Spring Training Doesn't Matter

Hello everyone, my name is Chip Orton, and I'll be a new contributor to the Most Valuable Network � Baseball Time in Arlington. I am very excited to join John, Joey and the MVN network in their coverage of the Texas Rangers. I wanted to tell you a little about myself before launching into all things Rangers baseball.

Many of you might know me as "ortonius" from Lone Star Ball and the Newberg Report forums. I am 34 years old and I currently work in the government healthcare field as an emergency planner. (think FEMA, tornadoes, etc..) I live in Grand Prairie and attend both Rangers and Roughriders games each season.

My love for baseball began at an early age. I remember going to Rangers games in the old Arlington Stadium with church groups and family. It always seemed like we attending games around July 4th when they would shoot off fireworks after the game. When I got my driver's license, I remember taking my younger brother (who was around 9 or 10 at the time) to games where we ended up as part of the "Bleacher Creatures." Some of you will remember those times as you could get free tickets on Tuesday or Wednesday nights from Safeway/Kroger/Tom Thumb to sit in the sparsely populated metal bleachers. Wow those metal benches could get hot! Amazingly, all you had to do to get tickets is just ask for them at the supermarket. I believe it was $2 to park back then, so it was a cheap form of entertainment.

I loved watching players like Jim Sundberg, Mickey Rivers, Buddy Bell, Steve Buechele, and others. My favorite part of those games was hearing Kool & the Gang's "Celebration" erupt through the PA system as the Rangers recorded the last out. Great stuff there.

Now, I share even a greater love for baseball than I did back then as a kid. Now I love watching players like Ian Kinsler, Mark Teixeira, Michael Young and Gerald Laird. I grew up in Arlington, and although I share a passion in rooting for all of my hometown teams, there is nothing that I would want to see more than the Rangers bring a World Series title back to Arlington.

I am an emotional fan, and you will see more commentary and critical thinking from me rather than recaps and hardcore analysis (but I will be doing some of that as well). I have the luxury of coming on board at a great time, as we are right in the middle of spring training, so let's dive into some of the issues that I've been pondering over the last week�and I'm sure the ones most of you have as well.

A couple of critical issues that will determine how well the Rangers will do this season is the performance of Hank Blalock and Brad Wilkerson. I know that some say that spring training numbers do not matter, but I don't think you can discount them entirely.

After hitting .266 with an embarrassing .325 OBP last year, Hank Blalock is being mentioned as a potential bounce-back player of the year in 2007. After many trade rumors involving Blalock last year, new Rangers manager Ron Washington has taken Hank on as his "pet project" this season. At first glance, Blalock's numbers this spring are disturbing. Hank is hitting .219 with no home runs, but looking past that stat, Hank's OBP is .359. Blalock's lack of power, and his dismal slugging percentage this spring, have to be offset by his increasing patience at the plate. Hank has been working furiously with Rangers hitting instructor Rudy Jaramillo for the past couple of months and it appears to be paying some dividends. Still, this situation will remain on the radar for most and will be watched closely over the next few weeks, spilling over into the first couple of weeks of the season. I am not as worried about Blalock, however, as I am about Brad Wilkerson.

Wilkerson was awful in 2006 and ultimately elected to have season-ending surgery on his shoulder. After his surgery in August, Wilkerson worked hard this off-season to get in shape and even change his diet. According to Evan Grant, Wilkerson even took a Pilates class to improve his flexibility. So what sort of impact has this dedication had this spring for the Rangers' outfielder? This spring, Wilkerson is hitting .194 with a OBP of .310 including a stretch where he was 1-17 which ended with a home run on March 17th. Yikes! If Wilkerson struggles, the Rangers will have some options that should cover for him, but the question will eventually come up if the Rangers can continue to carry him on the 25-man roster if he's not going to contribute. Wilkerson's possible removal from the club could clear the way for youngsters like Jason Botts or possibly Freddy Guzman that the Rangers need to take a look at eventually and could impact the club with power or speed respectively.

Needless to say, both Blalock and Wilkerson are key players that the Rangers need to bounce back this season, in order to capture an AL West title that appears to be very much up for grabs.

Next, I will look at the latest developments in the race for the #5 starter role. I encourage feedback on my writing and welcome comments either through email or the blog.

It's almost baseball time in Arlington...

No game in the world is as tidy and dramatically neat as baseball, with cause and effect, crime and punishment, motive and result, so cleanly defined. ~Paul Gallico

Bruce Chen's Big Chance

The city of Mesa, Arizona averages just 7.52 inches of rainfall per year. They picked up a good portion of that total today.

The Rangers and Angels were victims of a rare rainout on Thursday afternoon in Mesa. Anaheim led 1-0 after two innings when the game was called after a 51 minute rain delay.

Of course, the big story of the day concerns Kameron Loe's injury, and how it will affect his chances of making the rotation. Looks like things might not be as bad as they first looked. T.R. Sullivan reports that Loe first suffered back and neck spasms while stretching on Wednesday, and was scratched from his start today mainly as a precautionary measure. Kameron felt he could still pitch, but Ron Washington wisely decided against it.

As it turns out, he couldn't have picked a better day to get hurt on; the rainout would have ended up cutting his outing short anyway. If Loe has no setbacks over the next couple of days, he could pitch on Sunday against the White Sox in Tucson.

Evan Grant has more details about Wright's poor start on Wednesday, with Ron Washington saying that Jamey was mechanically "out of whack," a long-time issue for him. Wright is scheduled for just one more start before next Wednesday, which is the deadline for the Rangers to add him to the 40-man roster. Whatever his mechanical issues are, he doesn't have much time to work them out before his last rotation audition. Grant does hint that the Mets would probably be ready to snap him up if the Rangers balk, as they're having all kinds of starting pitching problems.

