Texas Rangers Notes: Why Jeremy Guthrie Could Add Pop to the Rotation

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For the last few days a lot of the trade talk has centered around relievers like Heath Bell, Francisco Rodriguez, and a few others.

While the bullpen is definitely something general manager Jon Daniels and CEO Nolan Ryan will need to address, they also need to do something about the starting rotation. They need to bring in a starter, or two, who will allow them to move struggling Alexi Ogando back to the bullpen and possibly into the seventh or eighth inning role.


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Jeremy Guthrie, a 32-year old right hander with the Baltimore Orioles, is a guy the Rangers could bring in and plug in as the number two starter behind ace, C.J. Wilson.

Guthrie is currently 3-9 with a 3.93 ERA but don't forget this is for an Orioles team that is hitting .260 as a team and really doesn't have much of a chance to win their own division. Especially when that division already boasts the New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox, and Tampa Bay Rays.

In four of the last five seasons, Guthrie has finished with an ERA under 4.00 including a career low 3.63 back in 2008 and has posted three consecutive 10-win seasons.

He's a solid starter and all of his experience has been in the AL East, a division most would call the best in baseball.

His fastball velocity will range any where from the high 80's to mid 90's and he's able to paint the corners with it. His slider will stay around the mid 80's but he has been known to ramp it into the low 90's as well. Those are the two pitches he's thrown the most over his career but he will mix in a curve and changeup as well but, according to fangraphs.com, he won't use those two pitches near as often.

Over his career, Guthrie has thrown his fastball and slider 83.6% of the time with the other 16.4% centered around the curve and changeup.

Guthrie has always gotten off to fast starts to every season. He has a career 3.29 ERA in the month of May but for the rest of the season he'll hover around the 4.30 to 4.70 mark.

He's a guy who won't cost the Rangers their top prospects but the Orioles will look to acquire the likes of Craig Gentry and possibly a few other minor leaguers maybe of the mid-level variety.

Bringing in Guthrie allows the team to make some changes to their rotation in order to strengthen their bullpen. They can roll with Derek Holland, Matt Harrison and possibly Colby Lewis at the back end of the rotation, at least for now.

But with Wilson and Guthrie leading the staff, this team and it's rotation, automatically becomes the best in the AL West and allows them a little breathing room between themselves and the rest of the division.

Texas Rangers Notes: Holland, O'Day, Wilson, Marshall, Balfour

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Derek Holland Bounces Back

After a rough outing against the New York Yankees his last time out, Derek Holland needed to put together a solid start against the Houston Astros on Monday night. If for no other reason than to get his confidence back.

Holland did just that, giving up just three runs through seven and one-third innings, and got a very nice ovation from the 41,000 fans at Rangers' Ballpark.

His next start should come this weekend at home against the New York Mets.

Darren O'Day on The Mend

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Sidewinder Darren O'Day made his first rehab appearance on Monday night, allowing a solo home run in his one inning for Double-A Frisco.

He's scheduled to pitch at Triple-A Round Rock on Wednesday where the Rangers should make a determination on whether he's ready to return to the team or if he needs a little more time.

O'Day went on the 60-day disabled list on April 27th with a torn labrum in his left hip.

C.J. Wilson Could be a Free Agent Prize

Ever since Cliff Lee decided he didn't want to sign a long term deal with the Texas Rangers during the off season, C.J. Wilson has stepped into the role of staff 'ace' and has played it beautifully.

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The soon-to-be 31-year old right hander is 7-3 through 15 starts this season with a 3.03 ERA. He's pitched well enough to be getting some attention from around the big leagues, especially teams who will be looking for pitching during the off season.

According to Mark Hale of the New York Post, the New York Yankees could potentially be a suitor for Wilson when the 2011 season comes to a close.

"And really when you're 40 or 50 years old, you're going to look back on your career and say, 'This is why I did it and I'm cool with it,' Wilson told Hale. "When I was 8 years old, I wanted to win the World Series. When I was 12 years old, I wanted to win the World Series. It's just always going to be that. It's always going to be the deciding factor, one way or the other."

Could Sean Marshall be on the Rangers' Radar?

