The Rangers' Nightmare In Fenway
Frank Francisco fidgets shortly before allowing a walk-off single on Tuesday, April 21st.And so ends another veritable comedy of errors, one which began in promising enough fashion and then violently spiralled out of control and into the second Rangers loss of its kind in the last six days -- losses in which Texas had, at varying points, held commanding advantages on the win expectancy scale in excess of 85 percent. Losses of that sort are going to befall even the very best major league teams, but when you're in the midst of your fourth consecutive poor start to a season in four years under your lame-duck manager and watching the Season of Heightened Expectations begin to slip away, shake-up is a near-inevitability.
There were a number of destructive factors which conspired to make this game another forgettable disaster (Josh Hamilton's costly misplay down the left field, Jerry Crawford's maddeningly inconsistent strike zone, Chris Davis continuing to emulate Ben Broussard ca. 2008, etc.), but ultimately this was about the bullpen failing to do its job, beginning with Chris Ray and ending with ... well, whatever the hell it was that we saw in the eighth and ninth innings. And perhaps the worst thing about it all was that you could sense the trainwreck coming from a mile away.
It struck me as odd that Darren Oliver -- who has some concerned about him potentially being run into the ground by virtue of his heavy early-season workload -- was asked to throw 23 pitches in a lost cause on Sunday afternoon in the Bronx, a sentiment which returned when the 38-year-old southpaw was brought back for a second inning of work after a very shaky seventh inning in which he allowed a single-walk combo before recording the final out. Predictably, Oliver struggled to hit his spots against the eighth-inning lead-off man, Jason Varitek, hanging several meatballs down the middle before yielding a double ... and yet remained in the game. Moments later, the score was knotted at 6-6, Oliver having been taken yard by journeyman outfielder Darnell McDonald.
I suppose the reason this didn't fully resonate with me at the time was because I didn't realize closer-du-jour Neftali Feliz hadn't pitched since April 14th; asking him to throw two high-leverage innings in a literal must-win game might have been a dicier call if he had logged a significant quantity of pitches in the preceding 48 hours, but when you're desperately attempting to protect a two-run lead and your best reliever -- if not overall best pitcher -- has amassed six days of rest, what's the justification for not turning him loose to nail down the six-out save? I think I have a bigger problem with this than the ninth-inning Frank Francisco debacle, which undoubtedly erased any lingering vestiges of trust in him; the velocity may be returning, but the command is still non-existent.
Neither this team nor this season are finished by any means, but if you figure this to be a true-talent 86-win team and extrapolate that over the final 149 games, you're suddenly looking at an 84-win team in reality -- one which does not, at the moment, inspire much in the way of confidence, much less look like a pennant-contending team. Beyond the upcoming returns of Ian Kinsler and Jarrod Saltalamacchia, and the possibility of swapping out Rich Harden for Derek Holland and/or Tanner Scheppers for a reliever, this roster figures to be very inflexible over the next 4-6 weeks, so it's not like there is a magical panacea hiding out somewhere that Texas can activate. It's sink-or-swim time.
And for the third time in three years, it appears that the players from whom Ron Washington is purported to extract maximum effort are going to have to bail him out of managerial purgatory -- only this time, the stakes are much higher.
34 Comments | in Analysis, Game Recaps, The Season
Reader Comments (34)
I know, I know, everyone loves Ron Washington. But this game here gives a classic example of why as a field manager he totally is in the wrong profession. He has no clue. And no amount of screaming by me is going to change it.
That being said I can't imagine this sits too well with any of the higher-ups in the organization and I wouldn't doubt a phone call or two wasn't made after the game tonight with a few harsh questions being bandied about wondering just what in the world is going on down in the bullpen.
I agree Joey, the failure to insert Feliz in the 8th is probably what really bugs me as well. You can chalk that non-move up to the antiquated idea of bullpen "roleplaying" that Wash clings to, and it's exactly the type of thing what I was afraid of when Feliz was officially named the closer.
I realize Wash is far from the only manager who's stuck in the 20th century when it comes to his insistence on these rigid late inning "roles" but that doesn't make the concept any less dumb or any less aggravating. It's a school of thought that needs to die, and soon - not just here in Texas but all around baseball.
Still, what he did in the 9th by leaving Fx2 in to lose the game was tantamount to giving the game away and was probably worse on the overall scale of managerial ignorance. It's almost like Wash had a hot date tonight and simply didn't want to see the game go to extra innings.
