NEWSFLASH: Rangers 40-Man Roster Moves

Per Richard Durrett of the Dallas Morning News, the Texas Rangers have reinstated four players from the 60-day disabled list: right-handers Willie Eyre, Akinori Otsuka, and Josh Rupe, as well as shortstop Joaquin Arias.

To make room on the 40-man roster for these latest additions, the Rangers have outrighted Eyre, right-hander Mike Wood, outfielder Kevin Mahar and catcher Chris Stewart to the minors. Eyre has apparently been re-signed to a minor league contract, while Wood has elected to take his free agency. As a result, the 40-man roster is now full.

Eyre underwent Tommy John surgery in August, and will spend the entirety of his 2008 campaign on the disabled list as he continues his rehabilitation effort. And according to Jamey Newberg, Stewart and Mahar did not have the right to decline their assignments, as they had never been previously outrighted.

Friday Morning Rangers Notes

Stay classy, Arizona.

The DMN's Kevin Sherrington has a new piece out bemoaning the Rangers' historic lack of post-season success, pointing out that Texas and Tampa Bay are the only two major league teams to have never won a playoff series. Thanks for not rubbing it in, Kevin.

Left-hander Beau Jones, who was acquired from Atlanta in the blockbuster Mark Teixeira deal, apparently underwent surgery to remove bone chips from his throwing elbow last week. He won't participate in the Fall Instructional League, but he'll be ready for spring training.

Speaking of Atlanta, Braves GM John Schuerholz resigned from his post on Thursday, while being simultaneously promoted to the role of club president.

Mike Hindman has another excellent article out over at his blog, "Rangers Farm Report," which details the success enjoyed this October by three mostly homegrown squads: the Rockies, Diamondbacks and Indians. If you're pumped about the idea of Elvis Andrus, Engel Beltre and the rest of the young guns someday leading Texas to the World Series, you'll definitely want to check Hindman's latest work out.

Prediction: Alex Rodriguez will opt out of his contract, granting him free agency and relieving the Rangers of their $21,304,500 financial commitment to the New York Yankees over the next three years. Just a hunch.

And on a completely unrelated note to anything concerning the Rangers, Stuart Scott seems to be tuning up for a run on HBO's Def Poetry Jam. Mos Def you ain't, Stu.

Loe Undergoes Elbow Surgery; Sullivan's Latest Mailbag

Good night, New York.

And happy trails, Joe. Your dynasty may have crushed the Rangers' playoff dreams three separate times in the late 90's, but I've always had a certain respect for you. And this isn't how I wanted to see you go out.

Right-hander Kameron Loe has undergone successful arthroscopic surgery on his right elbow, which was performed by team physician Dr. Keith Meister last Thursday. The procedure, which is being termed as a "general cleanup" of the elbow area, will sideline Loe for four weeks, at which point he should be able to resume normal off-season baseball activities.

MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan has another bizarre mailbag out, which includes questions asking if the Rangers might keep Sammy Sosa and move him to first base in order to "keep his bat in the lineup," if the Rangers might sign Carlos Pena in free agency to play first base (despite the fact he's not a free agent until after 2009), and whether or not the Rangers might move David Murphy to first base. I don't know either.

And for what it's worth, Sullivan also offers this less than rousing endorsement of the upcoming free agent pitching crop:

Since the Rangers rotation was a little shaky this year, do you think they should dip into the free agency pool this winter? And if so, who are the top free agents out there?

-- Philip S., Dallas

Is anybody paying attention to the playoffs? A message is being sent. Massive spending in the free agent market is no longer the answer.

The DMN's Richard Durrett believes there is little chance of Hank Blalock being moved across the diamond to first base in 2008, despite the currently gaping hole at that position. Can't say I disagree with Durrett's sentiment: unless complications arise and Hank's throwing ability is somehow severely hindered, I can't see him at any other position than third base in 2008.

Meanwhile, Jim Reeves of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram has a new "Postcards from the Ledge" piece out, saying that the Rangers absolutely must sign one of the proverbial "Big Three" center fielders in this winter's free agent crop.

Thanks to Lone Star Ball's Adam Morris for bringing this article to my attention, since Reeves' article isn't even accessible from the Fort Worth Star-Telegram's main Texas Rangers page, nor their RSS feed. Compared to the clean, attractive interface of the Dallas Morning News, the FWST's website is a unnavigable, poorly designed piece of garbage. But, I digress.

The Detroit Tigers have exercised their $13 million team option on catcher Ivan Rodriguez, ensuring that he'll remain club property through at least 2008. Given this winter's weak free agent catching crop, there's nothing particularly wrong with this move - just as long as the Tigers understand that Pudge is unlikely to ever be above average offensively behind the plate again. His arm still rocks, though.

T.R. Sullivan fired a shot in the direction of TBS post-season announcer Chip Caray in his Monday morning piece over at "Postcards from Elysian Fields," accusing Caray of openly pulling for the Yankees.

Sullivan's not the first to take note of Caray's less than glittering work in the broadcast booth this October. Among other grievous offenses, Chip apparently can't distinguish between a go-ahead run and a winning run, has made numerous statistical errors, and likely wouldn't think twice about making the ridiculous proclamation of "Here comes the Yankees!" - even if they were down 30-3 in the 9th inning.

And yet, TBS's division series TV ratings are up nearly one million viewers from last year's collaborative broadcast effort between ESPN, ESPN2 and FOX. Go figure.

Speaking of the post-season, a certain ex-Ranger is getting torched by the Chicago media for his miserable 2 for 14 effort at the plate during the Diamondbacks' three game sweep of the Cubs in the NLDS. Can you guess who that might be?

As they look to the future, Soriano is going to be a big issue. He's one of the major pieces the team is built around, and will be for years. And the problem?

He doesn't know how to play baseball.

Ouch.

Rangers ZiPS Projection Analysis - Part I

With a sellout crowd of 50,724 rabid fans at Coors Field on Saturday night, the Colorado Rockies clinched their first-ever trip to the NLCS with a crisp 2-1 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies.

As much of a part in the Rockies' triumph as anything was their brilliance on the mound, with the unlikely quartet of Ubaldo Jimenez, Matt Herges, Brian Fuentes and Manny Corpas combining to allow just one run on three hits and four walks on the night.

Meanwhile, the spark plug of Colorado's miracle rally in their one game playoff with San Diego - Kaz Matsui - delivered an RBI triple to give Colorado the lead in the bottom of the 5th inning.

And with two outs and nobody on in the bottom of the 8th inning, the Rockies managed to string together three consecutive singles against former Angels left-hander J.C. Romero, culminating in a game-winning RBI base hit from the bat of pinch hitter Jeff Baker.

If you're not on the Colorado Rockies bandwagon yet, there's still time to hop aboard. The impossible dream lives.

As I mentioned early Friday morning, Baseball Think Factory's Dan Szymborski has released his 2008 ZiPS projections for the Texas Rangers. Dan's work with ZiPS is highly respected throughout the internet baseball community, and for good reason; his projections are comprehensive, easy to understand and accurate.

But just how accurate?

Nate Silver of Baseball Prospectus did a brief analysis of eight popular projection systems last Thursday, illustrating that ZiPS was second only to PECOTA in terms of accuracy in forecasting league-wide offensive production, with OPS (on-base plus slugging percentage) being Silver's metric of choice.

However, I'd like to take that a step further: using Dan's 2007 ZiPS projections as a benchmark, I've done a head-to-head comparison of both the predicted and actual offensive numbers compiled by Texas hitters in 2007. The only caveat: they had to receive at least 150 at-bats in a Rangers uniform.

That includes Kenny Lofton (317 AB), Mark Teixeira (286 AB) and Jarrod Saltalamacchia (167 AB), guys who played a sizable role in shaping the offense at one time or another during the season. Concurrently, that 150 AB cutoff serves to exclude the likes of David Murphy (105 AB), Victor Diaz (104 AB), and Adam Melhuse (94 AB) from the equation, with reduced sample sizes and lesser offensive roles deflating their overall importance.

In the interest of completeness, I'm using each player's entire body of work in my evaluations; for example, Jarrod Saltalamacchia's and Mark Teixeira's NL numbers are included in the mix. And one last note - the number in parenthesis next to each player's name denotes the number of OPS percentage points that particular Ranger outperformed (or underperformed) his 2007 ZiPS projection.

Without further ado, here are the results:

Hank Blalock (+104)

Projected: 627 AB, .273/.336/.461, 90 R, 33 2B, 27 HR, 112 RBI

Actual: 208 AB, .293/.358/.543, 32 R, 16 2B, 10 HR, 33 RBI

Notes: Though Thoracic Outlet Syndrome surgery on Blalock's right shoulder cost the Rangers' starting third baseman over three months, Hank did hit very well when he was actually healthy. But was his strong (albeit short) '07 campaign the product of sustained adjustments at the plate, or simply a mirage?

Jason Botts (-161)

Projected: 419 AB, .260/.338/.484, 71 R, 27 2B, 21 HR, 78 RBI

Actual: 167 AB, .240/.326/.335, 19 R, 8 2B, 2 HR, 14 RBI

Notes: Hit a ridiculous .320/.436/.545 with 13 HR in 369 AB at Triple-A Oklahoma, but struggled in his first lengthy big league audition. Botts required an extended adjustment period at each of his stops in the minor leagues before settling in, but he may have to further shorten his powerful swing if he's going to experience prolonged success in the majors.

Marlon Byrd (+95)

Projected: 386 AB, .251/.323/.396, 48 R, 22 2B, 10 HR, 49 RBI

Actual: 414 AB, .307/.355/.459, 60 R, 17 2B, 10 HR, 70 RBI

Notes: Perhaps the Rangers' best story of '07, Byrd was promoted from Oklahoma in late May - and never looked back. He slumped in August, but a strong September (.313/.352/.490) has all but guaranteed Marlon at least 350 to 400 AB in '08.

Frank Catalanotto (-3)

Projected: 388 AB, .291/.364/.420, 48 R, 31 2B, 5 HR, 52 RBI

Actual: 331 AB, .260/.337/.444, 52 R, 20 2B, 11 HR, 44 RBI

Notes: Batted just .140/.234/.333 through April 29th, before being sidelined for nearly a month with right biceps tendinitis. Frank hit a solid .285/.358/.467 with 9 HR in 274 AB following his return on May 21st, which points to his April struggles being the product of his early season injury. Regardless of which position Catalanotto plays at in '08, he should continue to get regular AB against RHP.