For those fans of the Chicago Cubs or fans of other teams in the National League's Central Division, you have probably seen left handed reliever, Sean Marshall. If you haven't seen him, you've probably been looking somewhere else because at 6-foot-7 and 220 pounds, Marshall is a hard guy to miss.

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Ever since he transitioned from the starting rotation to the bullpen, Marshall has been nothing short of dominant.

In 80 games last season (74.2 IP), he finished 7-5 with a 2.65 ERA. This season, through 33 games (33.2 IP), Marshall sports a 3-2 record with a 2.41 ERA.

With the Rangers looking to better their bullpen for the stretch run, Marshall would be one of those guys who would be a solid addition if they could give the Cubs what they are looking for. Though Chicago has no reason to give him up, seeing as he's still yet to turn 29 this year (Aug. 30th), he still has some good years ahead of him.

The left hander signed a 2-year $4.7 million extension with the team and he's slated to earn $3.1 million next season.

Grant Balfour a Good Fit in Texas?

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ESPN's Buster Olney has a piece out this afternoon and brings up Oakland A's right hander, Grant Balfour. Olney says the Rangers could be a good fit if Oakland decides they are too far out of the race to be contenders.

Balfour is in his very first season with the A's and, according to John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle, is looking like an All-Star this season. In 32 appearances (31.1 IP), Balfour is 4-1 with a 2.59 ERA, holding apposing batters to a .205 batting average.

The 6-foot-2 197 pound reliever from Australia is signed through 2012 with a $4.5 million club option for the 2013 season.

Texas Rangers Ride Derek Holland, Big Bats to Win Over Houston

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The Texas Rangers, fresh off a road trip that saw them lose six of their nine games, came back to their home ballpark in Arlington, Texas looking to get back on track.

Another guy who was looking for a rebound was Monday night's starter, Derek Holland.

After giving up six runs through just five innings in New York against the Yankees, he took to the mound against the Astros and had one of his best performances of the season. He gave up three runs on six hits through seven and one-third innings and struck out four. Not a bad line for the young left-hander.

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It was a night Holland needed to have to give his confidence a little bit of a boost, especially since there had been talk recently that the Rangers were thinking of moving him back to the bullpen.

But it wasn't just Holland who had a good night. The Rangers offense exploded for seven runs, chasing Astros starter J.A. Happ before he was able to get out of the third inning.

Josh Hamilton and Adrian Beltre combined for five hits in nine at bats and drove in four of the Rangers eight runs on the night. They weren't the only ones turning in big performances.

Craig Gentry, the speedy outfielder, had a career high three hits on the night and Mitch Moreland added a solo blast in the home half of the eighth inning to put the game on ice.

While most will talk about the Rangers beating up on a bad team you can call it what you want. A win is a win and, right now, the Rangers will take any wins they can get to stay in front in the American League's Western Division.

But, as one person said inside the press box at Rangers' Ballpark, "the season doesn't begin for this team until after the All-Star break."

That might be true but the All-Star break isn't here yet and this team needs to tread water for a little bit longer. Make no mistake about it, the Mariners, Angels, and A's know exactly where Texas is and they are only one or two moves away from leaving them in the dust.

It's time to protect until general manager Jon Daniels and CEO Nolan Ryan can put together some moves of their own. Monday night was a good first step but this season is a long ways from over.

Texas Rangers Notes: Holland, Lowe, Teagarden, Guthrie

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The Texas Rangers continue to struggle in New York. After another 12-4 loss on Wednesday night, they have now dropped six of their eight games against the Yankees this season.

After Alexi Ogando gave up six runs through 1 2/3 innings on Tuesday, Derek Holland wasn't much better. The young right hander gave up six runs on seven hits, walked five and gave up two home runs through five innings of work.

Holland struggled right off the bat (no pun intended) and was unable to gain any control of his pitches.

After Holland departed, reliever Mark Lowe would take over and would have just about as much success as Holland had. Lowe gave up three runs through just an inning of work, both coming on home runs including a two-run shot from Mark Teixeira, his second of two home runs on the day.

Combined between Ogando and Holland, Ranger starters have given up 12 runs through just 6 2/3 innings of work over the last two nights.



