MJH on accountability
I've got nothing.
Texas has now lost four games in a row, and sit at 15-26. With Anaheim leading 6-3 over Seattle, Texas will likely be 8.5 games back by the end of the night.
As of May 17th, 2007, I'm declaring the Rangers, and their season, officially dead.
P.S. - Willie Eyre sucks.
2 Comments | in The Season Devil Rays 4, Rangers 3
If the Texas Rangers aren't finished yet, they're as close to it as they can possibly be.
Texas dropped their series opener against Tampa Bay last night, at Disney's Wide World of Sports Complex in Orlando. It's the first major league game ever played at the ballpark.
If there was a bright spot in last night's game, it was Brandon McCarthy putting together yet another solid start. McCarthy surrendered three runs on six hits and three walks in six innings, while striking out seven Devil Rays. That's still too many baserunners to be allowing, but this is much better than getting knocked out of the game in the 2nd or 3rd inning.
The Rangers' offense, unfortunately, is still sputtering. Three runs is not enough if you hope to consistently win games, even against a traditionally bad team like Tampa Bay (who, incidentally, now has a better record than the Rangers). And Scott Feldman came into a tie game in the bottom of the 9th inning, promptly giving up a walk, a single, an intentional walk, and a walkoff RBI single. If it's not one thing killing this team, it's another.
Brad Wilkerson, who had an .824 OPS and seemed to be coming around a bit offensively, pulled his right hamstring in the 5th inning of Tuesday night's game. Manager Ron Washington says it was a "bad" hamstring pull, which makes it sound like Wilkerson is headed to the disabled list. If I had to guess, Marlon Byrd will get the callup from Oklahoma City in his place.
The Rangers are wisely deciding to send Frank Catalanotto on a four-game rehab assignment that would put his activation date from the disabled list on Monday in Arlington. Hopefully, this plan isn't altered by the Wilkerson injury - Catalanotto needs to get his swing right, or he won't be any use to this team.
Kevin Millwood was predictably placed on the disabled list on with a strained left hamstring on Tuesday, as well as a surprise pitcher - Ron Mahay, who has a strained rib cage muscle. Apparently, Millwood's latest injury is not a re-aggravation of the earlier hamstring pull, but is lower in the muscle. Things don't sound real optimistic for Millwood coming off the disabled list after 15 days. A.J. Murray and Scott Feldman were called up to take their places, and well, we already know what happened with Feldman.
And finally, Willie Eyre is starting Saturday's game in Houston. He's made 66 career minor league starts, but this would be his first major league start. Perhaps he'll have a fluke start like Mike Wood did against the Yankees in the doubleheader in Arlington, but it's much more likely we'll get spared to death.
Wednesday, May 16th Game Preview
Texas Rangers (15-24) at Tampa Bay Devil Rays (16-22)
Vicente Padilla (1-5, 4.78 ERA) vs. Casey Fossum (2-3, 7.43 ERA)
6:10 PM CST in Orlando, Florida (The Ballpark at Disney's Wide World of Sports Complex)
TV: FSNSW | Radio: KRLD 1080 AM
MVN's latest power rankings are out, with the Rangers clocking in at #26.
2 Comments | in The Season I�m not going to pull any punches�this team is bad. Really bad. The only question now is how to rebuild this team. With the topic already being thrown around in the middle of May, rebuilding seems like the one thing that could make this season interesting for the rest of the season. I�ve already covered who I think should be traded in a previous article.
The only Rangers-related trade rumor I have seen floating around in the last few days is that the Padres may need a third baseman and may be interested in Mike Lowell of the Red Sox, Troy Glaus of the Blue Jays and Hank Blalock of your Texas Rangers. San Diego doesn�t seem to have much on the farm except an over-achieving CF in Cedric Hunter that spent last season in the Arizona Rookie League (Hunter is now in Low-A ball), and a LF with great tools in Will Venable who is a 24-year old that has just made it to AA this season. Of course, maybe we should be gun shy about approaching another trade with the Padres. The last trade we made with the Friars isn�t working out so well. Both Glaus and Lowell are performing very well so far this season, and Blalock actually has respectable numbers.