Nelson Cruz (-129)

Projected: 413 AB, .266/.335/.465, 59 R, 22 2B, 20 HR, 70 RBI

Actual: 307 AB, .235/.287/.384, 35 R, 15 2B, 9 HR, 34 RBI

Notes: Good grief. Cruz opened up 2007 as the Rangers' starting right fielder, but a horrific .188/.245/.306 line in 144 AB earned him a demotion to AAA. After hitting .352/.428/.698 with 15 HR in 162 AB, Cruz was recalled on July 28th, and quickly made his presence felt, jacking three home runs in his first three games back.

Unfortunately, the party had to end sometime. Cruz ended up batting just .276/.324/.454 overall in his final 163 AB stint of the season. Nelson acquired a new, more open batting stance during his duration in the minors, but he remains extremely vulnerable to major league quality breaking pitches, raising huge questions as to whether or not he can ever carve out a regular job in the big leagues.

With the emergence of David Murphy, Marlon Byrd and others, Cruz is running out of time and opportunities.

Jerry Hairston Jr. (-170)

Projected: 333 AB, .267/.336/.372, 44 R, 22 2B, 3 HR, 31 RBI

Actual: 159 AB, .189/.249/.289, 22 R, 7 2B, 3 HR, 16 RBI

Notes: Injured himself "fooling around" before stretching on Opening Night at Anaheim back in early April, forcing him to change his swing mechanics and contributing to his miserable -11.8 VORP season, which was good for 9th worst in baseball among hitters. Not that he was ever very good, anyway.

Ian Kinsler (+32)

Projected: 458 AB, .264/.325/.439, 77 R, 27 2B, 17 HR, 69 RBI

Actual: 483 AB, .263/.355/.441, 96 R, 22 2B, 20 HR, 61 RBI

Notes: Kinsler practically carried the entire offense through April by himself, hitting .298/.375/.667 with 9 HR during a rough 10-16 month in the standings. A terrible .495 OPS in May dragged down the rest of his season totals, but he rebounded nicely the rest of the way. Going 23 for 25 on the basepaths ain't bad, either.

Gerald Laird (-134)

Projected: 256 AB, .270/.320/.441, 46 R, 15 2B, 9 HR, 33 RBI

Actual: 407 AB, .224/.278/.349, 48 R, 18 2B, 9 HR, 47 RBI

Notes: With Rod Barajas and Buck Showalter finally out of his hair, and with the starting catcher's job secure in his grasp, Laird seemed primed to finally break out in 2007. Instead, he went backwards in nearly every offensive category - and even struggled to hit LHP, which he had historically torched.

With the mid-season acquisition of Jarrod Saltalamacchia, and the duo of Taylor Teagarden and Max Ramirez coming through the minor league pipeline, Laird's long-term future in Texas is in serious doubt. But hey, he can drop down a mean bunt single.

Kenny Lofton (+64)

Projected: 332 AB, .292/.350/.367, 77 R, 12 2B, 1 HR, 40 RBI

Actual: 490 AB, .296/.367/.414, 86 R, 25 2B, 7 HR, 38 RBI

Notes: The Rangers' 40-year-old free agent acquisition hit very well during his 317 AB stint with Texas, going .303/.380/.438 at the plate with 7 HR and 23 steals. Lofton was dealt to the Indians in late July for the aforementioned Max Ramirez, and struggled to relive his former Cleveland glory days, batting just .283/.344/.370 the rest of the way while playing mostly left field. Thumbs up, JD.

Travis Metcalf (+158)

Projected: 459 AB, .211/.262/.322, 49 R, 20 2B, 9 HR, 42 RBI

Actual: 161 AB, .255/.307/.435, 25 R, 12 2B, 5 HR, 21 RBI

Notes: With Blalock absent from the lineup for several months, Metcalf earned a mid-season promotion from Double-A Frisco; I suppose you could say he made the most of his opportunity. Travis provided solid defense and better than expected offense at the hot corner. He's may not be ready yet, but he definitely showed the organization something in '07.

Jarrod Saltalamacchia (0)

Projected: 368 AB, .242/.322/.410, 49 R, 21 2B, 13 HR, 45 RBI

Actual: 308 AB, .266/.310/.422, 39 R, 13 2B, 11 HR, 33 RBI

Notes: ZiPS sorta nailed his OPS, didn't it? The real prize of the Mark Teixeira deal, Saltalamacchia hit .251/.290/.431 with 7 HR in his first 161 AB with Texas. Jarrod's sweet swing, which has drawn comparisons to Rafael Palmeiro's stroke, could eventually make him a centerpiece in the Rangers offense, and possibly one of the league's premier catchers within a few years - if his defense allows him to stay behind the plate, that is.

Sammy Sosa (+75)

Projected: 342 AB, .225/.306/.398, 34 R, 14 2B, 15 HR, 51 RBI

Actual: 412 AB, .252/.311/.468, 53 R, 24 2B, 21 HR, 92 RBI

Notes: Is there really anything else to be said about Sammy at this point?

Mark Teixeira (+49)

Projected: 614 AB, .287/.373/.541, 105 R, 40 2B, 38 HR, 130 RBI

Actual: 494 AB, .306/.400/.563, 86 R, 33 2B, 30 HR, 105 RBI

Notes: Hit .297/.397/.524 with 13 HR in 286 AB for Texas, but had his final weeks in Arlington marred by a month-long stay on the disabled list, as well as a rather nasty public fallout with management and ownership. Promptly put up a 1.019 OPS with a whopping 17 HR in just 208 AB in his two months with Atlanta, but the Braves missed the playoffs - and the odds of GM John Schuerholz resigning him before he hits free agency after '08 are virtually nil.

Ramon Vazquez (+9)

Projected: 205 AB, .224/.318/.346, 29 R, 11 2B, 4 HR, 25 RBI

Actual: 300 AB, .230/.300/.373, 42 R, 13 2B, 8 HR, 28 RBI

Notes: Vazquez was a surprisingly decent role player for the Rangers, but slumped especially hard in September (.170/.228/.331). Nonetheless, he'll likely head into '08 with an inside track for the utility infielder job.

Brad Wilkerson (-27)

Projected: 483 AB, .251/.353/.460, 85 R, 35 2B, 20 HR, 62 RBI

Actual: 338 AB, .234/.319/.467, 54 R, 17 2B, 20 HR, 62 RBI

Notes: The bane of my existence.

Michael Young (-30)

Projected: 685 AB, .307/.353/.461, 102 R, 44 2B, 18 HR, 101 RBI

Actual: 639 AB, .315/.366/.418, 80 R, 37 2B, 9 HR, 94 RBI

Notes: Hit just .192/.211/.308 in 120 AB through May 3rd, but .342/.399/.443 in 519 AB from that point onward. Although Young was a very good offensive shortstop for 80% of the season, his drop in power (isolated power of .145 in '06, compared to just .101 in '07) is rather disturbing. Needless to say, Texas will need more from their appointed "face of the franchise" in 2008.

As you can see, ZiPS's forecast of the Rangers' 2007 offense came reasonably close to reality. Of course, this brings us back to Szymborski's 2008 ZiPS projections - and suffice it to say, they're not exactly pretty.

Among position players, only Michael Young, Ian Kinsler, Marlon Byrd and Jarrod Saltalamacchia figure to be better than league average offensively at their respective positions. And while Saltalamacchia will probably get the lion's share of the starts behind the plate, the above scenario requires making the assumption that Marlon Byrd will be the Rangers' starting center fielder in 2008. Given the club's interest in Torii Hunter, that's not looking too likely.

But on the plus side, ZiPS does love itself some Taylor Teagarden:

Teagarden's a pretty interesting player now that he's recovered from Tommy John surgery. The team's going to continue to work on getting his arm back to where it used to be and sort out the catching situation in the next year or so.

[...]

Teagarden doesn't project to be an above-average DH-type this year, but I have to agree with ZiPS here regarding his power potential. This was essentially Teagarden's first full professional season, for all intents and purposes. The Rangers really need to promote Teagarden aggressively in 2008 and not leave him to beat up younger pitchers - given their situation, it'd be nice for the team to get an idea what they have in him going into 2009.

While there are some definite bright spots to be found in this Texas offense as we progress towards next year, the lack of a true power bat is going to stand out in a big way - especially over a full 162 game schedule. Short of finding a way to add an Adam Dunn-like presence to the middle of the order, it appears that Texas will once again be facing an uphill battle to cobble together a league average offense in 2008.

And with the current state of the pitching staff, that can only spell trouble.

Finally, here's two coaching staff related notes to take us out: first, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle writes the following on current Rangers third base coach, Don Wakamatsu:

A strong bet to be the next bench coach: Rangers third-base coach Don Wakamatsu, a Hayward native who is a longtime friend of [Bob] Geren's. Wakamatsu was offered the job last year after he had been replaced by Art Howe as the Texas bench coach, but Wakamatsu was not ready to move his family then. If the A's hire Wakamatsu, there is an excellent chance that Texas manager Ron Washington would add [Brad] Fischer to the Rangers' staff.

Slusser mentions earlier in the article that Fischer, who had been part of the A's organization for 29 seasons, is widely respected among baseball circles. I admittedly have no inside knowledge of the situation in the Rangers clubhouse, but I've always felt that Wakamatsu's harbored some feelings of resentment towards Washington, particularly given the circumstances that unfolded during last winter's managerial search.

Keeping all that in mind, I can't say it would come as a big surprise to me if Slusser's prediction came true, and Fischer was indeed added to Ron Washington's coaching staff at some point this off-season. As for Wakamatsu, he'll probably skip town the first chance he gets.

And if Don Juan's looking for an alternative destination to Oakland, Paul Meyer of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette raises the possibility of his former partner in crime snagging the recently vacated managerial spot in the Steel City:

Here is perhaps a long-shot candidate to manage the Pirates: Buck Showalter, 51, is a senior adviser to Cleveland Indians general manager Mark Shapiro, for whom Huntington was a special assistant.

[...]