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 Taylor Teagarden, who was called up from Triple-A Round Rock after Mike Napoli went on the disabled list, is apparently being looked at by the San Francisco Giants according to Danny Knobler of CBS.com.

Since the Giants lost Buster Posey for the season, Eli Whiteside and Chris Stewart have combined for a .180 batting average with no home runs and just two runs batted in through 19 games.

Knobler told me he wasn't sure if the two teams had engaged in talks but did confirm the Giants' interest.

Another trade partner, according to MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan, could be the Baltimore Orioles. Sullivan, in his mailbag column, talked about Chris Davis being someone Baltimore would look at with their need at first base. Two names Sullivan mentioned coming back to Texas were relievers Jim Johnson or Koji Uehara.

However, if I'm Texas, there's only one guy I'm looking at it's 32-year old right hander Jeremy Guthrie. Don't be fooled by his record this season (2-8) but focus more on the 3.77 ERA. He plays for a bad Orioles team and coming to Texas could provide the spark he and this pitching staff needs.

Sullivan also mentioned the Rangers being willing to trade anyone if the right deal were to come along. He said the Rangers would put Nelson Cruz on the first plane to Seattle if it meant Felix Hernandez was coming back in the deal.

That kind of deal isn't going to happen but you get the point he's making.

Texas Rangers Being Kept Afloat By Bad AL West Division

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If you're the Texas Rangers and you are only give games above .500, there has to be something inside you thanking your lucky stars things aren't much worse.

Through almost mid-June, the Rangers currently sit two games in front of the Seattle Mariners and four and a half games in front of the Los Angeles Angels in the American League's Western Division.

At the start of the 2011 season, though my predictions for this division don't look all that great at this point in the season there is still a lot of time left.



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 The Texas Rangers have dealt with losing Josh Hamilton and Nelson Cruz to the disabled list and now will be without catcher Mike Napoli who was just put on the 15-day disabled list with a strained oblique.

But not only have they struggled with injuries but their starters, outside of C.J. Wilson and Alexi Ogando, have struggled as well. Matt Harrison, Derek Holland, and Colby Lewis have brought their share of good starts but, as of late, have brought their struggles along as well.

After eight innings of shutout ball against Tampa Bay, Lewis has given up 15 earned runs over his last two starts (4.2 IP). He gave up nine runs against Detroit (3.1 IP) and six against the Minnesota Twins (1.1 IP) in his very next start.

Matt Harrison, after not giving up a single run in back-to-back starts (14.1 IP) against the Philadelphia Phillies and Kansas City Royals, he's given up six runs over his last two starts (10 IP) against Detroit and Minnesota.

Though Derek Holland was more than impressive against the Cleveland Indians in early June, throwing a complete game shutout, outside of that one start the young right hander has given up 13 earned runs (17 IP) in his previous three starts.


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This team can not keep counting on Wilson and Ogando to right the ship every time it looks like it's going to tip over.

We can blame the pitching staff all we want and the battle some of the starters are going through just to figure things out and get themselves right. But after starting the month of June with a perfect 5-0 record, the Rangers have dropped five of their last seven games including losing back-to-back series against the Tigers and Twins.

Over the next month and a half, the Rangers front office will be collecting names and talking to their scouting department about possible deals they could make at or before the trade deadline at the end of July.

They know they need to focus on pitching, both in the rotation as well as the back end of the bullpen. Owner Nolan Ryan and general manager Jon Daniels both know they are just one or two moves away from running away from the rest of the division.

It's not going to be just any move. It's going to take the right move for this team to be able to put some distance between them and those chasing them in the AL West. If they wait for the Mariners or Angels to make a move, they could be watching as they are the ones who get left in the dust.

As for right now, a bad AL West dvision is keeping them afloat when it should have already drowned them.

Texas Rangers Are Treading Water But For How Long?

Through just about the quarter mark of the season the American League West Division looks to be in a race for the worst division in baseball right alongside, predictably, the National League West.

The Texas Rangers, through 42 games as of Wednesday night, are 22-20 and in a tie for first place with the Oakland Athletics and a half game better than the Los Angels Angels.

Say what you want about how the team has played over the last couple of weeks, at least they are still in the race and not sitting 10 games back. There is always a bright side to everything.