The real question here is not whether the Rangers should blow it up and start over, the question is�are Jon Daniels and Ron Washington the right people to head the reconstruction effort? Rebuilding a team is only as successful the initial trades made in the rebuilding effort. Jon Daniels definitely has a hit-and-miss record in his short tenure as the General Manager and Ron Washington has just gotten his feet wet as a Major League manager. Could Daniels maximize value in trades involving Mark Teixeira, Hank Blalock, Akinori Otsuka and others? Can the scouting department finally find some gems that are attainable in trades?
I�m not sure that Daniels is the right person to lead the rebuild, but I�m not sure the Rangers have a better option. The Amateur draft is just a little over three weeks away and the prep work and scouting is well underway. Washington on the other hand, might be the perfect manager to lead a bunch of kids and develop them. Washington seems to have a nurturing personality that might lend itself well to continue the effort to change the culture of this team. Regardless, as the interest in this season fades, the interest for die-hard Ranger fans, should just be beginning.
5 Comments | in The Season Angels 7, Rangers 2
Rangers' ace Kevin Millwood was on a 90-pitch limit for today's start against the Angels. Manager Ron Washington was hoping for six or seven innings.
What he got out of his #1 starter was just 45 pitches and 1 2/3 innings. Yep, that's the 2007 Texas Rangers for ya.
Millwood slipped on the mound as he made his 4th pitch of the game, re-injuring the left hamstring which put him out of action for 16 days. I went back and watched the pitch in question on MLB.TV, and he clearly loses his balance after making his delivery. He attempted to shorten his stride, but it didn't work: Kevin ended up walking the leadoff hitter Reggie Willits and gave up a single to Orlando Cabrera.
Vlad then hit a chopper to Ian Kinsler, who tagged out Cabrera but bobbled the ball while trying to throw out Vlad. Even though he wasn't charged with an error on the play, Ian's defensive miscue would prove very costly, as this put men on the corners with only one out instead of a man on third with two outs. Gary Matthews Jr. drew a walk, Casey Kotchman belted a grand slam, and the Rangers' fate was sealed. Granted, Millwood would have eventually come out anyway, but at least the damage could have been limited on the scoreboard.
Millwood's leg was wrapped between innings, and he retired the first two Angels in the 2nd inning. But after giving up a walk and a single, trainer Jamie Reed and pitching coach Mark Connor had seen enough, and came out to get him. Willie Eyre came on in relief and retired Vlad for the final out of the inning, and for a short while it looked like Texas might be able to stay in the game. Unfortunately, Willie Eyre's downfall is that he's not a very good pitcher, and Anaheim tacked on three more in the next inning to make it 7-0. At that point, the game was essentially over.
So what happens next? There's no official statement from the club on the matter, but I'd have to imagine Millwood will end up back on the disabled list. Kevin's next start would have been on Saturday in Houston, so the Rangers will likely add a reliever in the meantime - probably Wes Littleton.
Should Millwood be unable to start, John Koronka or Bruce Chen would be the most likely replacements, since we've seen by now that Mike Wood doesn't have a whole lot to offer. Koronka is 3-3 with a 5.40 ERA in his eight starts at Oklahoma City, while Chen is 1-1 with a 4.15 ERA in three starts. As much as I want to root for "JoKor," he's giving up way too many baserunners right now. While neither one is all that attractive of an option, I'd probably lean towards Chen.
Brad Wilkerson and Hank Blalock both had nice days at the plate, with each belting a solo, albeit meaningless, home run. They've quietly put their OPSes over the .800 mark, which isn't too bad.
Robinson Tejeda's next start has been pushed back to Friday in Houston, in what's becoming yet another disturbing storyline out of Arlington. Tejeda originally had soreness in his left hamstring (sound familiar?) and right forearm following last Wednesday's start against the Yankees, but two days later said he would be ready to start in today's game.
Sometime Sunday, Tejeda complained of pain again in his forearm, but then was fine again while fooling around in the clubhouse before today's game. At some point in there, Connor and Washington said "forget it" and moved everybody in the rotation up one day to let Tejeda start on Friday.
Frank Catalanotto is expected to return from the disabled list on Tuesday and DH, but then will be limited to pinch hitting duties off the bench for the next four to five games after that, due to facing two left-handers in Tampa Bay and having no DH in the Houston series. Catalanotto faced live pitching in Frisco on Saturday night, and here's what he had to say:
"The pitcher was throwing it at 88 [mph] and it looked like 110 [mph] to me," said Catalanotto, who went 0-for-4. "My timing was off. That's what I have to work on."
