh (‘Psycho’) star in what is ultimately a better acted, more realistic story than the 1994 version.
8. Eight Men Out. Though it has the technical quality of a television production, ‘Eight Men Out’ boasts a solid cast and a terrific, though tragic true story of the infamous 1919 Black Sox scandal, which I’m sure everyone knows about. If you don't, a good account of it can be be found in the Chicago history files. John Cusack stars, with David Strathairn in a nice supporting role.
7. The Natural. If you ask most people, they would put this much higher on their list, but I'm part of the minority that didn’t love this movie. It was a nice tale, but overall, I would have liked to see this become a compelling sports drama with truth to it, rather than an overtly fictitious overdose of sentimental drama. Redford’s Roy Hobbs ultimately becomes a character we don’t really care about, rather than a true hero. Still, there are moments of greatness here, including this clip that was used for the Monday Movie a few weeks back.
6. The Rookie. The tagline for the poster of this movie was ‘it’s never too late to believe in your dreams.’ I saw that, and that the film is based off a true story, and groaned. However, ‘The Rookie,’ which tells the story of Jim Morris, one of the oldest rookies in MLB history, turned out to be quite a surprise, especially since the soundtrack includes a Guy Clark song.
5. The Sandlot. This may be the most popular baseball film ever made. I’ve seen it plenty of times, but unfortunately, it gets worse with each viewing. The first half hour or so remain terrific. But when the kids start coming up with solutions to get the baseball back, it just gets kind of tedious. Still, this is a good, fun family movie that really depicts the greatness of baseball. Plus, it was nice to see so many kids who actually knew how to act.
4. Field of Dreams. I really enjoyed ‘Field of Dreams,’ despite the overly ridiculous ending. But then again, it was actually a fitting way to finish the movie. This is the rare baseball movie that mixes sports and fantasy, and it ultimately produces a touch of magic that makes this national pastime seem all the more special.
3. The Bad News Bears. Now, don’t mistake this for the Billy Bob Thornton version. We’re talking the 1976 original with Walter Matthau. This remains not just one of my favorite baseball comedies, but one of my favorite comedies period. It was frustrating to see it remade, especially since the 05 version was basically a carbon copy of this one.
2. The Pride of the Yankees. I’ve talked about this on the Monday Movie before. It is a truly great movie, a movie that is just now being recognized as a classic. AFI ranks it at # 22 on the list of the most inspiring American movies. Also, the famous quote in the speech is ranked #38 on AFI’s 100 greatest movie quotes. To me, Cooper gives one of his best performances as Lou Gehrig.
1. And, my all time, favorite baseball picture is…Bang the Drum Slowly. Robert De Niro stars in one of his earliest and greatest roles as Bruce Pearson, a catcher who suffers a ‘bad break.’ De Niro, as in such classics as ‘Taxi Driver,’ and ‘Raging Bull’ plays a tragic character who seems so real, even though we can’t really relate to his situation. Al Pacino has said that this is one of his favorite movies, and though it isn’t high on my all time list, it certainly is the greatest baseball movie I’ve seen, a film that deserves to be called a classic.
Well, that does it for the ten greatest baseball movies ever made. There are definitely some good ones out there, as well as some truly horrible ones (would anyone really want to sit through ‘Rookie of the Year’ again?) I haven’t seen ‘Sugar’ yet, but I’m guessing it would likely make the list. I’d like to note that as much as I love baseball and movies, there are several baseball flicks that I haven’t even seen. Yes, I have never seen ‘Major League 1, 2, or 3, and I have never seen ‘Bull Durham’ or ‘A League of Their Own.’ But hey, I’ll get around to it some day. If there are other baseball movies you think are worthy of a top ten list, please, share your feelings in the comment section below.
10. Fever Pitch. The movie is one of the rare romantic comedies that I actually enjoyed. No, it is not even close to a great movie, but it isn’t terrible either. Solid acting, a funny story, and some classic comic baseball moments make this worthy of a top 10 list, though just barely.
9. Angels in the Outfield. Most of you are probably thinking the 1994 movie with Danny Glover. But it’s actually a remake of a film of the same name, released in 1951. Paul Douglas and Janet Leigh (‘Psycho’) star in what is ultimately a better acted, more realistic story than the 1994 version.
8. Eight Men Out. Though it has the technical quality of a television production, ‘Eight Men Out’ boasts a solid cast and a terrific, though tragic true story of the infamous 1919 Black Sox scandal, which I’m sure everyone knows about. If you don't, a good account of it can be be found in the Chicago history files. John Cusack stars, with David Strathairn in a nice supporting role.
7. The Natural. If you ask most people, they would put this much higher on their list, but I'm part of the minority that didn’t love this movie. It was a nice tale, but overall, I would have liked to see this become a compelling sports drama with truth to it, rather than an overtly fictitious overdose of sentimental drama. Redford’s Roy Hobbs ultimately becomes a character we don’t really care about, rather than a true hero. Still, there are moments of greatness here, including this clip that was used for the Monday Movie a few weeks back.
6. The Rookie. The tagline for the poster of this movie was ‘it’s never too late to believe in your dreams.’ I saw that, and that the film is based off a true story, and groaned. However, ‘The Rookie,’ which tells the story of Jim Morris, one of the oldest rookies in MLB history, turned out to be quite a surprise, especially since the soundtrack includes a Guy Clark song.
5. The Sandlot. This may be the most popular baseball film ever made. I’ve seen it plenty of times, but unfortunately, it gets worse with each viewing. The first half hour or so remain terrific. But when the kids start coming up with solutions to get the baseball back, it just gets kind of tedious. Still, this is a good, fun family movie that really depicts the greatness of baseball. Plus, it was nice to see so many kids who actually knew how to act.
4. Field of Dreams. I really enjoyed ‘Field of Dreams,’ despite the overly ridiculous ending. But then again, it was actually a fitting way to finish the movie. This is the rare baseball movie that mixes sports and fantasy, and it ultimately produces a touch of magic that makes this national pastime seem all the more special.
3. The Bad News Bears. Now, don’t mistake this for the Billy Bob Thornton version. We’re talking the 1976 original with Walter Matthau. This remains not just one of my favorite baseball comedies, but one of my favorite comedies period. It was frustrating to see it remade, especially since the 05 version was basically a carbon copy of this one.
2. The Pride of the Yankees. I’ve talked about this on the Monday Movie before. It is a truly great movie, a movie that is just now being recognized as a classic. AFI ranks it at # 22 on the list of the most inspiring American movies. Also, the famous quote in the speech is ranked #38 on AFI’s 100 greatest movie quotes. To me, Cooper gives one of his best performances as Lou Gehrig.
1. And, my all time, favorite baseball picture is…Bang the Drum Slowly. Robert De Niro stars in one of his earliest and greatest roles as Bruce Pearson, a catcher who suffers a ‘bad break.’ De Niro, as in such classics as ‘Taxi Driver,’ and ‘Raging Bull’ plays a tragic character who seems so real, even though we can’t really relate to his situation. Al Pacino has said that this is one of his favorite movies, and though it isn’t high on my all time list, it certainly is the greatest baseball movie I’ve seen, a film that deserves to be called a classic.
Well, that does it for the ten greatest baseball movies ever made. There are definitely some good ones out there, as well as some truly horrible ones (would anyone really want to sit through ‘Rookie of the Year’ again?) I haven’t seen ‘Sugar’ yet, but I’m guessing it would likely make the list. I’d like to note that as much as I love baseball and movies, there are several baseball flicks that I haven’t even seen. Yes, I have never seen ‘Major League 1, 2, or 3, and I have never seen ‘Bull Durham’ or ‘A League of Their Own.’ But hey, I’ll get around to it some day. If there are other baseball movies you think are worthy of a top ten list, please, share your feelings in the comment section below.
Monday Movie: Sugar
The last baseball movie that came out was 'The Final Season' in 2007. It came and went faster than a dog chasing a cat. Now a new one has come out and it's called 'Sugar.' For those of you who are unfamiliar with the film, it tells the story of a Dominican baseball player who is called to join the Minor Leagues in America. It's is supposedly a remarkable movie, being described as 'a compelling baseball drama.' Ty Burr of the Boston Globe gives a wonderful review of the movie. 'Sugar' is directed by Ryan Fleck and Anna Boden, both of whom also brought us the wonderful 'Half Nelson.' I hope to see the movie before too long. Despite its acclaim, it's opening with a limited release, making it not too accessible for audiences. The best I can offer is the trailer for the movie.
Sorry about the centering. See the centered version here
Sorry about the centering. See the centered version here
Sunday, April 26, 2009
Hello Win Column, Win #8: Texas Escapes 9th Inning Rally to Win 6-5 Over Baltimore
An encouraging performance tonight by Scott Feldman, who let one run cross in five innings of work. I suppose Ian Kinsler's two home runs are worthy of mention as well. (Boxscore, Recap)
But enough about the Rangers, let's hear from the Orioles . . . .
Rangers 6, Orioles 5: I am SO over Ian Kinsler from Camden Chat
"What are the odds you'll get good starting pitching from Adam Eaton and Mark Hendrickson in the same week? Sucky, that's what they are."
Texas 6, Baltimore 5 from Baltimore Sun
'"[Hendrickson] was trying to locate and it didn't happen for him,' Orioles manager Dave Trembley said of his starter. 'They have a very good hitting club as well, so when you make mistakes, as far as not being able to locate, they hit it.' . . . Baltimore has lost eight of its last 10 affairs."
But enough about the Rangers, let's hear from the Orioles . . . .
Rangers 6, Orioles 5: I am SO over Ian Kinsler from Camden Chat
"What are the odds you'll get good starting pitching from Adam Eaton and Mark Hendrickson in the same week? Sucky, that's what they are."
Texas 6, Baltimore 5 from Baltimore Sun
'"[Hendrickson] was trying to locate and it didn't happen for him,' Orioles manager Dave Trembley said of his starter. 'They have a very good hitting club as well, so when you make mistakes, as far as not being able to locate, they hit it.' . . . Baltimore has lost eight of its last 10 affairs."
Saturday, April 25, 2009
Hello Win Column, Win #7: Michael Young Hits Another Clutch HR to lead Rangers Comeback Over Orioles
According to Bill James Online, Michael Young is hitting .500/.500/1.400 in 10 clutch at-bats this year. Unbelievable.
Game Recap, Boxscore
Rangers 6, Orioles 5: You're no good, you're no good, you're no good, Georgie you're no good (at closing) from Camden Chat
"George Sherrill is not a closing pitcher and they need to find one, fast. Sherrill gave up a two-run bomb to Michael Young in the top of the ninth inning which put the Rangers up 5-4, the score they would win by when the O's failed to get anybody on or in in the bottom of the inning . . . Sherrill would be an excellent LOOGy. He hasn't been an effective closer. He started OK last year but was struggling by the break, and after the break he collapsed. He's stunk this year. There's not much more to it than that."
Sherrill Serves It Up from Baltimore Sports Report
"Man, Texas has the Orioles’ number don’t they? I don’t get it . . . "
Orioles' Bullpen Can't Hold On Against Rangers from The Baltimore Sun
"Kinsler reached on a line single to left field, allowing Young to come to the plate and hit his third game-tying or go-ahead home run in the ninth inning in the past five games. Those factors made the Rangers' 5-4 victory before an announced Friday night crowd of 24,319 especially difficult for the Orioles to swallow . . . 'It was a good battle with Kinsler, and you just have to put that behind you and get the next guy,' said Sherrill, who blew his first save in four chances this year. 'I just made a bad pitch. I showed him too many pitches in the same spot.' "
Game Recap, Boxscore
Before we hear from the angry Baltimore blogosphere, here was an interesting series preview:
(First of) Three Against Texas from The Loss Column
"One thing I’m confident of heading into this series is that Rangers fans feel our pain. In fact, you’d be hard-pressed to tell their Coke from our Pepsi in a blind taste test. Their team ERA is 6.21, ours is 5.98. They’re hitting .271, we’re hitting .273. They’ve allowed 156 hits, we’ve allowed 179 . . . When the two teams met for three games last week in Arlington they combined for 56 runs. That’s an average of 9.3 runs per game — each . . . The good news is that since then the Rangers have lost four of six and averaged only 3.8 runs/game. They are, all things considered, not as good a team as the Orioles. We have every reason to be optimistic for another series win."