In the meantime, Bruce Chen will get his big opportunity to pass both of his main competitors on Friday, as he starts against the Milwaukee Brewers. I've never been particularly high on Chen, and he was absolutely horrible last year. However, he was quite good for Baltimore in 2005 (3.83 ERA and 1.27 WHIP in 197 1/3 innings), and has a somewhat more palatable track record than Jamey Wright, as well as being 2 1/2 years younger than him. Chen is more homer and fly ball prone, but strikes out more and walks fewer batters than Wright. Neither of these guys is particularly great, but I'd rather have Chen than Wright at the back of the rotation if Loe doesn't win the job.

Of course, if recent history is any indication, Texas will probably run half of the organization's pitchers through the #5 spot before the season's over anyway.

Ken Rosenthal reports that the Rangers are targeting Cincinnati's Chris Denorfia and San Francisco's Jason Ellison as platoon partners for Kenny Lofton in center field, among others. I'm going to assume this means the front office isn't real high on Marlon Byrd right now. Also, Matt Kata will play in center field on Friday night for Texas. While he's never played the position in a regular season game, he's practiced and played in the outfield extensively over the last two years in the minors and in Mexico. If he makes the team, Kata and Hairston will give the Rangers an extremely versatile defensive bench.

Rick Bauer's stock has plummeted further than I thought. Apparently, he's drawing zero trade interest from other clubs despite Texas having a "number of talks" with other teams, and may end up staying in the Rangers organization after all - in the minors, that is. He would still have to clear waivers for Texas to send him to Oklahoma City, though, as he's out of options.

Franchise cornerstone Michael Young made his first game appearance on Thursday since his frightening beanball incident. Mark Teixeira played the entire game in Wednesday's 11-7 loss to the Giants. He had been sidelined for over a week with a sprained left knee, and felt he needed to stress-test it for a full nine innings.

The first pitch for Friday night's game is set for 9:05 PM CST, and can be heard on KRLD 1080 AM in the Metroplex.

11 days until Opening Day.

NEWSFLASH: Kameron Loe Scratched

Per T.R. Sullivan, Kameron Loe has been scratched from his start against the Angels today due to neck and back spasms. No word yet on how serious the spasms are, or when Loe might be expected to pitch next.

This could be a significant setback for Loe in his quest to win the fifth starter job, unless he recovers quickly. Texas has until March 28th to make their decision on Jamey Wright, when they must either add him to the 40-man roster or he can declare free agency. Wright is set to make his next start on the 26th, while Loe was due to pitch today and the 27th.

After these latest developments, I have no idea who the favorite in the rotation race is. Maybe we can bring Rick Helling out of retirement.

Jamey Wright Blinks?

Jamey Wright was probably the slight favorite to win the last spot in the Rangers' rotation coming into today.

That may not be the case anymore. He may have just been the first to blink.

Texas lost to the Chicago Cubs 11-7 on Wednesday afternoon, courtesy of a walkoff grand slam by Daryle Ward.

 TEXAS            AB  R  H BI
M Kata cf         5  2  2  0
F Catalanotto lf  3  0  1  0
R Bauer p         1  0  0  0
I Kinsler 2b      5  0  3  2
M Teixeira 1b     4  0  2  0
S Sosa rf         3  0  1  0
N Cruz ph-rf      2  0  1  0
H Blalock 3b      2  2  1  0
D Meyer 3b        1  0  0  0
G Laird c         3  2  2  4
G Quiroz ph-c     1  0  0  0
R Vazquez ss      3  1  1  1
J Wright p        1  0  0  0
C Gentry ph       1  0  0  0
F Guzman lf       2  0  0  0
TOTALS           37  7 14  7
IP   H   R  ER  BB  SO  HR
J Wright                       3 1-3   8   4   4   2   2   0
R Williams                     1 2-3   1   0   0   0   0   0
R Bauer                        1 2-3   6   3   3   1   2   1
J Benoit                       1 1-3   0   0   0   0   2   0
J Ingram (L,0-1)                 1-3   2   4   4   1   0   1

Wright struggled mightily, allowing four runs on eight hits and two walks. He only made it through 3 1/3 innings, and needed 76 pitches just to get that far. Looks like yet another plot twist has been thrown into the continuing fifth starter saga. Evan Grant writes that Jamey "could have all but clinched his spot in the rotation today," but has instead left the door open for Kameron Loe to jump ahead in the race.

Even though I'm inherently against Wright making this team, every pitcher has a bad day now and then, and the Rangers probably won't count this outing too harshly against him. However, any edge that he may have had over Loe is probably gone now. And while I can understand the logic behind wanting Wright to win the job due to his "experience" and the fact that Loe has options left, I still don't think he's the right choice. This team is obviously taking a shot at the playoffs this year, and running out a mediocre veteran retread like Wright over Loe isn't my idea of a winning solution.

Rick Bauer continued to make a strong case...for being traded, that is. He gave up three runs on six hits and a walk in his 1 2/3 innings of work. One especially disturbing note is that Bauer allowed yet another home run, making it four he's given up on the spring. He only gave up four home runs all last year. Spring training statistics may not be very important, but something is clearly not right with him. Perhaps he's having mechanical issues, or just going through a rough stretch, but since he wasn't guaranteed a bullpen spot coming into camp he can ill afford either one. A good portion of Bauer's usefulness comes from his ability to keep the ball in the park, so when that disappears, that's when the Rangers move on.

On the offensive side of things, Matt Kata had another solid day, going 2 for 5 with two runs scored. I'm still liking his chances of making this team. Several other Rangers had big games as well, including Gerald Laird, who mashed a pair of two run homers. Nelson Cruz continues to end any speculation over who the Opening Day right fielder will be, as he went 1 for 2 with a stolen base.

Sammy Sosa had an infield hit and two groundouts in his first start of the spring against his old club. I'm sure the national media wanted something more dramatic, but they'll get over it. Former Ranger Alfonso Soriano went 1 for 4 with a stolen base, and Mark DeRosa went 2 for 3.