The fact that Frank sounds like he was totally overmatched by AA pitching does not bode well for the Rangers, and sitting him on the bench for a string of games is no way to get him back into a rhythm, either.
With Catalanotto's return, Texas will have to make some roster adjustments. Victor Diaz, who has hit .211/.211/.421 in his 19 ABs, is probably the most likely candidate to head back to the minors. However, Nelson Cruz is hitting just .185/.250/.261 in 92 ABs, and went 0 for 4 today in the wake of his walkoff home run on Mother's Day, so his job isn't exactly safe, either.
Something else worth considering: Jerry Hairston Jr.'s hitting just .227/.286/.341, and the need for his positional flexibility is lessened with Matt Kata on the roster. Marlon Byrd is a possibility to platoon with Kenny Lofton; Byrd's hitting .359/.429/.550 in Oklahoma City, and Jason Botts has a .907 OPS in May after a terrible April. Of course, this organization doesn't seem to be interested in giving Botts an opportunity...
With the Rangers going just 2-5 in this critical seven game stretch against the Yankees and Angels, Texas is now 15-23 on the year and 6.5 games back. As if right on queue, Tim Cowlishaw has an article out tonight bemoaning the 2007 Texas Rangers. This line pretty much says it all:
The Rangers are hopeless.
I hate to say it, but you might be right Tim.
1 Comment | in The Season Kevin Millwood has been removed from his start this afternoon against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim after just 1 2/3 innings. Eric Nadel and Victor Rojas are guessing it's his left hamstring flaring up again, which put him on the disabled list in the first place. Millwood was down 4-0 after a first inning Casey Kotchman grand slam, and had runners on 1st and 2nd with two outs when he was taken out.
Willie Eyre has been brought into the game, and forced Vladimir Guerrero to pop out to end Anaheim's 2nd inning scoring threat. Stay tuned for updates; this is obviously not a good development.
UPDATE: The radio guys just confirmed that Millwood has re-aggravated his left hamstring. No word yet on the severity. With Mike Wood's recent struggles, Bruce Chen or John Koronka are the most likely replacements should Millwood require another stint on the disabled list.
3 Comments | in NEWSFLASH, The Season Rangers 7, Angels 6
Nelson Cruz couldn't have picked a better time for his first home run of the year.
With one swing of the bat, the 26-year-old Cruz ended the Rangers' 0-5 slide against the Angels this year, with a majestic opposite field blast on an 0-1 pitch from Scot Shields in the bottom of the 9th inning on Sunday afternoon. One of the biggest criticisms of Cruz this season has been that he can't handle offspeed pitches - he certainly handled Shields' 81 MPH pitch on the outer half of the plate.
Josh Lewin had been explaining moments before the "Cruz Missile" struck that Nelson's mother and grandmother were in the stands, and how he wanted to please them on Mother's Day. It may be one of the first times Lewin has ever had good timing in saying something. Cruz's home run marked Texas's first walkoff win since May 25th, 2006, when the recently retired Phil Nevin hit a walkoff home run to dead center field off closer Huston Street. As you may recall, the Rangers trailed 7-0 in that game after five innings.
Of course, this game didn't look like it would end well for a while. Mike Wood was hit hard for his second straight time out, surrendering five runs (four of them earned) on seven hits and a walk in just four innings of work. The crushing stat was his three home runs allowed - a two-run shot to Gary Matthews Jr. in the 1st inning, and then back-to-back shots to Shea Hillenbrand and Mike Napoli in the 4th. Kevin Millwood returns to the rotation for today's game, so Wood's headed back to Oklahoma City.
Ian Kinsler hit a huge home run in the 3rd inning to tie the game at 2-2, his first since April 29th in Toronto. He had been in a 1 for 25 slump, with his OPS dropping 200 points during that timeframe. Mark Teixeira chipped in with an RBI double later in the inning, but the lead would be short lived after Anaheim's back-to-back home runs. Hank Blalock tied the game again in the 4th with a mighty blast into the right field seats, while GMJ and Brad Wilkerson traded two-run blasts in the 5th and 6th innings, respectively.
