Shipped Out/In

Shipped Out:

• Kenny Lofton
• Mark Teixeira
• Ron Mahay
• Eric Gagne

Shipped In:

• Max Ramirez (catcher)
• Jarrod "Salty" Saltalamacchia (catcher/1B)
• Elvis Andrus (shortstop)
• Neftali Feliz (pitcher)
• Matt Harrison (pitcher)
• Beau Jones (pitcher)
• Kason Gabbard (pitcher)
• David Murphy (outfielder)
• Engel Beltre (outfielder)

This trading deadline four for nine deal is interesting. What pleases me the most is that the Rangers knock down four pitchers and five position players in these deals. When I first saw that Lofton was traded for Ramirez, I thought 'Here we go again...' but they sure have turned things around. He really stinks to have to sit through another tough season, watching the guys lose, but I would have to say that knowing that the future is secure with some seriously wonderful prospects, there is a silver lining on the clowds... it still sucks to have to wait, though.

Yep, Tex is a Brave

Rangers Mark Teixeira and Ron Mahay get swapped for Jarrod "Salty" Saltalamacchia, slick-fielding shortstop Elvis Andrus, right-hander Neftali Feliz, left-hander Matt Harrison and left-hander Beau Jones. I don't know what to make of the trade, but right now, I'm actually pretty pleased. A 2 for 5 deal just doesn't happen everyday. My concern (Yes, I do have some) is the return is massive and "minor". On paper, it looks like a BRILLIANT trade, but John Daniels hasn't slapped together a winner trade as of yet.

Ron Mahay was a stud in the bullpen and everyone knows Tex. Salty is a rookie, but everything indicates that he is going to be a future All-Star regular. SSSSOOOO... who are the rest of these fellas?

Actually, I want to check out Salty first...

Minor League stats for Jarrod go like this:

GCL Braves: (2003)

• 70 Games, 170 at-bats, 39 hits, .229 batting average, 2 HRs, 20 RBIs
• K'd 38 Times (average of .223 strike out to at-bat ratio)

Rome: (2004)

• 91 Games, 323 at-bats, 88 hits, .272 batting average, 10 HRs, 51 RBIs
• K'd 83 Times (average of .257 strike out to at-bat ratio)

Myrtle Beach: (2005)

• 129 Games, 459 at-bats, 144 hits, .314 batting average, 19 HRs, 81 RBIs
• IBB of 11 and 35 doubles
• K'd 99 times (average of .216 strike out to at-bat ratio)

Mississippi: (2006 - first time at AA level)

• 92 Games, 313 at-bats, 72 hits, .230 batting average, 9 HRs, 39 RBIs
• K'd 71 times (average of .227 strike out to at-bat ratio)

Mississippi: (2007)

• 22 Games, 81 at-bats, 25 hits, .309 batting average, 6 HRs, 13 RBIs
• K's 17 times (average of .210 strike out to at-bat ratio)

Total Minor League Stats:

• 404 Games, 1346 at-bats, 368 hits, .273 batting average, 46 HRs, 204 RBIs

Atlanta Braves: (2007)

• 47 Games, 141 at-bats, 40 hits, .284 batting average, 4 HRs, 12 RBIs

This kid is going to be a little something special. And the BONUS is that he's in a super-hitting stadium. The thing that makes or breaks, what makes this trade a good versus bad, is the quality of pitching we get for Tex and Mahay. If the pitching sucks, then was it worth it? I don't think so. But at the very least, we get a hitter who is going to perform every bit as good as Tex, but without the outrageous contract to boot, at least not for a while.

Neftali Feliz doesn't have all that much as far as stats are concerned. He is, after all, 19 years of age. Here's what I found on him.

GCL Braves:

• 0-2 with 2 saves with a 4.03 ERA in 11 games. He threw only 29 innings. and gave up 13 runs.
• This season: 2-0 with a 2.05 ERA starting 6 games. He's thrown 26 1/3 innings and given up only 6 earned runs. His opponents are hitting a weak .178 off of him.

Matt Harrison: (Career #s in the Minors)

• 35-27 with a 3.45 ERA (the highest his ERA at season end was 4.09). He has 6 complete games and two shutouts. Homeruns per nine is at a 0.66 and hits is just under 9 per nine innings.