Showalter has an out-clause in his contract, which he can trigger if he has a chance at a manager's job.

I sure hope the Pirates know how to play like their hair is on fire.

Rangers Of The Past

On a warm Friday night at Jacobs Field, one ex-Ranger (Travis Hafner) drove in a fellow ex-Ranger (Kenny Lofton) with a walk-off RBI single to right-center field, powering the Cleveland Indians to a dramatic 11-inning victory in Game 2 of the ALDS over the New York Yankees.

Yes, the very team that crushed the Rangers in each of their three brief playoff runs during the late 90's.

Meanwhile, some 650 miles away at Fenway Park, Manny Ramirez was busy sinking K-Rod and the Angels with a monster three-run walk-off blast over the Green Monster, granting the Red Sox a generous 2-0 series lead.

Much like Albert Pujols's infamous moonshot against Brad Lidge in Game 5 of the 2005 NLCS, it's uncertain in either case whether the ball has actually come down yet.

MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan has an in-depth look at the Rangers Instructional League Camp in Surprise, and Jamey Newberg has an excellent on-location report of his own, which features a rather fascinating look at five-tool prospect Engel Beltre.

Keep your fingers crossed on this kid: those Ken Griffey Jr. comparisons might be a bit premature in nature, but there's a reason why the 17-year-old Dominican Republic native is drawing so much praise at such an early age.

Richard Durrett runs down some first base options for 2008 over at the DMN SeamHeads Rangers blog, including the likes of Mike Lamb, Ben Broussard, Frank Catalanotto and Brad Wilkerson in the conversation

None of those names do all that much for me, but a platoon consisting of Catalanotto and Lamb would be a fairly cheap way to get some decent (albeit, below average) offensive production out of first base. Besides, who doesn't relish the thought of reliving those '01 and '02 campaigns with a Mike Lamb reunion tour?

...oh, who am I kidding. Is Adam Dunn available?

Despite hitting an otherworldly .314/.422/.645 with 54 HR and 156 RBI during the regular season, Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez is now 0 for 6 at the plate through the first two games of the ALDS, and is just 4 for 47 in his last 14 post-season games.

Granted, nobody in the Yankees lineup was hitting Fausto Carmona on Friday night, and A-Rod was an offensive force to be reckoned with in both the 2000 ALCS and the 2004 playoffs. That being said, New York is a town that's well known for its "What have you done for me lately?" mentality, and if the Yankees don't turn around their fortunes against the Indians quickly, the odds seem reasonably favorable that Alex will exercise the opt-out clause in his contract.

Jim Tracy, the father of Rangers' 2006 third round pick Chad Tracy, has been fired from his post as manager of the Pittsburgh Pirates after two losing seasons. His departure is just the latest in a series of organizational shakeups for the Pirates, with failed general manager Dave Littlefield getting the axe last month. Don't worry about Littlefield, though: I'm sure he'll pop up alongside Steve Phillips on Baseball Tonight before long.

And finally, the conclusion of Gary Huckaby's two-part interview with a pair of anonymous baseball executives is up at Baseball Prospectus. While it is subscription-only, there is one rather interesting quote that caught my eye:

AL Exec: I'm saving my time to talk about my pet peeve.

GH: OK, fire away.

AL Exec: Umpiring.

GH: Seriously?

AL Exec: Absolutely. Ball and strike calling sucks, and umpires are way too in-your-face. They also hold grudges like you wouldn't believe. It's OK for them to always have the last word, or change the strike zone depending on whether or not they have dinner reservations, but if one of the players goes the same place, that guy's going to pay, with all the umpires, for a long time.

I hope you're reading this, Gary Darling.

Friday Morning Rangers Notes

As the hands on my alarm clock slowly move to the wee hours of Friday morning, the seasons of the Cubs and Phillies have officially been placed on life support.

And with the pair of shoddy Game 1 performances put up by the Angels and Yankees, two American League squads appear to be dangerously close to joining their National League brethren in Major League Baseball's crowded intensive care unit.

Meanwhile, let's just say the Texas Rangers' 2007 season is already dead and buried.

But if you're thinking you've already missed the opportunity to pay your respects, don't fret: the club is already taking reservations for 2008 season tickets.

Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News has his latest "Inside the Rangers" newsletter up, which includes a rather disturbing update on Akinori Otsuka's future with Texas, Marlon Byrd's contract situation, and several other topics of great interest. Definitely worth checking out, as always.

Of course, it just wouldn't be an Evan Grant newsletter without the name "Torii Hunter" popping up somewhere in the conversation.

Tim Cowlishaw has a new article harping about the team's offensive deficiencies, and simultaneously appears to throw a jab in the direction of Tom Hicks and the Rangers for not even remotely granting consideration to the idea of signing Barry Bonds this winter.

Richard Durrett has some logically sound thoughts about the projected 2008 bullpen over at the DMN SeamHeads Rangers blog, which includes an apparent endorsement in favor of bringing Jamey Wright back next year as a long reliever/spot starter. As I've said before, I've got no problems with that - as long as the deal is both cheap and short.

Jim Reeves of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram has a nicely detailed piece on the promotion of Jim Sundberg to the role of the Rangers' executive vice president for communications and public relations. The organization apparently hopes that Sundberg will be able to help bridge the sometimes volatile gap between owner Tom Hicks and the public, a point which was sharply driven home by Reeves:

Sundberg, with his relationships in the area and the respect media, fans and sponsors have for him, will try to soften the sometimes harsh and grating off-the-cuff comments Hicks has been known to make, such as telling fans that he'll spend more money on free agents if they buy more tickets, or when he stresses that the Rangers are a money-making operation and intend to stay that way.

There's also this noteworthy paragraph:

Unfortunately, moves such as this don't happen in a vacuum and repercussions were felt throughout the organization. It cost well-respected veteran PR man Gregg Elkin and his assistant, Todd Lamb, their jobs Wednesday, but the Rangers have never quite recovered from Hicks and Cogen allowing John Hart and Buck Showalter to run John Blake out of town a few years ago. Blake, after a stint as commissioner of the Texas Collegiate League, is now the media relations director for the Boston Red Sox.

Just to expand on that a bit further, SI.com's Jon Heyman wrote last September that the Hart/Showalter tandem allegedly called for Blake to be axed because he was, presumably,"too honest." Wow.

Baseball Prospectus's Kevin Goldstein has published the second part of his Arizona Fall League preview, which includes the following snippets on two Texas minor leaguers:

While the Rangers received left-hander Matt Harrison from the Braves as part of the Mark Teixeira bounty, he's yet to pitch an inning for his new organization because of a case of shoulder tendonitis. If he's healthy, he's a pretty darn good prospect, but that "if" factor cost Atlanta a couple of extra players to get the deal done.

[...]

The only pure third baseman on the roster is Chris Davis of the Rangers, but he's a third baseman in name only after committing 34 errors and showing the range of your standard water buffalo. That said, he still has a lot of supporters for his bat after a breakout .297/.347/.598 campaign that included 36 home runs in 495 at-bats. He strikes out a lot, but for this kind of production you can live with it, and he should hit enough even for the anticipated move across the diamond to first base.

Even though the official word from the Rangers is that they're grooming Davis for third base, Goldstein isn't the first noted baseball analyst to believe he'll eventually end up at the opposite side of the diamond.

Evan Grant, former Newberg Report contributor Mike Hindman and Scout.com's John Vittas have all gone on record in saying that his future lies at first base, and though I've never personally seen Davis in action, the opinion in the room is starting to get a bit overwhelming.

Finally, Baseball Think Factory's Dan Szymborski has his 2008 ZiPS projections out for the Rangers. There's far too much offered here for me to try and break any of it down at this late hour, but his lead paragraph pretty much sums things up:

Well, the good news is that ZiPS still likes the front of the bullpen to remain solid and the Rangers have some catcher depth to sort through. The bad news is that the rest of the team is pretty, bleak, with ZiPS not seeing anyone in the organization that's odds-on to be an above-average 1B, DH, 3B, LF, RF, #2 starter, #3 starter, #4 starter, or #5 starter. And the few to even come close are generally long-shots for jobs. As good a player as Salty can be, the Rangers really have to be concerned at their front-line offense, which is might be worse than that of the Jays.

Nothing like ending things on a high note, is there?

Rangers Notebook: Looking Toward 2008

As Major League Baseball's post-season officially kicks off this afternoon with a Rockies win over the Phillies in Game 1 of the National League Division Series, the Texas Rangers continue to look backwards at what went wrong in 2007 - and at the same time, forward to what will hopefully be a much brighter 2008.

The DMN's Evan Grant details yesterday's team press conference, which was attended by general manager Jon Daniels, manager Ron Washington and club president Jeff Cogen. Daniels re-emphasized the Rangers' commitment towards building from within, and filling holes through either the acquisition of elite talent or young, promising players:

"We expect to win, and I don't think you have to take a black-or-white approach that it's either 'building' or 'contending.' Arizona and Colorado certainly didn't pick one of the two," said Daniels, alluding to the pair of young NL playoff teams that have been built primarily from within. "What I don't want to do is acquire mediocre free-agent players who would block some of your younger talent from getting their chances."

In other words, don't expect to see another Richard Hidalgo type signing anytime soon. Grant also touches on the increasing likelihood that Texas will sign or trade for a long-term solution in center field, seeing as how the club's top center field prospects (Julio Borbon and Engle Beltre) are still several years away at the earliest.

And one final note for those Tom Hicks detractors out there to latch onto:

The Rangers had an Opening Day payroll of just over $68 million in 2007. Daniels said that the Rangers will have a "similar" payroll in 2008, although that could change with owner Tom Hicks, depending on who is available in the free-agent market.

Ah yes, the ever popular "financial flexibility" mantra. Evan Grant believes that Texas will have approximately $15-20 million available to play with this winter, with another $8,116,000 coming free if Alex Rodriguez decides to exercise the opt-out clause in his contract shortly after the conclusion of the World Series.

Jeff Cogen said on Monday that current season and half-season ticket holders who renew their seats for 2008 will not see a price increase, and that those who renew and pay the full amount due by December 14th will receive free season parking. The Rangers had 10,700 season ticket holders in 2007, and hope to increase that number to 11,500 in 2008.

