Texas Rangers Notes: C.J. Wilson, Mitch Moreland, Mike Napoli

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Not a lot to talk about today by way of trade rumors but I will give you one interesting nugget I was able to scrounge up. The rest is just little odds and ends from the Rangers' walk off win over the Astros on Tuesday night.

C.J. Wilson Struggles With Command


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For a guy who took over the role of the 'ace' in the starting rotation, C.J. Wilson has handled the duties better than most expected he would.

Once in awhile, he can get away with struggling once in awhile, so long as the Rangers come out with a win. Such was the case on Tuesday night against the Houston Astros. Wilson gave up four runs and 11 hits through six and two-third innings.

Luckily, his offense picked him up thanks to a game-tying home run from Josh Hamilton and a game winning walk-off blast from Mitch Moreland. His second home run in as many nights.



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Mitch Moreland Swingin' a Sweet Bat

After Monday night's 455-foot bomb, Moreland admitted he did watch it just a little bit. On Tuesday night, there was no doubt he admired his work on another bomb to right field, this one of the walk-off variety in the 11th inning.

The very first pitch Moreland saw he sent deep into the Texas night and about 15 rows back in the second deck. Sending his teammates jumping dugout railing and over to home plate to await the impending celebration.

It was Moreland's second blast in as many nights. If his bat stays hot, the Rangers could get on a much needed winning streak as they head towards the All-Star break.

Mike Napoli on the Trading Block?


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Last week, CBS Sports' Danny Knobler had a blog talking about the San Francisco Giants' interest in Rangers' catcher, Taylor Teagarden.

A week later, Knobler seems to think the Rangers will deal Mike Napoli to the Giants once he's ready to be activated from the disabled list.

I can see the Rangers dealing Teagarden especially seeing the kind of struggles he's had with the big club. I don't see them dealing Napoli at all and there's no reason to do so.

He's a better hitter than Teagarden and Napoli can not only back up starter Yorvit Torrealba behind the plate but also give manager Ron Washington a decent defensive option at first base.

The Giants need catching especially after the season ending injury to Buster Posey. But don't expect the Rangers to engage them where Napoli is concerned. Unless there's a solid No. 2 or No. 3 starter coming back in the deal.

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 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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Texas Rangers vs Boston Red Sox: Colby Lewis Looks to Keep the Rangers Rolling

On Friday afternoon, the Texas Rangers showed the Boston Red Sox why they were the defending American League Champions and why they had every intention of repeating.

Boston got two unearned runs in the very first inning, but the Rangers fought back and not only rallied once, but did so a second time to pull out a 9-5 win in front of a sold out crowd in Arlington, Texas.

Tonight, the team will be given their ALCS Championship rings. However, don't think for a second these players wouldn't exchange them for World Series rings in a second. They wanted it, but they weren't the better team.

Though this group of players don't look like contenders on paper, they certainly played like it on Opening Day.

The Rangers got solo home runs from second baseman Ian Kinsler and outfielder Nelson Cruz and a three run blast from newcomer Mike Napoli. But it was in the eighth inning that put the Rangers ahead for good.

With the game tied at 5-5, David Murphy was brought in to pinch hit and delivered a two-run double to give the Rangers a 7-5 lead over the Red Sox. Shortstop Elvis Andrus and outfielder Josh Hamilton followed with RBI doubles of their own, running off reliever Daniel Bard after giving four earned runs.

Closer Neftali Feliz, though not in a closing situation, came in and blew down the Sox to seal a very convincing win.

The Rangers will look to keep their momentum rolling as they will have right hander Colby Lewis on the mound but their offense will have the tough task of facing a tough pitching in Boston right hander, John Lackey.

Patience is key tonight for the offense. Take pitches, run the pitch count up, and take advantage of mistakes. They did a great job of that last night and they need a repeat tonight. Lackey isn't unbeateable as he showed last season but once he gets settled and into a groove he's one of the tougher pitchers to hit against.

As for Lewis, the Rangers need the kind of performance they saw from him last season.

In his career against the Red Sox, Lewis is 1-1 in four starts (26 IP) with a 3.12 ERA but has given up nine earned runs. Three of those have come from home runs.

Keep the ball down and don't allow Red Sox first baseman Adrian Gonzalez to beat them. Sure he had 3 RBI last night, but in the end it didn't end up making a difference. He's not the only threat in the lineup but he's the biggest threat to hit the ball to all parts of the ballpark.

If he can keep his pitch count down and limit the walks, the Rangers offense will have the chance to put this game on ice early to give Lewis a little bit of a cushion.

This should be a fun one tonight. Game time is set for 8:54pm CDT and it should be a beautiful night for baseball.


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Texas Rangers vs Boston Red Sox: Rangers Go Big Fly, Rally Past the Red Sox

The Texas Rangers needed a big start to their day and though it didn't look like it after the top half of the first inning, the offense came out swinging.

With the second pitch he saw, second baseman Ian Kinsler smoked a solo home run to left to pull within 2-1 of the Red Sox. He would be joined by outfielder Nelson Cruz, who had a solo shot of his own, and newcomer Mike Napoli who added a three-run shot.

Though the Sox would eventually tie the game at 5-5 in the eighth inning, David Murphy had a big pinch hit two-run double in the home half of the eighth as the Rangers would pull away with a 9-5 win on Friday afternoon in front of 50,146 at Rangers' Ballpark.

There were a lot of doubts on what this Rangers team was going to be able to do against a Red Sox team who most called the best team in baseball. Would they be able to stand up against the giants of the American League?

They fell behind early and rallied. The game was tied and the momentum started to swing a little bit to Boston's favor. But this team didn't quit. Each time Boston seemed to be gaining, the Rangers shut them down and the offense answered the call.

Both left handers, Rangers' C.J. Wilson and Boston's Jon Lester, both ended up with no decisions but only Wilson was able to celebrate at the end of the night.

Wilson went 5.2 innings pitched giving up four runs only two of them earned and struck out six. As for Lester, he went 5.1 innings pitched giving up five runs (all earned) and gave up the three home runs to Kinsler, Cruz, and Napoli.

There were more than one big hit in this game.

You can look at Napoli's three-run shot with the Rangers down 4-2 in the fourth inning or you can look at the two-run double by David Murphy which put the team ahead for good.

All-in-all this was a good effort by the defending American League Champions. It's only one game but it's getting off to a good start that will give this team confidence for the remainder of the series.


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Texas Rangers Trade Catcher Matt Treanor to Kansas City

The Texas Rangers, in a surprising move, dealt catcher Matt Treanor to the Kansas City Royals on Monday for cash considerations.

With Treanor gone, it means the catching duties will be split between Yorvit Torrealba and new addition Mike Napoli, though Napoli can also fill in at first base when needed.

"It's tough to leave that group of guys," Treanor told the media on Monday. "We had a good group and did some great things last year. I should probably stop saying 'We,' now that I'm a Royal."

The move will allow the Rangers to bring in an eight-man bullpen into Opening Day. They can keep three of Mason Tobin, Brett Tomko, Mark Lowe and Pedro Strop.

The Rangers have still to make a decision as to who they're going to replace Tommy Hunter, who will miss the first six weeks of the season, with in the rotation.

Treanor hit .211 in 237 at bats for the Rangers in 2010 and hit .273 through 11 games during spring training games.


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