Beau Jones: (his numbers are quite a bit rougher than the others)

• His career numbers are a little higher than what I was expecting, and I think that is due to Jones having transition trouble each time he moves. He went from the GCL Braves to Rome and his ERA in Rome was 5.53, and then he settled into Rome the next season, only to move to Myrtle Beach where his ERA shot up to 15.26... so when he moves over to the Rangers A team, I would still expect his ERA to continue to be high until he begins to feel comfortable in his skin again.
• Career Numbers: 12-7 with a 5.07 ERA over 58 games (30 starts). Jones has 4 saves and holds the longball at bay with a HR per nine of 0.41 and 8.91 hits per nine.

The Red Sox apparently will pay Eric Gagne the extra $3.6 million -- on top of the remaining $2 million he's owed in salary -- he would have earned had he met his bonuses for games finished, which he has little chance of doing while setting up in Boston. The Rangers will get Kason Gabbard, David Murphy and Engel Beltre. They'll likely have Joaquin Benoit replace Eric Gagne in the closer's role, with C.J. Wilson a possibility to get the occasional save chance against lefty-heavy lineups.

Maybe Jon Daniels would have been better served focusing on one big prospect for Eric Gagne instead of his three-player haul. And perhaps he could have gotten more than one big-league-ready player for Teixeira and Mahay. Both are just picking nits. Daniels turned around a bereft farm system over a whirlwind 24 hours, and while that might not be enough to save his job over the next year or two, it could leave his incumbent sitting pretty.

Lofton for Ramirez

It’s now being reported on the official websites for both the Rangers and the Indians: Kenny Lofton has been traded to Cleveland for catcher Max Ramirez, who incidentally was traded in a deadline deal last July, from Atlanta to the Indians for closer Bob Wickman. He played for the World Team in the Futures Game earlier this month.

Ramirez does not take up a spot on the 40-man roster, but will be Rule 5-eligible this winter.

Jamey

The Rangers picked up a highly regarded catching prospect in 22-year-old Max Ramirez when they traded 40-year-old outfielder Kenny Lofton to the Cleveland Indians on Friday.

Ramirez was batting .303 with 12 homers and 62 RBIs at high-Class A Kinston of the Carolina League, and he played in the All-Star Futures Game earlier this month. Ramirez has been putting up strong offensive numbers this year with 20 doubles, a .505 slugging percentage and a .418 on-base percentage. The 5-foot-11, 170-pound native of Venezuela was dealt to the Indians one year ago in the trade that sent closer Bob Wickman to the Braves. (From the Texas Rangers MLB website)

Ten Games In

I am sadly thinking of hanging up my glove in Bush League Baseball. I originally thought that I would call it quits when I hit a career 1,000 victories (not including Exhibition games - if I would have included those, I would have already passed that a few seasons ago). Truth be known, I am actually getting bored of the game. How strange. I didn't really think that would have happened this soon... in my 11th season or so while playing the game. It's amazing I have a player in his 10th season right now. I never thought I would keep one past 8 seasons, but the guy is worthy. Alas, I my schedule. I played the Beer Cup and went to the final (and lost) making it the second time I have been to a Beer Cup final (and losing both times, WHAT GIVES?!). Oh well, maybe the second time through I will be better off. Here's what my schedule looks like thus far. The Final has been the worst game of the season thus far...

Current Rangers Rotation

The Current Rotation - considerations...

1. Kevin Millwood: 7-8 with a 5.56 ERA and gets a pat on the back when he goes six innings giving up six runs... (WHAT?!)
2. Vicente Padilla: (on the Disabled List) 3-8 with a 6.69 ERA. He will not be back for a few more weeks, according to local media.
3. Kameron Loe: I told you the kid is a stud. He's now 5-8 (the Rangers have won six out of his last seven starts!) and he's dropped his ERA to 5.59.
4. Jamey Wright: A winning record with a little 3-2 mark in seven starts. He sports an ERA of 4.15.
5. Brandon McCarthy: He's going to be sitting the bench by the end of the season, is my guess. He's 4-7 with a 5.52 ERA. Look for Volquez to take his spot in September.
   