While there has not been a whole lot of good news for this team over the past month, Josh Hamilton going down, Neftali Feliz hitting the disabled list, and the rotation and bullpen struggling to keep opposing offenses at bay, they are doing exactly what they need to be doing at this point.

They desperately needed to tread water while Hamilton was out of the lineup. That is exactly what they have done. They aren’t the same team who got off to a franchise record start at the beginning of the season but sitting where they are at this point should be a positive thing.

With Hamilton coming back in just a few short weeks, this team should be at full strength and ready to really make a push for the top spot in the division.

They aren’t going to out pitch the Angels especially since they don’t have guys like Jered Weaver and Dan Haren, not to mention Joel Pineiro who has been nothing short of dominate through his first four starts. He’s given up just six earned runs in 27.1 innings pitched.

The talk around the water coolers, especially lately, is how to fix the Rangers’ bullpen. There has been more talk about possible trades and names being thrown about in terms of what it might take to land each respective player.

Make no mistake about it, you have to give something to get something. There are those who will make a big deal about giving up prospects and there are others who will give up whatever it takes to get the right guy.

Take the Cliff Lee trade at the deadline last season. The Ranges gave up one of their top prospects, third baseman Justin Smoak, to the Seattle Mariners in order to bring Lee to Texas.

The move paid off as Lee was one of the biggest catalysts for this team getting to the World Series. He didn’t put them over the top but he made a huge impact.

Is there a deal to be made that can make the same kind of impact Lee made on this team in 2010?

There are a few everyone will talk about and there will be so many names tosses around to make you think everyone is available.

It’s hard to know what to address first. Do you solidify the back end of the bullpen especially with Darren Oliver and Arthur Rhodes having their struggles? Or do you do something with the rotation with Derek Holland and Matt Harrison both having their rough spots over their last few starts?

Those are questions that need to be answered and the speculation will run wild until the trade deadline in late July comes and goes.

The AL West isn’t going to have a team run away with the division. The Rangers can stay at or near the top of the division with what they have now. When the deadline approaches, general manager Jon Daniel and owner Nolan Ryan will look to make the same kind of impact deal they made last July.

But it can’t be just any move, it’s going to need to be the right move to put this team back on top and back into the World Series.

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Texas Rangers: Michael Young's No Trade and How to Fix The Rotation, Bullpen

Michael Young’s Full No Trade Clause

Texas Rangers’ super utility guy, Michael Young, will not have to worry about being traded any time soon-if at all.

Young’s 10-and-5 rights kicked in on Saturday May 7^th meaning he has control of if, when and where he’s traded.

You may remember the talk surrounding his impending trade during spring training and even more might remember the Rangers being in serious talks with the Colorado Rockies.

The topic came up again in Denver but was quickly shot down on Twitter by Rockies’ beat writer Troy Renck.

Is there still a chance? Sure. But it would have to be because the team is way out of the race by the trade deadline at the end of July.

Rangers need to upgrade their bullpen, rotation

At the beginning of the 2011 baseball season the Texas Rangers got off to one of their hottest starts in franchise history. It looked like the team was going run away with the American League’s Western Division before the All-Star break even got close.

A few weeks later, the team would lose both outfielder Josh Hamilton and closer Neftali Feliz and the hot start quickly turned ice cold.

While Feliz has returned to the team, the Rangers’ offense has struggled without their MVP in the lineup. Opposing pitchers are not going to pitch other hitters the way they would if they were to face Hamilton in the middle of it.

Left hander Matt Harrison, who was one of the reasons this team was playing so well right off the bat, has struggled with his command over his last few starts. After winning his first three starts, giving up a combined four earned runs, Harrison has lost each of his last four starts giving up a combined 17 earned runs in 17.1 IP.

But he is not the only one wondering if they will ever gain some sort of momentum.

Young right hander Derek Holland has also struggled, giving up 22 earned runs in 29.2 IP including giving up at least five runs in three of his last five starts.

While there aren’t many trades seen at this point in the season, the Rangers need to be looking at their options. They need to make sure they stay within striking distance of the Oakland A’s and Los Angeles Angels. No one is going to run away with the AL West, but the Rangers need to do everything they can to make sure they stay close.