Rangers 6, Orioles 5: You're no good, you're no good, you're no good, Georgie you're no good (at closing) from Camden Chat
"George Sherrill is not a closing pitcher and they need to find one, fast. Sherrill gave up a two-run bomb to Michael Young in the top of the ninth inning which put the Rangers up 5-4, the score they would win by when the O's failed to get anybody on or in in the bottom of the inning . . . Sherrill would be an excellent LOOGy. He hasn't been an effective closer. He started OK last year but was struggling by the break, and after the break he collapsed. He's stunk this year. There's not much more to it than that."
Sherrill Serves It Up from Baltimore Sports Report
"Man, Texas has the Orioles’ number don’t they? I don’t get it . . . "
Orioles' Bullpen Can't Hold On Against Rangers from The Baltimore Sun
"Kinsler reached on a line single to left field, allowing Young to come to the plate and hit his third game-tying or go-ahead home run in the ninth inning in the past five games. Those factors made the Rangers' 5-4 victory before an announced Friday night crowd of 24,319 especially difficult for the Orioles to swallow . . . 'It was a good battle with Kinsler, and you just have to put that behind you and get the next guy,' said Sherrill, who blew his first save in four chances this year. 'I just made a bad pitch. I showed him too many pitches in the same spot.' "
Thursday, April 23, 2009
Friday Foto: Moneyball
As many of you may have heard by now, Moneyball is being made into a movie. It has been rumored that Brad Pitt will play Billy Beane, and Demetri Martin will play Beane's assistant Paul DePodesta. Adam Morris at LoneStarBall talks about some of the rumors that have been thrown around about the adaptation of the infamous book.
Judge for yourself whether these are accurate castings:
Judge for yourself whether these are accurate castings:
Thursday: Rangers Trade Kason Gabbard Back to Red Sox
I know that this site isn't where you come for newsflashes, generally because the multitude of other sources available make such announcements here at HWC redundant. Regardless, here's a link to the story.
I wanted to break the mold here for a little bit, because 1) I'm avoiding doing work, 2) I'm already at the computer, 3) Announcement of the trade just happened, and 4) I read the following comment on the Dallas Morning News boards by some guy named ranger yammer:
"Even to a team making a pennant run, Daniels is hoodwinked. Red Sox win the World Series (for those Ranger fans who don't know what that is, it's the Super Bowl of Baseball), and would have given up most any prospect they had, and JD lands Gabbard, "walk once a month'' Beltre, and "0-for April" Murphy. Way to go JD, you got an eye for talent. These GM's gotta line up for miles to deal with this teenaged bozo."
I generally just ignore ignorant comments like this, but this one is ridiculous. This guy is perhaps the only Rangers fan out there who believes that we got taken in the Gagne deal (as if Boston would have surrended any prospect, according to him). He represents the throngs of Rangers fans who are completely closed to the fact that Jon Daniels has actually done a fantastic job as of late in rebuilding this team (see: #1 farm system in baseball). Sure, he's made some (huge) mistakes, but you certainly can't argue with how he's rebounded and turned this team's farm system around.
As far as trading Gabbard back to Boston, it makes me think that Boston knows or sees something that we don't, especially since they were the team that got rid of him . . . time will tell.
I wanted to break the mold here for a little bit, because 1) I'm avoiding doing work, 2) I'm already at the computer, 3) Announcement of the trade just happened, and 4) I read the following comment on the Dallas Morning News boards by some guy named ranger yammer:
"Even to a team making a pennant run, Daniels is hoodwinked. Red Sox win the World Series (for those Ranger fans who don't know what that is, it's the Super Bowl of Baseball), and would have given up most any prospect they had, and JD lands Gabbard, "walk once a month'' Beltre, and "0-for April" Murphy. Way to go JD, you got an eye for talent. These GM's gotta line up for miles to deal with this teenaged bozo."
I generally just ignore ignorant comments like this, but this one is ridiculous. This guy is perhaps the only Rangers fan out there who believes that we got taken in the Gagne deal (as if Boston would have surrended any prospect, according to him). He represents the throngs of Rangers fans who are completely closed to the fact that Jon Daniels has actually done a fantastic job as of late in rebuilding this team (see: #1 farm system in baseball). Sure, he's made some (huge) mistakes, but you certainly can't argue with how he's rebounded and turned this team's farm system around.
As far as trading Gabbard back to Boston, it makes me think that Boston knows or sees something that we don't, especially since they were the team that got rid of him . . . time will tell.
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Thursday: Deep Thoughts . . . .
I don't really have a theme in mind for today's post. What I've mostly done is taken a few things that I've been thinking about this week and posted them all in one article.
1) According to Bill James Online, Ian Kinsler is the hottest hitter in baseball right now with a temperature of 104 degrees (for an explanation of temperatures, go here). Certainly not much of a surprise given his offensive play as of late, but to see that (according to this "temperature" system) he is the hottest hitter in the game, that's pretty cool. Following Kinsler are Victor Martinez, Ryan Braun, Matt Kemp, and Kevin Youkilis.
2) Jamey Newberg, in one of his patented newsletters, remarked about Kinsler in his recap of the Rangers 5-4 win over the Blue Jays: the game included "Ian Kinsler’s first opposite field home run since birth." Not knowing whether this was actual fact or a metaphor to articulate Kinsler's propensity for the left side of the diamond, I decided to check it out. Of course, Newberg is correct. Here is the career data for the location of Kinsler's home runs (chronologically from left to right, from 2006 to 2009):
Homers to Left: 12+19+16+4 = 51 total
Homers to Center: 2+1+2+0 = 5 total
Homers to Right: 0+0+0+1 = 1 total
(source: billjamesonline.com)
Perhaps, I thought, it's only because Byrd isn't a tremendous power hitter and doesn't get the green light on 3-0 from the dugout very often, and when he does swing he takes a big rip which is less likely to make good contact. A look at some of the other Rangers (which have decent, but not prolific power), as well as some prolific power hitters around baseball somewhat supports this theory (despite the lack of thorough research and my small sample size). My primary point, however, is that hitters (especially the listed bona fide power hitters below the list of Rangers) make contact on 3-0 a lot less than I thought.
Michael Young: 2 balls put into play in 60 3-0 counts (0 HR)
Ian Kinsler: 3 balls put into play in 30 3-0 counts (1 HR)
Hank Blalock: 4 balls put into play in 75 3-0 counts (o HR)
*******************************************************
Matt Holliday: 10 balls put into play in 61 3-0 counts (0 HR)
Ryan Howard: 12 balls put into play in 137 3-0 counts (1 HR)
Alex Rodriguez: 12 balls put into play in 271 3-0 counts (1 HR)
5) The Rangers are ranked 27th in walks taken in the majors. In 2008 they finished with the 6th highest walk total. The main culprits:
**Marlon Byrd has walked 0 times this year in 36 PA. Of course, no one cares when you are hitting .361/.361/.667. When this hot streak dies down, however, let's hope that Byrd remembers how to be selective (a great asset of his last year when he walked in roughly 10% of his PAs en route to a .380 OBP).
**Josh Hamilton has walked 3 times in 57 PA, but his struggles as a result of his lack of selectivity have been well documented.
**Jarrod Saltalamacchia, who took a big step forward in the walks category in 2008 (despite his lack of power), has only 1 walk in 39 PA
**Chris Davis, never one to take advantage of many free passes, is characteristically low in the BB column with 2 in 46 PA, and leads the league with 21 strikeouts. So he's been striking out (roughly) once every two times he steps up. Yikes.
6) Hank Blalock's middle name is Joe. Not Joseph, Joe. Weird.
1) According to Bill James Online, Ian Kinsler is the hottest hitter in baseball right now with a temperature of 104 degrees (for an explanation of temperatures, go here). Certainly not much of a surprise given his offensive play as of late, but to see that (according to this "temperature" system) he is the hottest hitter in the game, that's pretty cool. Following Kinsler are Victor Martinez, Ryan Braun, Matt Kemp, and Kevin Youkilis.
2) Jamey Newberg, in one of his patented newsletters, remarked about Kinsler in his recap of the Rangers 5-4 win over the Blue Jays: the game included "Ian Kinsler’s first opposite field home run since birth." Not knowing whether this was actual fact or a metaphor to articulate Kinsler's propensity for the left side of the diamond, I decided to check it out. Of course, Newberg is correct. Here is the career data for the location of Kinsler's home runs (chronologically from left to right, from 2006 to 2009):
Homers to Left: 12+19+16+4 = 51 total
Homers to Center: 2+1+2+0 = 5 total
Homers to Right: 0+0+0+1 = 1 total
(source: billjamesonline.com)
3) While it's a little bit too early to start playing the Pythagorean W-L game, the Rangers have scored exactly as many runs as they have allowed: 85. This gives them a Pythagorean record of .500 (which doesn't truly translate into a record if the team has played 13 games). Given the trouble that the Rangers have had on the mound thus far, to know that the team breaks even is a nice thought. Their 85 runs scored is 4th in the bigs, and their 84 runs allowed is 4th from the bottom. Symmetry seems to be the name of the game here, since the Rangers finished 1st in runs scored last year, and last in runs allowed.
4) Until I played around with baseball-reference.com this week, I had no idea how little players put the ball into play on a 3-0 count over their careers. I was looking at Marlon Byrd's page and saw that, over his 2,406 career PA and 111 PA with a 3-0 count, he's only put 1 ball in play. Less than 1%. I imagined the number being low, but not that low.Perhaps, I thought, it's only because Byrd isn't a tremendous power hitter and doesn't get the green light on 3-0 from the dugout very often, and when he does swing he takes a big rip which is less likely to make good contact. A look at some of the other Rangers (which have decent, but not prolific power), as well as some prolific power hitters around baseball somewhat supports this theory (despite the lack of thorough research and my small sample size). My primary point, however, is that hitters (especially the listed bona fide power hitters below the list of Rangers) make contact on 3-0 a lot less than I thought.
Michael Young: 2 balls put into play in 60 3-0 counts (0 HR)
Ian Kinsler: 3 balls put into play in 30 3-0 counts (1 HR)
Hank Blalock: 4 balls put into play in 75 3-0 counts (o HR)
*******************************************************
Matt Holliday: 10 balls put into play in 61 3-0 counts (0 HR)
Ryan Howard: 12 balls put into play in 137 3-0 counts (1 HR)
Alex Rodriguez: 12 balls put into play in 271 3-0 counts (1 HR)
5) The Rangers are ranked 27th in walks taken in the majors. In 2008 they finished with the 6th highest walk total. The main culprits:
**Marlon Byrd has walked 0 times this year in 36 PA. Of course, no one cares when you are hitting .361/.361/.667. When this hot streak dies down, however, let's hope that Byrd remembers how to be selective (a great asset of his last year when he walked in roughly 10% of his PAs en route to a .380 OBP).
**Josh Hamilton has walked 3 times in 57 PA, but his struggles as a result of his lack of selectivity have been well documented.
**Jarrod Saltalamacchia, who took a big step forward in the walks category in 2008 (despite his lack of power), has only 1 walk in 39 PA
**Chris Davis, never one to take advantage of many free passes, is characteristically low in the BB column with 2 in 46 PA, and leads the league with 21 strikeouts. So he's been striking out (roughly) once every two times he steps up. Yikes.
6) Hank Blalock's middle name is Joe. Not Joseph, Joe. Weird.
Hello Win Column, Win #6: Francisco Squelches Late Rally by Jays, 5-4
I think my feeling are best summed up by Adam Morris' words after the game on Lonestarball.com:
"Good things happen when you bring your best reliever into the game during the most critical situation."
Game links: Box Score, Recap
And now to hear from the losing locker room (the first one is actually a game preview):
Get Ready for a Slugfest from Blue Jay Hunter
"A highly offensive-driven team like the Texas Rangers reminds me of one of those plasticized, highly done-up women that you’d see in Hollywood; although they have a lot going for them looks-wise, their IQ probably resembles that of a doorstop. That’s just like the Rangers; all offense, and no defense ."
Halladay Takes His Loss of the Season from BlueBird Banter
"Well, we knew he wasn't going to go 34-0, but it is still a surprise whenever Doc loses . . . Offensively, we scored 4 when we needed 6. The Ranger's less than intimidating bullpen held us to 1 run over the last 3 innings . . . "
Photo Caption (sorry, no link) from Go Jays Go
"Being half-human/half-machine means the human side [of Roy Halladay] shows up every once in a while (which, it turns out, is 5ER and 9SO against the best bats in baseball)."
"Good things happen when you bring your best reliever into the game during the most critical situation."
Game links: Box Score, Recap
And now to hear from the losing locker room (the first one is actually a game preview):
Get Ready for a Slugfest from Blue Jay Hunter
"A highly offensive-driven team like the Texas Rangers reminds me of one of those plasticized, highly done-up women that you’d see in Hollywood; although they have a lot going for them looks-wise, their IQ probably resembles that of a doorstop. That’s just like the Rangers; all offense, and no defense ."