6. Robinson Tejeda: Already sent down to the minors earlier this week. I have begun to wonder if the strike zone was the size of a bus, would he still walk the guy? A 6.61 ERA and a 5-9 record really do make me wonder...
7. John Rheinecker: He's currently in the #5 spot. Only ten innings this season, but still looks promising. I can't say many of the Rangers pitchers started their season this way... He's 1-0 with a 3.60 ERA. Remember last season? He started off pretty good then, too. And then faded... hopefully, the "Rhino" will stay strong the rest of the way this season.
   

Waiver Wire

No word on Mark Teixeira being dealt. The Rangers and masterfully playing this one right. They currently are dangling him like a carrot in front of the Braves, Dodgers, and Angels. I would highly doubt the boys would trade him to the divisional rival of the Angels. It wouldn't make sense for them to trade such a powerful bat to someone they would see twenty plus times a year. But they talk with them to bring up value with the Dodgers who are neck and neck with the Braves and split the market with the Angels in LA. This should turn out to be a beautiful trade for the Rangers in the end. Hopefully, the Rangers will continue to keep the strength of the bullpen intact. Johnny Out.

Bye-Bye Mark

Not, Tex, but Redman. Here's the news on the dude.

AAA: at Oklahoma 4, Round Rock 6
Loss: Simon (3-9, 6.85)

Jason Botts doubled and walked twice. Round Rock alumnus Dave Matranga hit his 7th homer and walked. Alfredo Simon allowed four runs in six innings.

Round Rock’s Chan Ho Park gave up three runs in seven innings. As a Ranger, he pitched at least seven innings with three or fewer runs allowed in 15 of 68 starts. Ah, so many memories.

Mark Redman opted out of his contract with Oklahoma.

Lefthander Mark Redman opted for his release yesterday after going 2-4, 5.34 in nine RedHawk starts, permitting the Pacific Coast League to hit .315 off him.

I'm not sure what the future holds for Redman, but I wonder if it is going to be something other than baseball. He hasn't had much success this season, in the Majors or Minors. I'm sure that is very discouraging for him. And others. I wish him the best of luck in his future.

Jr. Rangers - Ian Kinsler

This is the July Newsletter for the Jr. Rangers.

Here's the back of the mailer:

BLB Cup Games

It is really down outside of the beer cup which is strange because the beer cup is the most competition and the least amount of credits.

I am getting ready to buy some credits and I plan to play a ton of cups next season on Cooperstown (and maybe on Texas depending on how my SWT 7's do) but I would encourage the managers with strong teams to try this.

I know there are a lot of problems with playing both a cup and exhibition game the same time but here is what I learned playing in my last two beer cups on Texas (6-1 cup record, one title):

The cup games are played as non-tactic games. Seriously, the only tactics affected are the pitching tactics. So, if you can set up for your opponent (especially if they don't consistently change) you will have the advantage.

Second, if you have a strong enough team, you can still win your exhibition games because those play regular. So defend your exhibition opponent with your Advanced Tactics.

So let’s say you are playing “Boxing Legends” in the exhibition and “Conn. TNE” in the cup game. You would look to defend what Conn. TNE is doing at the beginning of the game. Say he hits long, defends normal, you would hit long/defend long in a hitters park; hit small, defend long in a pitchers park. Seriously, it's about that easy for the cup game (provided your team is strong)

Next, you could not worry about axis boxing legends, as they would go normal/normal in the first two innings and switch hit small in inning three. Well, just defend normal = (inning = 0) and defend small (inning = 2). Can't guarantee a win vs. wish but this should give you an idea of how to set up.

Thirdly, the pitching is where we at the SIN have gained an advantage. I can't take credit for the idea as it was Mr. Bama (former manager of the Carpet City Canes) as he won just about every tournament when he managed. He would always use more pitchers than everyone else and it does make a difference.

Here's how:

First mistake many make is the thought that you need your second pitcher to have the most stamina… this is only partially correct; you need your SP and your B1 pitcher to have the most stamina. The game is going to pitch the B1 reliever in one or both of your games 7 innings. It's a glitch, it isn't really happening. That is the mistake everyone is making. Set your SP to be pulled after 1, 10, 20 pitches.

Set your relievers to be pulled after 40 pitches.

This will allow for up to 4 pitchers but no more. If you have a lot of pitchers (or all your arms are dead, which happened to me) set the relievers to be pulled after 20 and expect 6/7 pitchers to pitch… although the result varies.