There are two guys who can come in immediately and make an impact in the Rangers’ bullpen, something this team desperately need.

San Diego Padres’ closer Heath Bell and Kansas City Royals’ closer Joakim Soria.

Both players will demand minor leaguers in return but neither are going to require a lot in salary.

If you want to look at the rotation and trying to fix what seems to be broken, there are a few players we can throw out who might be of interest to general manager Jon Daniels.

For those of you who really follow the Rangers and know their minor league system you might have heard the name, Tanner Scheppers.

The former Fresno State standout is one of the top pitching prospects for this franchise and he is a player a lot of fans and media alike have mentioned as someone who might see the big leagues before the end of this season.

If these struggles continue, Scheppers might be called up sooner rather than later. The one thing Daniels and the Rangers need to make absolutely sure of is he is ready for the pressures of being a major league pitcher. If they bring him up and he proves to not be ready, you send him back to Triple-A with his confidence all but shot.

Instead of bringing up an unproven minor league prospect, Daniels can look at guys like Chicago Cubs’ right hander Matt Garza, Baltimore Orioles right hander Jeremy Guthrie, or young Boston Red Sox left hander Clay Buchholz.

There are other names the Rangers will probably look at prior to the trade deadline but they do not need to bring in a veteran type pitcher to make a difference. They bring in a young pitcher who you can control and build around over the next few years.

While it is not time to panic in Arlington just yet, the list of names to look at is going to grow if the bullpen and rotation continue to struggle.

Once Josh Hamilton returns to the lineup, we may see things begin to turn around and the momentum begin to grow. Until then, the Rangers need to at least need to tread water for the next month or more.

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Can the Texas Rangers Stay Afloat, or is There a Move on The Horizon?

Through the first few weeks of the 2011 Major League Baseball season, the Texas Rangers looked every bit like the defending American League Champions. In fact, they looked better than the team who made it to the World Series in 2010.

Two weeks later, the Rangers are without team MVP, Josh Hamilton, for the better part of two months with a small fracture in his right shoulder and their young closer, Neftali Feliz, who was put on the 15-day disabled list with tightness in his pitching shoulder.

Without Hamilton, the rest of the offense began to struggle. Ian Kinsler, Nelson Cruz, Elvis Andrus, and Adrian Beltre all seemed to have lost their stroke. The only one who still had it, Michael Young, was a player the Rangers almost traded before the start of the season.

There have been a few games where the offensive power stroke re-emerges and the Rangers go on a home run binge. Then there are nights where they can not seem to get much going at all and struggle just to drive runs in.

However, the on and off nights for the offense isn’t the biggest concern for manager Ron Washington. The struggles of his bullpen and his rotation have left some wondering if this team needs to make a move sooner rather than later.

Most will tell you there won’t be a trade to be made until the trading deadline at the end of July. I’m not sure the Rangers can wait that long.

With Feliz out, Washington has had to turn to aging pitchers Arthur Rhodes and Darren Oliver to assume the closing duties and wonders if veteran pitcher Brett Tomko is going to hold down the fort or implode from one night to the next.

Mark Lowe was sent to the minors because he couldn’t get anyone out and Darren O’Day’s struggles with command have also reared their ugly head.

So what is Ron Washington to do?

First I’d stomp into general manager Jon Daniel’s office and say a simple, “thanks for nothing,” or he can try to put things together the best way he can to try and stop the bleeding.

Through the first month of the season, aside from the Red Sox and Orioles, the Rangers have struggled against the best the American League East has to offer, losing two of three to the New York Yankees and dropping the first two of a three-game set to the Toronto Blue Jays.

The four losses in five games really can not be blamed on the lack of offense which scored 17 runs over those five games. It has been the pitching rotation, aside from the ace C.J. Wilson, who can not seem to figure out how to get the job done against the teams who could play a major role in their playoff lives down the stretch.

Alexi Ogando, untouchable before making his very first start against the Yankees, would give up three home runs in just over six innings of work. His offense gave Ogando the lead twice and both times he coughed it up.

Another starter who has yet to have even a decent start is Colby Lewis. Through four starts (22.0 IP) Lewis has given up 17 earned runs, eight of which have been of the long ball variety.