Halladay Takes His Loss of the Season from BlueBird Banter
"Well, we knew he wasn't going to go 34-0, but it is still a surprise whenever Doc loses . . . Offensively, we scored 4 when we needed 6. The Ranger's less than intimidating bullpen held us to 1 run over the last 3 innings . . . "
Photo Caption (sorry, no link) from Go Jays Go
"Being half-human/half-machine means the human side [of Roy Halladay] shows up every once in a while (which, it turns out, is 5ER and 9SO against the best bats in baseball)."
Wednesday: 2
The title for today is simple: it relates to two topics that are obvious, but worth discussing nonetheless.
As I predicted in one of my first articles for HWC, talk about Ron Washington leaving is heating up, thanks to the early struggles of the Rangers. I know fellow HWC writer Jonathan Page isn’t a big fan of Washington, and he’s not alone. But I’m a big supporter of the guy, especially considering his positive attitude. Another thing I like about Wash, though it has nothing to do with the Rangers’ success, is that he rarely makes up any sort of excuses for his team’s failures. Back when Buck Showalter was the skipper, we’d hear a lot of ‘oh, he threw the ball pretty well, but the defense didn’t really help,’ or, ‘We’d of won if this happened or that didn’t happen.’ But Washington usually just gets straight to the point: that his team was outplayed. Of course, a lot of people, including myself, get aggravated by some of the moves Washington makes during games, but I think overall he does a solid job, and as I’ve said before, his positive energy is his greatest attribute. Also, don’t you think he has something to do with this team’s never say die approach? I know the Rangers are struggling, but most of my worries have to do with the pitching and some of the hitting, not Ron Washington (speaking of pitching, it doesn’t really seem like Mike Maddux has had a huge effect so far). All in all, Washington can be blamed somewhat for these early struggles, but to go back to the old line: it’s the players who are on the field making the plays, not the manager. That is to say, their failures should not make Washington the scapegoat, at least right now.
Secondly, my thoughts on Derek Holland, who joined the club last Saturday (Jonathan Page already explored the subject, so I’ll keep this brief). Most people were talking about Holland maybe being a September call up, and a long shot for perhaps July or August (if the Rangers were really doing bad). But we’re not even through with April, and already he’s been called up. Perhaps the biggest surprise we’ll get all year. Since I was never really a big Josh Rupe fan, it was nice to see him be the one replaced by Holland. However, that does not mean I approve of the decision completely. I know the Rangers want to slowly ease Holland into the majors, but since they want him to be starter, why not keep him in the minors where he can work in the role he’ll likely be playing for the foreseeable future? On the other hand, the kid has terrific stuff, and he could help the Rangers’ bullpen quite a bit actually. Like Elvis Andrus, I think the Rangers believe Holland is mature enough (he’s certainly been modest about his success) to survive and soon succeed in the Major Leagues. Overall, this seemed like a decision from a desperate front office, which is odd, because despite these early struggles, it doesn’t quite seem time to panic yet.
NOTE: The Rangers beat Halladay 5-4. I knew this was possible! Could be the most important win of the year so far (the Rangers actually have had the most success against Halladay in his career).
As I predicted in one of my first articles for HWC, talk about Ron Washington leaving is heating up, thanks to the early struggles of the Rangers. I know fellow HWC writer Jonathan Page isn’t a big fan of Washington, and he’s not alone. But I’m a big supporter of the guy, especially considering his positive attitude. Another thing I like about Wash, though it has nothing to do with the Rangers’ success, is that he rarely makes up any sort of excuses for his team’s failures. Back when Buck Showalter was the skipper, we’d hear a lot of ‘oh, he threw the ball pretty well, but the defense didn’t really help,’ or, ‘We’d of won if this happened or that didn’t happen.’ But Washington usually just gets straight to the point: that his team was outplayed. Of course, a lot of people, including myself, get aggravated by some of the moves Washington makes during games, but I think overall he does a solid job, and as I’ve said before, his positive energy is his greatest attribute. Also, don’t you think he has something to do with this team’s never say die approach? I know the Rangers are struggling, but most of my worries have to do with the pitching and some of the hitting, not Ron Washington (speaking of pitching, it doesn’t really seem like Mike Maddux has had a huge effect so far). All in all, Washington can be blamed somewhat for these early struggles, but to go back to the old line: it’s the players who are on the field making the plays, not the manager. That is to say, their failures should not make Washington the scapegoat, at least right now.
Secondly, my thoughts on Derek Holland, who joined the club last Saturday (Jonathan Page already explored the subject, so I’ll keep this brief). Most people were talking about Holland maybe being a September call up, and a long shot for perhaps July or August (if the Rangers were really doing bad). But we’re not even through with April, and already he’s been called up. Perhaps the biggest surprise we’ll get all year. Since I was never really a big Josh Rupe fan, it was nice to see him be the one replaced by Holland. However, that does not mean I approve of the decision completely. I know the Rangers want to slowly ease Holland into the majors, but since they want him to be starter, why not keep him in the minors where he can work in the role he’ll likely be playing for the foreseeable future? On the other hand, the kid has terrific stuff, and he could help the Rangers’ bullpen quite a bit actually. Like Elvis Andrus, I think the Rangers believe Holland is mature enough (he’s certainly been modest about his success) to survive and soon succeed in the Major Leagues. Overall, this seemed like a decision from a desperate front office, which is odd, because despite these early struggles, it doesn’t quite seem time to panic yet.
NOTE: The Rangers beat Halladay 5-4. I knew this was possible! Could be the most important win of the year so far (the Rangers actually have had the most success against Halladay in his career).
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Tuesday Trivia: Cal Ripken's Consecutive Innings Streak
This week's question:
Somewhat overshadowed by his consecutive games streak was Cal Ripken Jr.'s consecutive innings streak in which he played 8,423 innings in a row from 1982 to 1987. Which player on the 1987 Orioles replaced him at shortstop to end the streak? Write your answers in the comments section.
Answer to last week's question:
Out of the four hitters listed, it is Nick Markakis who clubs the Rangers the most, to the tune of .345/.420/.621. Ouch.
Somewhat overshadowed by his consecutive games streak was Cal Ripken Jr.'s consecutive innings streak in which he played 8,423 innings in a row from 1982 to 1987. Which player on the 1987 Orioles replaced him at shortstop to end the streak? Write your answers in the comments section.
Answer to last week's question:
Out of the four hitters listed, it is Nick Markakis who clubs the Rangers the most, to the tune of .345/.420/.621. Ouch.
Tuesday: The Real Kevin Millwood? Don't be so sure . . .
It's no secret that Kevin Millwood is off to quite an impressive start this season:
Start #1: 7IP 1ER 5K
Start #2: 7IP 0ER 6K
Start #3: 9 IP 2ER 3K (complete game)
Totals: 23IP 3ER 14K
His season ERA after these three starts is 1.17.
It got me thinking, "When was the last time Millwood pitched this well to start off a season?" The answer was more recent that I realized: it was last year. Look at his first three starts from 2008:
Start #1: 6IP 0ER 4K
Start #2: 8IP 2ER 5K (complete game)
Start #3: 7IP 1ER 2K
Totals: 21IP 3ER 11K
His season ERA after these three starts was 1.29.
We all know what happened after those three starts, however:
April 2008: 3.86 ERA
May 2008: 7.45 ERA
June 2008: 6.10 ERA
July 2008: 6.56 ERA
August 2008: 2.76 ERA
September 2008: 6.10 ERA
Additionally, his BABIP so far in 2009 is .204, way below the league average of .300. Considering his BABIP over the last two seasons has been .348 and .366, he's either "due" for a streak like this, or it is going to return to the .300 mark quite soon.
Would I love it if Millwood kept on pitching like this? Of course. Is there a good chance that he will? No. Here's to hoping he can.
Start #1: 7IP 1ER 5K
Start #2: 7IP 0ER 6K
Start #3: 9 IP 2ER 3K (complete game)
Totals: 23IP 3ER 14K
His season ERA after these three starts is 1.17.
It got me thinking, "When was the last time Millwood pitched this well to start off a season?" The answer was more recent that I realized: it was last year. Look at his first three starts from 2008:
Start #1: 6IP 0ER 4K
Start #2: 8IP 2ER 5K (complete game)
Start #3: 7IP 1ER 2K
Totals: 21IP 3ER 11K
His season ERA after these three starts was 1.29.
We all know what happened after those three starts, however:
April 2008: 3.86 ERA
May 2008: 7.45 ERA
June 2008: 6.10 ERA
July 2008: 6.56 ERA
August 2008: 2.76 ERA
September 2008: 6.10 ERA
Additionally, his BABIP so far in 2009 is .204, way below the league average of .300. Considering his BABIP over the last two seasons has been .348 and .366, he's either "due" for a streak like this, or it is going to return to the .300 mark quite soon.
Would I love it if Millwood kept on pitching like this? Of course. Is there a good chance that he will? No. Here's to hoping he can.
Monday, April 20, 2009
Monday Movie: Johnson Hits Bird
I had a hard time selecting something today, so I had to stick with this. I think just about everyone has seen it already, but oh well.
All Loud on the Gloomy Front
3-0, the best start the Rangers had gotten off to in years. Since then, it has been, to sum it up quickly, a light catastrophe. Yes, the Rangers are only 5-7, and yes it was fun to see Michael Young hit the walk off homerun, but what I’ve seen overall is a level of inconsistency that does not spell ‘winning ball club.’ Young would know as good as anyone when he talked about being more consistent on the post game interview with Dave Barnett (It was nice to see Victor Rojas, who was replaced by Barnett, at the game on Saturday). With the exception of Kevin Millwood, the rotation has been close to ghastly, though it’s been nice to see most of the pitchers make it through at least five, albeit sluggish innings. But a a contending team should have at least three solid, dependable pitchers, and right now the Rangers only have one. The bullpen has been even worse, as Frankie Francisco is the only pitcher with an ERA below 3. The same can be said for Millwood in the rotation. As usual, the Ranger hitters are bringing out their fire sticks, but they have been unable to maintain any real level of consistency offensively. The 19 run outburst was nice, but I would rather see the Rangers spread out the runs more evenly, because it is actually kind of embarrassing when a team puts up close to 20 runs one game, and only three the next (the lack of production on Saturday night can excused due to Zack Greinke’s outstanding performance). Solid opposing pitching aside though, this has been an ignominious start to the season, despite the first three wins. Now, it is early, and the Rangers are only two games below five hundred, so there is no great reason to worry yet. What’s frustrating though is that this team is looking very reminiscent to last year’s, and that, with the exception of the power offense, is not really a good thing.
Last week I touched on Chris Davis and his struggles (I was almost right, but the second homerun had to wait till the next game), but what about David Murphy and his 0-15 start? I’m a big David Murphy fan, but the combination of Andruw Jones and Marlon Byrd are keeping him from getting to play every day. Murphy is the Rangers' left fielder for the future, and despite his early struggles, he needs to be in that lineup every day. Hopefully he’ll get more at bats soon, but as long as Byrd is producing, I think Ron Washington will try to get him in the lineup as often as possible.
The important thing right now is that the Rangers don’t wait until the end of April to turn things around. It happened last year, but by then they were already too far behind the Angels to really stand a chance. Right now, especially since LA is struggling, the Rangers need to start playing good baseball, because if they don’t, we’ll be talking about 2010 much sooner than planned. One more thing is Josh Hamilton. So far, Hamilton hasn’t exactly been thrilling the fans like he was last year. I’ve noticed that Hamilton has changed his batting stance around, but the good results aren’t showing up. Hamilton looked particularly bad in yesterday's game, striking out three times in four at bats. Will Hamilton be as good as he was last year? I hope so, but I also think that he won’t get by as easily because if you haven’t noticed, he isn’t getting a lot to hit from the pitchers. Hamilton loves destroying that first pitch fastball, but so far, those have been scarce, as Hamilton is mainly seeing off speed stuff. While it’s not time to panic yet about Hamilton, I still think he’s a slight concern seeing as he’s of arrant importance to this club.