It certainly seemed like Joaquin Benoit would melt down in the 7th inning. After allowing a leadoff double to Vlad, Benoit drilled GMJ in the side with a fastball, prompting a verbal exchange between the former teammates. After getting an earful from Ron Washington, Benoit gave up a single to Casey Kotchman, loading the bases. In one of the most clutch performances of Benoit's career, he induced Erick Aybar and Hillenbrand into popouts, and Napoli into a groundout to escape the threat. Sure, they're not exactly world beaters, but still an impressive escape.
Hector Carrasco came in to begin the bottom of the 7th inning, and promptly hit Ian Kinsler in the head. Home plate umpire Alfonso Marquez immediately ejected him from the game, while Mike Scioscia came barreling out of Anaheim's dugout to protest; he would be ejected several minutes later as well.
First of all, I don't think there was intent by Carrasco to hit Kinsler, because it was a relatively harmless breaking ball which glanced off of Kinsler's helmet. If old Hector wanted to retaliate, he would have stuck a fastball in Kinsler's side. Secondly, the reason why Carrasco was immediately ejected after the Kinsler HBP, according to Alfonso Marquez, was because it was a pitch that hit him in the head - it had nothing to do with the type of pitch, and if it had hit Kinsler anywhere else, Carrasco would have been allowed to stay in the game, with merely a warning sent to both dugouts.
I can see Marquez's logic here, but after taking off my Rangers blinders, I don't really think Carrasco needed to be ejected. And I can sort of see why Scioscia was so angry, because there was never a warning issued to the teams after Matthews was hit. There's kind of a jump in the level of discipline there.
Joaquin Benoit blamed using the "wrong grip" on the fastball which nailed Matthews, but I'm not sure I buy that. Sure, two men on base is obviously worse than just one, but you have to remember that GMJ had already hammered two home runs earlier in the game. Also, first base was open, and putting Gary on base set up a possible double play. Benoit may have decided to pitch around Gary, but said "screw it" and instead saved on his pitch count by putting the first pitch in GMJ's side.
It's not exactly behavior worth condoning from a guy who already doesn't have the best reputation around baseball. Given the hostility between the Angels and Rangers stemming back to last season, today's series finale should be very interesting.
Will Sunday's dramatic walkoff win spark this team into playing better, more consistent baseball? Somehow, I doubt it.
But I can dream.
Monday, May 14th Game Preview
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (21-17) at Texas Rangers (15-22)
Jered Weaver (1-3, 4.26 ERA) vs. Kevin Millwood (2-3, 5.88 ERA)
1:05 PM CST in Arlington, Texas (Rangers Ballpark in Arlington)
TV: KDFI/My27 | Radio: KRLD 1080 AM
2 Comments | in The Season The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim lead the Rangers 5-0 right now.
In the second inning.
Kameron Loe's got a big bag of nothing, Nelson Cruz made a very costly error and Bartolo Colon will probably shut us out.
I'm ready to face facts: this team doesn't have "it." This team, as presently constructed, is going absolutely nowhere.
I'm still convinced the Rangers have the talent to win this division. But they're obviously not interested in unlocking that potential.
I'm absolutely furious. Looks like the biggest thing the Metroplex will have to look forward to this summer is Cowboys training camp.
3 Comments | in The Season Rangers 14, Yankees 2
Unfortunately, I don't have a lot of time to make this update with, but there's a few notes that bear mentioning.
Great win yesterday afternoon, and one which snapped an eight game losing streak to the Yankees dating back to 2006. Brandon McCarthy was effective, surrendering just one run in 5.1 innings, and threw more breaking stuff than he did in his last start against Toronto. He's now 2-0 with a 1.59 ERA in his two May starts, so there's definitely signs of him turning the corner.
The offense came to life in the last five innings of the game, scoring 13 runs in that timespan. Leading the way was Mark Teixeira, who went 4 for 5 with three doubles. His red hot bat has risen his OPS to a respectable .845. Sammy Sosa and Gerald Laird also chipped in with three hits apiece, and Victor Diaz put the game away with a pinch-hit grand slam in the 8th inning. Very, very nice, and hopefully things continue to improve.
Robinson Tejeda's next scheduled start will be pushed back at least one day, as the right-hander struggled mightily on Wednesday night in the Bronx, surrendering 6 runs in just 3.2 innings. Even though he hit 98 MPH later in his outing, Tejeda said "I don't know" when asked if he was healthy or not. Kevin Millwood will probably make Robinson's scheduled start on Monday, and Tejeda could be pushed back all the way to next Friday.