The Fort Worth Star-Telegram Rangers blog has a nice pitch-by-pitch breakdown of Eric Gagne's outing yesterday. His fastball sat at 90-92 MPH, with his changeup in the 82-84 MPH range. He may still add a few MPH to his fastball as he progresses through the spring.

Dave Sessions writes that there's really only one bullpen spot remaining, with the runner-up in the fifth starter sweepstakes likely ending up as the long relief guy. Bruce Chen probably isn't going to win either role, so that means either Wright or Loe landing in the bullpen. Can't say I'm real fond of that idea. If Wes Littleton and Frankie Francisco come on strong in the next week and a half, I have a hard time seeing Daniels sending one of them back to Oklahoma City - especially if it's Jamey Wright blocking them.

And finally, let's all shed a tear for Jason Botts, who seems to accept that he's headed back to the Redhawks...again.

"I'll go down and work hard and be ready when and if they need me," Botts said. "I want to play here for the Rangers. I know I have to stay patient. If I have to wait for my opportunity to play, I will. I just want to show them as much as I can right now."

Sigh.

Kevin Millwood will pitch in a minor league game in Surprise on Thursday, while Kameron Loe will take the hill against the Angels in Mesa at 3:05 PM CST. He holds the keys to his own destiny.

12 days until Opening Day.

The Answers

Just two days ago, there were questions about whether Robinson Tejeda and Nelson Cruz would even make the Opening Day roster.

They both delivered answers today.

Tejeda pitched four shutout innings and Cruz hit two home runs in a 4-3 win over the San Francisco Giants on Tuesday afternoon. Texas improved to 12-6 on the spring, already equaling their Cactus League win total from a year ago when they went 12-18-1.

 TEXAS            AB  R  H BI
K Lofton cf       3  0  1  0
M Byrd cf         0  1  0  0
F Catalanotto dh  3  0  0  0
J Botts ph-dh     1  0  0  0
I Kinsler 2b      3  1  2  1
R Vazquez 2b      1  0  1  0
M Teixeira 1b     3  0  0  0
M Kata 1b         1  0  1  1
H Blalock 3b      3  0  0  0
D Meyer 3b        1  0  0  0
N Cruz rf         3  2  2  2
B Wilkerson lf    3  0  0  0
V Diaz lf         0  0  0  0
G Laird c         1  0  0  0
C Stewart c       1  0  0  0
J Hairston Jr ss  3  0  0  0
TOTALS           30  4  7  4
IP   H   R  ER  BB  SO  HR
R Tejeda                           4   6   0   0   1   2   0
E Gagne                            1   1   1   1   0   1   1
A Otsuka                           1   1   1   1   0   0   1
F Francisco (W,2-0)                2   1   0   0   1   2   0
F Cruceta (S,2)                    1   2   1   1   0   3   0

Robinson allowed seven baserunners in his four innings, but managed to work his way out of several sticky jams. It was reminiscent of last year, when it seemed he was constantly getting into and out of trouble. The most extreme example of this was a start on September 4th in Oakland where he allowed a whopping 12 men to reach base in his 6 2/3 innings of work, yet just one unearned run.

Tejeda got some help from his fielders, too: Kenny Lofton threw out Bengie Molina at home plate as he tried to score on a single in the 2nd inning, and Gerald Laird cut down Jason Ellison trying to steal second in the 3rd inning. That probably speaks more about Molina's lead feet than Lofton's arm, though. Richard Durrett of the Dallas Morning News says that Tejeda's slider was good, while his fastball was regularly in the 94-96 MPH range, touching 97 MPH. Needless to say, this was a huge game for Robinson - in more ways than one.

After Tejeda's solid outing today, and the assurances of Jon Daniels and Ron Washington that his rotation spot is safe, the back end of the rotation seems to be stabilizing a bit. However, with Jamey Wright, Kameron Loe and Bruce Chen battling for one spot, there seem to be some differing opinions in the local media on what the Rangers should do.

Evan Grant still thinks Wright should be the #4 starter based on his "experience," even though he admits he has poor career numbers. On the other hand, T.R. Sullivan believes Texas should go with Loe, and that he deserves a serious chance to establish himself as an MLB starter. He also lists a few veteran retreads in the same vein as Wright, such as Ismael Valdez, Mark Clark, John Wasdin, and Pedro Astacio, who I already compared Wright with. I'll have to take Sullivan's side here.

The other big story on the pitching side of things was the spring debut of Eric Gagne, who gave up a solo home run and struck out one Giant in his inning of work. The home run came on a 1-2 hanging curveball to begin the inning, but he quickly settled down to retire the next three hitters. So far, so good. Aki gave up a solo home run to Barry Bonds in his one inning. Frankie Francisco went two innings and picked up the win, allowing a hit and walk while punching out two. He may be pitching well enough right now to win a bullpen spot back after his rocky start. If the Rangers plan on having a dominant bullpen, they're going to need Frankie.

Offensively, it was Nelson Cruz who stole the show, as he provided half the team's offense with his two solo home runs to right and left field. He's 4 for 8 in his last two games after a 2 for 16 start, and seems to be doing well after taking a Yovani Gallardo fastball to the head eight days ago.

Matt Kata hit a game-winning RBI single in the bottom of the 8th inning in his only at-bat, as he continues to push for a roster spot. Evan Grant still thinks Kata's a long shot to make the team, and that the club will carry Marlon Byrd instead. It really all comes down to whether the team believes they already have a good enough platoon partner for Kenny Lofton without needing Byrd, such as Wilkerson, Cruz or Hairston. As for me, I'll take Kata as my 25-man roster dark-horse pick.