I am not the king of the cups by any means but this is how I was able to not only go 6-1 in two cups (and defeated Conn. TNE – who has about 8 of them on Texas – in the finals) but also go 3-4 in the TLT III tournament at the same time.

Hope this helps you guys out.

Also... How to use one pitcher:

Can I ask you a question… how do you get your squad to use only one pitcher? I've never seen that in cup play?

I just asked if you could be more specific.

I was wondering if you meant that you actually set up for only one pitcher or that you had it set up for a certain time during the game that never got reached (i.e. pull starter during a specific inning).

I have played a couple of cup games and the least amount of pitchers I ever used (when I also played exhibition games) was 2. However, you played an entire beer cup and only had one pitcher pitch for both your cup games and exhibition games. It's unheard of and I was wondering what you did?

Anything you can remember would be helpful and appreciated.

---

I set it up not to pull him. I signed up for the beer cup first and I was under the impression it would be played first. The exhibition game after was for training purposes only. Win or lose, I don’t care. I only want to train. I do swap exhibition games, so I don’t train everyday. Since I had a full schedule, I did not want to use 3 pitchers in one day so I used him all up. Hope this helps out.

Rangers vs. Angels

I have already posted that the Rangers will win two out of three. As a spoiler, I will simply say it will be the first two games. Tonight, it is Kevin Millwood vs. Jered Weaver. Millwood started the last game before the All-Star break, collecting a win. He has a chance to win two consecutive starts in back-to-back games for the Rangers. As an added bonus, I went ahead and put some comics in here.

Kevin Millwood vs. LA Angels (of Anaheim):
Millwood is a career 4-4 against the Angels. His last start against them he won, giving up two runs in eight innings off of five hits and no walks. No HRs, either. And that was on July 3rd, a game the Rangers won 8-3. Santana started for the Angels in that game. Kevin has won four of his last five starts and has pitched at least 6 innings in each of those. His last four starts have all been quality starts. He should continue that string tonight, even though his away ERA (6.28 ERA) is slightly higher than his home ERA (6.03 ERA). Vlad is 20 for 65 against Millwood with 4 HRs and 15 RBIs.

Jered Weaver vs. the Rangers:

I said that Mark Teixeira would have an 0 for series against the Angels. However, he is 3-11 against Weaver, two of those hits are HRs, and he sports 5 RBIs. Mark also has matched his hits with 3 strikeouts. Weaver comes in with a 6-5 record and a 3.67 ERA. His career against the Rangers is a 1-1 mark and a 4.09 ERA. His last start against the Rangers, he lost on July 4th (I was at that game - Rangers won 4-2). Weaver handed the Rangers 3 runs in five innings. I think Jered would have better luck going to Subway instead of the stadium. Weaver does do quite a bit better at home (7-3 record and a 2.85 ERA). Against the Rangers in Anaheim, he has no record, but his ERA vs. the Rangers in Anaheim is 5.68 (that's 8 runs in 12.2 innings).

The Rangers have great momentum right now and we will see Kevin even out his record to 7-7. Forecast calls for a tight game, due to a hole in the middle of the Ranger lineup. Rangers win 6-4.

I couldn't stop laughing when I read this last one... I really do hate the YANKEES! Johnny Out.

Oklahoma Redhawks

AAA: at Oklahoma 5, Round Rock 8 (12 innings)
Loss: Rowe (4-3, 7.24)

Jason Botts singled, walked and hit his 13th homer. Would anyone mind if I just wrote “Botts singled, walked and homered” every day? It would be correct more often than not. Nate Gold singled and walked twice. Both Nelson Cruz and Kevin Mahar had a double and a walk. Dave Matranga was 0-2 with three walks, and Chris Stewart drove in two with a sac fly and a couple of singles.

Mark Redman (5.34 ERA) allowed 13 baserunners in six innings but snuck away with only four runs on his ledger. Scott Feldman worked two scoreless innings that included a self-induced bases-loaded jam in the 10th. The teams combined to strand 32 runners.

----
I am starting to lose faith in Redman. I want so badly for him to do well, but reality is starting to look like he may never be the quality pitcher that he is supposed to be. Scott Feldman, Jason Botts, and Nate Gold are becoming the studs they're supposed to be. Anyway, Johnny Out.