Michael Young is available for tonight's series opener against the Angels, after missing Thursday's game with a sore hamstring. It was the first game Young had not played in since June 23rd, 2005, when he was attending the birth of his son, Mateo.
The next four games are a huge test for the Texas Rangers. A split is absolutely necessary, and a series win would be a major step in the right direction.
Vladimir Guerrero has a lifetime 1.297 OPS in Arlington, and 1.300 OPS against the Rangers total. Can we please try not pitching to this guy for once?
Friday, May 11th Game Preview
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim at Texas Rangers
John Lackey (4-3, 2.60 ERA) vs. Vicente Padilla (1-4, 4.93 ERA)
7:05 PM CST in Arlington, Texas (Rangers Ballpark in Arlington)
TV: FSNSW | Radio: KRLD 1080 AM
1 Comment | in The Season Sorry for the sporadic updates, finals week is always rough.
Then again, it's not like there's been much good to write about the Rangers the last two days.
Michael Young's sore hamstring has him on the bench for today's game, so Bad Brad is batting second, with Matt Kata at SS.
Please, somebody, let us win a game.
Thursday, May 10th Game Preview
Texas Rangers ( 13-20 ) at New York Yankees ( 16-16 )
Brandon McCarthy ( 2-4, 7.96 ) vs. Chien Ming Wang ( 1-2, 3.98 )
12:05 PM CST in New York, New York ( Yankee Stadium )
TV: KDFI/My27 | Radio: KRLD 1080 AM
Post a Comment | in The Season Sitting here in my living room, watching yet another painful start to a Rangers game, I realized something: this team can't win on the road.
Texas is 9-7 at home this year, but just 4-12 on the road. You can put this team in the oven and call them done if they don't figure out how to start winning games outside of the friendly confines of Rangers Ballpark in Arlington.
In other news, Robinson Tejeda has yet to record an out here in the first inning, with the score 3-0 in favor of the Yankees. It's beginning to look like once again, the brief glimpse of hope that this team showed against the Blue Jays has been shattered upon the jagged rocks of reality.
7 Comments | in The Season The Rangers open up a big three game series against the New York Yankees tonight in the Bronx, as they begin playing a string of sixteen consecutive games. With Texas headed back to Arlington to face Anaheim for four games starting Friday, this is really a make-it-or-break-it stretch for the Rangers. That being said, here's a few Rangers notes floating around before tonight's first pitch:
MVN's latest power rankings are out, with the Rangers clocking in at #28, a drop of two spots from last week. Hopefully Texas can reverse that trend soon...
Tuesday, May 8th Game Preview
Texas Rangers ( 13-18 ) at New York Yankees ( 14-16 )
Mike Wood ( 0-0, 3.12 ERA ) vs. Andy Pettitte ( 1-1, 3.00 ERA )
6:05 PM CST in New York, New York ( Yankee Stadium )
TV: FSNSW | Radio: KRLD 1080 AM
Post a Comment | in The Season Just when it seemed like the Texas Rangers were dead in the water, they came springing back to life.
Texas pulled off a very impressive sweep of the Toronto Blue Jays this weekend, with their most dazzling sustained performance over three consecutive games that we've seen yet. Everything that seemed to plague this team through 28 games vanished in this series. But have the Rangers actually turned the corner, or is this yet another tantalizing mirage?
One thing is for sure: the starting pitching delivered, and in a big way. Here's a quick rundown of the weekend's pitching performances:
Brandon McCarthy (6 IP, 1 ER, 2 H, 4 BB, 1 K, 1 HR) - After not going deeper than three innings in his last three starts, McCarthy came through with a huge performance in Friday night's 7-1 win. By his own admission, Brandon was a "one-pitch pitcher," throwing mostly fastballs. He struggled with the command on his changeup and curveball, but his fastball velocity looked better than it has recently, ranging from 90-93 MPH. He threw more "mistake" pitches up in the strike zone than you'd like to see, though, and he came dangerously close to imploding in the 4th inning with two leadoff walks. Still, it's a step in the right direction for the guy who was starting to become known as "the guy we traded John Danks for."