Ron Washington confirmed that Joaquin Benoit had made the team on Tuesday, after pitching five scoreless innings this spring with six strikeouts. No real surprise there, as he's tantalized Texas fans for years with his excellent stuff and peripherals. As long as he's not counted on to start any games, he's fine. Wes Littleton threw a scoreless inning in a minor league game on Monday, giving up one hit but striking out the side.

Jamey Wright will start against the Chicago Cubs at 3:05 PM CST Wednesday. Slammin' Sammy is expected to play versus his old club.

13 days until Opening Day.

Rangers Ballpark In Arlington

Ameriquest Field is no more.

In a surprise move on Monday afternoon, the Texas Rangers announced that they had ended their relationship with Ameriquest Mortgage, canceling the naming rights deal that had been in effect since May 7th, 2004. The club also announced that the stadium would be renamed to Rangers Ballpark in Arlington, effective immediately. Not surprisingly, the news has created quite a stir among Rangers fans.

Tom Hicks and team president Jeff Cogen said the reason for the change was to help further promote the Rangers' brand. It's a nice sentiment, and shows that perhaps Hicks is beginning to realize just how valuable the fans are to the team's success.

Of course, Hicks probably wouldn't have okayed the buyout of the 30 year, $75 million deal unless he could recoup some of the lost profit - and apparently he will, as the Dallas Morning News reports the Rangers hope to earn $1 million to $1.5 million per year by reselling the signage that formerly belonged to Ameriquest under the deal. $2.5 million per year was widely regarded by Rangers fans as way too little money for Texas to sign over the rights to the sacred Ballpark in the first place.

The Rangers are already working on removing the various Ameriquest advertisements around the stadium, and will also remove the bell from Section 201. I won't miss the bell, but I will admit that the bells chiming after a Rangers home win had sort of grown on me. They especially added a certain dramatic effect to that one game that we'll always remember: The Dellucci Double. Still, it probably won't take long for me to forget all about them.

All this comes on the same day that the Orange County Register reported Ameriquest would lay off 2,800 to 3,200 workers. Texas had already approached Ameriquest in 2006 about buying out the naming rights deal, but the company had balked until recently, when financial troubles forced them to re-visit negotiations. So much for the subprime lending market.

Concerning the issue of whether the team will turn around and look to sell the naming rights to another company, Tom Hicks had this to say:

It's worth more to us to have our brand back than it is to have the relationship [with Ameriquest]. You never say 'Never.' But as far as I'm concerned, it's going to be Rangers Ballpark for forever. It's going to be, 'Welcome to baseball at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington.'

We may be pointing back to this quote in disgust a few years from now, if or when the Rangers change their tune and try to cash in again. But for right now, bravo Mr. Hicks. You've righted one of your biggest wrongs.

Although, it'll always be The Ballpark in Arlington to me.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Both Ron Washington and Jon Daniels said on Sportsradio 1310 The Ticket today that Robinson Tejeda's rotation spot was safe, despite his spring training struggles. Fairly big news, and somewhat comforting to me, but he still needs to put together a good start or two before the season begins.

Finally, Brandon McCarthy pitched well in his "B" game outing today, going five innings and allowing two runs, one of which was earned. He gave up three hits and two walks, while punching out five.

17 days until the Rangers home opener at RBiA.

NEWSFLASH: Thomas Diamond to have Tommy John surgery

Richard Durrett of the Dallas Morning News is reporting that righty Thomas Diamond will have season-ending Tommy John surgery Tuesday in Birmingham, Alabama.

GM Jon Daniels says Diamond first felt discomfort in his arm during his "A" game appearance on March 6th when he gave up two runs on three hits and two walks in an inning of work. He then had an MRI, and even the doctors were surprised that Diamond would need the surgery based on where they believed the discomfort was located in his pitching arm.

As you know, the surgery has a pretty high success rate.

But still: Shock.

Wright, Loe And Chen, Oh My!

The battle for the fifth starter's spot is tightening up.

Bruce Chen threw three shutout innings on Sunday afternoon in a comeback 12-8 win over the Colorado Rockies.

 TEXAS            AB  R  H BI
K Lofton cf       3  0  2  0
F Guzman rf       1  2  0  0
M Kata ss         5  3  4  5
M Teixeira 1b     2  0  1  0
N Gold 1b         3  1  1  2
S Sosa dh         2  0  0  1
M Byrd ph         2  0  0  0
B Wilkerson lf    3  0  0  0
J Botts lf        0  1  0  0
J Hairston Jr 2b  4  3  3  0
D Meyer 2b        1  0  0  0
N Cruz rf         5  1  2  2
M Ojeda c         3  0  2  1
C Stewart c       1  0  0  0
T Metcalf 3b      3  1  1  1
TOTALS           38 12 16 12
IP   H   R  ER  BB  SO  HR
B Chen                             3   5   0   0   0   1   0
W Littleton                      1-3   1   3   3   3   1   1
C Wilson                       1 2-3   2   0   0   0   1   0
R Bauer                            1   5   5   1   0   1   1
M Wood (W,1-0)                     3   0   0   0   1   2   0

Bruce allowed five hits and a HBP, putting two runners on base in each inning. However, he helped himself with a pair of pickoffs, and worked out of several jams. Even though it wasn't a particularly great outing, Ron Washington seemed to be pleased, and Chen continues to stick around in the race for the #5 rotation spot. He's still behind Kameron Loe and Jamey Wright, though, and I doubt Chen is still in the Rangers organization in a couple of weeks. The Rangers have until April 1st to add him to the 40-man roster, or he can become a free agent.

Wes Littleton took another step backwards on Sunday, giving up three runs on three walks, a HBP and a HR in just 1/3 of an inning. Littleton thought he had discovered and corrected a mechanical flaw in his delivery on Thursday, when he worked a scoreless inning in a "B" game. Guess he thought wrong. Ron Washington had this to say when asked whether Littleton was losing a grip on his bullpen spot:

"If he keeps going out and giving outings like he did [Sunday]," Washington said. "He'll get more opportunities. He'll get the ball again the next couple of days. He's still here, so he'll continue to pitch. But it has to get better."