Terry's Questions Answered

So what are your predictions for the following:

• The series this weekend against the Angels.
• Vlad the Impaler: batting average and number of home runs in the series.
• The Rangers record for the 2nd half of the season.
• Whether management will write off the season and unload Blalock and Tex.

The series this weekend against the Angels:

First off, the Rangers are hot right now. They have had four days off to cool off, but I still think they are carrying some huge momentum into this series, especially since they just won the series against the Angels on this run that they are on. My concern is Mark Teixeira. He is coming off his injury and should be in the lineup. Why am I concerned? Well, he has only played in the minors for a game or two and hasn’t picked up his rhythm. The reality of the situation is Tex is going to be a designated out for this series, and maybe longer. If he collects one hit in the three game series, I would be surprised. I seriously don’t think he could hit the water if he fell out of a boat. It’s that bad. Despite that, I will take the Rangers two out of three.

Vlad the Impaler: batting average and number of home runs in the series:

Vlad had lower numbers than usual in the series at the Ballpark. If I recall, he had only one hit per game, so his consecutive hit streak against the Rangers is still intact. But this time, we’re playing in the Impaler’s house. Sadly enough, I would expect Vlad to continue his romp against us, picking up the pace and being the normal Vlad we know (as Rangers fans). I would suspect about 13 to 15 at-bats, most likely 14 at-bats, with an average of .429 (6 hits in 14 at-bats), 2 HRs, and 5 RBIs. He’s going to walk a couple of times, as well.

The Rangers record for the 2nd half of the season:

The Rangers have already played 88 games of the 162-game season. So, that leaves a whopping 74 games left. If the Rangers play with a winning percentage of 60%, they will go 44-30. That would give them a record of just over 500 with 82-80. Again, I had mentioned earlier that should the Rangers knock down a significant winning streak and continue playing baseball the rest of the way like they have played the last month, they could do a significant damage and have a second half record better than 44-30. The forecast doesn’t call so much for that. Why?

Whether management will write off the season and unload Blalock and Tex:

The Rangers are going to gut the team a little. Teixeira will be traded. He has already voiced that he wants a trade. His trade value is going to continue to go down as this season moves on, so the Rangers are not going to let him be a Ranger after the trade deadline. That’s just what will happen. Blalock will stay. Washington wants to turn him into the stud that he should be. I don’t think that JD will hinder that any. Gagne and Otsuka both want to stay. They most likely will not be traded. Sosa will go (I’m willing to wager that he will go to the Cubs, of all places, but seriously, he will go to the highest bidder.). Kenny Lofton, who really knows with him? I mean the guy has played for almost everybody in the majors, or so it feels like when you look at his stats. In all honesty, he’s only played for 11 teams. ONLY! I’m not so sure if he’s going to be traded or not, but since he signed a one-year contract, it’s most likely that if anyone shows interest, he’s gone. And I say all this since the organization has already conceded this season. The question is are they still focused on 2009 or are they now starting to look at the 2008 season?

To answer the second half record, the forecast calls for a 39-35 and an overall mark of 77-85. And honestly, right now, looking at the current 38-50 mark, the 77-85 doesn't look bad. Johnny Out.

Here's a report card on Ron Washington, at the All-Star break. His rotation is OK, and there have been plenty of injuries that have plagued the Texas team this season. What Washington hasn't done is tweak the lineup so that each pitcher can the best match-ups possible. He's done well with the lineups each day, however when it comes to pinch hitting, he's absolutely horrible. In the ninth inning, Washington doesn't use the PH much at all to start a rally. He almost seems to know when to put in a relief pitcher and he lets his players run. Rangers haven't had a skipper that lets them run in a long time. Making the best out of a bad situation, filling up spots with productive back ups, and such, Washington has done well with the intangibles. My Bush League Baseball team started out 0-4 in this particular season and dropped to DEAD last (16th place). The guys then turned it around and finished out 23-7 and in 2nd place, two games back behind the leader. They have already won the first playoff game. Since the Rangers started slow, it doesn't mean they can't recover.

Texas Rangers vs. Baltimore Orioles

Texas: 37-49
Baltimore: 37-49

Kameron Loe looked good last night. It stinks that he didn't get the win, but at least a bad call went the Rangers way. Had the ump called it right, the Rangers would have lost last night. And no telling how long the seventh would have lasted had he been safe at home. The final could have been 5-3 Baltimore or 6-3... you get the idea.