Finally, I want to bring up the red uniforms. I’ve already mentioned that the scarcity of their appearance seems a little odd. But what seems even more odd is when the Rangers go out wearing their regular jerseys, but with red helmets, shirts, and socks. The look might appeal to some, and even to me the helmets look flashy, but the overall style just doesn’t feel very methodical, especially considering the fact that they can’t wear red on the road. I’m not saying I dislike the red, it’s just that I’m a fan of order, and all of these different looks are anything but orderly. I say either they go red all the way, or they just stick with the royal blue, which I’m actually a big fan of. Some say red is dead and blue is true, others say red is hot and blue is ice cold. The last two actually hold a relation to how our club is playing, too. One day they’re awesome, the next they’re the polar opposite. That’s not what winning teams are made of. Luckily it’s still April.
Next up is Toronto, where on Tuesday Brandon McCarthy matches up against the Blue Jay's ace, Roy Halladay. Obviously the Rangers' chances of winning aren't great, but they've beaten Halladay in the past, so it's certainly possible. This is an important series for Texas, and by winning two out of three they can start to turn this thing around and then go punish the Orioles for how they treated us last week.
Go Texas!
Last week I touched on Chris Davis and his struggles (I was almost right, but the second homerun had to wait till the next game), but what about David Murphy and his 0-15 start? I’m a big David Murphy fan, but the combination of Andruw Jones and Marlon Byrd are keeping him from getting to play every day. Murphy is the Rangers' left fielder for the future, and despite his early struggles, he needs to be in that lineup every day. Hopefully he’ll get more at bats soon, but as long as Byrd is producing, I think Ron Washington will try to get him in the lineup as often as possible.
The important thing right now is that the Rangers don’t wait until the end of April to turn things around. It happened last year, but by then they were already too far behind the Angels to really stand a chance. Right now, especially since LA is struggling, the Rangers need to start playing good baseball, because if they don’t, we’ll be talking about 2010 much sooner than planned. One more thing is Josh Hamilton. So far, Hamilton hasn’t exactly been thrilling the fans like he was last year. I’ve noticed that Hamilton has changed his batting stance around, but the good results aren’t showing up. Hamilton looked particularly bad in yesterday's game, striking out three times in four at bats. Will Hamilton be as good as he was last year? I hope so, but I also think that he won’t get by as easily because if you haven’t noticed, he isn’t getting a lot to hit from the pitchers. Hamilton loves destroying that first pitch fastball, but so far, those have been scarce, as Hamilton is mainly seeing off speed stuff. While it’s not time to panic yet about Hamilton, I still think he’s a slight concern seeing as he’s of arrant importance to this club.
Finally, I want to bring up the red uniforms. I’ve already mentioned that the scarcity of their appearance seems a little odd. But what seems even more odd is when the Rangers go out wearing their regular jerseys, but with red helmets, shirts, and socks. The look might appeal to some, and even to me the helmets look flashy, but the overall style just doesn’t feel very methodical, especially considering the fact that they can’t wear red on the road. I’m not saying I dislike the red, it’s just that I’m a fan of order, and all of these different looks are anything but orderly. I say either they go red all the way, or they just stick with the royal blue, which I’m actually a big fan of. Some say red is dead and blue is true, others say red is hot and blue is ice cold. The last two actually hold a relation to how our club is playing, too. One day they’re awesome, the next they’re the polar opposite. That’s not what winning teams are made of. Luckily it’s still April.
Next up is Toronto, where on Tuesday Brandon McCarthy matches up against the Blue Jay's ace, Roy Halladay. Obviously the Rangers' chances of winning aren't great, but they've beaten Halladay in the past, so it's certainly possible. This is an important series for Texas, and by winning two out of three they can start to turn this thing around and then go punish the Orioles for how they treated us last week.
Go Texas!
Sunday, April 19, 2009
Hello Win Column, Win #5: Young's Heroics Avoid Sweep for Rangers
I had a bet with my family that Ron Washington would get the ax if the Rangers were swept by the Royals. Whether or not I was right, I bet that Michael Young's beers are on his manager tonight.
Let's hear from the losing locker room (which is quite unhappy with Trey Hillman's management of the late innings):
A breakdown of Treydaddy's Decisions: April 19th Edition from Royals Review
". . . Did a lot of first-guessing of Trey's managerial decisions as the Royals' chances to win slowly spiraled down the drainage pipe of doom . . . What more needs to be said at this point? Of course, Trey did the "conventional" move, saving his closer Soria until the Royals had taken an imaginary lead against the Texas bullpen's next imaginary pitcher. This entire plan, however, is contingent on Kyle Farnsworth holding the lead against the heart of Texas' order: Young, Hamilton, Jones, Blalock. Who am I kidding? Everyone knew it wasn't going to make it to Jones or Blalock....even Hamilton probably would've gotten out of his slump against Farns. While I was surprised it only took him two pitches to blow this one....the fact that he gave up a gopher-ball (Young's first career walk off) was not hard to see coming. I LOVED how DeJesus didn't even try to run back to the wall. He just took a couple steps and then was like "screw it," and started the walk of shame."
Another Injury to Overcome from Rany on the Royals
"Joakim Soria is out indefinitely with an apparent inability to pitch. I say “apparent” because there has no been no confirmation from the Royals on the subject. I hesitate to say that Soria is injured, because there is no evidence of an actual injury. Nonetheless, it appears quite certain that the Mexicutioner is suffering from an ailment that prevents him from pitching. That is because the alternative explanation is that Trey Hillman has the IQ of a barnyard animal, and I think we can all agree that barnyard animals possess neither the intellect nor the communication skills necessary to obtain a job as major league manager in the first place . . . . But please, don’t blame Hillman for this. Rest assured that there’s no way someone could spend a quarter-century playing, coaching, and managing in professional baseball, and ascend to the highest rank of his profession before he turned 45, and make the decisions that Hillman appeared to make today. It’s simply not possible that Hillman would not use Soria to protect a tight lead, even as the inning was falling apart, just because it was the eighth inning instead of the ninth. It’s not possible that instead of Soria in the ninth, he would call upon KYLE FREAKING FARNSWORTH, who now has more losses (3) than the rest of the team combined (2) in exactly 3.1 innings of work, just because it was a tie game instead of a save situation. Trey Hillman is not that stupid. No one is that stupid."
Let's hear from the losing locker room (which is quite unhappy with Trey Hillman's management of the late innings):
A breakdown of Treydaddy's Decisions: April 19th Edition from Royals Review
". . . Did a lot of first-guessing of Trey's managerial decisions as the Royals' chances to win slowly spiraled down the drainage pipe of doom . . . What more needs to be said at this point? Of course, Trey did the "conventional" move, saving his closer Soria until the Royals had taken an imaginary lead against the Texas bullpen's next imaginary pitcher. This entire plan, however, is contingent on Kyle Farnsworth holding the lead against the heart of Texas' order: Young, Hamilton, Jones, Blalock. Who am I kidding? Everyone knew it wasn't going to make it to Jones or Blalock....even Hamilton probably would've gotten out of his slump against Farns. While I was surprised it only took him two pitches to blow this one....the fact that he gave up a gopher-ball (Young's first career walk off) was not hard to see coming. I LOVED how DeJesus didn't even try to run back to the wall. He just took a couple steps and then was like "screw it," and started the walk of shame."
Another Injury to Overcome from Rany on the Royals
"Joakim Soria is out indefinitely with an apparent inability to pitch. I say “apparent” because there has no been no confirmation from the Royals on the subject. I hesitate to say that Soria is injured, because there is no evidence of an actual injury. Nonetheless, it appears quite certain that the Mexicutioner is suffering from an ailment that prevents him from pitching. That is because the alternative explanation is that Trey Hillman has the IQ of a barnyard animal, and I think we can all agree that barnyard animals possess neither the intellect nor the communication skills necessary to obtain a job as major league manager in the first place . . . . But please, don’t blame Hillman for this. Rest assured that there’s no way someone could spend a quarter-century playing, coaching, and managing in professional baseball, and ascend to the highest rank of his profession before he turned 45, and make the decisions that Hillman appeared to make today. It’s simply not possible that Hillman would not use Soria to protect a tight lead, even as the inning was falling apart, just because it was the eighth inning instead of the ninth. It’s not possible that instead of Soria in the ninth, he would call upon KYLE FREAKING FARNSWORTH, who now has more losses (3) than the rest of the team combined (2) in exactly 3.1 innings of work, just because it was a tie game instead of a save situation. Trey Hillman is not that stupid. No one is that stupid."
Saturday, April 18, 2009
A HWC newsflash: welcome to the big leagues, Derek Holland
We knew this would happen at some point this season (well something akin to this, anyway)... but I don't think anybody could've predicted it would happen quite this quickly.
Josh Rupe has been designated for assignment, and Derek Holland has been purchased from Oklahoma City.
Apparently Holland will work out of the bullpen for now as a long reliever, eventually moving into the rotation once his performance merits it or there's an opening (whenever the Rangers get fed up with Matt Harrison's inability to miss bats, maybe?)
Anyway... WOW.
Several hours after first hearing about this, I'm still slightly shocked at the Rangers sudden aggressiveness with Holland. Desperation to shore up the second worst bullpen in the majors (in terms of runs allowed per game) seems to have taken precedence over patience, as the organization suddenly appears more than content to pull out the stops in breaking Holland into the majors. I can't say I'm exactly pleased with this development from that standpoint - personally I would've rather seen Dutch at least get a couple months of AAA innings under his belt as a starter whether they intended to break him in through the bullpen or not. After all, even Joba Chamberlain started 15 games in the minors before he was called up under the now-infamous "Joba rules" in 2007.
As excited as I am to see Holland in the majors, I can't help but think that taking a guy who has just 10 appearances above low-A and throwing him into the majors after one sub-par AAA start is the definition of rushing him. I'm already not sure if breaking a guy who has been a starter his entire minor league career (save for two appearances in rookie ball in 2007) in through the bullpen is the way to go, but, that's really a moot point now. If there's a question to be asked about breaking Holland in by this fashion, the one at the forefront of my mind is wondering if not allowing him to rack up any consistent innings as a starter before completely redefining his role is going to hurt him when (and if) the Rangers decide to slot him into the big league rotation this year. Though the Rangers say they haven't wavered in their view of Holland as a starter in the long term, it's worth noting they haven't ruled out the possibility of leaving him in the bullpen all year long, either. The chances of that actually coming to pass are probably slim to none (or so I would hope, anyway) but that would be something that would disappoint me greatly.
All that said, I think Holland is good enough to overcome any challenges that might arise from this method of development, mainly because there's no reason why a talented young arm with swing-and-miss stuff like his shouldn't force his way into the rotation sooner rather than later given the other current options. With Matt Harrison and supposed swingman Scott Feldman both struggling mightily in the early going and Kris Benson being as expendable as they come, I'm going to predict that not only will a spot for Dutch in the rotation open up by June, but the need to have him there will arise as well. And that's when we'll see the real start of Derek Holland's major league future.
Josh Rupe has been designated for assignment, and Derek Holland has been purchased from Oklahoma City.
Apparently Holland will work out of the bullpen for now as a long reliever, eventually moving into the rotation once his performance merits it or there's an opening (whenever the Rangers get fed up with Matt Harrison's inability to miss bats, maybe?)
Anyway... WOW.
Several hours after first hearing about this, I'm still slightly shocked at the Rangers sudden aggressiveness with Holland. Desperation to shore up the second worst bullpen in the majors (in terms of runs allowed per game) seems to have taken precedence over patience, as the organization suddenly appears more than content to pull out the stops in breaking Holland into the majors. I can't say I'm exactly pleased with this development from that standpoint - personally I would've rather seen Dutch at least get a couple months of AAA innings under his belt as a starter whether they intended to break him in through the bullpen or not. After all, even Joba Chamberlain started 15 games in the minors before he was called up under the now-infamous "Joba rules" in 2007.
As excited as I am to see Holland in the majors, I can't help but think that taking a guy who has just 10 appearances above low-A and throwing him into the majors after one sub-par AAA start is the definition of rushing him. I'm already not sure if breaking a guy who has been a starter his entire minor league career (save for two appearances in rookie ball in 2007) in through the bullpen is the way to go, but, that's really a moot point now. If there's a question to be asked about breaking Holland in by this fashion, the one at the forefront of my mind is wondering if not allowing him to rack up any consistent innings as a starter before completely redefining his role is going to hurt him when (and if) the Rangers decide to slot him into the big league rotation this year. Though the Rangers say they haven't wavered in their view of Holland as a starter in the long term, it's worth noting they haven't ruled out the possibility of leaving him in the bullpen all year long, either. The chances of that actually coming to pass are probably slim to none (or so I would hope, anyway) but that would be something that would disappoint me greatly.
