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.


Photo courtesy: Associated Press



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 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.

At Full Strength, the Texas Rangers Seem to be in Cruise Control

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The Texas Rangers have always played third fiddle to the Dallas Cowboys and the Dallas Mavericks. You may as well consider them the little brother who never really gets noticed by their older siblings.

Enter 2010 and little brother is no longer waiting for big brother to tell him he's doing a good job.

The Rangers disposed of the Tampa Bay Rays followed by shocking the defending champion, New York Yankees, in the ALCS in front of a sold out crowd at Rangers' Ballpark in Arlington. They did all that while the Cowboys and Mavericks watched, wondering why they couldn't have that kind of success.

Although the Mavs tasted it once back in 2006 and are doing so again in 2011, the Dallas Cowboys have "lost that lovin' feeling" since Troy Aikman and Emmitt Smith decided to hang 'em up. After 16 seasons the Cowboys had just a single playoff victory.

With the 2011 season into its third month, the Texas Rangers find themselves on top of the AL West and are playing like they were at the beginning of the season.

Of course it doesn't hurt getting Josh Hamilton and Nelson Cruz, their two big bats in the lineup, back from the disabled list. They were able to tread water for awhile and stay just close enough to make this kind of a run when they were back to full strength.

The only question remaining at this point is what will the team do at the deadline and will they make a move to shore up their bullpen? We have talked a lot about the potential players they could be after and what kind of a deal it might take to land said players.

At this point, with the way the Rangers are playing, they may be able to ride this team right back into the playoffs and maybe back into the ALCS. However, it won't come by offense alone.

You can look at guys like Hamilton, Cruz, Ian Kinsler and Michael Young and imagine the team scoring six or seven runs per game. They have shown all year they can put up crooked numbers night in and night out. That's all well and good but this team will not succeed as they did last year unless their pitching staff and bullpen remain strong.

Starters like ace C.J. Wilson, first year starter Alexi Ogando, or young left hander Matt Harrison have each had their big starts for this team. Wilson has shown that he can be the ace of this staff even after Cliff Lee decided he didn't want to come back to Texas. Opting instead to pitch behind All-Stars Roy Halladay and Roy Oswalt, making it look more like the Miami Heat than Philadelphia Phillies.

The Rangers do have lady luck on their side. The American League's Western Division is not nearly as strong as it has been in years past. If the first few months of the season are any indication, the Rangers are a team who could go on a run and put this division in the rear view mirror by the All-Star break.

But before all that can take place, this team needs to take care of business on the field. They need to be able to beat the top team in the American League and not just make a habit of beating up on the bad ones.

For now it's a work in progress. For the future, it's something that still needs to be fixed.

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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Texas Rangers, New York Yankees Ready for ALCS Rematch

When the 2010 American League Championship Series came to a close, the New York Yankees sat in an unfamiliar position. They were the ones sitting in their dugout watching as the Texas Rangers celebrated their first ever American League Championship.

More than six months later, the Rangers and Yankees will meet again in the Bronx for a three-game set which gets underway on Friday night.

Both teams have changed both aren't the same as when they met back in October of last year. The Rangers are off to their best start (9-3) since 1989 while the Yankees are currently sitting at 6-4 through their first 10 games of the 2011 season.

Texas will be missing the one key ingredient that was one of the biggest factors in their ALCS win over the Yankees, Josh Hamilton, after the outfielder suffered a small fracture in his right arm in a game against the Detroit Tigers on Tuesday afternoon.

They're also missing their ace, Cliff Lee, who moved on to the Philadelphia Phillies after deciding against re-signing with Texas and not signing with the Yankees.

New York also has their fare share of changes.

Pitcher Andy Pettitte decided for retirement instead of returning for yet another season with the Bronx Bombers.

Without him, the Yankees' rotation has struggled after ace C.C. Sabathia. Phil Hughes, Ivan Nova, and A.J. Burnett have each had their struggles so far this season but Hughes has gotten the worst end of them.

He's given up 11 earned runs through just six innings pitched while Burnett has given up at least two runs in each of his first three starts.

As for the Rangers, their rotation has been better than most thought it would be. Young left hander Matt Harrison and first year starter Alexi Ogando have opened everyone's eyes and have proved a lot of people wrong.