Brandon McCarthy goes to work tonight for the Rangers. He's thrown two innings against Baltimore that did NOT look pretty. Much like Jeremy Guthrie from last night is what Brandon's line looks like against the O's. But tonight will be a different story for Brandon. History tells me that Brandon flops the first time, kills the second. That's normally his story anyway. In two innings of work, he's given up 3 HRs, 4 runs in total off of 5hits and 2 walks. That's an ERA of 18.00, in case you're wondering. McCarthy's ERA this season is 6.17 and he sports a record of 4-5 this season (2-1 at home, but an ERA of 6.30 in Arlington, as well).

The recent success the Rangers are having is not due to McCarthy. That doesn't mean he will lose tonight. It just means McCarthy hasn't been as consistent as some of the other starters. Should the Rangers win tonight, it would be more of what the bullpen does, and not so much the starter. With that said, I believe McCarthy will do well tonight. He has dropped his ERA from 7.96 to 6.17 over his last seven starts. And looking at his recent track record, (W/L/W/L/W/L...) he is due for a win (since he lost his last start).

Erik Bedard starts for the Orioles. He's 2-1 in a career against the Rangers. He carries to Arlington a 3.67 ERA and a 6-4 record. Baltimore's won his last three starts, but lost the three before that.

• Michael Young: .083 Ave (1-12)
• Frank Catalanotto: .167 Ave (1-6)
• Jerry Hairston Jr.: .000 Ave (0-2)
• Gerald Laird: .167 Ave (1-6)
• Desi Relaford: .250 Ave (1-4)

We can see that the Rangers aren't historically well against Erik. Should be a good game tonight. Erik vs. Brandon....

Forecast: Another win for the Rangers and the bullpen... with a score of 3-2.

January Birthdays

If anyone out there plays Bush League Baseball, you may or may not be aware of JBD's or January Birthday's. This team, the TXSIN Headbashers, currently has 11 players with a birthday in January. Below is a before picture (notice Sam Manilla)

This is an after picture. Now look at Sam Manilla. He did a process called a "jump" in attributes. His OB-OF-OP went from 24-65-67 to 30-70-85 and maxed out on several skills. If he were a real-life pitcher, he would be an ACE in the Majors. For those who play BLB, the birthdays are listed day/month/year (just an FYI there).
If you are interested in playing Bush League Baseball, follow this link: Bush League Baseball

Texas Rangers vs. Baltimore Orioles

Baltimore: 37-48
Texas: 36-49

Kameron Loe takes the mound for the Rangers tonight. He's trying to make it five wins in five starts. The Rangers have not lost a series in almost a month. I think this series, they are going to continue with the winning. I can't see why they won't sweep. Loe faces off against Jeremy Guthrie for Baltimore.

Jeremy has had no success in his limited time against the Rangers. He's thrown 2 1/3 innings of batting practice. He's given up 4 hits and 2 runs (one HR), one walk and issued a strikeout. The Rangers clock him with a .400 batting average. I really hope the Rangers continue where they left off with this guy. That would be sweet! Guthrie, however, has been the best thing for the O's. He has a 4-2 record and swaggers in with a 2.62 ERA over 96 innings. And when he's outside the Baltimore city limits, he's 3-0 with a 2.56 ERA. He's just a little bit better and a lot more successful. Oh well, he's due for a road loss, right?

On a side note, the O's are 2-4 in his last six starts. Guthrie has only two decisions in those (1-1). Now, onto Kameron Loe.

Loe has won his last four starts. He went down to the minors, but didn't pitch, and returned to pitch for the Rangers in an emergency situation. He had to have learned something in a pitching session in Oklahoma, because he's just about unstoppable. He's dropped his ERA from 7.40 to 5.72. In his last 27 2/3 innings, he's given up only 6 runs. In case you're wondering, that's a 1.95 ERA. His last four starts have all been quality starts (three runs or less over six innings or more). He's walked 8, given up 2 HRs, given up 24 hits, and K'd 13. Kameron Loe's WHIP over the last four games is a solid 1.16.

Forecast: Another win for the Rangers and Kameron Loe... with a score of 5-2.

Rangers vs. Cubs

Here's an interview with someone I do not recognize. We took the picture anyway. Hopefully someday we'll figure out who this is being interviewed.