The club also plans to expand its premium ticket pricing plan in '08, which hikes ticket prices on high-demand games - such as the Red Sox and Yankees, two of baseball's biggest draws. In addition, the "Dollar Hot Dog Night" and "$2 T-Shirt Tuesday" promotions will return, along with possible expansion of the post-game concert series. The jury is still out on whether or not Texas will continue the 7:35 PM start time experiment, though.

Lastly, the Rangers are calling the "All You Can Eat" seats a huge success. Considering that Texas ranks among the most obese states in America, I can't say that comes as much of a surprise.

According to T.R. Sullivan, Rangers' Hall of Famer Jim Sundberg has been promoted to the role of executive vice president for communications and public relations, essentially making him the franchise's lead spokesman. Gregg Elkin, who had been in charge of public relations for the past four years, has been let go.

Anthony Andro of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram has a new article out loaded with quotes from Ron Washington, as well a piece detailing his Division Series playoff predictions. As for myself, I'll take the Red Sox in four, the Indians in five, the Cubs in five and the Rockies in five.

Not that playoff predictions are worth much more than the paper they're printed on, mind you.

Mac Engel laments the loss of Alfonso Soriano, whose monster .283/.314/.601 second half at the plate helped spark the Chicago Cubs to a playoff berth for the first time since 2003. At this point, I don't think there's much more that can be said about his departure from Texas.

Right-hander Adam Eaton was left off the Phillies' division series roster, after putting up a horrific 6.29 ERA and 1.63 WHIP in 161.2 IP for Philadelphia during the regular season. Way to put that $24.5 million to good use, Pat Gillick.

Also, Gary Matthews Jr. was eliminated from the Angels' division series roster due to a lingering knee injury sustained during the Rangers' home finale last Wednesday.

Former Rangers first baseman Carlos Pena was named the American League's 2007 Comeback Player of the Year on Tuesday, after hitting .282/.411/.627 with a whopping 46 HR in just 490 AB for the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. Sixth time's a charm, I guess.

And finally, Frisco infielder German Duran will replace Redhawks shortstop Joaquin Arias in the Arizona Fall League, as Arias is still not ready to take the field after undergoing arthroscopic surgery on his right shoulder back on July 2nd. Duran will apparently play shortstop, which could help his chances of making the Rangers as a utility infielder in 2008.

That sound you hear is Joaquin's stock falling even further through the floor.

One For The Ages

If Monday night's one game playoff between the San Diego Padres and Colorado Rockies serves as any indication of what's to come, we're in for perhaps the greatest post-season in baseball history.

An incredible evening filled with ups and downs in the Mile High City was nearly ended by a two-run homer from Scott Hairston in the top of the 13th inning against right-handed gas can, Jorge Julio. His blast to left-center field gave the Padres an 8-6 lead, sending the San Diego dugout into a frenzy and Coors Field into stunned silence.

With a two-run advantage tucked away, Padres manager Bud Black summoned from his bullpen the all-time major league leader in saves, Trevor Hoffman. Holder of 524 career saves and a sparkling 2.53 ERA coming into the night, it appeared at first glance that San Diego was finally on the brink of locking up the NL Wild Card.

Not so fast, buddy.

Despite being one of the greatest relievers in baseball history, Hoffman already had several huge strikes against him as he warmed up in preparation of facing Kaz Matsui, who was leading off the bottom of the 13th inning.

Two days previous, the Padres led the Brewers 4-3 in the bottom of the 9th inning in Milwaukee, and Hoffman was just one out away from clinching the playoffs for San Diego. Alas, Tony Gwynn Jr. laced an RBI triple to tie the game, and San Diego lost it in 11 innings, helping to force Monday night's one game playoff.

There was also the slight issue of Hoffman's 5.23 ERA in 31 career innings at Coors Field, including a frightening seven home runs allowed. One of those was a stunning two-run walk-off shot on Opening Day '05, when Clint Barmes deposited a hanging fastball into the left field bleachers. And with that memory rattling around in my head, Hoffman began pitching to Matsui.

In retrospect, Hoffman was likely doomed from the start. With a fastball working at around 85-87 MPH, and a mid-70's changeup flattened out severely by the high altitude, Trevor needed to have pinpoint command to survive the inning. Anything less would result in disaster - and that's exactly what unfolded for the Padres.

Matsui led off the inning with a double to right-center field, followed by a Troy Tulowitzki RBI double to left-center field that cut the lead to 8-7. With Coors Field rocking, the potential winning run stepped to the plate with nobody out in the person of Matt Holliday.

Holliday had already committed a costly defensive miscue in the top of the 8th inning, when he misread a fly ball to left field off the bat of Brian Giles. The ball sailed over his head, allowing Geoff Blum to score the game-tying run.

With a chance to redeem himself, Holliday would not disappoint: he crushed an outside 86 MPH fastball to deep right field, which richocheted off the out-of-town scoreboard and back towards the infield. Brian Giles gave everything he had in trying to catch the ball, but he just wasn't tall enough - and with Giles reeling from his face-plant into the right field wall, Holliday was able to race to third base with nobody out.

One intentional walk to Todd Helton later, Jamey Carroll stepped in with a chance to send the Rockies to the playoffs for the first time since 1995. He slapped a shallow line drive to right field, which Giles was able to snag on the fly. As soon as the ball landed in Giles' glove, Holliday took off racing for home; I'd be willing to bet he's never run harder in his life.

Padres catcher Michael Barrett attempted to block off the plate as Holliday charged down the third base line, setting the stage for perhaps one of the most controversial calls in October baseball history. Holliday appeared to catch Barrett's foot in his face as he tried to execute a head-first slide into home, with his left hand brushing against the outside of Barrett's leg while he desperately attempted to touch a corner of the plate.

Meanwhile, Barrett was unable to hold onto the ball, but promptly picked it up and tagged Holliday "just in case." After several immeasurably long seconds, home plate umpire Tim McClellan gave the safe signal, sending the Rockies dugout into hysterics as they mobbed the field. Holliday was slow to get up, but was thankfully only shaken up by the collision.

At this point, the question now seems to be whether or not Holliday actually touched the plate. And honestly, I don't think anybody knows for sure: both angles of the replay proved to be inconclusive, meaning that all we have to go off of is Holliday's word:

"I think so," said Holliday, who only moments earlier had tripled in Troy Tulowitzki with the tying run. "I mean, the umpire called me safe, so I must have touched the plate. I was just trying to get in there and score the run."

While I believe that Holliday may have managed to tag a tiny sliver of the plate, "Up in the Rockies" writer Tom Stephenson disagrees; he says that Holliday was safe through Rule 7.06(b), which supposedly forbid Barrett from blocking home plate without having possession of the baseball. According to Stephenson, the game was over when Barrett dropped the ball.

On the other hand, "San Diego Spotlight" writer Rich Campbell pins the blame on Tim McClellan, going so far as to suggest that he purposely made the wrong call in an attempt to get back at Sandy Alderson, current CEO of the Padres and former umpire disciplinarian for Major League Baseball.

Though I can't be sure either way, I do know one thing: it would be a crying shame to have such an incredible baseball game forever overshadowed by Tim McClellan's controversial call at home plate.

And even if Holliday should have been out, let's not discount Garrett Atkins' phantom home run in the bottom of the 7th inning, which appeared to bounce off a wheelchair just beyond the left field fence. Although ESPN's replay this morning appeared to conclusively show that the ball went over the fence, crew chief Ed Montague disagreed after the game:

"He said it went over, but no way it went out," said Ed Montague, the first-base umpire and crew chief after the game.

Montague's comments notwithstanding, this game probably never should have gone to extra innings. And if you look at things through those rose-tinted glasses, the calls sort of balance each out. The optimal situation would have been for Monday's night six-man umpiring crew to have never screwed up at all, leaving zero doubt as to the true winner of the one game playoff - but with the current state of MLB's umpires, are you really surprised they managed to botch this up?

Along those same lines, Baseball Prospectus's Joe Sheehan included some amusing commentary during his in-game chat last night:

Dan (NJ): The strike zone is huge today! Peavy got 3-4 called strikes that inning that were significantly off the outside corner.

Joe Sheehan: Strap in, folks. Umpiring in MLB is as bad as it's been since Richie Phillips set his charges on fire back in...OK, I don't remember the year. The umpires are borderline incompetent and aggressively confrontational.

We're going to have a very bumpy ride this postseason, with erratic, misshapen strike zones and the strong possibility of an Eddings-level mistake, followed by a legendary meltdown on the field.

I wish I were being hyperbolic.

Regardless of which side you were rooting for last night, there's zero doubt in my mind that we just witnessed one of the greatest baseball games of our generation - and perhaps ever, if the Rockies continue their miracle run deep into October. The mere fact that Colorado managed to win 14 out of 15 games to reach the playoffs should be considered one of the great comebacks in not just baseball history, but sports history.

What an amazing, amazing night.

And finally, here's one last footnote from Sheehan's chat session:

Lumpy (Nowhere): Long-term -- McCarthy or Danks?

Joe Sheehan: McCarthy.

You know, just in case you wandered over here expecting to read some Rangers news, or something else weird like that.

Monday Afternoon Rangers Notes

Welcome to October - and the first day of the Rangers' off-season.

MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan has a recap of the disappointing 2007 campaign up, as well as a piece looking forward to 2008. Very, very little new worth noting here, other than what we've known for a while now: that GM Jon Daniels is focused on building the club from within.

And as such, the Rangers are unlikely to be big players in this winter's free agent market - with the notable exception of center field Torii Hunter, who Texas is likely to go hard after. Sigh.

Sullivan also touches on next year's projected starting rotation, which tentatively consists of Kevin Millwood, Vicente Padilla, Brandon McCarthy, Kason Gabbard and Edinson Volquez. Kameron Loe is probably headed for the bullpen after his latest bout of trouble in the rotation, and Robinson Tejeda's stock has plummeted through the floor due to his inability to consistently throw strikes.

As for the quartet of Eric Hurley, Luis Mendoza, A.J. Murray and Armando Galarraga, all four are probably going to start 2008 at Triple-A Oklahoma. Hurley could be in line for a mid-season promotion, with Mendoza perhaps earning a second look if another rash of injuries breaks out. A.J. has definitely shown the Rangers something, but both he and Galarraga have plenty of work to do if they're ever going to stick on a major league roster.