Victor Rojas writes that Littleton is having trouble finding a release point on the mound. Whatever the issue is, he better work through it quickly, because his job is in major jeopardy. Definitely one of the more disappointing stories out of camp.

Rick Bauer was hit hard as well, giving up five hits and five runs (only one earned, though) in his inning of work. Rojas also notes that Rick's pitches were up in the zone, and that he failed to command his breaking pitches, two things a groundball pitcher like Bauer cannot afford to let happen. He had a window of opportunity available with some of the recent struggles of Francisco and Littleton, but he's failed to take advantage.

On a better note, C.J. Wilson continued to put things back on track with a solid performance in his 1 2/3 innings, and is poised to lock up a bullpen spot soon. Reliever Mike Wood pitched three scoreless innings and picked up the win. He's a major long shot to make the team, but Washington and Jon Daniels are impressed with him.

The hero of Sunday's game was undoubtedly Matt Kata, who went 4 for 5 at the plate and clubbed two home runs (one from each side of the plate), including a game-winning grand slam in the bottom of the 7th inning that put Texas up for good. He's now 14 for 30 on the spring, and has played his way into consideration for the utility infielder job. Of course, Jerry Hairston Jr. is 15 for 32, and has already been promised a spot on the 40-man roster. Right now, the competition seems to be boiling down between Marlon Byrd and Matt Kata fighting for one roster spot, with Kata only being able to play the infield and Byrd only in the outfield. Then again, DeRosa had strictly been an infielder before coming to Texas too...

Nelson Cruz must have read T.R. Sullivan's article yesterday morning, because he went 2 for 5 with two doubles, including a two run rocket that tied the game at 8-8 in the bottom of the 7th. He really needed that. Sammy Sosa went 0 for 2, snapping his 11 game hitting streak in "A" games this spring. Speaking of Sammy, the Chicago Sun-Times ran a piece a few days ago comparing Sosa's 2005 spring statistics with 2007. Just to further illustrate the disparity between spring numbers and regular season numbers, Sosa hit .302 with three home runs, five doubles and eight RBI in 22 Grapefruit League games. We all know what happened when the calendar rolled over to April.

Texas is off today, although Brandon McCarthy pitched in a minor league game this morning. Robinson Tejeda will take the hill on Tuesday against the San Francisco Giants, in perhaps his most important start of the spring yet.

Two weeks until Opening Day.

Cruz And Tejeda Both In Trouble?

Kameron Loe refuses to let up.

The 6'7" right-hander pitched five shutout innings on Saturday afternoon in a 4-1 victory over the Seattle Mariners. Loe, who came on in relief for Kevin Millwood, allowed just one hit and two walks while forcing numerous groundball outs. Kameron has yet to allow an earned run in 13 2/3 innings this spring. Needless to say, his performance is earning him a lot of praise; Rangers radio announcer Victor Rojas said Kameron threw as well as he had seen him throw in a long time, and believes he's earned a spot on this team already.

That brings us back, once again, to Robinson Tejeda. T.R. Sullivan writes this morning that Tejeda needs to get his act together quickly, because Loe and Jamey Wright are coming on strong. Despite putting up a 2.32 ERA in his last nine starts of 2006, Tejeda's less than inspiring spring continues to concern the organization. Sullivan doesn't come right out and say it, but you can tell he thinks Robinson may end up in Oklahoma City if he doesn't start improving. And while I still hate to see such a big decision come down to such a ridiculously small sample size (Tejeda has pitched just 6 2/3 official innings this spring), even I have to admit that he needs to show us something, now that we're entering the last few weeks of spring training. Meanwhile, Victor Rojas still thinks Tejeda will make the team, unless he completely falls apart. We shall see.

In the same article, Sullivan drops something a bit more unexpected, saying that Nelson Cruz's job in right field could be in trouble if he doesn't start hitting. T.R. explains that Sosa's strong camp combined with Nelson's injury issues could end up taking at-bats away from Cruz, at least to begin the season. Cruz is 2 for 16 on the spring. I'm already disgusted enough with the thought of Sosa getting regular at-bats against right-handers, but I shudder to think what his defense in right field looks like right now. Ron Washington says there's no pressure on Cruz and that he's the team's best defensive outfielder, but it looks like this is another situation worth monitoring.

I will say this: I'm going to be physically ill if Nelson Cruz and Robinson Tejeda both lose their jobs to the combo of Sammy Sosa and Jamey Wright.

As far as Millwood's start on Saturday, he went four innings and gave up one run on two hits and three walks, while punching out three. Kevin was happy with his first "A" game performance of the spring, saying that he used the outing to work on his curveball. He also gave this important quote:

"I feel like I'm way ahead of where I was last year at this time," he said. "Physically, I'm ahead. My legs are stronger, my arm is stronger. My pitches are further along than what they were. I'm closer to being ready to pitch in a big league game than I was this time last year."

Millwood will start a minor league game against the Angels on Thursday, and then start one more "A" game before the season opener in Anaheim on April 2nd.

Vicente Padilla was scratched from his start on Sunday due to soreness in his right triceps muscle. Ron Washington and Jon Daniels were quick to note it was only a precautionary move, and that he had similar soreness last spring that didn't end up hurting him in the regular season. Smart plan.

Texas optioned Josh Rupe, John Koronka and A.J. Murray to Oklahoma today, while reassigning Franklyn German, Willie Eyre, Salomon Manriquez, Kevin Richardson and Nate Gold to minor league camp. No real surprises here; Rupe really blew his opportunity at making the rotation, and I wouldn't be surprised to see Koronka or somebody else get the call over Rupe when the Rangers inevitably need starting pitching help later in the season.

