B----ing About The Rangers In General

Some years back, an e-mailer wrote into the Hardline and suggested that, for all of their whining and complaining about various things on the show, they might as well start a segment expressly dedicated to such matters called "Bitching About Life In General." There's a bunch of little Rangers-related stuff floating around out there right now that could fall under the heading of a similarly named segment called "Bitching About The Rangers In General," and this post came into existence, and here we go:

● Jon Paul Morosi and Anthony Andro have both savaged Roy Oswalt in separate columns. Kevin Sherrington wrote a "be a pro or get your ass cut" article, but managed to slip in a compliment for Michael Young, who he says "tucks in his ego every time the Rangers ask him to move." Okay.

● Ben Rogers apparently spoke to some players in the clubhouse about Oswalt, and the sentiment was that Oswalt was being selfish and not acting like a team player. He also called Oswalt a "cancer" on Twitter, so, in spite of the Rangers' insistence that they were going to work this out, it sounds like the situation is still deterioriating.

● Per the Startlegram and ESPN, neither Ron Washington nor Nolan Ryan has spoken to Roy Oswalt about the "incident," and neither have any plans to do so at this point in time. I find it hard to believe that Wash hasn't broached the subject with Oswalt once since then, given that it's kind of important for him to know who's going to be available for him and who isn't on a given night.

Also, in the above Andro piece, he mentions the bizarre timeline on the date of Oswalt's "demotion" where Wash told the media that Oswalt had taken the news of his move to the bullpen "like a pro," and then, a bit later in the afternoon, a reporter approached Oswalt about it, and Oswalt said that he hadn't heard about being moved to the bullpen. This whole thing is beginning to reek of deceit and mutual distrust. 

● I'm not sure how the #FreeMikeOlt club is going to feel about this:

Olt was not in the lineup on Monday, but Washington said he would play on Tuesday, when Red Sox left-hander Jon Lester takes the mound. Washington also said Olt will play the field.

The skipper said he doesn't want to use Olt as a designated hitter at this point.

"He's too young to DH," Washington said.

Also, the Rangers get Lester tonight, but aren't scheduled to face another lefty through at least the end of the weekend. That means that if Wash is really going to obstinately stick to his plan of only using Olt as a platoon bat and as a means of spelling Adrian Beltre at third base against right-handers, he's not going to play from Wednesday-Sunday ... unless, that is, Beltre gets another day off. But Beltre just got a day off from the field on Sunday.

So, in other words, I'm expecting that Olt, after tonight's game, won't play for the next five days. If that expectation proves true, well, that's ridiculous. Olt is better than a platoon bat.

● Remember how I wrote this morning that Darvish was conveying a sense of not really knowing how to get himself back on track? Per Richard Durrett and friends:

Darvish said it's difficult to "turn the page and become a new pitcher on one single day," but he's trying to get back to what he was doing in Japan. He said he went to the field earlier than he has this season and reverted back to a routine he used to follow in Japan. He said that while the results weren't there, he's going to continue to work on it. 

"I've tried a lot of different things, but in the end, the Rangers acquired me for the pitcher that I was, that I am in Japan," Darvish said. "Just looking back on it, preparing and pitching the way I can, both mentally and physically, is something that I want to bring back and try to continue to do in my next outing." 

So, he's going to continue working on it, but he really isn't sure whether he's working on it the right way, or if it's going to effectuate any change for the better. That's how I read this, anyway. 

● The Startlegram quoted Michael Young as saying this yesterday:

Young also has noticed his walk total is down this season. He went into Monday's game with only 18 walks in 444 plate appearances. Throughout his career, Young has drawn about 45-50 free passes a season.

"I'd like for them to be higher, and I expect they'll get higher as the season goes on," Young said.

Just so we're clear here, it's early August, and Young has still drawn just one walk since the All-Star break (July 29th). I'm glad he recognizes that there's a problem, but the fact that he "expects [his walk rate] will get higher as the season goes on" does not inspire one whit of confidence. Two-thirds of the season is gone already.

Young also has the second-lowest wRC+ of any qualifying designated hitter IN THE HISTORY OF THE DESIGNATED HITTER POSITION (h/t thermhere). But, hey, he has finally mustered a OPS just over .700 for a stretch of about a week, and that might be a sign of him being close to going from historically bad to, you know, just really bad, so he's gotta keep playing ... every single day.

● Josh Hamilton (.207/.207/.276 in 29 PA in August) still isn't hitting. I think he's broken, you guys. Hurts to miss that one.