Finally, Sullivan includes this curious note concerning Ron Washington's recent demands for a "proven" closer:

Daniels said that it's unlikely that the Rangers will find anything outside that's better than Akinori Otsuka, C.J. Wilson or Joaquin Benoit.

"The first thing we need to see about is Aki's health and how he comes back," Daniels said. "More than likely it will be a combination of Aki, C.J. and Benoit."

Interesting. While I'm certain that both Washington and Daniels are devoutly committed to getting this team on a winning track, it doesn't exactly sound like they're on the same page as far as this issue goes. Kinda makes you wonder what else they're not in agreement about.

No progress has been made in contract negotiations between the Rangers and hitting coach Rudy Jaramillo, whose contract expires on October 31st:

"Nothing new," Jaramillo said. "It's up to them. I have no comment on that."

Well, at least he's up-front about it. Jaramillo has hired an agent to take care of negotiations, and all early signs appear to be indicating that he'll shop his services around to various clubs before coming to any kind of agreement.

As you may recall, Jaramillo was a finalist for the Mets' managerial job three years ago before he was beaten out by Willie Randolph. With Randolph drawing an incredible amount of heat for the Mets' historic September collapse, there's an outside chance (no matter how slight it might be) that Jaramillo might get another shot at that gig.

And even if that scenario doesn't come to pass, Mets GM Omar Minaya and Jaramillo are long-time friends. Don't discount the possibility of Rudy taking some other position within the New York organization. Along those exact lines, SI.com's Jon Heyman suggests today that Minaya could make a play for Rudy as the Mets' hitting coach in 2008, with incumbent hitting coach Howard Johnson being quickly pushed aside to another coaching spot.

Dave Sessions of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram assigns grades to various Texas players, and also looks ahead to the approaching free agent market. Of course, I'm not exactly sure how Frank Catalanotto got a 'D-', or for that matter, how Sammy Sosa got an 'A.'

The DMN's Evan Grant has his rankings out for the most important players on the Rangers' 40-man roster and disabled list. No serious qualms about these.

T.R. Sullivan has his last "Poor Toby's Almanac" segment of the season out on his blog, and mentions in passing that his pick for the Rangers' 2007 MVP is Sammy Sosa.

Now, let me preface this by saying that I have an immense amount of respect for Sullivan and his work as the Rangers' MLB.com beat writer. He's incredibly talented, and I can only hope that someday, I'll be in a similar position to that of Sullivan - that is, getting paid a regular salary to write about baseball.

But good grief, this Sosa lovefest has just gotten completely out of hand. Yes, in a vacuum, 21 HR and 92 RBI in 412 AB looks pretty nice. In fact, it's probably on the high end of what we could have expected out of Sammy this season. And yes, by all accounts, he's been a positive influence on the young guys in the clubhouse this season. I've made no secret of my long-standing admiration for Sammy, and I hope he'll get into the Hall of Fame one day.

He's also hit .252/.311/.468, with 82.8% of his 454 plate appearances coming at the DH position. Among all American League DHs with at least 300 PA, Sosa's thoroughly mediocre .259 EqA and 7.0 VORP rank 13th out of 14, with only Mike Piazza coming in beneath him on both counts. And at age 38, he also offers virtually zero defensive value at the corner outfield spots.

Simply put, he's on the verge of crossing the replacement level threshold, and if he's going to remain a big leaguer into 2008 and beyond, he's going to have to start getting a vast majority of his plate appearances against lefties. That's assuming, of course, that he doesn't forget how to hit them as well.

In other words, the MVP of this team is not and never was Sammy Sosa, and anybody trying to assert otherwise is just flat out misguided. If you're looking for the Rangers' MVP, try looking in the general direction of Michael Young, Ian Kinsler, or Marlon Byrd. Or perhaps even Mark Teixeira, even though he's no longer a member of the organization. Not Sammy.

And finally, Baseball Prospectus's Christina Kahrl has an in-depth preview of tonight's Padres/Rockies one game playoff, which begins at 6:37 PM CST on TBS. With a victory tonight, Colorado would earn their first National League playoff berth since 1995, and just their second trip to the playoffs in their 15-year franchise history.

Indeed, the Colorado Rockies draw a lot of close parallels to the Texas Rangers. Both franchises have a long, storied history of futility in two critical departments: pitching and the post-season. In many respects, the Rockies are kind of like the NL version of the Rangers.

Time to start living vicariously through the Mile High City.

The End Of The Line: Rangers Swept In Seattle

As a dramatic battle to reach the playoffs unfolded in the Senior Circuit on Sunday afternoon, the Rangers took the field for the final game of their long, tumultuous 2007 season.

Fittingly enough, they lost. Color me surprised.

In a crisply played game that clocked in at just one hour and fifty-seven minutes, the Seattle Mariners defeated the Texas Rangers at Safeco Field, 4-2.

Manager Ron Washington addressed his team before the game, thanking them for their effort this season and emphasizing what they needed to improve on going into next season:

"I told them that we need to work on pitching, defense and execution of fundamentals," Washington said. "Pitching-wise, we need to trust our stuff more and get the ball in play more quickly."

And for his part, starter A.J. Murray did his best to live up to Ron Washington's words on Sunday. The rookie left-hander pitched six decent innings, allowing four runs (three earned) on just five hits and two walks. He struck out five during his 79-pitch performance, but also gave up two costly home runs along the way.

Things did begin well enough for Texas, at least. Ian Kinsler drew a one out HBP in the top of the 1st inning against M's starter Felix Hernandez, and scored moments later on a David Murphy RBI double to deep right-center field.

Unfortunately, the lead wouldn't last for long. With two outs in the bottom of the 2nd inning, Murray coughed up a solo blast to catcher Jamie Burke which tied the game at 1-1.

Willie Bloomquist then drew a walk, stole second, and scored on a rather bizarre play: first baseman Jarrod Saltalamacchia gloved a chopper from Ichiro, but misfired an underhanded toss to Murray as he raced to cover first base. Ichiro would have been safe anyway, but the errant throw allowed Bloomquist to easily cross home plate.

And with that, the tone for the day was set. Burke added further to Seattle's lead with an RBI sacrifice fly in the bottom of the 4th inning, effectively nullifying Ramon Vazquez's RBI groundout during the next following half inning. Murray allowed another solo home run to Jose Lopez in the bottom of the 6th inning, padding the Mariners' lead to 4-2.

For what it's worth, Luis Mendoza did pitch two scoreless innings in relief of Murray, helping him to further strengthen his case for a job with the Rangers' pitching staff coming out of spring training next March.

But with the way King Felix was dealing, nothing the Rangers' pitching staff could have done would have mattered anyway. Texas managed to muster just four hits against Hernandez on the day, who was removed from the game just one out shy of what would have been his second complete game of the season.

By contrast, the 2007 Texas Rangers will go down in history with the '07 Nationals and Marlins as the only major league teams to ever go an entire season without pitching a complete game. What a wonderful distinction to hold.

In any event, Felix's departure from the game proved to be of little concern to Seattle manager Bob Geren, who simply called for All-Star closer J.J. Putz to slam the door shut on the Rangers. At exactly 5:02 PM, Putz would do exactly that, striking out Jarrod Saltalamacchia to end the Rangers' season.

Meanwhile, two minutes previous, in a city some 1,350 miles away, the Colorado Rockies were celebrating a dramatic 4-3 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks, forcing a one-game playoff at Coors Field on Monday night with the San Diego Padres. At stake: the National League Wild Card playoff berth, bonus ticket sales, and a shot at baseball immortality.

Approximately 2,800 miles away, the Philadelphia Phillies were basking in the glory of their NL East clinching 6-1 win over the Washington Nationals, catapulting them to the playoffs for the first time since 1993.

And about 100 miles away at Shea Stadium, Mets fans were wondering what the hell they had just witnessed. In perhaps the final start of his storied career, Tom Glavine imploded for seven runs in 1/3rd of an inning to practically hand the Phillies the division crown, completing a horrific slide that saw the Mets lose a seven game lead in the NL East with just 17 games to play. Unbelievable.

While the Mets' 2007 collapse may not go down as the worst in baseball history, it certainly ranks right up there: according to Baseball Prospectus's Nate Silver, the Mets had a 99.8% chance of reaching the post-season on September 12th. Just to put that in context, that ranks their meltdown as second all-time, behind only the 1995 Anaheim Angels (99.988% on August 20th).

Meanwhile, the Rangers would probably give anything just to merely be in the position to give away a huge late-season advantage in the standings. Instead, they finish their 2007 campaign with a 75-87 record - five games worse than last year, and good for dead last in the AL West for the first time since 2003.

Are better days to come in Arlington? I'd like to think so, but I don't know yet. None of us know yet.

But there is one thing I do know: We're about to find out.

Mariners Take Two From Texas

Regardless of the outcome of Sunday's season finale in Seattle, the Rangers have ensured a series loss in their final three-game set of the year.

On Friday night, a back-and-forth affair at Safeco Field ended on a Jeff Clement walk-off home run in the bottom of the 9th inning, powering the Mariners to a 6-4 victory.

And Saturday night only brought more of the same frustration, with Kevin Millwood allowing five runs (four earned) in seven shaky innings of work. He surrendered three walks and eleven hits in his final start of 2007, hurling 119 pitches in the process - his heaviest workload of the season to date.

Meanwhile, the Texas offense was unable to figure out Mariners starter Miguel Batista, who allowed just a lone run on three hits and two walks in eight stellar innings of work.

It was a lackluster performance from a team that's had a rather lackluster season. And at this point, I'm just ready for it to be all over.