Vicente Padilla (7 IP, 1 ER, 6 H, 1 BB, 3 K, 0 HR) - Padilla picked up his first win of the season in Saturday night's 11-4 win. Things didn't begin well, as he gave up a first inning run on a Frank Thomas RBI double. However, Padilla settled down to have a fine start, recording 12 consecutive outs at one point. Vicente's command was excellent and his velocity looked good - hopefully, we can expect Padilla's ERA to keep dropping after his best start of the season.
Kameron Loe (6.2 IP, 1 ER, 3 H, 1 BB, 6 K, 1 HR) - After giving up 13 ER in his last 9.1 IP, the "Snake" turned in a brilliant start in Sunday's 3-2 win. His sinker was devastating, allowing him to record a new career high of six strikeouts. Perhaps the most memorable moment from his start came in the 7th inning with two on and nobody out, and Texas up by just one run. Ron Washington came out to the mound with, but ended up leaving Kameron in the game. Ron's bid of confidence paid off, as Loe induced a classic ground ball double play from Lyle Overbay. Frankie Francisco came in to record the final out of the inning.
Unfortunately, Joaquin Benoit picked up the win after blowing the 2-1 lead in the 8th inning, but I doubt Kameron's too upset. With Jamey Wright still lurking in the shadows, Loe needs more starts like this one if he wants to lock in his rotation spot for good.
Just as big of a story as the great pitching was the Rangers' offensive success this weekend, which was mostly fueled by two of the team's worst underachievers thus far, Michael Young and Mark Teixeira. Tex went 6 for 12 with three doubles, one HR, three runs scored and five RBI, while Young went 8 for 13 with one double, two HR, six runs scored and six RBI. Very encouraging signs, and we can only hope this means they're back to stay.
Texas roughed up Tomo Ohka and Roy Halladay badly, with Halladay's downfall coming during a six run 3rd inning in Saturday night's game. It would end up being one of the worst starts of Halladay's career, with his final pitching line showing 9 ER in just 5.1 IP. His career ERA in Arlington now sits at an even 7.00 in 54 IP; between this and Kevin Mench's line drive that ended his season in 2005, I don't think Doc Halladay likes coming to Texas very much.
A.J. Burnett was solid on Sunday, striking out nine and allowing just 3 ER in 7.2 IP. But Kameron Loe kept the Rangers in the game, and Michael Young landed the death blow on Burnett with one out in the 8th inning, as he launched an opposite field solo HR that would prove to be the eventual game-winner. Clutch? I'd say so.
What was the inspiration for this huge sweep? It may be the players-only team meeting before Friday night's batting practice, which lasted about 20 minutes. Few details have been released about what was discussed, but one of the main topics was focusing on not pressing too hard. Toronto's announcers said that the two leaders of the meeting were Sammy Sosa and Michael Young.
Per Jamey Newberg, the Rangers have named Eric Hurley (3-0, 1.50 ERA, .219 BAA, 23 to 4 K/BB) and Johnny Whittleman (.343/.447/.586, 3 HR, 12 RBI) as the organization's minor league pitcher and player of the month for April.
Roger Clemens announced that he was returning to the New York Yankees during Sunday afternoon's game at Yankee Stadium. Remember when he was flirting with Tom Hicks and the Rangers?
Kevin Sherrington of the Dallas Morning News is disgusted with the small crowds at the Ballpark this weekend, as the announced attendance on Sunday was just 19,103. You can't really blame the fans, either: if or when the Rangers climb over the .500 plateau and show that they're ready to make a run at the AL West, attendance figures will climb. The organization can rebrand their stadium, use different marketing campaigns and introduce more attractive ticket packages, but the only thing that will bring a long-term increase in attendance is winning. It's that simple.
Even though the Rangers have looked incredibly sharp over the last three games, only time will tell if this rebirth is for real. If it is, we're going to have an exciting summer of baseball after all. But if it's not...well, I don't even want to think about that.
Post a Comment | in The Season Per Jamey Newberg, the Texas Rangers have placed Kevin Millwood on the 15-day disabled list, retroactive to April 29th, due to his strained left hamstring which caused him to miss his start in Thursday's doubleheader. Taking Millwood's roster spot is reliever Wes Littleton, who has a 4.61 ERA and 1.17 WHIP in 13.2 innings at AAA Oklahoma City.