@Jon Page
Or he had to pick up an 8-ball off of Newbury Street.
Patrick Burns
If you can't show some self respect, at least respect this site. Your post was uncalled for as well as moronic and juvenile, and not what this particular Ranger site is about. You'll find plenty of like-minded boors at the DMN blog.
I am repeating my commen from the previous post because it has onlt been reinforced by last nights game:
One thing I have noticed is that the Rangers always seem to start slow under Wash. They have had several train wrecks and never a winning April. This appears to be yet another losing April.
Wash is doing what he can such as replacing FX2, switching lead off, catcher and 1B but unfortunately most of it is rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic. They just didn't get themselves ready during Spring training.
It was said of the Roman army that they trained like they were at war and fought war like it was training. I remeber thinking that when reading Harden's excuses during Spring Training about he would be ready when the bell rang. Right.
They established a losing habit this Spring and it shows across the entire team starting with The Face.
So now maybe the Rangers get lucky against an atypical Red Sox team after being exposed and completely dominated by the damn Yankees..
It's Time........................................................................
Lighten up, A Stephens. I thought Patrick Burns' comment was funny. Wash teed himself up for that kind of humor. He can't complain about it. High quality sarcasm is a great American tradition. Nicely done, Patrick Burns.
Back to baseball: If the Rangers don't pull out of this funk in the next two games in Boston, they're going to have to shake things up quickly. Putting Wash aside (which JD and Nolan might literally do), I suggest bringing up Smoak and sending down Davis. That will send a bit of a message. Possibly, also, Gentry for Borbon (just long enough to get Borbon's swing right) and insert Murphy into lineup. Essentially, anything to change things up.
Jon Page,
I'm guessing not going to Feliz had less to do with roles than simply wanting FF in that spot. Why? Beats me, supposedly he was supposed to get straightened out in lower leverage situations. I thought he should have been the guy following Lewis though to be honest I didn't have a major issue with the call for Ray.
Now, after watching things unfold I believe Ray should go down (the bigs is no place to be working on getting command back), and Ogando should come up. Then I send FF down to get straightened out and bring up Holland (I believe we've now seen what we need to see from him at AAA). I give Davis till the end of the month to become productive (he's leaving men on base at unacceptable levels). Unfortunately, there's nothing to do but ride out the black hole at catcher.
I typically wouldn't worry too much over a 5 game stretch but the performance of this team is less about sample sizes and more about trends. It's not good, and as such I don't think they can remain static.
Excellent article Joey. With ron being a lame duck as you say, I can see him being fired sooner rather then later. This team is not responding to him and he needs to go before the season is lost.
I agree that the personal attacks on Washington are out of place here. High quality sarcasm may be an american tradition but that wasn't high quality, that was a cheap shot.
Baseball: I've been a Washington defender since forever but after this game I'm not there anymore. I just can't see how he keeps his job much longer.
As long as Wash is around and the team is mired in mediocrity, comments such as A Stephens will continue. So was it more moronic and juvenile to post a comment concerning Wash's behavior or was it more moronic and juvenile for a man in his 50's supposedly using cocaine for the first time, trying to lead a group of young men to a tilte?
It's time
I am used to the second-guessing that goes on with Wash because it's been that way since day 1: when things go right, the players executed/performed; when things go wrong, Wash is an idiot and has no managerial sense.
To me what happened yesterday with FrankyFrank is simple and easy to understand. Franky is the team's closer. Wash wants him to succeed in that role - and when he put Feliz in there for those 2 saves, it was clear by Wash's own words that it was temporary, and that the team needs Franky to be successful in that role. So yesterday Washington was giving Franky another chance.
I certainly don't like the outcome, and I can't imagine that anyone has much confidence in Franky now, but in baseball you live and die as a team, and Wash was simply giving his player a chance to be successful in the role for which he is most needed. I don't know the magic number for how many chances a closer gets before he loses his job, but I don't think it's 1 or 2.
It's also funny how no one seems to be saying anything about Oliver - wasn't he part of the problem last night too?
Anyway, like I said, Wash will always get this kind of treatment because it seems many people have an irrational hatred for him. It's sad, though.