Since I'm completely exhausted, and really don't have a lot left to offer tonight, here's an abbreviated "Quick Hits" edition of some stories that have been running the last few days:

• The DMN's Tim Cowlishaw believes Texas needs to sign Barry Bonds, and supports his stance with quotes from five anonymous Rangers - all of whom are in favor of bringing Bonds aboard. who support the idea of bringing Bonds aboard.
• Perhaps in direct response to Cowlishaw's argument, Ranger officials have announced that they have no intention of pursuing Bonds this winter. Guess that puts an end to that - for now, at least.
• Edinson Volquez will head into next spring as an early favorite for a spot in the rotation. No surprise there, seeing as how he's further along developmentally than the rest of his in-house competition (Galarraga, Murray and Mendoza).
• Texas expects both Sammy Sosa and hitting coach Rudy Jaramillo to test the free-agent waters, but have expressed interest in re-signing both. Can you guess which one I'd rather have back?
• Evan Grant has his "Evvy Awards" out, as well as an interesting piece on some of this season's statistics.
• Aki Otsuka is expected to start throwing again by the end of October, and Jon Daniels says the club is fully intending to tender him a contract. Although T.R. Sullivan reports he is likely not going to undergo surgery, Evan Grant says he's in danger of undergoing Tommy John surgery if this latest rehab effort doesn't prove successful.
• Brandon McCarthy will not make his schedule start on Sunday due to his sore elbow, and Vicente Padilla is battling a sore neck, meaning that A.J. Murray will get the nod.
• The Rangers' rookies were hazed on Thursday - and it wasn't pretty, to say the least.

And finally, anybody who's a baseball fan - or even just a sports fan, in general - should appreciate the life and death battle that's currently playing out in the National League. Going into the season's final day, the San Diego Padres hold an 89-72 record, while the Colorado Rockies, New York Mets and Philadelphia Phillies are all 88-73.

Should the latter three teams all win on Sunday while the Padres lose, there would be a four-way tie in the National League - which would create a nightmarish playoff scenario, requiring no less than three tie-breaking games just to determine the final National League playoff field.

I'm sure the Rangers will have fun watching the action from their living rooms.

Sunday, September 30th Game Preview

Texas Rangers (75-86) at Seattle Mariners (87-74)

A.J. Murray (1-1, 4.50 ERA) vs. Felix Hernandez (13-7, 4.07 ERA)

3:05 PM CST in Seattle, Washington (Safeco Field)

TV: FSNSW | Radio: KRLD 1080 AM

Rangers' Attendance Drops; Kinsler Chat; End Of The Wilkerson Era?

With three games to play, the Rangers have an opportunity to salvage one bright spot from their lost season. Five wins in six games by Texas, combined with eight losses in nine games by Oakland, have the Rangers sitting tied with the Athletics for third place in the AL West at 75-84.

Although surpassing the A's for sole possession of third place would drop the Rangers down another notch as far as their draft order in the 2008 MLB Draft, Texas has already locked in a guaranteed top 15 pick with their record.

In other words, signing a Type A free agent this winter, such as Torii Hunter or Aaron Rowand, won't cost the Rangers their first round pick.

And as long as that fact has been assured, I'm all for Texas overtaking Oakland in the standings over these final three games of the season.

By the way, the Rangers' three-game sweep over the Angels has more or less guaranteed that Anaheim will not have home field advantage in the ALDS, and perhaps not in the ALCS either. If they even get that far, mind you.

First thing's first: the transcript from Ian Kinsler's chat session this morning is up on the Dallas Morning News website, and he was kind enough to answer my question regarding his defense at second base this year:

Joey Matschulat: It's no secret that you've been a changed man at second base defensively, compared to earlier in the season. Do you feel like your month-long stint on the disabled list back in July helped you regain some focus and confidence in that regard?

Ian Kinsler: Yes. Art Howe and Ron Washington worked with me five days a week at 2 p.m. every day on footwork and hand positioning when fielding ground balls. Earlier in the season, I tried to incorporate what Wash wanted me to do without knowing how to do it. I think I lacked some confidence in it because I was uncomfortable. The time on the DL allowed me to gain confidence in what he was trying to teach me. I played short all my life and this was the first real in-depth course I got at playing second base. It's been rewarding.

It's very, very cool to be able to get Ian's perspective on this issue. And for all of his early season struggles in the field, Kinsler has quietly raised his RZR to .845 (an improvement of .018 over last year), ranking him 8th out of 22 qualifying second basemen in the league. Not only that, but Baseball Prospectus has him pegged at 8 runs above average defensively, compared to -3 in 2006.

While those statistics don't paint the whole picture as far as Kinsler's work at second base is concerned, it's clear that he's been a vastly improved player defensively over the last few months - his walk-off error in Minnesota notwithstanding.

Ian also talks about his expectations for the team in '08, gives a rousing endorsement of hitting coach Rudy Jaramillo and touches on a variety of other Rangers-related topics, including his rather odd nickname of "Lettuce." Definitely worth checking out.

Richard Durrett's game story from yesterday focuses mainly on Sammy Sosa, and whether or not the Rangers should bring him back next season. One disturbing item of note is how much positive attention his 92 RBI appears to be getting - and as Scott Lucas points out, that's a very dangerous way to measure a player's individual offensive contributions.

According to Lucas, Sosa's seemingly high RBI count is mainly the product of two rather strange occurrences: first, his unusually high percentage of plate appearances with runners in scoring position relative to the rest of his career, and secondly, his abnormally excellent .333/.387/.593 batting line in those RISP situations.

Given that the RBI is inherently flawed as an individual statistic anyway, there's plenty of reason to be concerned here. For the umpteenth time, I'm proud of Sammy's accomplishments with the Rangers this year, and wish him well in his future endeavors - but there is absolutely zero reason why he should be back with Texas in 2008. Zilch. Nada. None.

There's also this quote in Durrett's story from Ron Washington, who was asked to grade his performance as manager this year:

"Wins and losses don't say I'm an A, but I'd grade myself an A because of all the adversity we've been through and we never veered away from what we believe," Washington said.

Durrett went on to assign Washington a grade of 'C' on the DMN SeamHeads Rangers blog, citing the fact that the team didn't meet expectations. I'm not a big fan of handing out completely arbitrary grades (especially when evaluating non-player team personnel), but something in between those two seems rather appropriate. Perhaps a 'B' or a 'B-'?

The DMN's Eric Aasen writes about the crowd's positive energy at yesterday's home finale, which includes this amusing quote from an RBiA concession stand worker:

Deandre Wilkerson wasn't as concerned about the Rangers. He showed up Wednesday because he's a concession worker.

While the Arlington resident prefers football and basketball, being at the Rangers games has its benefits.

"It's cool, man," Mr. Wilkerson said. "You get to meet a lot of beautiful women. For real. ... I flirt � all day and all night."

Now who wants to bet that they tracked this guy down simply because he was named Wilkerson?

That makes for a nice transition to T.R. Sullivan's latest piece from yesterday, which muses on Brad Wilkerson and his possible final home game with the Rangers. Sullivan believes it's unlikely that Texas will bring Wilkerson back next year, with Ron Washington recently proclaiming that he wants a "natural" first baseman, and others in the organization clamoring for Frank Catalanotto to take the spot.

Of course, this all brings us back to one familiar theme: Oh, what might have been.

Sullivan also talks about Jamey Wright, and his apparent willingness to come back to the Rangers next year in a bullpen role:

"If I were to come back here, I'd do whatever I'm asked to do," Wright said. "I enjoy pitching here and in this ballpark. I'll talk to my agent about it. My first love is starting, absolutely. I love starting but if I can be an effective bullpen guy here, I'd really enjoy that.

"I'm trying to learn what it takes to be effective in that role and I think now, rather than being a deer in the headlights, I think I have an idea of what I'm doing. In the end it's all about pitching and getting outs."

As I mentioned on Tuesday evening, I wouldn't have a problem with Texas bringing Wright back as a long/mop-up reliever on a short-term deal. With several questionable pitchers already being penciled in for the 2008 bullpen, it wouldn't hurt to add a bit of stability to this area of the team.

Jean-Jacques Taylor's latest article touches on the suddenly bright future of the Rangers, how they've finally developed a plan for the future, and how they must commit to it if they hope to someday become a winning franchise. At the same time, Lone Star Ball's Adam Morris observantly points out that less than a year ago, Taylor said that "no one obsesses over the Rangers." Ouch.

Just two days after Major League Baseball announced that they had set a new all-time attendance record, the Rangers made their season attendance numbers public. And they're not happy, either.

The club brought in a gate total of 2,353,862, marking a drop of 1.5% from last year's total attendance of 2,388,757. All told, the Rangers' per-game attendance dropped from 29,491 to 29,060, but their average daily attendance rose from 29,490 to 29,795. Two rainouts and subsequent day-night doubleheaders made this possible, with one of the rainouts against the Yankees costing Texas at least 30,000 in the attendance column:

"I think you would have to say that is a disappointment," club president Jeff Cogen said this week. "You would always like to take last year's number and improve on it a bit. That's how you build great franchises. You create new fans every year."

[...]

"There are a number of factors involved," Cogen said. "Team performance and weather certainly have something to do with it. But when you sit at my desk, you don't blame [an attendance drop] on anything else and you don't take credit for [an improvement], either. You only worry about things that you can impact or control."

When considering that one of the rainouts against the Yankees likely cost the Rangers the entirety of the deficit between this year's and last year's ticket sales, as well as the fact that Texas completely turned off many casual fans by dropping out of the playoff race early in the season, it has to be considered a minor marketing miracle that they were even able to draw this many fans to the Ballpark in 2007.

The Rangers' 2008 home schedule has been announced, which has been made available by both the DMN's Pete Aldrich and MLB.com's Drew Davison. Exact game times won't be published until a later date, according to Davison.

T.R. Sullivan has a "Top Ten Outrageous Moments in Rangers History" piece up on his blog, while the Fort Worth Star-Telegram's Anthony Andro breaks down the bests and worsts at RBiA this year.

159 down, 3 to go.

Friday, September 28th Game Preview

Texas Rangers (75-84) at Seattle Mariners (84-74)

Edinson Volquez (2-1, 4.40 ERA) vs. Jeff Weaver (7-13, 6.30 ERA)

9:05 PM CST in Seattle, Washington (Safeco Field)

TV: KDFI/My27 | Radio: KRLD 1080 AM

Rangers Crush Angels In Home Finale, 16-2; Young Reaches 200 Hits

I must admit, I always feel a twinge of sadness and regret whenever late September rolls around, and the Rangers play the last, lonely home game on their schedule. The concept of not seeing baseball being played at the Temple until next April feels like a foreign concept to me at this stage. In fact, it probably won't sink in until sometime next week.