All that said, I think Holland is good enough to overcome any challenges that might arise from this method of development, mainly because there's no reason why a talented young arm with swing-and-miss stuff like his shouldn't force his way into the rotation sooner rather than later given the other current options. With Matt Harrison and supposed swingman Scott Feldman both struggling mightily in the early going and Kris Benson being as expendable as they come, I'm going to predict that not only will a spot for Dutch in the rotation open up by June, but the need to have him there will arise as well. And that's when we'll see the real start of Derek Holland's major league future.
Friday, April 17, 2009
Rangers weekly scoreboard: 4/12 - 4/17
I don't really know where to begin.
I guess I could roll out the old cliche "it was just one of those weeks..." but that wouldn't really be true. The results the Rangers have put up this week (outside of Wednesday's bash-fest anyway) have been depressing and abnormally horrible thanks to a combination of gaffes, bad luck and plainly sub-par bullpen - with some truly mystifying management sprinkled in for good measure. So let's just get on with it, and see what we've learned from this miserable week:
Sunday: Tigers 6, Rangers 4
Kevin Millwood was every bit as superb in Detroit Sunday as he was on opening day, scattering 4 hits and striking out 6 (while walking no one) in 7 shutout innings against a Tiger offense that had obliterated Ranger pitching for 19 runs in the first two games of the series (okay, so 15 of those runs came in game 1, but you get the point: the Tigers had been hitting well). Josh Hamilton and Ian Kinsler had each slammed 2-run HR's off Edwin Jackson that allowed the Rangers to enjoy a 4-0 lead through the first 7 1/2 innings.
So what happened? Well, in short CJ Wilson and Warner Madrigal managed to invalidate all that good baseball with one inning of extremely bad baseball in the bottom of the 8th. Wilson would up credited will all 6 of the Tiger runs (3 earned, thanks to an Elvis Andrus error) but it was Madrigal who came in and gave up the go-ahead 2-run single to Brandon Inge (who had started the inning with a home run off Wilson). The Tigers wound up with a series sweep and the Rangers went back home at 3-3 with their tail between their legs as Ranger nation once again cried out in frustration at their enigmatic setup man.
Monday: Orioles 10, Rangers 9
Speaking of enigmas, how about Vicente Padilla. By some metrics, the 2008 Padilla was the Rangers best starter last year (and by others, not so much). What we saw Monday however was more reminiscent of 2007 Padilla: 3.1 innings, 11 hits (4 of which where doubles), 7 earned runs and an obligatory HBP. Of his 70 pitches, 10 of them where hit for line drives and another 13 where hit in the air (or popped up). Hey, at least he only walked one guy.
The Ranger offense wasn't exactly quiet either (they did actually lead 4-2 after 3, until Padilla surrendered 5 of his 7 runs in the 4th). Chris Davis, who hadn't even been scheduled to play Monday, broke out of his slump with a homer off the soft-tossing O's starter Koji Uehara in the second and Michael Young cranked his first bomb of the season in the 3rd. Even after the O's tagged Padilla in the 4th, and got to reliever Scott Feldman for 3 more in the 5th, the Rangers rallied to within one thanks to a 3-run 6th and a 2-run homer by Andruw Jones in the 7th. That was as close as they got though, as they failed to get the tying run home in the 9th after Ian Kinsler (who doubled leading off the inning) failed to tag up at second base when Michael Young hit a deep rocket to right that was somehow flagged down by Nick Markakis. If he had, the Josh Hamilton flyout that followed might have tied the game, but alas, it was not to be.
Tuesday: Orioles 7, Rangers 5
If it was the pitching that was irksome in game 1 on the O's/Rangers series, it was the offense that was irksome in the second. It started out okay - Michael Young, Nellie Cruz and Chris Davis all cranked solo shots in the first two innings off O's starter Alfredo Simon (who abruptly left immediately after surrendering the third homer with elbow soreness). After that though, the bats went on to go just 2-9 with RISP - they wouldn't score again until another failed rally in the bottom of the 10th.
The O's meanwhile pecked away at a solid-but-hittable Brandon McCarthy, who showed some much-improved fastball command in comparison with his first start (although the stellar breaking ball he flashed in his previous appearance was substantially less effective). He gave up single runs in the second, third and fourth innings of his 6-frame, 92 pitch outing, allowing the O's to knot the game at three. It would stay that way until the 10th, thanks to some aggressive bullpen management by Ron Washington, who threw CJ Wilson (who recovered from blowing the lead in Detroit to toss 1.2 scoreless innings) and Frank Francisco out for multi-inning outings. The offense however remained nowhere to be found despite the fact that Wilson and Francisco allowed zero hits in 3 innings between them, and Texas was forced to call upon Eddie Guardado in the top of the 10th. Guardado got rocked for 4 hits and a walk in two-thirds of an inning, a 2-run homer and a 2-run double being the highlights. The resulting 4 run defacit proved to be too much to surmount as the Rangers offense fell short for the second straight night against Baltimore closer George Sherrill (who extricated himself after allowing 2 runs in the bottom of the 10th).
Wednesday: Rangers 19, Orioles 6
Wednesday night was this week's trip to the amusement park for Ranger fans. Not only did they exact some serious revenge on The Birds after somewhat embarrassing losses the two previous nights, but Ian Kinsler made sure everyone would remember it by stamping his name into the record books. Going 6 for 6 with a homer, 2 doubles, a triple and 2 singles, Kinsler became the fourth Ranger to hit for the cycle, and the first to ever have 6 hits in a 9 inning game. He also tied a club record with 5 runs scored and came within one of the club record for total bases with 13. Oh yeah, and he had 4 RBI too. Can anyone say "career night"?
Almost completely overshadowed by Kinsler's mind-blowing performance was the fact that the rest of the club racked up 13 hits (for a total of 19) and plated 15 runs. Among the other notables where Marlon Byrd, who went 5-6, Nelson Cruz, who racked up 6 RBI (thanks to a game-breaking grand slam in the 4th) and Elvis Andrus who went 2-3 with a triple, 2 walks and 4 runs scored.
Though it didn't seem like it, they inflicted all that damage after being behind after the first two innings. Kris Benson wasn't great in his second start in a Ranger uniform, but he wasn't bad either, managing to soldier through 111 pitches and 6 innings after giving up 3 runs in the first two frames. It wasn't very pretty performance, but as long as you can kill innings without giving up a zillion runs you've been of great service to this currently-beleaguered Ranger staff. Of course, it does help when you have a 9-run lead to work with, too.
Friday: Royals 12, Rangers 3
Any good feelings from the record setting pick-me-up the Rangers enjoyed on Wednesday where quickly erased on Friday, however. The Kansas City Royals, who came into the game dead last in the American League in runs scored jumped all over Matt Harrison in a 12-2 romp. Harrison, who held the Tigers to 4 runs despite giving up 9 hits and 5 walks but in his previous 5.2 inning outing in Detroit tried to put on the same show second time around and found himself out of luck. Posting a remarkably similar line to his first start (8 hits and 4 walks allowed in 5 innings of work) Harrison got tagged for 6 runs, all earned. In just 2 starts (10.2 innings) Harrison has given up 9 walks and 17 hits while striking out just 5 - good for a dismal 0.56 K/BB ratio and a whopping 2.44 WHIP. Note to Kason Gabbard: could you please return the real Matt Harrison to us posthaste and remove the "Goonies" mask?
Anyway, Willie Eyre and Josh Rupe combined to provide the Royals with another 3 innings of batting practice (3 ER apeice) while in a bizzaro 9th inning, Eddie Guardado spun a scoreless frame, actually striking out 2 (!) batters. Hank Blalock, Marlon Byrd and Jarrod Saltalamacchia also jacked solo home runs in the 8th and 9th innings - maybe for Blalock and Salty those will be the start of something, as they've been a bit cold of late (to say the least). I don't really have anymore to say about this one, except BLECH.
Fun (and not so fun) stats of the week:
- Not that it's a real newsflash by now, but Ian Kinsler is just ridiculous. In more ways than one. He's hitting .476/.532/.905 through 10 games, but his BABIP is - get ready - .531. No, that's no typo, 531.
- More fun with BABIP: Nelson Cruz is hitting .284/.356/.718, but his BABIP is just .240. Of course, that might have something to do with the fact that 5 of his 11 hits are home runs (don't think homers are counted in BABIP).
- Now for a not-so-fun stat: Josh Hamilton has swung at 93.6% of all pitches he's seen in the strike zone so far this year. He's also swung at 45.8% of pitches out of the zone - meaning he's swung at a whopping 67.9% of all the pitches he's seen. After going 0-3 with 2 strikeouts last night, his OPS is down to 758 on the year. It's probably a little too early to press the panic button on Josh just yet, but he desperately needs to calm down and start working the count.
-Remember the Cleveland series, when Jarrod Saltalamacchia went 3-7 with a HR and 3 RBI (before wobbling off the field in game 2 with an inner ear infection)? Well, since then Salty is 2-24. Until the homer in the 9th last night, he'd struck out in 4 straight plate appearances, and his line has plummeted to .161/.188/.387. I've been a Salty believer since before it even looked like he was coming over from the Braves, and I still am... but there's no way around the fact that he needs to get the bat he had in spring training going again. And soon. If not for his sake, then for the Rangers, because I don't see Taylor Teagarden (who has looked just as bad, if not worse at the plate, albeit in only three games) riding in to save the catchers position from an offensive production standpoint.
I'll end this post today with a question (I promised myself I wouldn't get into this when I started writing tonight, but what the hell): after seeing Ron Washington pinch hit Omar Vizquel for Michael Young with the bases loaded and 2 out in the 7th, and effectively kill a rally - for no other apparent reason than he wanted to get Vizquel into the game - am I the only one who wouldn't rather see this losing streak continue just long enough to finally get Wash canned?
I guess I could roll out the old cliche "it was just one of those weeks..." but that wouldn't really be true. The results the Rangers have put up this week (outside of Wednesday's bash-fest anyway) have been depressing and abnormally horrible thanks to a combination of gaffes, bad luck and plainly sub-par bullpen - with some truly mystifying management sprinkled in for good measure. So let's just get on with it, and see what we've learned from this miserable week:
Sunday: Tigers 6, Rangers 4
Kevin Millwood was every bit as superb in Detroit Sunday as he was on opening day, scattering 4 hits and striking out 6 (while walking no one) in 7 shutout innings against a Tiger offense that had obliterated Ranger pitching for 19 runs in the first two games of the series (okay, so 15 of those runs came in game 1, but you get the point: the Tigers had been hitting well). Josh Hamilton and Ian Kinsler had each slammed 2-run HR's off Edwin Jackson that allowed the Rangers to enjoy a 4-0 lead through the first 7 1/2 innings.
So what happened? Well, in short CJ Wilson and Warner Madrigal managed to invalidate all that good baseball with one inning of extremely bad baseball in the bottom of the 8th. Wilson would up credited will all 6 of the Tiger runs (3 earned, thanks to an Elvis Andrus error) but it was Madrigal who came in and gave up the go-ahead 2-run single to Brandon Inge (who had started the inning with a home run off Wilson). The Tigers wound up with a series sweep and the Rangers went back home at 3-3 with their tail between their legs as Ranger nation once again cried out in frustration at their enigmatic setup man.
Monday: Orioles 10, Rangers 9
Speaking of enigmas, how about Vicente Padilla. By some metrics, the 2008 Padilla was the Rangers best starter last year (and by others, not so much). What we saw Monday however was more reminiscent of 2007 Padilla: 3.1 innings, 11 hits (4 of which where doubles), 7 earned runs and an obligatory HBP. Of his 70 pitches, 10 of them where hit for line drives and another 13 where hit in the air (or popped up). Hey, at least he only walked one guy.
The Ranger offense wasn't exactly quiet either (they did actually lead 4-2 after 3, until Padilla surrendered 5 of his 7 runs in the 4th). Chris Davis, who hadn't even been scheduled to play Monday, broke out of his slump with a homer off the soft-tossing O's starter Koji Uehara in the second and Michael Young cranked his first bomb of the season in the 3rd. Even after the O's tagged Padilla in the 4th, and got to reliever Scott Feldman for 3 more in the 5th, the Rangers rallied to within one thanks to a 3-run 6th and a 2-run homer by Andruw Jones in the 7th. That was as close as they got though, as they failed to get the tying run home in the 9th after Ian Kinsler (who doubled leading off the inning) failed to tag up at second base when Michael Young hit a deep rocket to right that was somehow flagged down by Nick Markakis. If he had, the Josh Hamilton flyout that followed might have tied the game, but alas, it was not to be.