ANOTHER in a long line of goofs by the manager...
and I still say he is not a MLB manager.
he is and should be a Coach.
marktown: You've got to be kidding me. A major league manager making more than a million dollars a year, and charged with setting a leadership example for a group of young men, admits that he used cocaine during the season (yet asks us to believe it was the first and only time), and you're trying to convince me that a smart alec remark about it by a fan is an inappropriate cheap shot? Have you lost all sense of perspective? Even if fans forgive him, a certain amount of humorous ridicule is a just consequence of his actions.
@JIm:
"To me what happened yesterday with FrankyFrank is simple and easy to understand. Franky is the team's closer. Wash wants him to succeed in that role - and when he put Feliz in there for those 2 saves, it was clear by Wash's own words that it was temporary, and that the team needs Franky to be successful in that role. So yesterday Washington was giving Franky another chance. "
And now you have hit the nail on the head.
But what you may see as a strength I see as a tremendous weakness and that is Wash's overwhelming support of vets. He gives second, third, fourth, infinite chances to non-performing vets.
In my world FX2 lost the the job to Feliz; Feliz is the closer. End of story.
Vets are not truly held accountable for poor play and it shows by their lack of focus. Way to many errors. The team ha snever been ready to play in April. They have to first dig a hole to themselves motivated enough to play in May.
It's Time......................................................................
Can't say I was a huge fan, but it would be interesting if somehow old Billy Martin was to take another turn at coachin this team.
And yes I know that Billy martin past away years ago, but one can still speculate since he wasknown for turning losing teams into winners and clearly not borrowing.
And in the current trend he did have serious addiction problems, but hey booze is still legal.
Jon (and others):
As a huge fan of Feliz, I would be thrilled to see him as the permanent closer. But I also know that's not how baseball works. The first problem is that if Franky is given an ignominious demotion because of a handful of blown saves in April, you've shown him that as an organization you have no faith in him. What happens when Feliz blows 2 or 3 saves in a row? Do you demote him and bring in Scheppers to close games? These kinds of moves do have a bearing on team and player psychology / morale, and you have to consider that factor at all times. Don't you think even Feliz would think to himself, "Well, they killed off Franky after he failed a couple of times - I will get the same treatment if I'm not perfect, too" ?
At some point yes - you have to make a tough decision - but there is no hard and fast rule about when the time has come. If you remember back when Cordero was here, he went through a stretch where Texas tried everything they could with him for a period of about a month, and finally traded him away. Sure enough, with Cincinnati he has been golden, the model of consistency. So I don't buy this argument that Texas should "close" the door with Franky and usher in the Feliz-as-closer era. It's only April.
There are 2 other arguments that bear consideration. First, as talented as Feliz is, he is very green. If there is any way that Franky can get his crap together, that's what would help Texas the most this season. I think that's what Wash meant when he said that the team needs Franky to be their closer.
The other thing is that Franky makes over 3 million this season, which on this payroll is not a bargain contract. They are paying him to perform, and they are going to thus feel compelled to give him every opportunity to earn that money by trying to get him "right."
@Joey... I sensed your anger while reading this article... I love it!!! Keep it stashed away for the next time someone calls you a "homer" or that you view everything through "rose colored glasses".
@A.Stephens - c'mon man... Pat Burns let go of something he's probably been waiting weeks to use... let him have his fun.
There's a group of you guys (you know who you are) that are way too sensitive and you're going to drive away readers... which will leave the 6 or 7 of you as the only one's voicing your opinion. Maybe that's your goal...?
Keep in mind that we're all big boys and fullly capable ofskipping over comments that are just stupid, or offensive, hateful, etc... and while I agree the DMN Blog is full of idiots, this site is not. And to my knowledge, there are no regular offenders.
If my son (or anyone's kids) was a regular reader and someone routinely spews out garbage, then I would have a problem with it too. But PB made a harmless comment that you have to admit was actually kind of funny.
Back to last night's game - I did not know that Feliz last pitched on the 14th... that is ridiculous. And to throw Oliver out there on consecutive days (games, whatever... you know what I mean) against two of the better offenses in baseball (I know the Red Sox aren't hitting... but that's still a very good lineup) is nuts, especially after he struggled in the previous inning.
1 other note; the book on the Rangers is obvious right now; make the starters work so that they have to jump ship in the 5th or 6th because of high pitch counts... and then beat up a tired bullpen.
I cannot complain about our rotation... with 1 or 2 exceptions, they have been very, very good. However, if they are hitting 85-90 pitches by the 5th inning, something's wrong. At that pace, we will not have a bullpen come August/Sept. They will be worn out. Maddux and/or Wash and Nolan need to work on a game plan whereas the SPs aren't nibbling around the plate, but rather they are agressively attacking the strike zone, consequently letting the D do their job.