Derek Holland, a young pitcher Ranger fans watched as he struggled in the World Series, has only been effective a few times so far this season.

After winning his first two starts of the season, giving up just three combined runs over 12 complete innings of work, Holland has given up 10 earned runs over his next two starts (14.2 IP) including three home runs.

Then there’s Matt Harrison. He looked like a star in the making. A young pitcher who the Ranger fans loved to come out and watch and he was a guy they knew would take the ball every fifth day and get their team a win.

It all came to a screeching halt on a Tuesday night against the Blue Jays. He lasted just three innings and was hammered for seven earned runs.

There are more questions than there are answers with this team. Three of their starters are struggling, they are missing one of their best hitters, and they are missing their closer.

While most teams would not make a trade this early in the season, maybe it’s time for Daniels and team owner Nolan Ryan to look in to their minor league system to see if there is anyone who can help them get through the rough patches.

If you listen closely, you might just hear the name Tanner Scheppers through the halls of Rangers’ Ballpark. He is the Rangers’ best pitching prospect and a young man who has received a ton of hype and praise from this franchise.

Assuming things do not change soon, Scheppers might be seeing the big leagues sooner than he realizes.

Luckily for the Rangers, the AL West isn’t going to be the strongest division in the American League or in baseball for that matter. They should have enough to stay afloat until both Feliz and Hamilton return to the team.

Once they are at full strength they might be a hard team to catch.

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Texas Rangers Drop Two of Three to the New York Yankees

The Texas Rangers needed to see what they were made of and they needed to see what kind of team they were.

After dropping two of three to the Detroit Tigers in disappointing fashion, the Rangers traveled to the Bronx for a rematch of the American League Championship series against the New York Yankees.

Most of the fans and the media as well weren’t sure the start this team had gotten off to was for real. They wanted to see more and they wanted to see it against better competition than what they had faced at the beginning of the season.

Say what you want against the Boston Red Sox but just because they look solid on paper doesn’t mean they are going to turn out that way. You might want to ask the Boston fans how that’s working out for their team right now.

In game one on Friday night, young Rangers’ left hander Matt Harrison continued his dominance. The kid who most didn’t know a lot about and didn’t really trust to be all that effective, has opened everyone’s eyes.

The soon-to-be 26 year old was absolutely masterful, holding the Yankees  to two runs in his eight complete innings of work. He made way for closer Neftali Feliz who closed out his fourth save in as many chances as the Rangers went on to win the first of a three-game set, 5-3.

Game two, however, was a completely different story.

Another young starter, right hander Derek Holland, towed the rubber in the exact spot his troubles began out of the bullpen.

Though he would work into the eighth inning, Holland would give up five runs including two-run shots from Mark Teixeira and Robinson Cano.

So, with the two teams splitting each of the first two games, the Rangers and Yankees returned to Yankee Stadium to close out the final game of the three-game set.

The Rangers jumped on Yankees’ left-hander C.C. Sabathia in the very first inning thanks to a two-run shot from third baseman Adrian Beltre.

Though he and Michael Young both had big nights for the Rangers, the Yankees’ offense refused to let Texas repeat what they had done to them in the ALCS a little more than six months ago.

Rangers’ starter Alexi Ogando, previously untouched in his first two starts of the 2011 season, was tagged for five runs thanks to a solo home run from Robinson Cano and two runs shots from Curtis Granderson and Russell Martin, kept the Yankees in the game.

Every time Texas went ahead, the Yankees always seemed to have an answer.

And, in true Yankee style, they brought in closer Mariano Rivera to close out back-to-back wins on Saturday and again on Sunday.

So, after losing two of three in two consecutive series, the Rangers will limp home hoping to right a ship that seems to have lost a little bit of the strong winds that have carried them to this point.

Blame it on their bullpen or blame it on the struggles of their offense or one of their starters, the bottom line is this team may not be as good as we first thought.

It is still early in the season and there is a lot of baseball to be played. The sooner they can get past series losses to both the Tigers and the Yankees, the better off they are going to be.

Don’t jump off the bandwagon just yet, there is a lot to enjoy about this team and more still for them to prove.