Gerald Laird was the victim of a prank on Sunday, as two Surprise police officers came to his locker on Sunday morning and told him they had a warrant out for his arrest. When he asked why, Laird was told they needed a DNA sample because a woman claimed he was the father of her 7-year-old child. They got Gerald as far as the police cruiser, where he sat in the backseat with handcuffs on in disbelief, before Jerry Hairston Jr. jumped in the backseat with Laird and let him in on the joke. Classic.

Texas trails Colorado 8-6 in the bottom of the 7th right now. You can still catch the last few innings on KRLD 1080 AM in the Metroplex, if you don't have it on.

Jamey Wright: The New Pedro Astacio?

Richard Durrett of the Dallas Morning News has an update on Jamey Wright's start tonight for the Rangers, as he went 3 1/3 innings and gave up two runs on four hits to San Diego. He also punched out three and walked one. Wright held the Padres scoreless through his first three innings before running into trouble in the 4th inning.

I just realized what this entire Jamey Wright situation reminds me of: Pedro Astacio. Both are mediocre veteran starters coming into camp on NRIs vying for the back of the rotation, although Astacio has had the better career. I have to wonder if Wright isn't just catching some lightning in a bottle right now, and won't revert to his regular below average pitching level very soon, just like Astacio did.

Remember when Pedro pitched three brilliant games to begin that '05 campaign? Peter Gammons praised Astacio for his "nasty fastball that runs across the inside corner against lefties." Additionally, Buck Showalter said that Astacio was "perfect" for the Temple because he had pitched three seasons in Coors Field. Then the wheels fell off, and he ended up with a 2-8 record and a 6.04 ERA before John Hart dumped him. In any case, I certainly hope the fact that Wright has pitched six years for the Rockies isn't playing a factor in the organization's decision here.

As I write this, Ron Mahay closed out the Padres in the 9th, and the Rangers have won 4-3.

3/15 Rangers Wrapup

For better or for worse, Sammy's here to stay.

The Texas Rangers lost a slugfest on Thursday afternoon, 15-12, to the Arizona Diamondbacks.

 TEXAS            AB  R  H BI
M Kata ss         5  1  3  3
J Hairston Jr cf  3  1  2  2
F Guzman cf       2  0  1  0
M Byrd lf         1  0  0  0
J Botts ph-lf     2  1  0  0
R Bauer p         1  0  0  0
J Ingram p        0  0  0  0
S Sosa rf         3  1  1  1
G Quiroz c        2  0  0  0
G Laird c         3  2  2  3
J Rupe p          0  0  0  0
K Mahar lf        2  1  1  1
R Vazquez 2b      4  1  1  0
N Gold 1b         5  1  1  1
D Meyer 3b        3  2  2  0
R Tejeda p        1  0  0  0
F German p        0  0  0  0
K Richardson ph   1  0  0  0
V Diaz rf         3  1  1  0
TOTALS           41 12 15 11
IP   H   R  ER  BB  SO  HR
R Tejeda                       2 2-3   5   5   2   2   2   0
F German                         1-3   0   0   0   1   0   0
J Rupe (L,0-2)                 2 1-3   5   8   8   4   0   0
R Bauer                        1 1-3   1   2   2   2   1   1
J Ingram                       1 1-3   0   0   0   0   2   0

Of course, the big news is Jon Daniels announcing that Sammy Sosa will definitely make the Opening Day roster, but that was a foregone conclusion. Earlier in the day Daniels said that Sosa and Jerry Hairston Jr. would be added to the 40-man roster soon, but that the club would delay the moves until they decided who to send down to make room for them. Both players had out clauses in their contracts that would allow them to become free agents if the Rangers didn't add them to the roster in the next 72 hours, beginning today.

Sammy responded to the news after the game by folding his hands, looking up straight up and saying, "Thank you Lord," to a chorus of laughter from his teammates. Somehow, I doubt that Ranger fans will be saying that after many Sosa at-bats this year.

As far as the game on the field went, it was not a good day for pitchers. Robinson Tejeda, who really needed a strong outing, didn't exactly deliver. He allowed five runs, two of them earned, on two walks and five hits in his 2 2/3 innings. He's still clinging to his #4 rotation spot, but not by much. It would still take a total disaster over the final few weeks to knock him out of the rotation completely, though.

Josh Rupe, on the other hand, may be done. He gave up eight runs, all of them earned, on five hits and four walks in his 2 1/3 innings. Particularly disturbing is that he allowed just one hit and no runs through his first two innings, before his complete and total meltdown. Rupe had been the favorite for the #5 rotation spot at the beginning of camp, but he's turning into a long shot now. Jamey Wright, Kameron Loe and Bruce Chen are leading the race right now.

More optimistic news emanated from the "B" game. C.J. Wilson pitched two scoreless innings, allowing one hit, and Wes Littleton pitched a perfect inning with a strikeout. Eric Gagne also appeared, going one inning and throwing 14 pitches, 10 of them for strikes. He recorded two strikeouts and a fly out. Gagne said he was throwing at around 85%, and a radar gun clocked his fastball at 91 MPH, with his changeup apparently wowing the Surprise crowd.

With Jerry Hairston Jr. probably a lock to make the Opening Day roster, that would theoretically serve as good news for Jason Botts, as Hairston is capable of playing every outfield position. This would lessen the need for Marlon Byrd as Kenny Lofton's platoon-mate and backup outfielder, possibly creating room for Botts. Unfortunately, Jason's outfield defense doesn't seem to be improving...at all. The three unearned runs that Tejeda allowed today were courtesy of Botts slipping and missing a catchable line drive with the bases loaded. It just doesn't look like he's going make this team.

Jamey Wright starts against San Diego on Friday at 9:05 PM CST, as he continues his bid for a rotation spot.

3/14 Rangers Wrapup

You'll have to forgive me for cutting this report a bit short, as tonight's Mavericks/Suns game has left a nasty taste in my sports mouth.