@Jim: "Well, they killed off Franky after he failed a couple of times - I will get the same treatment if I'm not perfect, too" ?
Yes. I want the players to know that performance counts.
However, we are not talking "perfection" here. FX2 looks hopelessly lost out there. Something is very, very wrong. $3 million is a sunk cost; it happens, but blown saves etc. are an opportunity cost that affects any fading chance at the playoffs. In all fairness to FX2 bring him in in situations where the game is completely safe so that he can rebuild confidence in no pressure situations.
But he has lost the job; it now belongs to Feliz.
A lot of good stuff here. I chuckled at the coke joke, but I agree 100% that stuff should be done over with the ingrates that post at the DMN.
Jim, I can't say I completely understand your 1st paragraph. I understand that many of these guys have delicate psyches, but we can't just pamper/coddle them and hope it will all be OK either. This is the world of big time sports (or at least we entered this season with expectations that sit squarely in that realm) and if these guys have weak constitutions then maybe they don't need to be a part of this organization. If Feliz blows a couple of saves because he pumps triple digit cheese into a couple of guys wheelhouses and they happen to turn it around then yeah he gets another chance. If he consistently has no control, incessantly walks guys and can't bring home the victory then yeah it may be time to make a move to Scheppers or CJ (although I really like him in the rotation) or whoever can get the job done. Fortunately, I don't think we'll see a particularly dire situation with him anyway. The guy has 'it'. I don't think Feliz will ever sit there thinking that if he doesn't live up to expectations that he's gonna get yanked around. If anything the manager and brass of this team have shown undue restraint at times in making moves. If he's paying attention at all, then he should know he'll be given ample opportunity to right the ship if it starts taking on water.
The irony of all this in my eyes is that I had more faith in Frankie coming out of ST then just about anybody else besides Feldman. He was in great form coming into the season and it just went south in a hurry. I guess looking back to the end of last season after the DL stints that he's never really been back to his early season form of '09 when he was literally mowing down everyone in his path. Frustrating as hell. As for Feliz, David Price was green, K-Rod was green, Jenks was fairly green when the Pale Hose won it all - if you've got the goods even for only a short time then you have to roll with it. Feliz was green last year, but he sure didn't pitch like a guy that was just trying to keep his head above water. From day one that they made the move I thought Feliz would take hold of the spot and never relinquish it. Nothing yet has swayed my opinion - regardless of Wash tempering the move with comments about it being only temporary. If Frankie Frank can't get the job done then $3M doesn't mean squat. I'm sick of hearing about the money stuff. It's not my money. I don't care if they field a winner for the league minimum or match the Yankees' payroll. Make good decisions, spend wisely, invest in the right areas, have the flexibility to right some wrongs, that's all we're asking for here. I understand we've been severely crippled financially by Hicks, but that will change in time. If guys like Frankie and Davis (and I'm still a big fan of his, but man figure it out) can't meet expectations then get Smoak and Scheppers and Holland and Ogando up here and win some damn games. I've followed this team religiously for my entire sports watching life. I'm so sick of games like yesterday that I can't stand it. This season is as excited as I've ever been about the Rangers except for maybe the years in the late '90's. I don't even need a playoff run to keep me going. Just play the game the right way and quit giving away games. Play defense. Pitch. Hit the damn ball when you get your pitch to hit otherwise lay off it. It's early, small sample size and all that, and this team has shown resiliency over the past few seasons - I'm not in panic mode and I'm not giving up on them. That said right the ship or mutiny and throw the captain overboard!!
"There's a group of you guys (you know who you are) that are way too sensitive and you're going to drive away readers... which will leave the 6 or 7 of you as the only one's voicing your opinion. Maybe that's your goal...?"
Pablo - huh? Please give examples of situations where this has occurred (besides the "blow" comment above, of course) in recent history on this blog. And please enlighten us as to who these "6 or 7" people are. I'm curious what you are talking about.
Frankie looks like he has about as much confidence as a ninety pound geek with glasses at his high school prom. Until he gets his "swagger" back, he will continue to look completely hopeless. Wash needs to put him in situations that will likely bring success. Maybe right now that's the long man. But we all know the old saying, "you can't fire the entire team, so say goodbye to the manager.
Please, please pick me! pick me!