Given Kevin's struggles in his last three starts (15 ER in 16.2 IP), this may not be such a bad thing. Mike Wood will take Millwood's rotation spot during his absence.
The Dallas Mavericks lost Game 6 last night in the 1st round of the NBA playoffs. The loss was a historic one as it was the first time a number one seed had been upset by a number eight seed in a seven game series? So why am I writing about the Mavs on a blog about the Rangers? I believe that these teams have a lot in common. Yes, I understand that the Mavs have been to the playoffs for the last few years, and even the NBA finals last year. Yes, the Rangers haven�t been to the playoffs since 1999, but these teams are facing the same questions and I think the answers are the same.
The Mavericks are a team that have gone as far as they are going to go. They are a team on the decline. With several players that won�t play defense, the team with the NBA�s best record needs to trade several of their key players in order to win an NBA championship.
The Rangers haven�t had near the success of the Mavericks, but they are in the same position. The Rangers have built a team around a core set of players like Mark Teixeira, Hank Blalock and Michael Young, but the team and it�s individual players have only declined in their performance in the last few years. As the Mavs should strongly consider trading Dirk Nowitzki in the off-season, the Rangers need to consider trading their key players. This team has a culture of losing, and even the hiring of the inspirational, yes-man, Ron Washington as manager has not been able to change the aura of this team.
The Rangers need to have a meeting with Michael Young and inform him of their decision to attempt to rebuild this team. If Young wants to stay, he can do so by enacting his no-trade clause. If Young disagrees with the idea of the rebuild, he can waive his no-trade clause and spend the next few years with a different team. Mark Teixeira and Hank Blalock need to be traded between now and the trade deadline. Tex�s value should start to increase as he seems to be pulling himself out of a slump. Some team will think that they can squeeze the potential out of Blalock and will give up a good prospect for him. Other older players such as Otsuka, Sosa, Lofton, Cat, Padilla, Mahay, Wilkerson, and others are not going to be part of this team next year and should bring a handful of good prospects back in deals.
The team doesn�t need to rebuild its talent as much as it does it�s accepted culture of losing, but the only way to rebuild the culture of attitude on this team is to tear it down and build it back up. There are some pieces of this team that should stay. Ian Kinsler, Rob Tejeda, Nelson Cruz and the gaggle of young relievers are the positives for this team right now. What the Rangers really need is a clubhouse full of kids that don�t understand that they are supposed to lose. The Rangers need a team full of youth and vigor that play for the love of the game and not the money.
As I mentioned in a previous article, this is a team that needs to be build around speed, defense and hitters that work the count and get on base. If I�m the general manager, I hold a fire sale with all of the players mentioned above available for the highest bidder. I trade players over the next couple of months as to maximize their value as we get closer to the trade deadline.
The Rangers have got to find out what they have in some of their AAA players. There might just be a little bit of Tony Romo in Jason Botts or Patrick Crayton in Drew Meyer, but we can�t find out if we don�t try. As painful as it would be to watch, I would love to see the following lineup and rotation by the all-star break (obviously, this would be impacted by trades).
Lineup:
CF Freddy Guzman
SS Michael Young
2B Ian Kinsler
1B Jason Botts
RF Nelson Cruz
LF Marlon Byrd
DH Victor Diaz
C Gerald Laird
3B Tug Hulett (can he switch to 3B?)
Rotation:
Kevin Millwood
Rob Tejeda
Brandon McCarthy (after a stint in the pen)
Zeke Astacio or John Koronka or someone acquired in a trade?
Eric Hurley
One of those trade targets should be Red Sox uber-prospect Jacoby Ellsbury. We have got to find a way to trade for this guy. Surely the Red Sox would be interested in Akinori Otsuka and someone else. Ellsbury is in AA for Boston and his hitting an insane .452 / .518 / .644 line with a 1.162 OPS in 73 AB. Pretty incredible, but know that he hit .308 / .387 / .434 in 2006 in AA last year. Ellsbury is a classic CF with great defense, and might be ready for an August call-up if he were with the Rangers. The only knock on Ellsbury is his below-average arm.