I was there the day before Sammy hit #600. My parents were actually at the game when he hit it, 6/20/07. I do not have a picture of him hitting the homerun, but here are a few at-bats of Sammy Sosa striking out.Anyway, I hope you enjoy the pictures. I'm glad I figured out how to add these pics. Johnny Out.

Texas Snow

This is just the Christmas card the Rangers sent out last December. I thought it was really cool, so I held onto it. I thought I had the cool Chicago White Sox picture... but I can't find it if I do.

Oklahoma Redhawks

AAA: at Oklahoma 1, Nashville 3
Win: R.A. Dickey (6-4, 4.39)
Loss: Mark Redman (2-4, 5.26)

Nashville’s R.A. Dickey scattered four hits and four walks over six innings for the victory. Mark Redman had a comparable line -- seven innings, two runs, five hits, four walks – but took the loss. Francisco Cruceta returned to action with a run allowed in one inning.

Nelson Cruz went 2-3 with a double and walk plus the team’s only RBI. Jason Botts singled and walked.

----
I did not realize Redman's ERA was so high... 5.26 in the minors isn't really worthy of a callup just yet. But it is still great to have a veteran in the shadows just in case we need him.

Edinson Volquez

Remember Edinson Volquez? He was rather forgetful when he pitched for the Rangers last year. In fact, he's pitched in two major league seasons. Here's his line with the Rangers:

He's 1-10 with a 9.20 ERA in 11 starts and three additional appearances. YUCK! He had thrown only 46 innings and gave up 47 runs off of 77 hits and 27 walks. He's also handed out 10 HRs. That's almost two HRs in a nine inning stretch. And that's also more than 15 hits in that same nine innings. So why bring him up now? He's going back through the minors, went all the way back to the rookie league, and he's moving up the system with fierce intensity.

Frisco Roughriders

2005: 1-5 in ten starts. He had a 4.14 ERA and his only win was a complete game shutout. In a partial season at AA, he had only pitched 58 2/3 innings.

This year, his stats look like this:

• Frisco: 7-0 in nine starts. 3.77 ERA in 45 1/3 innings. Volquez has given up 7 HRs and whiffed 45 batters, but hitters are only tapping him for a .218 batting average.
• Bakersfield Blaze: He didn't do all that great, going 0-4 with a 7.13 ERA in seven starts. He pitched 35 1/3 innings and gave up 4 HRs and 28 earned runs.

Volquez may not pitch for the Rangers this season, then again, he may throw off the Arlington mound when the roster is expanded in September. What I do know is that they are not going to rush him through this time around. They will bring him up only when he is truly ready.

Tejeda vs. Escobar

The Rangers are playing good baseball right now. They’ve won or split each series going back almost a month. And the kicker: they’re doing it against good teams – playoff caliber teams. And now they are looking to sweep the Angels of Anaheim near Los Angeles. But the best part of this series is that Vlad the Impaler isn’t having his normal “Insane Series” like he normally does against the Boys-in-Blue. He’s connected for one hit each game thus far.

Kelvim Jose Escobar pitches for the Angels and Robinson Tejeda throws for the Rangers. Escobar has already taken the hill against the Rangers this season in which he got the win. He gave up three hits and five walks in 5 1/3 innings, which turned into three runs (two earned). His ERA stands at 3.32 and his WHIP is 1.18. His record is 9-3. In his career against Texas, 3-8 with three saves. He’s given up 11 HRs in 95 career innings. His previous start, he gave up 7 runs in 4 1/3 innings. He didn’t get a decision, but the Angels did win that game… WOW. Anyway, the Halos have won the last three Escobar starts. The current Ranger roster does not hit him well. And that is an understatement. There are a few sparks in what is a rather dismal list of batting averages.

• Frank Catalanotto: 2-18 (.111 ave.); 1 double, 1 RBI
• Jerry Hairston Jr.: 6-24 (.250 ave.); 2 doubles, 2 RBIs
• Gerald Laird: 2-11 (.182 ave.); 1 HR, 2 RBIs
• Kenny Lofton: 5-19 (.263 ave.); 2 doubles
• Desi Relaford: 4-10 (.400 ave.); 2 RBIs
• Sammy Sosa: 1-3 (.333 ave.)
• Brad Wilkerson: 4-9 (.444 ave.); 1 HR, 1 RBI
• Michael Young: 8-33 (.242 ave.); 2 HRs, 7 RBIs

There are more players who have #s against him, albeit ugly #s, but they are on the DL, so it really doesn’t matter if they are 20 out of 20, they can’t play today, so there. One last thing, he’s a career 1-3 with one save at the Ballpark with a 3.40 ERA and one homerun every 10 innings of work here. We slap him with a .217 batting average against him in Arlington.