But for all the disappointment that this season has wrought upon our baseball spirits, at least the Rangers can say they went out on a high note in front of their hometown fans.

A really, really high note.

In their final home game of 2007, the Texas Rangers throttled the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim on Wednesday afternoon at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington, 16-2.

The Rangers have wrapped up their home schedule with a 47-34 record, good for a .580 winning percentage. To put that in perspective, the Angels are currently 92-67 overall, equivalent to a .579 winning percentage. Alas, Texas has gone 28-50 on the road, and went 19-35 in April and May, leaving us only to wonder what might have been had things not gone south so quickly during those fateful two months.

But on Wednesday, the Rangers swept all that painful reminiscing under the rug - for one day, at least. A brief shower delayed the first pitch of the game by 31 minutes, but the storm soon passed, and rookie Luis Mendoza took the mound for the third start of his young major league career.

In the meantime, the Texas offense took a page from their mid to late 90's playbooks, and did what they've done best for over a decade: that is, crush the hell out of the baseball. Gerald Laird doubled with one out in the bottom of the 1st inning, and Michael Young followed at his heels with an RBI single to center field - his 198th hit of the season.

Moments later, Sammy Sosa cranked a 1-0 fastball from Angels starter Joe Saunders off the back wall of the Rangers' bullpen in right-center field, putting Texas up 3-0. If Wednesday indeed marked Sammy's last game in Arlington while wearing a Rangers uniform, he could not have put on a more appropriate farewell show for the loyal fans who embraced him so warmly here in Texas this year. Granted, in some cases, perhaps a bit too warmly.

At that point, the rout was on. Nelson Cruz jacked a two-run shot to straightaway center field in the bottom of the 3rd inning, scoring Sosa from first base and giving the Rangers a 5-0 lead. One inning later, Gerald Laird went deep to almost the exact same spot as Cruz with a line drive solo blast, padding the score to 6-0.

To their credit, Anaheim refused to roll over and die. Well, at first anyway. With Vladimir Guerrero and Garret Anderson back in the lineup, the Angels managed to squeeze out a pair of runs against Luis Mendoza in the top of the 5th inning, cutting the deficit to 6-2.

Mendoza had been rolling along to that point, allowing just three singles and a walk during his first four innings of work. However, two walks, two HBPs and a single quickly derailed him during that 5th inning, forcing his exit from the game just one out shy of him qualifying for the win.

But in classic Rangers fashion, the bullpen managed to step up and save the day. John Rheinecker struck out Garret Anderson to escape the bases-loaded jam he inherited from Mendoza, and he proceeded to team up with Frankie Francisco, Scott Feldman and Bill White to pitch 4.1 shutout innings the rest of the way. Altogether, the quartet permitted just three hits and a walk, while striking out three.

Meanwhile, the offense was busy erasing any thoughts that the Angels might have entertained about climbing back into the game. A two-run homer by Travis Metcalf, a two-run triple by Marlon Byrd and a RBI single by Jason Botts keyed a five-run bottom of the 6th inning for Texas, granting them a comfortable 11-2 advantage.

Michael Young, who scored on Byrd's triple, reached base via his 199th hit of the season: a trademark opposite field line drive single to right field. Young was just one hit away from the 200-hit plateau, an achievement which seemed all but unattainable after his horrific April at the plate. At his lowest point, back on May 3rd, Mike was hitting a paltry .192/.211/.308 after 120 AB.

But from May 4th onward into Wednesday afternoon's game, Young was hitting a ridiculous .340/.397/.441. Yet, he was probably looking at just one more at-bat on the afternoon. Just one more opportunity to wrap up his fifth consecutive 200-hit season in front of the home crowd. Just one more chance to reach the once impossible.

And in trademark Michael Young fashion, he would not disappoint. With men on first and second and one out in the bottom of the 7th inning, Young stepped in to the batter's box. Those who were left of the 24,223 fans that were at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington to begin the game rose to their feet, cheering loudly for the face of the franchise to finish what he had started months ago.

On a 2-2 pitch from reliever Marcus Gwyn, Young did exactly that, lacing a hard line drive back through the box into center field. Travis Metcalf easily scored from second base, but the uproarious standing ovation was clearly intended for Young. He stood quietly at first base, humble as always, and only removed his helmet to acknowledge the applause once legendary PA announcer Chuck Morgan came on over the loudspeaker to address the significance of his accomplishment.

With his 3 for 5 day at the plate on Wednesday afternoon, Young became just the third player since 1940 to put together five consecutive 200-hit seasons, joining Wade Boggs (1983-1989) and Ichiro Suzuki (2001-2007) in that distinction. Not only that, but Young is just the second infielder in baseball history to record five consecutive 200-hit seasons, joining the elite company of Hall of Fame second baseman Charlie Gehringer (1933-1937).

Just when it seemed the excitement had died down, Hank Blalock delivered an encore, as he belted a three run shot to dead center field for the Rangers' fifth home run of the day. Texas eventually brought home the 16-2 blowout victory, with some of the Rangers throwing hats and t-shirts to the fans who lingered after the game.

And so, the book has been closed on another season at the Temple. Perhaps one day soon, the time will come when we don't have to say goodbye to the Rangers in late September, and meaningful games will be played in Arlington deep into October. I'm not referring to the Cowboys, either.

You can bet that when that day comes, Michael Young will be ready. I have no doubt in my mind that given the choice, he'd gladly trade in all of those 200-hit seasons for just one taste of the playoffs...

...without even thinking twice about it.

Murray, Wright Dominate Angels In 3-1 Rangers Win

On a warm, balmy evening in Arlington that marked the Texas Rangers' final home night game of the season, rookie left-hander A.J. Murray took the mound for his first major league start.

To say he exceeded the Rangers' expectations would probably be an understatement.

Murray allowed just one run in five innings during the course of his starting debut, and Texas defeated the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim on Tuesday night, 3-1. The Rangers have now won four consecutive games against the Angels dating back to September 2nd in Anaheim, and with Tuesday night's victory, have guaranteed a winning final homestand of the season.

The 25-year-old southpaw was originally set to be held to a 65-70 pitch limit, but his more than impressive outing allowed him to go 73 pitches deep on the night. Murray permitted just five hits and a walk during his five innings of work, with the lone run coming off an Erick Aybar solo home run in the top of the 5th inning. He also struck out four.

Even though A.J's fastball topped out at about 90 MPH, he was able to mix and match his breaking stuff effectively to keep the Angels' lineup off balance - admittedly, a lineup that was missing Vladimir Guerrero and Garett Anderson. But the point still stands:

"I wanted to attack the strike zone and get as deep as I could go," Murray said. "I think I showed them that even with a limited pitch count, I'm capable of going pretty deep into the game. My goal was to get through the fifth."

Murray left the game trailing 1-0, but for a second straight evening, the offense bailed out their rookie starter: Ian Kinsler, who went 3 for 4, led off the bottom of the 6th inning with a laser beam single to left field off of former Ranger great Darren Oliver.

Michael Young, who failed to gain any ground in his quest for 200 hits with an 0 for 3 night at the plate, followed that by hitting a grounder to shortstop Orlando Cabrera, who fired to second base in an attempt to jump start another rally-killing double play. But Kinsler beat Cabrera's throw, and the tying run was on second base with just one out.

Oliver faced Marlon Byrd next, and managed to saw him off with a nasty inside fastball, snapping Marlon's bat into splinters and sending the ball rolling slowly towards the left side of the infield. Third baseman Chone Figgins was unable to do anything with the infield tapper, putting men on first and third with still just one out.

And then, the strangeness began. With a 1-1 count on Hank Blalock, Oliver flinched as he looked in to catcher Jeff Mathis, causing home plate umpire Jeff Nelson to immediately tear off his face mask and call Oliver for a balk. Kinsler trotted home from third base, tying the game at 1-1, while Byrd moved into scoring position.

Blalock proceeded to lace a go-ahead RBI single to right field, earning Oliver a trip to the showers. Right-hander Scot Shields came on, and promptly struck out Jason Botts for the second out of the inning.

But with David Murphy at the plate, Blalock stole second for just his fourth steal of the year, and Murphy sent him racing around third base moments later with a single to right field. Murphy was tagged out between first and second base, but not before Blalock crossed home plate, giving the Rangers a 3-1 lead.

That was all Texas would need. Veteran right-hander Jamey Wright fired four brilliant shutout innings in relief of A.J. Murray to bring home the win, allowing just a pair of singles and no walks while racking up two strikeouts.

Not including his dominant outing tonight, the 32-year-old Wright has a 2.36 ERA in 26.2 relief innings out of the Texas bullpen this year, and has held opposing batters to a puny .208/.296/.281 line. When factoring in Tuesday night's effort, his relief ERA falls to 2.05 in 30.2 innings, with a WHIP of just 1.08. That, my friends, is sick.

While I was a huge critic of Wright early in the season (even going so far as to compare him to former Rangers spare, Pedro Astacio), the difference between his work as a starting pitcher and a reliever this year has been like night and day.

I don't know if something has finally clicked for him or what, and I can't believe I'm saying this, but it wouldn't break my heart to see the Rangers bring him back next year as a long reliever. Especially if, as suggested on The Ticket's "Diamond Talk" Rangers post-game show tonight, Kameron Loe is dealt this winter.

In any event, Jamey's strong performance earned him not only the win, but a pie to the face at the hands of an unknown assailant as he was interviewed by FSN reporter Jim Knox on the field following the game. Speaking of tonight's television presentation, I'd like to thank Josh Lewin for passing on his experiences of selling his pet cockatiel on Craigslist during the top of the 7th inning. What an unexpected treat that was.

MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan reports that Vicente Padilla will play winter ball for his native Chinandega, Nicaragua team. Apparently, it's quite rare for a player with such a large contract as Padilla's to play in the winter leagues, due to the additional injury risks:

The Rangers learned their lesson in 1997 when former Ranger Juan Gonzalez, who played for his native Puerto Rican team, tore his left thumb ligament and missed all of Spring Training and the first six weeks of the '97 season. The Rangers also asked former catcher Ivan Rodriguez to refrain from playing for his native Puerto Rican team.