Ogando has dominated with just two pitches, fastball and slider, and has been this side of unhittable. As for Harrison, he's given up just two earned runs through 14 innings pitched, dominating both the Baltimore Orioles and Boston Red Sox to start the season.

While it seems manager Ron Washington doesn't have many worries with his starters, it's his bullpen that might make him reach for the Tums to cure the heartburn created by aging relievers Arthur Rhodes and Darren Oliver, not to mention the struggles of Mark Lowe.

The only bright spot for them thus far has been young closer Neftali Feliz who has converted each of his first four save opportunities and has yet to give up a run through just over six combined innings (6.1 IP).

When these two teams converge at the new Yankee Stadium, there will be a new feeling in the air and a clean slate where each team has a chance to prove last year was either a fluke or the real deal.

Without Hamilton, the Rangers will need their offense to step up and fill in the gap left by their 2010 MVP. Nelson Cruz, Ian Kinsler, and Michael Young will need to be the catalysts and they'll need help from the rest of the lineup to stay afloat for the next two months at least.

This series against New York will be telling to see just where this team is at this point. Was their fast start a fluke or can they handle a little adversity right off the bat and show their championship selves once more?


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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?

Follow Todd Kaufmann @T_Kaufmann on Twitter or find him on Facebook

Texas Rangers Ride Matt Harrison, Long Ball to Sweep Aside the Red Sox

If Texas Rangers fans wanted to see what their team was made of, all they had to do was be one of the more than 140,000 that made the trek to Rangers' Ballpark.

Not only did the Rangers put the bats, and the arms, to the Boston Red Sox who looked like the perennial favorites in the American League, they did it in dominating fashion.

“We got outplayed all the way around,” Red Sox manager Terry Francona told the Associated Press. “They hit better than us, they pitched better than us. Now we’ve got to regroup and get us a win so we can feel better about ourselves.”

The offense exploded for 11 home runs and outscored the Red Sox 26-11 over the three game series. According to the Associated Press, the Red Sox fell to 0-3 for the first time since 1996 when they lost each of their first five games.

Second baseman Ian Kinsler and outfielder Nelson Cruz each connected for home runs, their third in as many days becoming the first set of teammates to do so in Major League history. David Murphy his his first of the season and Mike Napoli connected for his second. But they weren't the only ones who had a big day.

Left hander Matt Harrison, making his first start for the Rangers, pitched an absolute gem. Contrary to the opinions of Gregg Williams and Richie Whitt of 105.3 FM The Fan in Dallas, Harrison didn't need just his name to scare off the Boston hitters. His cutter seemed to do the trick.

Harrison went seven innings allowing one run on just five hits, walked two, and struck out a career high eight batters. Relievers Darren Oliver and Neftali Feliz closed out the final two innings and did so without allowing a single hit.

“I knew if I hit my spots and mixed the speeds up, I was going to be able to keep them under control,” Harrison said after the game. “I’m definitely going to take this one and look back on it next time out. … It was just a good mix of everything. They really couldn’t sit on anything. I was able to throw three or four pitches for strikes today.”

This three game series was as dominate as the Rangers have looked in a long time. After coming off a disappointing World Series defeat at the hands of the San Francisco Giants, they seemed to come into this series with a sense of urgency and wanted to prove a point right off the bat.

They did so with power in the lineup and strength in both the rotation and the bullpen. Sure a lead was given up on Friday but they didn't quit and they found a way to overcome any obstacle in their way.

This team has solidified their place in the American League and proved all those picking the Red Sox to win should re-think that pick.

“It just makes a statement that we’re here to try to duplicate last year, that we can do it against anybody,” outfielder David Murphy said after the game.

If I'm the Seattle Mariners I'd be shaking in my boots and would be wondering if they shouldn't just hand the Rangers a three-game sweep so they can move on to whoever is next.

But, since it's not something that can be done, the Mariners will make their way to Arlington for the first of a three-game set beginning on Monday night.

Alexi Ogando will go on Monday, making his very first start as a Texas Ranger. Derek Holland will take the ball on Tuesday night and C.J. Wilson, the team's ace, will anchor the series on Wednesday.


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