Robinson Tejeda sports a 6.69 ERA this year with a 5-7 record (no Ranger starter has a winning record, so we can simply say that he sucks based on his ERA). The good thing is the Rangers are hot. We can also say that Tejeda is not. The Rangers have won three of his last ten starts. And he’s 2-5 in that stretch. He’s given up 19 runs in his last four starts, only 14 were earned. The defense isn’t backing him up. Tejeda has only hit 5 innings or more four times in his last 10 starts. He’s pitched under four innings four times. OUCH! This guy spells bullpen wear out easily. I bet they get bummed out when they see his name come up on the rotation.

At home, Tejeda pitches a little better with a 6.28 ERA. Why is he still starting, I don’t know. He’s better at home WITH a 6.28 ERA. On the road, his ERA is an AWFUL 7.17 ERA. Thank goodness he’s home. Robinson hasn’t pitched against the Angels this year. In three career starts against the Angels, he is 1-1 with a 3.18 ERA. The Halos bat an even .300 against Tejeda but have only scored 6 career runs, all earned, in 17 innings. They’ve clobbered him with 21 hits and 5 walks for a WHIP of 1.53; he’s fanned 10. I don’t know how Tejeda has done so well against the Angels. I guess it just boils down to the fact that its baseball. Anything can happen in the game of baseball.

Forecast: Will the Rangers sweep the Angels tonight? Unlikely. Tejeda is the weakest link right now in the rotation. He hasn’t done well all season. He has sparks that end up fading. I would like for the Rangers to sweep. Should the Rangers win, it will be due to the bullpen and not anything Tejeda brings to the table. I guess the real odds are more of 50-50. The score for tonight: 7-6 Angels.

The HOT HOT Rangers

AAA: Oklahoma 11, at Omaha 3

Win: Redman (2-3, 5.70)

Oklahoma won its 5th in a row on the homers of Jason Botts, Nate Gold and Kevin Mahar. Botts also doubled, Gold (.300/.350/.508) singled and doubled, and Mahar walked. Freddy Guzman (.263/.342/.360) doubled twice and walked. Tug Hulett singled, doubled and stole his 12th base.

Mark Redman walked none and allowed three runs in seven innings. The RedHawks are employing a six-man rotation at the moment (Redman, Hurley, Simon, Koronka, Wood, Rheinecker).

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Now, I am starting to think that the Rangers season isn't exactly over. Here's my thoughts: What would happen if the Boys-in-Blue suddenly put up a winning streak of 8 games? It really wouldn't change much of where the Rangers stand. But then, let's say they do it a second time. How would two 8 game winning streaks change in where the Rangers fall in the standings? Actually, 16 wins would change a lot of things. Currently, the Ranger's record is 34-47 and they are 16 1/2 games back behind the leading LA Angels. 16 wins would not put them 1/2 game back, it would more than likely place them 8 or 9 games back. The question still remains if the Rangers can pull off two substantial winning streaks. The answer is a simple YES. Kinsler is now on the DL, joining Blalock and Tex. Padilla is on the DL, Millwood has spent time on the DL (actually, twice this season), and Brandon McCarthy is coming off the DL today. Willie Eyre and Akinori Otsuka both are banged up and are listed day-to-day, but between the two, Aki is the more concerning. He will not pitch until Wednesday at the earliest. But here's the thing, what happens when Blalock and Tex return to the lineup? What happens when Padilla returns healthy, with a healthy team to back him (and Millwood and McCarthy) up? And let's be honest, other teams are looking past the Rangers on the schedule right now. That's why the Rangers are winning against Detroit and Boston. The opponents are not taking the boys seriously. When the lineup looks right again with these guys off the DL, the winning steak will happen. It just will. And most likely, the Rangers are going to put up a winning streak or two of substantial size. Johnny Out.