Courtesy of Sullivan, here are the other Rangers who are currently scheduled to play winter ball:

OF Nelson Cruz (Gigantes, Dominican Republic), RHP Robinson Tejeda (Aguilas, D.R.), IF Joaquin Arias, RHP Edinson Volquez (Estellas, D.R.), RHP (Azucereros, D.R.), RHP Scott Feldman (Obregon, Mexico), RHP Omar Beltre (Azucereros, D.R.), RHP Joaquin Benoit (Aguilas, D.R.), RHP Frank Francisco (Licey, D.R.), LHP Bill White (La Romana, D.R.), OF Jason Botts (Obregon, Mexico), OF Marlon Byrd (Mazatlan, Mexico) and OF Freddy Guzman (Escogido, D.R.).

Brandon McCarthy's status for his scheduled start on Sunday in Seattle remains unknown, as he continues to battle inflammation in his right forearm. There's no word on whether the soreness in his arm has improved during the last 24 hours, so the possibility remains that Vicente Padilla or Armando Galarraga could make the start in McCarthy's place.

Evan Grant's latest "Inside the Rangers" newsletter is up on the Dallas Morning News website, which includes the results of his informal poll for the Rangers' 2007 MVP. Not surprisingly, Michael Young was the winner with 16 of 49 votes. Of course, Sammy Sosa and Chuck Morgan each got votes as well, so I wouldn't take this poll too seriously.

Grant also touches on Blake Beavan's estimated time of arrival in Arlington, the possibility of trading Padilla, and the idea of bringing Kevin Mench back. There's also thoughts on prospects Taylor Teagarden, Matt Harrison and Chris Davis (who Grant thinks will end up at first base), as well as an interesting defense of Ron Washington in the wake of his recent "GM-like comments" to the media. Definitely worth checking out.

According to one of Grant's sources with inside knowledge of the Rangers' yet to be finalized 2008 schedule, Texas will begin next season in Seattle - the seventh time in eight years that the club has started their season on the road. In addition, the Rangers' home opener is tentatively scheduled for April 8th against Baltimore.

As far as the interleague schedule goes, Texas will play their customary six games against the Astros, with three in Houston and three in Arlington. However, the Braves and Phillies will also make a trip to the Temple, with the Rangers going on the road against the Nationals and Mets.

It'll mark the first time Texas has ever played in Shea Stadium, and with Washington's new stadium set to be finished by Opening Day '08, it'll also mark the Rangers' first ever trip to that ballpark as well.

And finally, Sammy Sosa is expected to get the start for Wednesday's home finale. Even though Ron Washington has gone on record in saying that he'd like to have Sosa back next year, Evan Grant simultaneously brings a frightening note to light: Sosa's .222/.268/.413 line against right-handers ranks 99th out of 120 AL players with at least 250 plate appearances against RHP.

Happy trails in advance, Sammy.

Wednesday, September 26th Game Preview

Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (92-66) at Texas Rangers (74-84)

Joe Saunders (8-4, 4.05 ERA) vs. Luis Mendoza (1-0, 1.93 ERA)

1:05 PM CST in Arlington, Texas (Rangers Ballpark in Arlington)

TV: KDFW/FOX 4 | Radio: KRLD 1080 AM

Young Helps Power Texas To Narrow 8-7 Victory

Welcome to the big leagues, Armando.

Rookie right-hander Armando Galarraga struggled in his first major league start, but the Rangers rallied in support of their starter, and Texas held on for a narrow 8-7 victory over the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim on Monday night in Arlington.

Galarraga made the start in place of fellow Venezuelan native Vicente Padilla, who's currently in the midst of serving a seven game suspension for his part in September 16th's brawl at McAfee Coliseum in Oakland.

The 6'4" right-hander's arsenal consisted of three primary pitches: a solid low-90's fastball that touched 93 MPH at times, a hard-breaking mid-80's slider, and a decent changeup. With 22,881 fans looking on, Galarraga commenced with his first major league start.

And for a while, things could not have gone much better. Despite walking three batters in his first four innings of work, Galarraga did not allow a hit during those four innings, and managed to rack up three strikeouts in the process.

Meanwhile, the Texas offense staked their young starter to an early lead: Michael Young, who came into the game just five hits away from the 200-hit mark for the year, laced an RBI single through the middle in the bottom of the 1st inning, scoring Gerald Laird after his one out double. Two innings later, Young struck again, as he crushed a three run blast beyond the 400' center field marker onto Greene's Hill. Just like that, Armando and the Rangers were up 4-0.

Alas, the wheels finally fell off for the 25-year-old Galarraga in the top of the 5th inning. He issued a lead-off five pitch walk to Juan Rivera, gave up a single to Maicer Izturis, and surrendered an RBI double to Howie Kendrick. Galarraga struck out catcher Mike Napoli, and got Chone Figgins to hit into an RBI sacrifice fly, but Orlando Cabrera dumped an RBI single into left field, bringing Casey Kotchman to the plate with two outs and a man on first base in a close 4-3 game.

According to the DMN's Evan Grant, manager Ron Washington decided to let Galarraga face one more batter, in an attempt to get the final out required to qualify for what might be his first major league win. Instead, Kotchman launched a hanging 85 MPH slider into the second row of seats in the right field lower home run porch. After 87 pitches, Galarraga's night was done, and he was suddenly on the hook for the loss.

Nonetheless, the Rangers are impressed with Galarraga's performance, especially when taking into account the fact that he has not started a game since August 12th at Double-A Frisco:

"I was very pleased tonight," pitching coach Mark Connor said. "He got a little bit tired, his pitch selection wasn't good in the fifth. I'm not going to fault him in the fifth inning because of what he did in the first four. It was nice to see him pitch, I haven't seen him pitch [besides] in Spring Training. I don't see fear in him, it's been a pleasant surprise."

Ron Washington noted after the game that Galarraga relied a bit too much on his off-speed stuff, and attributed his fifth inning meltdown to throwing too many fastballs up in the strike zone, something which will kill even the best pitchers. Galarraga will likely make one final start in Seattle, and could be on the brink of earning himself a "significant look" next spring.

Texas trailed 5-4 going into the bottom of the 5th inning, but that would not last for long. Gerald Laird led off the inning with a triple off the right-center field wall; two batters later, Marlon Byrd launched a two run blast into the left field seats, putting the Rangers back on top by a 6-5 margin.

Third baseman Travis Metcalf added to the lead with a one out RBI single in the bottom of the 6th inning, scoring Jarrod Saltalamacchia moments after he collected his first big league triple. Nelson Cruz capped the Rangers' scoring for the night with a two out RBI single in the bottom of the 7th inning, extending his hitting streak to five games.

Of course, it just wouldn't be a Rangers game without some late-inning drama being added to the mix: right-hander Mike Wood coughed up a two run double to Juan Rivera in the top of the 8th inning, cutting the Rangers' lead to just 8-7. But Wood weathered the storm, and Wes Littleton pitched a perfect ninth inning for his third big league save. Very, very nicely done.

T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com reports that Hank Blalock will not play third base again this season, due to ongoing inflammation in the flexor tendon muscle in his right elbow:

"If I did play, it would be the last game of the season and it wouldn't be worth it," Blalock said before Monday's game with the Angels. "I'd rather get all the pain and discomfort out and go into the offseason knowing my elbow is fine, and then come back strong in Spring Training."

Blalock has not played third base since May 16th, three days before he was placed on the 60-day disabled list in anticipation of the Thoracic Outlet Syndrome surgical procedure on his right shoulder. He's been limited to the DH role since his activation from the disabled list on September 1st, and barring a miraculous recovery during the next few days, we won't see Hank playing third base again until Opening Day '08.

The Rangers and hitting coach Rudy Jaramillo are not even remotely close to getting a contract extension done, despite the fact that his current three-year deal expires on October 31st. Preliminary discussions on a possible extension began nearly a month ago, but little headway has been made on either side since then. It appears likely that Jaramillo will shop around his services a bit before coming to any kind of decision, unless Texas makes him an offer that he simply can't refuse.

I've only met Rudy once, which was during an "Autograph Wednesday" promotion several years back at the Ballpark. Unfortunately, I didn't really get a chance to talk to him, seeing as how the line was already no less than fifty people deep when I took my place in it.

Of course, it was a typical midsummer afternoon in Arlington, with the thermometer probably pushing at least 95 degrees at the time - and though the main concourse provides plenty of shade, there's not exactly a crisp breeze down there. Rudy was seated at a table with a security guard by his side, and looked exceedingly crabby; just a hunch, but I don't think he's a big fan of signing autographs. Or maybe he just hates hot weather, I don't know.

Right-hander Brandon McCarthy is still hoping to make one final start in Seattle before season's end, but that idea could be quickly axed if the inflammation in his right forearm doesn't improve rapidly:

"Right now that's the plan," McCarthy said. "As the week goes on, we'll see how it feels. If this was a pennant race, I could throw with it. We're just being very cautious and not doing anything crazy."

Should McCarthy be unable to go in Seattle (which seems fairly likely), Vicente Padilla could make the start in his place. It might provide Padilla one final chance to impress the organization going into the off-season - or if things go badly, give them one more reason to try and unload his bulky contract this winter. Stay tuned.

Reliever Scott Feldman, who has been sidelined since September 9th with a bone bruise in his right knee, plans to join the Fall Instructional League action out in Surprise, Arizona once the season comes to a close. Feldman is working on a new three-quarters delivery, which has added velocity to his pitching repertoire. He can use everything he can get.

Jarrod Saltalamacchia had originally planned to travel to Surprise along with Feldman to work on his catching skills, but his wife, Ashley, is having a difficult pregnancy, meaning he may not make a cameo appearance in Arizona after all.

Hopefully, that doesn't invoke a similar reaction from Ron Washington to that of former manager Buck Showalter, who placed Gerald Laird firmly into his doghouse after his refusal to play winter ball following the 2004 season.

We're nearly there, folks, just hang in there. It'll all be over soon enough.

Tuesday, September 25th Game Preview

Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (92-65) at Texas Rangers (73-84)

Dustin Moseley (4-3, 4.60 ERA) vs. A.J. Murray (1-1, 5.29 ERA)

7:05 PM CST in Arlington, Texas (Rangers Ballpark in Arlington)

TV: FSNSW | Radio: KRLD 1080 AM