Tuesday: Orioles 7, Rangers 5
If it was the pitching that was irksome in game 1 on the O's/Rangers series, it was the offense that was irksome in the second. It started out okay - Michael Young, Nellie Cruz and Chris Davis all cranked solo shots in the first two innings off O's starter Alfredo Simon (who abruptly left immediately after surrendering the third homer with elbow soreness). After that though, the bats went on to go just 2-9 with RISP - they wouldn't score again until another failed rally in the bottom of the 10th.
The O's meanwhile pecked away at a solid-but-hittable Brandon McCarthy, who showed some much-improved fastball command in comparison with his first start (although the stellar breaking ball he flashed in his previous appearance was substantially less effective). He gave up single runs in the second, third and fourth innings of his 6-frame, 92 pitch outing, allowing the O's to knot the game at three. It would stay that way until the 10th, thanks to some aggressive bullpen management by Ron Washington, who threw CJ Wilson (who recovered from blowing the lead in Detroit to toss 1.2 scoreless innings) and Frank Francisco out for multi-inning outings. The offense however remained nowhere to be found despite the fact that Wilson and Francisco allowed zero hits in 3 innings between them, and Texas was forced to call upon Eddie Guardado in the top of the 10th. Guardado got rocked for 4 hits and a walk in two-thirds of an inning, a 2-run homer and a 2-run double being the highlights. The resulting 4 run defacit proved to be too much to surmount as the Rangers offense fell short for the second straight night against Baltimore closer George Sherrill (who extricated himself after allowing 2 runs in the bottom of the 10th).
Wednesday: Rangers 19, Orioles 6
Wednesday night was this week's trip to the amusement park for Ranger fans. Not only did they exact some serious revenge on The Birds after somewhat embarrassing losses the two previous nights, but Ian Kinsler made sure everyone would remember it by stamping his name into the record books. Going 6 for 6 with a homer, 2 doubles, a triple and 2 singles, Kinsler became the fourth Ranger to hit for the cycle, and the first to ever have 6 hits in a 9 inning game. He also tied a club record with 5 runs scored and came within one of the club record for total bases with 13. Oh yeah, and he had 4 RBI too. Can anyone say "career night"?
Almost completely overshadowed by Kinsler's mind-blowing performance was the fact that the rest of the club racked up 13 hits (for a total of 19) and plated 15 runs. Among the other notables where Marlon Byrd, who went 5-6, Nelson Cruz, who racked up 6 RBI (thanks to a game-breaking grand slam in the 4th) and Elvis Andrus who went 2-3 with a triple, 2 walks and 4 runs scored.
Though it didn't seem like it, they inflicted all that damage after being behind after the first two innings. Kris Benson wasn't great in his second start in a Ranger uniform, but he wasn't bad either, managing to soldier through 111 pitches and 6 innings after giving up 3 runs in the first two frames. It wasn't very pretty performance, but as long as you can kill innings without giving up a zillion runs you've been of great service to this currently-beleaguered Ranger staff. Of course, it does help when you have a 9-run lead to work with, too.
Friday: Royals 12, Rangers 3
Any good feelings from the record setting pick-me-up the Rangers enjoyed on Wednesday where quickly erased on Friday, however. The Kansas City Royals, who came into the game dead last in the American League in runs scored jumped all over Matt Harrison in a 12-2 romp. Harrison, who held the Tigers to 4 runs despite giving up 9 hits and 5 walks but in his previous 5.2 inning outing in Detroit tried to put on the same show second time around and found himself out of luck. Posting a remarkably similar line to his first start (8 hits and 4 walks allowed in 5 innings of work) Harrison got tagged for 6 runs, all earned. In just 2 starts (10.2 innings) Harrison has given up 9 walks and 17 hits while striking out just 5 - good for a dismal 0.56 K/BB ratio and a whopping 2.44 WHIP. Note to Kason Gabbard: could you please return the real Matt Harrison to us posthaste and remove the "Goonies" mask?
Anyway, Willie Eyre and Josh Rupe combined to provide the Royals with another 3 innings of batting practice (3 ER apeice) while in a bizzaro 9th inning, Eddie Guardado spun a scoreless frame, actually striking out 2 (!) batters. Hank Blalock, Marlon Byrd and Jarrod Saltalamacchia also jacked solo home runs in the 8th and 9th innings - maybe for Blalock and Salty those will be the start of something, as they've been a bit cold of late (to say the least). I don't really have anymore to say about this one, except BLECH.
Fun (and not so fun) stats of the week:
- Not that it's a real newsflash by now, but Ian Kinsler is just ridiculous. In more ways than one. He's hitting .476/.532/.905 through 10 games, but his BABIP is - get ready - .531. No, that's no typo, 531.
- More fun with BABIP: Nelson Cruz is hitting .284/.356/.718, but his BABIP is just .240. Of course, that might have something to do with the fact that 5 of his 11 hits are home runs (don't think homers are counted in BABIP).
- Now for a not-so-fun stat: Josh Hamilton has swung at 93.6% of all pitches he's seen in the strike zone so far this year. He's also swung at 45.8% of pitches out of the zone - meaning he's swung at a whopping 67.9% of all the pitches he's seen. After going 0-3 with 2 strikeouts last night, his OPS is down to 758 on the year. It's probably a little too early to press the panic button on Josh just yet, but he desperately needs to calm down and start working the count.
-Remember the Cleveland series, when Jarrod Saltalamacchia went 3-7 with a HR and 3 RBI (before wobbling off the field in game 2 with an inner ear infection)? Well, since then Salty is 2-24. Until the homer in the 9th last night, he'd struck out in 4 straight plate appearances, and his line has plummeted to .161/.188/.387. I've been a Salty believer since before it even looked like he was coming over from the Braves, and I still am... but there's no way around the fact that he needs to get the bat he had in spring training going again. And soon. If not for his sake, then for the Rangers, because I don't see Taylor Teagarden (who has looked just as bad, if not worse at the plate, albeit in only three games) riding in to save the catchers position from an offensive production standpoint.
I'll end this post today with a question (I promised myself I wouldn't get into this when I started writing tonight, but what the hell): after seeing Ron Washington pinch hit Omar Vizquel for Michael Young with the bases loaded and 2 out in the 7th, and effectively kill a rally - for no other apparent reason than he wanted to get Vizquel into the game - am I the only one who wouldn't rather see this losing streak continue just long enough to finally get Wash canned?
Friday Foto: Branding the Birds
Mike Ricigliano, who draws the comic strip for USA Today's Sports Weekly, draws cartoons for each Orioles game for The Baltimore Sun. While ignoring the first two comics for obvious reasons, here is the comic for Wednesday night's 19-6 game:
Thursday, April 16, 2009
Hello Win Column, Win #4: Ranger Offense Shoots the Birds, 19-6
I have to say, after losing two of the first three to the Orioles, that one felt good. Surprisingly, however, we also saw some strength from the bullpen in the form of newly recuperated flamethrower Willie Eyre. Josh Rupe was, of course, the usual Josh Rupe, but a strong comeback from Eyre would go a long way towards improving the lackluster bullpen. So, despite the fact that the roar of the mighty offense (and historic performance from Kinsler) was entertaining enough for last night, the brightest spot for me was Eyre's performance. Why? We all know by now that we can't rely solely on our offense, no matter how potent it is.
Game links: Game Recap, Boxscore
But that's enough about the game from a Ranger standpoint. Let's here from the losing locker room:
Rangers 19, Orioles 6: Yes, Virginia, 19 from Camden Chat
"They didn't make it to 30 this time, but it wasn't for a lack of trying, both from the Rangers' bats and the Orioles' pitchers . . . At 6-3, [we've] been outscored by opponents 69-56. Continued success like that is unlikely . . . Pretty freaking ugly game, to say the least . . . "
Here's That Third Game of the Series Again from 33rd and Eutaw
"What is it about the third game of a three game series? It's getting weird now. We beat a team two straight – and then get absolutely blown the f*** out in the series finale . . . The off day tomorrow is much needed, I know that much. And it's going to be a big f****** weekend in Boston."
Streak Continues, O’s Get Demolished from Birds Watcher
"Oh boy, what can you say about the pitching tonight. It was horrible from the first inning to the ninth . . . I’m put this game behind me, hopefully the pitching will be more motivated for Boston."
Play it again: Orioles 19, Rangers 6 from The Baltimore Sun
"The Orioles obviously didn't enjoy Ian Kinsler's recording just the fourth cycle in Rangers history at their expense. But they seemed to be less amused by his base running after his sixth hit, an eighth-inning double. With Texas leading 16-4, Kinsler took third base on Matt Albers' pitch that just bounced away from catcher Chad Moeller. Albers threw the next two pitches high and inside to Michael Young, and after striking out Josh Hamilton, he hit Andruw Jones in the back with a pitch."
Orioles Get Whipped 19-6 by Rangers from Orioles Post
"Just bad. Plain bad . . . and Mark Hendrickson paid for it as he only lasted 3 2/3 innings and gave up nine runs -- only TWO earned -- my lord."
Game links: Game Recap, Boxscore
But that's enough about the game from a Ranger standpoint. Let's here from the losing locker room:
Rangers 19, Orioles 6: Yes, Virginia, 19 from Camden Chat
"They didn't make it to 30 this time, but it wasn't for a lack of trying, both from the Rangers' bats and the Orioles' pitchers . . . At 6-3, [we've] been outscored by opponents 69-56. Continued success like that is unlikely . . . Pretty freaking ugly game, to say the least . . . "
Here's That Third Game of the Series Again from 33rd and Eutaw
"What is it about the third game of a three game series? It's getting weird now. We beat a team two straight – and then get absolutely blown the f*** out in the series finale . . . The off day tomorrow is much needed, I know that much. And it's going to be a big f****** weekend in Boston."
Streak Continues, O’s Get Demolished from Birds Watcher
"Oh boy, what can you say about the pitching tonight. It was horrible from the first inning to the ninth . . . I’m put this game behind me, hopefully the pitching will be more motivated for Boston."
Play it again: Orioles 19, Rangers 6 from The Baltimore Sun
"The Orioles obviously didn't enjoy Ian Kinsler's recording just the fourth cycle in Rangers history at their expense. But they seemed to be less amused by his base running after his sixth hit, an eighth-inning double. With Texas leading 16-4, Kinsler took third base on Matt Albers' pitch that just bounced away from catcher Chad Moeller. Albers threw the next two pitches high and inside to Michael Young, and after striking out Josh Hamilton, he hit Andruw Jones in the back with a pitch."
Orioles Get Whipped 19-6 by Rangers from Orioles Post
"Just bad. Plain bad . . . and Mark Hendrickson paid for it as he only lasted 3 2/3 innings and gave up nine runs -- only TWO earned -- my lord."
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Elvis: No More Suspicious Minds
When the Rangers announced that Michael Young would be moving to third base to make way for 20 year old phenom Elvis Andrus, I was slightly skeptical about the decision. It was exciting to know that the Rangers’ top prospect would be the every day shortstop, but it was also slightly unnerving, because he was making the jump from AA all the way to the big leagues. It seemed that he needed at least one more year in the minors not only to perfect his game at shortstop, but also to mature as a ballplayer. The front office had good reason to make the move though, not just because they believed Andrus would help the team this year, but also because they wanted to give the fans something to shout about. Also, I think Jon Daniels was desperate to prove to any doubters that he made a dynamite trade with Atlanta.
After finishing a decent Spring Training, all eyes were on Andrus as he stepped to the plate for the first time on Opening Day. After coming up with a double, Andrus has kept the good times rolling since. Though his average is below 250, Andrus has still hit a homerun, scored 6 runs (tied with kinsler and Cruz for most on the club), and showed off his lightening speed by beating out a pretty conventional ground-ball. But Elvis’ offense is not the foremost part of his game. He’s here for his defense, which, despite a few errors, has been reminiscent Omar Vizquel’s (who just so happens to be one of Andrus’ new mentors). It’s not just that he’s making the difficult plays, it’s that he’s making them with the utmost amount of ease. When a ball is hit up the middle we can expect Andrus to be there waiting for it and when he makes the transition from fielding the ball to throwing it, he does it with great simplicity. We’re not even ten days into the season and Andrus has already shown us what he is capable of doing. Sure, he’ll continue to make some errors, and he’ll probably go through a deep slump a time or two, but he’s already shown us that he is mature enough to not let his struggles bring him down. Plus, he has one of the greatest shortstops in the history of the game to guide him along the way.
We really had no idea how Andrus would react to the pressure of being an every day big league shortstop at such a young age, but based on how he’s played in the first week, I think all suspicions have been laid to rest. Michael Young was a solid shortstop, but he lacked the range that Andrus possesses, and now that he is our shortstop, there will hopefully be no worries at that position for a long, long time.