- Mort, The Penquins of Madagascar
Its funny how all these people claim that personal attacks on Washington ruins the integrity of the website. I find it downright disgusting the use of foul language on here. That is what needs to be addressed.
@ Chik Express - are you being serious about the foul language comment? I don't think I've read but maybe 2 or 3 cuss words on here...
@Jim - as much as I value everyone's opinion, I unfortunately do not print off and archive past comments. I also do not want to throw stones at anyone in particular... but "those guys" know exactly what I'm referring to. "Those guys" also post intelligent, well thought out comments... which give keen insight and are packed with legit info. All that I'm saying is that they should lighten up a bit and not take every idiotic comment personally.
I agree that Washington has opened himself up to whatever comes his way. I could care less who says what, I'm not Paul Blart - internet cop. My point was that this particular site has a track record for not engaging in crap-flinging and flaming that typifies a few others.
Outside the "Chicken Express" post, which I do find humorous and kind of funny, the commentary today by most everyone proves my point I think. The dialogue has been reasonable and rational regardless of people's stands. Folks here typically police themselves, which in my view improves the experience. At the end of the day mine is just another opinion but I think a quality site absent some of the junk you see other places brings more readers not less. Moving on now.
Honestly, I remember seeing like 2 curse words ever on this site - I am pretty sure it's not "policed" it's just that this website is given a certain amount of respect because of it's (various authors') intelligence and did so long before the ESPN days.
James Mason,
I meant that the individual commenters policed themselves.
Well I like this site, and I think that 99% of the time people here are sane, reasonable, and well-mannered. I appreciate that people let me share my opinions, even if they disagree with them. I try to give the same back.
I think that part of the problem is that Texas is having such a bad start, which makes all of us diehard fans upset and aggravated. Obviously unless things turn around soon, there will be drastic changes made on a few fronts, including managerial.
I'm curious - anyone heard anything about how the players respond to Hurdle? (since he would be the obvious replacement if Wash got booted)
Two points about Frank Francisco & the bullpen:
1) He doesn't have the resume of a Lidge or a Billy Wagner. As a result he doesn't get the rope that someone like that gets. He and the team don't have six weeks to figure this out.
2) The Rangers aren't the Phillies, who were good enough to know that they would win the division last year, with or without Lidge. They need to figure the end of the game out soon. It really shouldn't be that hard to get 6 guys who can get six outs most nights, as the starters have the first six innings covered and Feliz has the ninth. Exasperating.
@ A Stephens
You're not the moderator of this site, so leave that task to those who are.
I enjoy reading the comments of ALL the posters no matter how relevant, irrelevant, or IRREVERENT they are. Whether they disagree with your stances, or not, they are the thoughts and opinions of the those who care to post. Whether they are a "bit" or a knee-jerk reaction, they are still the thoughts of someone.
No, this isn't LSB, but it is a forum.
Back off! You're not the mod.
@ Grant Evan,
Read my posts.
I made the exact same point myself.
I won't presume to judge your reading comprehension, I'll just assume your being humorous.
Good one.
On the comment moderation thing: One of the things I've always appreciated about BBTiA has been the ability to participate in civil baseball conversations without idiocy/ignorance reigning supreme AND the ability to be a "hands-off" moderator. The self-policing nature of the intelligent readership here is a virtue, I think; if Jason or I were forced to spend a bunch of time moderating comments, I think a lot of appeal of this thing that we do here would be lost in the process.
I don't know that there's a rigid policy on what does and does not constitute an allowable comment, nor am I completely sure that I want there to be one -- out-of-control profanity or personal attacks or DMN-esque levels of stupidity (e.g. the genius who responded to my objective critique of Guerrero's numbers the other day with "your an idiot," which I erased) are not going to be tolerated, of course, but what about remarks such as Patrick's, issued in the heat of the moment? I'm not a staunch advocate of censorship, and as such I'm probably going to let stuff like that go from time to time (depending, of course, on the unique context of the situation), but if it ever gets to a point where it affects the overall quality of the discussion, it will be dealt with accordingly.
I hope that clears some things up on where we stand vis-a-vis the commenting "policy" on the website, and how we're going to deal with things going forward.
I spent some time yesterday looking at the other Neyer Sweet Spots. This site is right there with the best of them.
Just wanted to thank the BBTiA staff and the intelligent readers/commentors on such a job well done.
The Rangers should play in the NBA and the mavericks should play baseball...probably get the same results...