Texas improved to 8-5 for the spring on Wednesday afternoon with a 9-5 win over San Diego in ten innings.

 TEXAS            AB  R  H BI
K Lofton cf       3  0  1  0
M Byrd cf         3  0  1  1
F Catalanotto 1b  3  0  0  0
N Gold 1b         2  0  0  0
I Kinsler 2b      3  1  1  1
M Kata 2b         2  1  1  0
H Blalock 3b      3  0  1  0
R Vazquez pr-3b   2  2  1  2
V Diaz rf         4  2  1  1
B Wilkerson p     0  0  0  0
J Botts lf        2  0  1  0
F Guzman pr-lf    0  1  0  0
J Hairston Jr ss  5  2  2  3
G Laird c         3  0  0  0
K Richardson c    1  0  0  0
B McCarthy p      1  0  0  0
M Ojeda ph        1  0  0  0
B Chen p          0  0  0  0
S Feldman p       0  0  0  0
G Quiroz ph       1  0  0  0
A Murray p        0  0  0  0
D Meyer ph        1  0  1  1
B Wilkerson p     0  0  0  0
TOTALS           40  9 11  9
IP   H   R  ER  BB  SO  HR
B McCarthy                         4   5   2   2   2   2   2
B Chen                         3 2-3   3   2   1   2   6   1
S Feldman                        1-3   1   0   0   0   0   0
A Murray (W,1-0)                   1   1   0   0   1   1   0
R Williams                         1   2   1   0   0   1   0

Nice win, but not very much notable worth taking away from the box score. Brandon McCarthy was mediocre, but said afterwards that he felt better about this outing than his last. Bruce Chen wasn't particularly great either, but he's doing decent enough to stick around in the race for the fifth starter.

Robinson Tejeda pitches Thursday against the Arizona Diamondbacks in Tucson. He really needs a good start.

Michael Young had minor surgery to repair torn cartilage in his left ear on Wednesday, following Gavin Floyd's beanball on Tuesday. He's expected to miss at least a week.

Evan Grant had one particularly eye-opening comment in his chat today:

Maybe more than any other single incident, the handling of Fabio Castro led to the firing of Buck Showalter. His refusal to pitch Castro was the most visible showdown between manager and GM.

In case you forgot, Castro was the electric 21-year-old lefty pitching prospect who the Rangers acquired in the Rule V draft last year (Texas dealt Esteban German for Castro, who was drafted by Kansas City from the White Sox). Showalter only allowed him to pitch 8 2/3 innings before he was traded June 29th to the Phillies, despite the fact that Fabio appeared to be able to hold his own against MLB hitters. Castro went on to pitch 31 2/3 innings for Philadelphia in 2006, posting a brilliant 2.27 ERA and playing a big role in their playoff push.

The fact that Buck was so stubborn as to not even let him pitch in several blowouts was simply astounding, and extremely frustrating, because Castro looked more competent than Ron Mahay at times. Daniels, apparently not wanting to push the issue during the middle of the season, acquired Daniel Haigwood for Castro to gain room on the 25-man roster. Haigwood may or may not turn out to be decent, but one thing is for sure: he's no Fabio Castro. Daniels and Showalter are both to blame for the debacle, but Buck deserves the lion's share of that blame.

Finally, T.R. Sullivan touched on the bullpen situation Wednesday. Still sounds like there's some uncertainty, with Feldman pushing hard for a spot in the wake of Francisco's struggles and Littleton's meltdown on Tuesday. Sullivan says that nothing is set beyond Mahay, Otsuka and Gagne, but Benoit and Wilson are probably close to locking up spots as well.

Two weeks and four days until Opening Day. If only it was tomorrow.

It would help me take my mind off that Mavericks game.

3/13 Rangers Wrapup

Another day, another beanball scare.

- Texas lost to the Chicago White Sox on Tuesday afternoon, 12-8.

TEXAS            AB  R  H BI
K Lofton cf       3  0  1  0
F Guzman cf       2  0  0  0
I Kinsler 2b      3  1  1  0
D Meyer 2b        1  0  0  0
M Young ss        2  1  1  0
R Vazquez pr-ss   2  0  0  0
S Sosa rf         3  2  2  1
J Botts rf-lf     2  1  1  0
H Blalock 3b      2  0  1  1
M Kata 3b         1  0  1  0
M Byrd lf-rf      4  2  2  0
B Wilkerson 1b    3  0  0  0
N Gold 1b         2  0  0  1
C Stewart c       1  1  1  2
S Manriquez c     2  0  0  1
J Hairston Jr dh  4  0  1  2
TOTALS           37  8 12  8
IP   H   R  ER  BB  SO  HR
V Padilla                          4   8   4   4   0   4   1
R Mahay                            2   0   0   0   1   2   0
F Francisco                        1   2   1   1   0   0   1
W Littleton (L,0-2)              1-3   1   4   4   3   0   1
F Cruceta                        2-3   2   2   2   1   0   0
F German                           1   2   1   1   0   0   0

A few of the top stories from the game:

• Rangers DH Watch, Day 11: Sammy Sosa went 2 for 3 with two runs scored and an RBI, improving his batting line this spring to .464/.483/.821 in 28 at-bats. Jason Botts, who's still fighting desperately for a roster spot, went 1 for 2 with a run scored and now sits at a pedestrian .368/.400/.579 in his 19 at-bats. The big question is whether Marlon Byrd will make the team, and right now it appears he probably will. With his 2 for 4 day, he's up to .375/.448/.542, and with questions surrounding Nelson Cruz's ability to back up Lofton in center field, the Rangers will probably choose to go the safe route. If only Botts could play better defense...
• Texas pitching got shelled today. Vicente Padilla made the start and gave up four runs on eight hits, striking out four and giving up a home run to his old friend, A.J. Pierzynski. Of course, Padilla's locked into the #2 rotation spot no matter what, so it's not really a concern. What is concerning is Wes Littleton's poor performance, as he allowed four runs on three walks and a hit in 1/3 of an inning. Ron Washington has already expressed his disdain for poor command out of his pitchers this spring, so this is probably a situation worth monitoring over the next couple of weeks. A few more bad outings could put Littleton back in Oklahoma City to start the season.
• The Rangers had another frightening moment with a beanball, as Michael Young was plunked in the helmet by a Gavin Floyd breaking ball during the second inning of today's game. Floyd had just missed Young with another inside breaking ball on his previous pitch. As much as I dislike Ozzie, I doubt he ordered Floyd to hit Young on purpose. Michael seems to be one of the few Rangers that Ozzie respects, and if there was intent to injure him Floyd probably wouldn't have hit him with a breaking ball. Still, I don't think we've seen the last of tempers flaring between the White Sox and Rangers. Young was treated for a cut on his left ear and will likely miss a few games, but he's otherwise fine.
• John Danks pitched three innings against his old club, allowing one run on two hits and a walk. He punched out three.

Texas will face San Diego for their first time this spring on Wednesday, with Brandon McCarthy squaring off against Jake Peavy at 3 PM CST.

- The Rangers optioned Edinson Volquez, Armando Galarraga, and Daniel Haigwood to Oklahoma today, while reassigning Eric Hurley, Thomas Diamond, Jose Vargas and Scott Rice to minor league camp. Volquez never really had a chance at the fifth starter's job, but it's disappointing nonetheless. Evan Grant muses that the Hart/Showalter regime may have done permanent damage to Edinson's confidence and psyche by rushing him through the organization so quickly, and that his future may be in the bullpen. He wouldn't be the first prospect they mishandled, as Laynce Nix was likely ruined when he was pushed straight from AA to the majors in 2003.

19 days until Opening Day.

In the words of Ron Washington, "Thank God for batting helmets."

3/12 Rangers Wrapup

Texas improved to 7-4 on the spring Monday with an 11-7 win over the Milwaukee Brewers. Some important notes from camp:

- Perhaps the biggest story of the day was the bombshell from Evan Grant in today's Dallas Morning News that Jamey Wright may be in position to be the club's #4 starter come Opening Day. He threw three perfect innings on Sunday, and apparently Tejeda's and McCarthy's "struggles" this spring have management concerned. Grant also cites Wright's "experience" as a big factor into why he may win a rotation spot.

I have several problems with what seems to be developing here. First of all, experience is fine and dandy, but let's take a step back here and honestly critique Jamey Wright for what he is: a mediocre journeyman starter. He's 67-98 in his career, and while wins and losses for a pitcher are not very important in the long run, his 5.14 career ERA is. And let's not ignore his relatively poor 1.59 WHIP. Wright has had the misfortune of pitching half his games in Coors Field for 6 of his 11 seasons, but he hasn't been particularly good anywhere else, either. He's not very good at striking people out. And despite Mark Connor's high praise towards Wright last week, Jamey Wright is 32 years old, and for us to pretend he's going to break out now is probably just as silly as hoping for a 50 HR campaign from Sammy Sosa this year. There's just no statistical evidence to show that Wright can be anything more than a slightly below average pitcher in the Rangers rotation in 2007, and there's a good chance that the younger guys like Kameron Loe and Josh Rupe can pitch as well or better than Wright immediately.

Secondly, I am not a big fan of how much importance clubs place on spring training performances in determining jobs, because how well a player does in camp rarely reflects how well that player will perform during the regular season. Remember Kevin Mench, who won the Cactus League triple crown last year? Or Phil Nevin, who was mashing the ball for a time there? We all know how that turned out. While I understand that major league teams have to have some kind of performance evaluator, placing that much significance on such a small sample size of innings played is just dangerous.

And that brings me back to the issue at hand: Yes, Jamey Wright has pitched well this spring. He's also pitched five innings. McCarthy and Tejeda have thrown just four so far. There is just no way that Tejeda should be having his #4 rotation spot brought into question by the organization when he has recorded just 12 official outs thus far. But it appears that's exactly what's happening. Ron Washington is already frustrated with Robinson due to his inability to hit the strike zone on Saturday. If Tejeda has a few more rough outings, I have a nasty feeling he's headed for Oklahoma City come Opening Day.

In the meantime, T.R. Sullivan pegs Kameron Loe and Jamey Wright as the front runners for the fifth starter's job, with no mention of Tejeda's rotation spot being in question. Loe started on Monday and pitched 3 2/3 innings, allowing two unearned runs courtesy of a Mike Young error. John Koronka was hit hard, allowing 7 hits in his 1 2/3 innings of work, and seems to be falling out of the competition. Bruce Chen will pitch on Wednesday and Josh Rupe on Thursday, with Sullivan noting that Rupe has "not impressed" the Rangers so far.

- Eric Gagne pitched in his first game of the spring on Monday, facing three Brewers in the "B" game. He retired the first two batters and then walked the third as he struggled with the command of his curve ball. His fastball sat at 88-91 MPH, but perhaps the most important thing was that he reported no pain or stiffness. Let's hope that continues. Joaquin Benoit pitched 2 2/3 scoreless innings in the same game, further cementing his spot as the long man in the Rangers bullpen to start the season.

- Texas seems to be getting dinged up with some minor injuries. Mark Teixeira is out until at least Friday with a sore knee, Laird and Hank Blalock were both scratched from Monday's lineup, and Miguel Ojeda left Monday's game with a bruised thumb. The scariest moment of the day was a Yovani Gallardo pitch that nailed Nelson Cruz in the head, leaving him on the ground for several minutes. Precautionary tests for a concussion and fracture came back negative.

20 days until Opening Day.

Our apologies

John and I have been very busy over the last few days and have been unable to put out any reports. We'll try and resume things on a normal pace tomorrow.