 |
 |
|
|
RANGERS DEMONIZE ANGELS
Ranger rookie Derrick Holland threw an absolute gem at the L. A. Angels Sunday to lead the Rangers to a series win over the weekend. Holland needed just 96 pitches, only 23 of which were balls, to toss a complete-game shutout at the Halos, both the first of his career. Texas improbably won two of three in Anaheim to cut the Angels’ lead in the West to 3.5 games and pull into a tie with Boston for the Wild Card lead. The Lawmen have now won all four series and hold a 9-3 advantage against the Angels this season. This weekend’s results were a surprise as Texas played with a roster shortened by injuries against the Angels, who have been on a serious roll, winning 18 of their previous 23 games coming into the series.
It’s amazing to think that the fine Ranger pitching performances have become the expectation instead of a surprise. That’s why this team is in the thick of the pennant race in mid-August, unlike last season when they had the worst ERA in the league and finished 21 games out of first place. The surprise for Texas is their offense, which swooned in June, and has sputtered inconsistently since. A year ago, Texas lit up scoreboards for more than 900 runs, the most in the Majors; but surprisingly, the struggle offensively has become the expectation. It has become a big play offense – two home runs or more almost guarantee a win, while the team rarely wins when they hit fewer than two in a game. This series epitomized the hypothesis, as they hit five in Friday’s game and two more Sunday, the two games they won; but just one round tripper in Saturday’s loss.
 |
DFN Sports sites feature Texas Rangers apparel & merchandise online. |
On Friday night, the Rangers quickly got on their way to a win by knocking two home runs in the first inning. Starting pitcher, Scott Feldman struggled with home plate umpire Bill Hohn’s strike zone, running his pitch count up, but he somehow gutted out six innings using 105 pitches, without his “good stuff”. Ranger batsmen had staked him to a 9-1 lead with five home runs. Unfortunately in the seventh, the roof caved in. He couldn’t finish the inning and lost his quality start, but Texas hung on to win 11-6 for Feldman’s team leading 11th win.
On Saturday, the Rangers hit just one home run – a two-run shot by Hank Blalock, his fourth in four games. That was all the Ranger scoring on the day, and the Rangers came up a run shy 3-2, wasting a nice outing by Kevin Millwood, who was starting for the first time in two weeks after suffering a strained gluteus muscle. In Sunday’s finale, the Angels uncharacteristically supported Holland’s pitching effort with three errors that staked Texas to an early lead, en route to the 7-0 win.
It was a weekend that had it’s off the field distractions for Texas. On Friday afternoon, Vicente Padilla was designated for assignment. Texas had waived Padilla earlier this year and leaked that information to the press to send a message that his behavior was not appreciated, and needed to change. GM Jon Daniels indicated over the weekend that there have been multiple incidents with Padilla both on and off the field, and that the team felt the necessity to make this move as a message to the organization. The odds are good that Padilla will clear waivers, as he is owed approximately $4.0 million for the remainder of this season, and has a $2.75 million buyout of a team option for 2010. The Rangers obviously felt they were better off getting rid of Padilla’s distraction, even if it costs them almost $7.0 million. Somewhat surprisingly, Ranger players loudly voiced their approval, indeed appreciation for the move. The most vocal of the troops was Marlon Byrd.
Pro Baseball Fans and our partner sites feature Texas Rangers jerseys & hats and Rangers Fathead wall murals online. |
Dustin Nippert will be inserted into Padilla’s rotation spot. He has a 3-0 record, with a 2.73 ERA in eight games, four of which were starts since coming off the disabled list last month.
A day later, the story broke about Josh Hamilton “falling off the wagon” last January. His story of recovering from the depths of chemical dependencies to excel in the Major Leagues was a big story in baseball in 2008, so news of his relapse was disappointing. Photos were posted on the internet Saturday morning, and the team held a press conference before Saturday’s game. Hamilton to his credit admitted the mistake and apologized for the pain his binge has caused. His teammates were most supportive, and the team indicated they had known of the incident well before the photos were posted.
The series win this weekend for Texas, with their struggling offense and multiple injuries, served notice that the Rangers aren’t going away soon in their pursuit of a playoff spot. Texas now moves on to Cleveland before returning home to face the Red Sox this weekend.
By: Richard W. Humphrey
MLBcenter.com Texas Rangers Correspondent
> View all of the 2009 MLB team previews from Pro Baseball Fans
Advertisement