Atlanta Braves GM John Schuerholz wrote a book in 2006 called �Built to Win� which chronicled his turn-around of the Braves from perennial losers to 14 consecutive division titles, 5 World Series appearances and 1 World Series between 1991 and 2005. I highly recommend reading it as the book explains how Schuerholz and Braves Manager Bobby Cox were able to take a team that had lost 90+ games four years in a row, to the World Series in 1991. The following is a quote from his book concerning his first meeting with all of the staff, coaches and players as the new GM of the Braves:
I left them with one of my favorite sayings, "Winners make commitments.
Losers make excuses." I reminded the people at that meeting there
had been enough excuses offered to the Atlanta area and our great
fans about why we haven't succeeded, why this team hasn't won,
why the seats were dirty, why the ballpark food wasn't very good,
why the ushers and parking attendants weren't more attentive or
pleasant. Why, why, why . . .
I pledged we were no longer going to offer excuses for those things.
Instead we were going to make commitments to fixing all of it. After all,
winners make commitments.
Good advice for a Rangers team that doesn't seem to have any direction at this point.
3 Comments | in The Season Game 1: Yankees 4, Rangers 3
Game 2: Yankees 5, Rangers 2
Before Thursday's doubleheader with New York, I had not yet hit the panic button on this Rangers team.
I have now.
With Texas now sitting at 10-18 (.357), here are a few scenarios we're now looking at:
As Adam Morris notes, this is the club's worst start since 1985, when the Rangers began the season with a 9-19 record. Their final record that year? 62-99.
I suppose the real question right now is whether you think this team can play at a .600 clip the rest of the way. I'll be perfectly blunt about my answer: No.
Ironically enough, it was not the starting pitching that failed the Rangers yesterday. Mike Wood gave up three runs (two earned) in his 6.1 innings in Game 1, allowing five hits and just one walk. You can't ask for much more than that from your spot starter. And Robinson Tejeda held the Yankees in check too, allowing three runs on six hits and one walk in his 6.1 innings. Both of these guys gave solid enough performances that the Rangers should have picked up at least one of these games, if not both.
But they didn't.
Despite picking up 16 hits in the doubleheader, the Rangers were only able to score five runs. And the bullpen was unable to keep the game in reach, with Benoit giving up a tie-breaking RBI double to Hideki Matsui in the 8th inning in Game 1 which proved to be the eventual game-winner. In Game 2, Frankie Francisco and Aki Otsuka both gave up runs to widen the lead to three runs for New York. Given this team's offensive struggles, it might as well have been a thousand runs.
Michael Young went 0 for 9 between both games of the doubleheader. He's now back under the Mendoza line, hitting .192/.211/.308 on the year. Victor Rojas says this is the worst he has ever seen Young play - can't disagree there.
Sammy Sosa was hit in the head by a 94 MPH fastball from Brian Bruney in the 6th inning of Game 2, which left him on the ground for several minutes, but it appears that he's OK.
Kevin Millwood's sore left hamstring is not expected to land him on the disabled list, but his next start has been pushed back to Tuesday in Yankee Stadium.
Before Thursday, Texas had not been swept in a home doubleheader since September 7th, 1989, by the Baltimore Orioles.
Club officials estimate that the combination of a bad weather forecast on Tuesday and the postponement on Wednesday cost the Rangers more than $500,000 in lost ticket and concessions revenue. I hate to break it to the front office, but if the Rangers don't turn things around, they're going to be bleeding a lot more ticket revenue than that. Case in point: I was expecting to go to a game in June, but this team has me so depressed right now that I'm having second thoughts. I know I'm not alone here.
Use whatever word you want to describe the Dallas Mavericks this morning: heartless, gutless, chokers. Personally, I think a combination of all three is suitable. If you've been asleep for the last 14 hours and just woke up, the #8 seed Golden State Warriors knocked the 67-win Dallas Mavericks out of the playoffs in Game 6 last night, in perhaps the greatest playoff upset in NBA history.
Yes, it's beginning to look like a long, long summer for Metroplex sports fans. Then again, there's always FC Dallas, or the Fort Worth Cats, or...
Friday, May 4th Game Preview
Toronto Blue Jays ( 13-15 ) at Texas Rangers ( 10-18 )
Tomo Ohka ( 2-2, 5.02 ERA ) vs. Brandon McCarthy ( 1-4, 9.90 ERA )
7:05 PM CST in Arlington, Texas (Rangers Ballpark in Arlington)
TV: FSNSW | Radio: KRLD 1080 AM
3 Comments | in The Season