Two notes of interest: On Monday, there were two extremely unique moments around major league baseball: First of all, Nick Swisher pitched an inning for the Yankees. He mainly threw in the 78 MPH range, but he managed to hold the Rays scoreless. Secondly, Paul Konerko and Jermaine Dye, hitting fifth and sixth in the White Sox’ lineup, each connected for their 300th career HR back to back in the 2nd inning. Remarkable.
After finishing a decent Spring Training, all eyes were on Andrus as he stepped to the plate for the first time on Opening Day. After coming up with a double, Andrus has kept the good times rolling since. Though his average is below 250, Andrus has still hit a homerun, scored 6 runs (tied with kinsler and Cruz for most on the club), and showed off his lightening speed by beating out a pretty conventional ground-ball. But Elvis’ offense is not the foremost part of his game. He’s here for his defense, which, despite a few errors, has been reminiscent Omar Vizquel’s (who just so happens to be one of Andrus’ new mentors). It’s not just that he’s making the difficult plays, it’s that he’s making them with the utmost amount of ease. When a ball is hit up the middle we can expect Andrus to be there waiting for it and when he makes the transition from fielding the ball to throwing it, he does it with great simplicity. We’re not even ten days into the season and Andrus has already shown us what he is capable of doing. Sure, he’ll continue to make some errors, and he’ll probably go through a deep slump a time or two, but he’s already shown us that he is mature enough to not let his struggles bring him down. Plus, he has one of the greatest shortstops in the history of the game to guide him along the way.
We really had no idea how Andrus would react to the pressure of being an every day big league shortstop at such a young age, but based on how he’s played in the first week, I think all suspicions have been laid to rest. Michael Young was a solid shortstop, but he lacked the range that Andrus possesses, and now that he is our shortstop, there will hopefully be no worries at that position for a long, long time.
Two notes of interest: On Monday, there were two extremely unique moments around major league baseball: First of all, Nick Swisher pitched an inning for the Yankees. He mainly threw in the 78 MPH range, but he managed to hold the Rays scoreless. Secondly, Paul Konerko and Jermaine Dye, hitting fifth and sixth in the White Sox’ lineup, each connected for their 300th career HR back to back in the 2nd inning. Remarkable.
Monday, April 13, 2009
Tuesday: What the Tuesday Morning Box Score Won't Tell You (and Some of What It Will)
Despite the fact that I usually leave game recaps to Jon (who is much better at them), for particularly interesting games I had an idea about writing an article entitled "What the Box Score Won't Tell You (and Some of What It Will)". I'm going to reserve these articles for games in which the box score just doesn't do the game justice (which, if you want to get technical, is every game, but I'll save this for the extreme circumstances). This game, though the Rangers' fourth loss in a row, was certainly exciting and had a multitude of notable moments. For those who haven't had the chance to read-up on the game yet, here are the links: Recap, Boxscore
So, without further delay, here is the first edition of . . . .
What the Tuesday Morning Box Score Won't Tell You:
**Marlon Byrd got away with a defensive miscue in the first inning (that was not ruled an error) and led to a run
**Aubrey Huff, a Texas native from Mineral Wells, reached base all 5 times even though he struck out once
**On a similar note, Jason Jennings struck out 3 in the seventh but didn't strike out the side
**Koji Uehara (Baltimore's starter) collected the first three strikeouts of his American baseball career
**Elvis Andrus and Taylor Teagarden had key RBIs on groundouts to key a 3-run 6th inning
**The ever-so-atheltic Eddie Guardado fell down while fielding a comebacker in the 8th yet still threw the runner out
**Home plate umpire CD Bucknor upheld his notoriety for a consistently inconsistent strike-zone, frustrating pitchers and batters alike (especially Ian Kinsler, who was nearly ejected)
**Ian Kinsler led off the ninth inning with a clutch double, but followed with a not-so-clutch baserunning blunder on Michael Young's lineout to the wall
**Nick Markakis saved the game for the Birds when he slammed into the wall catching Michael Young's 9th inning screamer with Ian Kinsler on second base and no outs
**Marlon Byrd struck out to end the game with the tying run on third and the winning run on second
And Some of What It Will:
**Chris Davis busted out of an 0 for the season slump with a 3 for 4 performance and 1 HR
**Michael Young slugged his first HR of the year en route to a multi-hit night
**Andruw Jones had a double and a HR in a solid offensive outing as the DH/cleanup
**Rangers pitchers had 9 strikeouts
**There were only 12,184 fans in attendance
**Vicente Padilla and Scott Feldman soiled the sheets
So, without further delay, here is the first edition of . . . .
What the Tuesday Morning Box Score Won't Tell You:
**Marlon Byrd got away with a defensive miscue in the first inning (that was not ruled an error) and led to a run
**Aubrey Huff, a Texas native from Mineral Wells, reached base all 5 times even though he struck out once
**On a similar note, Jason Jennings struck out 3 in the seventh but didn't strike out the side
**Koji Uehara (Baltimore's starter) collected the first three strikeouts of his American baseball career
**Elvis Andrus and Taylor Teagarden had key RBIs on groundouts to key a 3-run 6th inning
**The ever-so-atheltic Eddie Guardado fell down while fielding a comebacker in the 8th yet still threw the runner out
**Home plate umpire CD Bucknor upheld his notoriety for a consistently inconsistent strike-zone, frustrating pitchers and batters alike (especially Ian Kinsler, who was nearly ejected)
**Ian Kinsler led off the ninth inning with a clutch double, but followed with a not-so-clutch baserunning blunder on Michael Young's lineout to the wall
**Nick Markakis saved the game for the Birds when he slammed into the wall catching Michael Young's 9th inning screamer with Ian Kinsler on second base and no outs
**Marlon Byrd struck out to end the game with the tying run on third and the winning run on second
And Some of What It Will:
**Chris Davis busted out of an 0 for the season slump with a 3 for 4 performance and 1 HR
**Michael Young slugged his first HR of the year en route to a multi-hit night
**Andruw Jones had a double and a HR in a solid offensive outing as the DH/cleanup
**Rangers pitchers had 9 strikeouts
**There were only 12,184 fans in attendance
**Vicente Padilla and Scott Feldman soiled the sheets
Tuesday Trivia: Which Oriole Mashes the Rangers the Most?
After two weeks of absence, I am proud to announce the return of Tuesday Trivia! I've been trying to figure out a way to get more readers to respond to the question, and I have an idea:
A new trivia question will be posted on the upper right side of the page in poll-format every Tuesday. All you have to do is select the choice you think is correct. Try it out!
Just to keep a record of the question, this week's is:
TRIVIA: Which of the following current Orioles have the best career line at the plate (AVG/OBP/SLG) against the Rangers?
**Aubrey Huff
**Nick Markakis
**Gregg Zaun
**Brian Roberts
Be sure to answer in the poll on the upper right corner of the page.
Good luck, and go Rangers!
A new trivia question will be posted on the upper right side of the page in poll-format every Tuesday. All you have to do is select the choice you think is correct. Try it out!
Just to keep a record of the question, this week's is:
TRIVIA: Which of the following current Orioles have the best career line at the plate (AVG/OBP/SLG) against the Rangers?
**Aubrey Huff
**Nick Markakis
**Gregg Zaun
**Brian Roberts
Be sure to answer in the poll on the upper right corner of the page.
Good luck, and go Rangers!
Monday Movie: The Onion: Yankees Get Vacation Stadium
To follow up last week's humorous video, here's another one from The Onion newscast:
I think my favorite part is when he says the Yankees always play their Friday games against the Pirates and the Royals.
I think my favorite part is when he says the Yankees always play their Friday games against the Pirates and the Royals.
Monday: Chris Davis: Dead at the Plate
Chris Davis looks like a bulldozer stuck in the mud. He just can’t seem to pull himself out. Davis enters into the series against Baltimore with a .045 batting average and just one hit in 22 at bats. Ten of those plate appearances have resulted in a strikeout. Since I don’t think I’ve actually witnessed a hard hit ball off of Davis’ bat this year, then it seems clear that he’s simply lost his stroke for the time being. Either that, or Davis, who grew up rooting for the Rangers, is simply intimidated by the fact that this is his first full Major League season. Davis did fine in Spring Training, hitting 304 in 79 trips to the plate. He looked particularly good as the spring dwindled, when he began to rediscover his power stroke. I think most of us expected to see him dash out of the gate in 09 like he did when he came up to the Rangers in June of last year. But I suppose that success in Spring Training doesn’t always translate to success in the regular season, though a positive vibe definitely helps out a player’s mindset. That’s not the case for Davis though, as he looks like a player who has never swung a bat before. That Davis will find his stroke again is inevitable. The only question is when? Since the rest of the Rangers’ lineup is so potent, then there is no reason to really worry about Davis, though the incentive behind his struggles is something definitely worth musing over.
There is always a reason for a player’s tribulations. Sometimes they have personal problems to sort out, sometimes they have physical ailments, and sometimes, as I think is the case with Davis, they try so hard to impress that they try too hard. And trying too hard almost always spells ruin. Davis wants to amaze everyone around him, and he has the perfect opportunity to do so. He only just turned 23 and he already has a starting job with a big league club. But how often do we see a player, young or old, try too hard when expectations are high for them? I can think of many cases of this occurring. To narrow it down to just the Rangers, here are two names: Gerald Laird and Marlon Byrd. In 2006 Laird played terrific baseball as Rod Barajas’ backup. Since he played so well in 06, the Rangers decided to give him the starting job in 2007, and I, like many others, expected him to put up some very nice numbers. But that was not the case, as Laird struggled for most of the season. Why? There could be several explanations, but doesn’t it seem that the intimidation factor probably played a part in Laird’s inability to hit consistently? Everyone expected him to play well, and when expectations are high, combined with a personal obligation to produce, connecting the bat solidly with the ball suddenly becomes much more difficult. Marlon Byrd is a similar story. In 2007 he was major bright spot for the Rangers when no one really thought he would be. That led to high expectations in 2008, and what did Byrd do? He became a hitter who was pressing at the plate. He seemed tense, taut, and almost incapable of hitting the ball solidly. Of course Byrd turned it around later in the season, but for those few first weeks, when we all thought he would be great, Byrd struggled, and injuries aside, I think it is clear that he too was feeling a bit intimidated. Now back to Chris Davis, who in 2008 was simply excited to be playing for the Rangers. He wasn’t expected to be a power force yet, and I think that actually relaxed him and helped enable him to hit those 17 homeruns. Now in 2009, the Rangers know he can hit Major League pitching and they expect him to hit 30+ homeruns and knock 90 or 100 runs. With these expectancies, Davis is forcing himself to produce, and that is resulting in his dire batting average. Davis will overcome the intimidation of the situation, though we can only hope it will be sooner rather than later. What he really needs is a day off. He needs some time to reflect on his circumstances and to just cool off and relax.
There could be another reason for these early trials in Chris Davis’ career, but based on the power of intimidation that runs through all of us, it seems that that is the most plausible explanation. It just shows how psychological this game really is. Now, after all of this, watch Davis come out and hit two homeruns against Baltimore tonight.
There is always a reason for a player’s tribulations. Sometimes they have personal problems to sort out, sometimes they have physical ailments, and sometimes, as I think is the case with Davis, they try so hard to impress that they try too hard. And trying too hard almost always spells ruin. Davis wants to amaze everyone around him, and he has the perfect opportunity to do so. He only just turned 23 and he already has a starting job with a big league club. But how often do we see a player, young or old, try too hard when expectations are high for them? I can think of many cases of this occurring. To narrow it down to just the Rangers, here are two names: Gerald Laird and Marlon Byrd. In 2006 Laird played terrific baseball as Rod Barajas’ backup. Since he played so well in 06, the Rangers decided to give him the starting job in 2007, and I, like many others, expected him to put up some very nice numbers. But that was not the case, as Laird struggled for most of the season. Why? There could be several explanations, but doesn’t it seem that the intimidation factor probably played a part in Laird’s inability to hit consistently? Everyone expected him to play well, and when expectations are high, combined with a personal obligation to produce, connecting the bat solidly with the ball suddenly becomes much more difficult. Marlon Byrd is a similar story. In 2007 he was major bright spot for the Rangers when no one really thought he would be. That led to high expectations in 2008, and what did Byrd do? He became a hitter who was pressing at the plate. He seemed tense, taut, and almost incapable of hitting the ball solidly. Of course Byrd turned it around later in the season, but for those few first weeks, when we all thought he would be great, Byrd struggled, and injuries aside, I think it is clear that he too was feeling a bit intimidated. Now back to Chris Davis, who in 2008 was simply excited to be playing for the Rangers. He wasn’t expected to be a power force yet, and I think that actually relaxed him and helped enable him to hit those 17 homeruns. Now in 2009, the Rangers know he can hit Major League pitching and they expect him to hit 30+ homeruns and knock 90 or 100 runs. With these expectancies, Davis is forcing himself to produce, and that is resulting in his dire batting average. Davis will overcome the intimidation of the situation, though we can only hope it will be sooner rather than later. What he really needs is a day off. He needs some time to reflect on his circumstances and to just cool off and relax.