The Rangers brought their measuring stick with them and it turns out they weren’t quite where they were hoping to be.

Without Josh Hamilton in the lineup, guys like Michael Young, Nelson Cruz, and Ian Kinsler will need to step up to fill the void left by Hamilton’s injury.

The biggest question facing this team is how they are going to fix a bullpen who continues to struggle. If it doesn’t get better soon, manager Ron Washington may have no choice but to rely heavily on his starters to do more than what they may have been asked to do before.

With the Angels coming to town and as well as they are playing, this will be another tell-tale sign of where this team is.

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The Texas Rangers Are Off to Their Best Start in More Than a Decade

The Texas Rangers are off to their best start since 1996. Those who doubted probably still do, but they didn’t expect this kind of a start for a team who doesn’t look all that strong on paper.

But, that’s why there’s the all too familiar saying “that’s why they play the game.”

After a three-game sweep of the Boston Red Sox, the perennial favorites in the American League, the Rangers followed that up with a series win over the Seattle Mariners. Not a bad way to open the defense of the American League Championship, the first in franchise history.

They’re not only getting good pitching, the Rangers’ offense has been nothing short of amazing.

On two straight nights, both in his first at bat of the game, second baseman Ian Kinsler would hit his first and second home runs of the year. Not to be outdone, outfielder Nelson Cruz would hit four runs, one in each of the first four games. He’s in good company in that category because only the great Willie Mays and the infamous Mark McGwire have accomplished that feat.

What most didn’t expect is how the back end of the rotation would perform.

Left hander Matt Harrison and right handers Derek Holland and first time starter Alexi Ogando had solid performances.

The three young pitchers combined to give up just four runs and 14 hits through 19 solid innings of work. There isn’t anyone who could have predicted that kind of start for these three young pitchers.

They were the concern coming in to the season. Everyone knew what C.J. Wilson brought to the table as the team’s ace and people saw what Colby Lewis was capable of doing in the rotation last season.

But after the struggles Holland went through in the playoffs last year, I don’t know that I could blame any of the fans for having their doubts about how he would perform. Though he was shaky through a few innings on Monday night, he finished with two big strikeouts to get out of a jam that definitely could have gotten out of hand.

Neftali Feliz still dominates

It took almost a full four games before Ranger fans got to see closer Neftali Feliz trot out to the mound from the bullpen to lock down his first save of the season.

He did so with the same kind of flash and domination that has become somewhat of a trademark around Rangers’ Ballpark.

In a 5-3 win on Monday night, Feliz had no trouble getting the save though I think both Ranger and Mariner fans enjoyed seeing the matchup between the young closer and Mariners’ star Ichiro Suzuki.

One night later, Feliz would pick up his second save of the season and again without giving up a hit. For those of you who wanted to know why he was put back in the bullpen as the team’s closer, you saw why over the last two nights.

Nelson Cruz in power mode

For those of you who watched this team all of last season, and especially in the playoffs, you got to see this young outfielder put on a display of power this franchise has searched for long and hard.

His walk off home runs last season became almost expected. However, his four home runs in four games certainly came as a surprise to just about everyone. Though it’s left most wondering, “what will he do this season for an encore?”

Michael Young still a Ranger

Super utility man Michael Young still remains in Texas and still dons the Ranger jersey. He’s received his share of playing time this season but you can bet it’s not the kind of playing time he’s been used to in the past.

So far, there hasn’t been much drama since the blowup between him and general manager Jon Daniels at the beginning of spring training. However, you have to wonder how long Young is going to be a “team player.” Those who have watched him over the years believe he’ll do what’s necessary to help the team when.

However, when push comes to shove, an every day player turned utility man isn’t going to get used to riding the bench much longer.

Rangers hit the road

The Texas Rangers will begin a nine game road stretch beginning on Friday night when they travel to Baltimore to take on the suddenly hot Orioles managed by none other than former Rangers’ manager Buck Showalter.

After that, it’s off to Detroit for a three-game set against the Tigers before they head for the Bronx and a rematch of the ALCS with the New York Yankees.

This could be the most telling sign for this team. Sure they can play well at home, but how will they fare in hostile territory?

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