There could be another reason for these early trials in Chris Davis’ career, but based on the power of intimidation that runs through all of us, it seems that that is the most plausible explanation. It just shows how psychological this game really is. Now, after all of this, watch Davis come out and hit two homeruns against Baltimore tonight.
Saturday, April 11, 2009
Rangers Weekly Scoreboard: opening week
If there's one thing that'll make you truly realize it's the beginning of baseball season, it's getting donkey-stomped 15-2. Nothing like some adversity to remind you why it's a loooong season, is there?
Before we go any further I should mention I'm debuting what should be a new feature today: the Rangers Weekly Scoreboard. Every Saturday I'll take a look back over the last 7 days and do my best to summarize the weeks scores and happenings, and attempt to provide some analysis of them. And hopefully, for both your sake and mine, I'll accomplish that without getting too wordy and carried away. Hopefully this'll also be something I can get into a rhythm with each week, rather than agonizing over what to write about every Friday night.
Opening week was a bit short this year as most teams, including the Rangers, had Tuesday off. That just gave Ranger fans more time to savor what will go down as one of the best opening days in team history, however. They bashed Cliff Lee and the Indians 9-1 in one of the most crisp opening day performances in team history. Among the highlights where Kevin Millwood with 7 innings of 5-hit, 1 run ball, and two perfect innings from CJ Wilson and Frank Francisco. The most important stat for the three Rangers pitchers might've been the zero combined walks, however. Jarrod Saltalamacchia (2-4, HR, 3 RBI) knocked in the first Ranger runs of the year with a 2-run single in the second, and Ian Kinsler (3-5, 2 doubles, 2 RBI) and Hank Blalock (2-4, 3-run HR) also had big days in the 2009 opener.
The bats didn't cool off much over the off-day as they lead the Rangers to an 8-5 win Wednesday. Nelson Cruz socked 2 homers in 4 trips while Elvis Andrus left the building for the first time in his budding career in the 6th. Vicente Padilla managed to hold the Indians to 3 runs in his 5.2 innings, skirting disaster in the 4th. CJ Wilson looked shaky in his second outing of the season, opening the 8th inning with a HBP and a run-scoring double, but coming back to strike out the last two batters of the frame after committing an error on a comebacker to the mound.
The real scare of the 8th inning was when Jarrod Saltalamacchia wobbled off the field, apparently due to an inner ear infection, but he would return on Friday without missing a scheduled start.
Thursdays baseball activities where somewhat overshadowed by the tragic passing of LA Angels pitcher Nick Adenhart. The game began with a moment of silence in his honor, as the loss of a fellow player reverberated through the baseball community. Once things got underway, the Ranger bats went to work on the Indians again, pounding Carl Pavano for 9 runs in the first two frames en route to a 12-8 final edge. Ian Kinsler (3-5, 3 RBI) and Maron Byrd (2-5, 5 RBI) both homered off Pavano to lead the way offensively, and Andruw Jones went a somewhat surprising 3-5 with a double batting cleanup.
Brandon McCarthy struggled a bit with his fastball command in his first start of the season, throwing 105 pitches and walking 4 over just 5 innings. Despite this however, he allowed just 3 runs and did display superior command of his new slurve which he utilized to rack up 7 K's. The Rangers mid-relief staff made the game much closer than it needed to be - Scott Feldman got lit up for 4 runs in 2.1 innings and Eddie Guardado looked more than a bit overmatched as he closed things out in the 9th. Thankfully they had plenty of runs to work with this time out, and the Rangers where able to enjoy their first season-opening sweep since 1996.
Friday the Rangers departed the friendly warmth of Texas for the cold of Detroit, and subsequently found themselves crashing back to earth. Kris Benson wasn't quite as bad as his 10-hit 8 run line indicated, but he wasn't very good either. The bullpen was what was truly abhorrent in this 15-2 disaster - Warner Madrigal and Josh Rupe combined to allow 7 runs on 6 walk, 4 hits and a wild pitch in three innings, further expounding on the fact that the Rangers middle-relief situation is this team's biggest weakness early on. Former Ranger Armando Galarraga shut down the red-hot Texas offense over 7 innings as Nelson Cruz's 9th inning homer was the only real bright spot for the Rangers on the day.
The erratic pitching and the cold bats seemed to spill over into Saturday's game as well. The Rangers wound up nipped 4-3 in a game in which they mustered just two hits - one of them being a home run by Hank Blalock. They actually lead twice, 1-0 in the second and 3-2 in the 5th, but both times starter Matt Harrison was unable to keep the Tigers off the scoreboard in the next half-inning. Despite the fact that the young southpaw surrendered a whopping 9 hits and 5 walks in 5.2 frames, it was actually something of a credit to him that the Tigers only turned all those scoring opportunities into 4 runs - the Tigers seemed to have a considerable amount of things go there way offensively, but that doesn't completely gloss over what was an erratic and overall disappointing '09 debut by Harrison. If you're looking for a bright spot, Jason Jennings looking solid in 1.1 innings of relief work and CJ Wilson turning in a crisp 8th inning are probably the only things to look back fondly upon today.
So overall, the Rangers wrap their first week up with a mark of 3-2 - which, compared to years past is definitely encouraging. Most notable in the "positives" department has been Nelson Cruz, who through the first 5 games has avoided the slow starts that have plagued him in his previous Major League stints - he leads the team in total bases thus far with 15, and his 3 home runs are tied for second in the AL (although it should be noted that Brandon Inge, a career .237/.305/.394 hitters has 3 homers already as well, so take that for what it's worth).
On the other end of the spectrum, Chris Davis is just 1 for his first 18, with 9 strikeouts - again, take these first 5 games for what they're worth but he's not exactly doing anything to help dissuade any doubts about his strike zone mastery and contact abilities. After the hot start in Arlington, all of the Ranger bats have looked overly impatient the last two days, really - hopefully just getting out of the frigid Motor City will work wonders for run production, but you would hope this isn't a sign of possible problems to come.
Speaking of what's to come, Kevin Millwood will try and reprise his opening day magic and stave off the sweep against Edwin Jackson and the Tigers tomorrow - then it's back to the Ballpark in Arlington for three against the Orioles and a weekend series against the Royals. Sounds like the perfect tonic to a dreary weekend in Detroit to me.
Before we go any further I should mention I'm debuting what should be a new feature today: the Rangers Weekly Scoreboard. Every Saturday I'll take a look back over the last 7 days and do my best to summarize the weeks scores and happenings, and attempt to provide some analysis of them. And hopefully, for both your sake and mine, I'll accomplish that without getting too wordy and carried away. Hopefully this'll also be something I can get into a rhythm with each week, rather than agonizing over what to write about every Friday night.
Opening week was a bit short this year as most teams, including the Rangers, had Tuesday off. That just gave Ranger fans more time to savor what will go down as one of the best opening days in team history, however. They bashed Cliff Lee and the Indians 9-1 in one of the most crisp opening day performances in team history. Among the highlights where Kevin Millwood with 7 innings of 5-hit, 1 run ball, and two perfect innings from CJ Wilson and Frank Francisco. The most important stat for the three Rangers pitchers might've been the zero combined walks, however. Jarrod Saltalamacchia (2-4, HR, 3 RBI) knocked in the first Ranger runs of the year with a 2-run single in the second, and Ian Kinsler (3-5, 2 doubles, 2 RBI) and Hank Blalock (2-4, 3-run HR) also had big days in the 2009 opener.
The bats didn't cool off much over the off-day as they lead the Rangers to an 8-5 win Wednesday. Nelson Cruz socked 2 homers in 4 trips while Elvis Andrus left the building for the first time in his budding career in the 6th. Vicente Padilla managed to hold the Indians to 3 runs in his 5.2 innings, skirting disaster in the 4th. CJ Wilson looked shaky in his second outing of the season, opening the 8th inning with a HBP and a run-scoring double, but coming back to strike out the last two batters of the frame after committing an error on a comebacker to the mound.
The real scare of the 8th inning was when Jarrod Saltalamacchia wobbled off the field, apparently due to an inner ear infection, but he would return on Friday without missing a scheduled start.
Thursdays baseball activities where somewhat overshadowed by the tragic passing of LA Angels pitcher Nick Adenhart. The game began with a moment of silence in his honor, as the loss of a fellow player reverberated through the baseball community. Once things got underway, the Ranger bats went to work on the Indians again, pounding Carl Pavano for 9 runs in the first two frames en route to a 12-8 final edge. Ian Kinsler (3-5, 3 RBI) and Maron Byrd (2-5, 5 RBI) both homered off Pavano to lead the way offensively, and Andruw Jones went a somewhat surprising 3-5 with a double batting cleanup.
Brandon McCarthy struggled a bit with his fastball command in his first start of the season, throwing 105 pitches and walking 4 over just 5 innings. Despite this however, he allowed just 3 runs and did display superior command of his new slurve which he utilized to rack up 7 K's. The Rangers mid-relief staff made the game much closer than it needed to be - Scott Feldman got lit up for 4 runs in 2.1 innings and Eddie Guardado looked more than a bit overmatched as he closed things out in the 9th. Thankfully they had plenty of runs to work with this time out, and the Rangers where able to enjoy their first season-opening sweep since 1996.
Friday the Rangers departed the friendly warmth of Texas for the cold of Detroit, and subsequently found themselves crashing back to earth. Kris Benson wasn't quite as bad as his 10-hit 8 run line indicated, but he wasn't very good either. The bullpen was what was truly abhorrent in this 15-2 disaster - Warner Madrigal and Josh Rupe combined to allow 7 runs on 6 walk, 4 hits and a wild pitch in three innings, further expounding on the fact that the Rangers middle-relief situation is this team's biggest weakness early on. Former Ranger Armando Galarraga shut down the red-hot Texas offense over 7 innings as Nelson Cruz's 9th inning homer was the only real bright spot for the Rangers on the day.
The erratic pitching and the cold bats seemed to spill over into Saturday's game as well. The Rangers wound up nipped 4-3 in a game in which they mustered just two hits - one of them being a home run by Hank Blalock. They actually lead twice, 1-0 in the second and 3-2 in the 5th, but both times starter Matt Harrison was unable to keep the Tigers off the scoreboard in the next half-inning. Despite the fact that the young southpaw surrendered a whopping 9 hits and 5 walks in 5.2 frames, it was actually something of a credit to him that the Tigers only turned all those scoring opportunities into 4 runs - the Tigers seemed to have a considerable amount of things go there way offensively, but that doesn't completely gloss over what was an erratic and overall disappointing '09 debut by Harrison. If you're looking for a bright spot, Jason Jennings looking solid in 1.1 innings of relief work and CJ Wilson turning in a crisp 8th inning are probably the only things to look back fondly upon today.
So overall, the Rangers wrap their first week up with a mark of 3-2 - which, compared to years past is definitely encouraging. Most notable in the "positives" department has been Nelson Cruz, who through the first 5 games has avoided the slow starts that have plagued him in his previous Major League stints - he leads the team in total bases thus far with 15, and his 3 home runs are tied for second in the AL (although it should be noted that Brandon Inge, a career .237/.305/.394 hitters has 3 homers already as well, so take that for what it's worth).
On the other end of the spectrum, Chris Davis is just 1 for his first 18, with 9 strikeouts - again, take these first 5 games for what they're worth but he's not exactly doing anything to help dissuade any doubts about his strike zone mastery and contact abilities. After the hot start in Arlington, all of the Ranger bats have looked overly impatient the last two days, really - hopefully just getting out of the frigid Motor City will work wonders for run production, but you would hope this isn't a sign of possible problems to come.
Speaking of what's to come, Kevin Millwood will try and reprise his opening day magic and stave off the sweep against Edwin Jackson and the Tigers tomorrow - then it's back to the Ballpark in Arlington for three against the Orioles and a weekend series against the Royals. Sounds like the perfect tonic to a dreary weekend in Detroit to me.
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