Game 163: White Sox vs. Twins

The game that decides it all... who goes home and who moves on into the playoffs.
Scouting Report:

Twins: Blackburn will take the hill for Tuesday's one-game tiebreaker in place of injured right-hander Kevin Slowey. Blackburn started the year 9-6 with a 3.60 ERA but he is 2-4 in his past nine starts with a 5.74 ERA. He's only gone more than five innings in four of those nine starts. However, he received the win in the Twins' 3-2 victory over the White Sox on Wednesday when he gave up two runs on eight hits and two walks over five innings. Blackburn is 2-2 with a 5.67 ERA in five starts against Chicago in 2008.

White Sox to Watch:

• Jim Thome: 4-12 with 2 doubles and 2 RBIs
• AJ Pierzynski: 5-10 with a double and 2 RBIs
• Joe Crede: 4-10 with a double, a HR, and a RBI

The Chicago roster is 37-116 (.319 BA) with 6 doubles, 4 HRs and 14 RBIs.

White Sox: Danks will be pitching on short rest, but he did not work very long on Friday against Cleveland, lasting four innings and allowing seven runs on seven hits. He threw 80 pitches in that game, which means he should still be relatively fresh come Tuesday. He's struggled since late August, posting a 4.91 ERA over his past seven starts. He earned a win in only one of those starts. Danks is 1-1 with a 7.91 in four starts against Minnesota this season.

I don't think Danks is the best choice, but the White Sox have to go with what is available. The Twins have a day off and will be refreshed, while the Sox are once against forced in a must win situation for the third straight day.

Twins to Watch:

• Justin Morneau: 7-16 (.438 BA) with 2 doubles, 3 HRs, and 8 RBIs
• Joe Mauer: 8-12 (.667 BA) with a RBI
• Michael Cuddyer: 7-12 (.583 BA) with 2 doubles and 3 RBIs
• Jason Kubel: 3-7 with a double, a HR and 6 RBIs

The Twins are 41-113 (.363 BA) with 8 doubles, 4 HRs, and 21 RBIs off Danks.
Forecast: My greatest concern is how tight a leash are the Sox going to have on Danks. I would hope that it is a very, very tight one. He doesn't have too much success on the Twins. This is a game today that will be defined on its coaching. Both teams are relatively hot... but I think that the Sox will win mainly on how well they play when they are hungry and the main intangible of better players, better coach. I am not a fan of Ozzie, by the way, but he does play a tough game. Score: 6-4, White Sox.

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Texas Rangers Coaching Changes

The Rangers have announced a number of changes to the coaching staff. Only hitting Coach Rudy Jaramillo and first base coach Gary Pettis are assured of returning to Ron Washington's staff in 2009.

Bench coach Art Howe and third base coach Matt Walbeck will not be offered contracts to return, and bullpen coach Jim Colborn is returning to his original scouting role as Director of Pacific Rim Operations.

Pitching coach Andy Hawkins will be interviewed for a position on the 2009 staff -- he'll presumably be considered for both the pitching coach and bullpen coach roles -- and if he isn't offered either position, the Rangers will offer him the opportunity to reclaim the role of AAA pitching coach, which he'd held for three seasons before joining the big league staff August 1.

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Game 162: White Sox vs. Tigers

If the White Sox win today... they get an opportunity to play tomorrow against the Twins.
Scouting Report:

Tigers: The rotation order just worked out for Garcia to be on turn for a possible Monday outing if the game was necessary. If it is, he'll be in the curious position of having a chance to either knock his former team out of the division title or force them into a one-game playoff. All in all, it's not a bad way to end a late-season comeback from shoulder surgery that cost him more than a year off the mound. Since he was planning on starting his winter ball campaign in his native Venezuela in a few weeks, the extra work won't be a big deal.

Sox to Watch:

• Jermaine Dye: 9-38 (.237 BA) with 2 doubles, a triple, a HR, and 5 RBIs
• Paul Konerko: 10-26 (.385 BA) with 4 HRs and 6 RBIs
• AJ Pierzynski: 4-13 (.308 BA) with 2 doubles, a HR, and 2 RBIs

The Sox roster is 37-159 (.233 BA) with 7 doubles, 2 triples, 7 HRs, and 17 RBIs. The three best players (highest batting average) are listed above. This could be a long one for the Sox.

White Sox: Floyd almost stopped the bleeding for the White Sox again on Thursday night at the Metrodome, going in search of his 10th victory this season after a White Sox loss. Floyd allowed four runs on 11 hits over 5 2/3 innings, walking one and striking out four, but he managed to strand seven Minnesota runners. Floyd finished with a no-decision, when the bullpen couldn't hold a two-run lead. Floyd has a 2-0 record with a 4.24 ERA against Detroit this season and is 3-0 lifetime against the Tigers. Floyd will be pitching on three days' rest, having lost his last time in Kansas City following the short break.

Tigers to Watch:

• Polanco: 8-21 (.381 BA) with a double, a triple, a HR and 3 RBIs
• Carlos Guillen: 6-19 (.316 BA) with a HR and 2 RBIs
• Ryan Raburn: 7-14 (.500 BA) with a double and a RBI

The Tigers are 46-150 (.307 BA) with 9 doubles, a triple, 6 HRs, and 22 RBIs.

Forecast: This could be interesting. Some pitchers struggle on little rest, while others actually become better with shortened time. I think the Sox will feel the pressure and do well under it. Score: 5-4.

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Game 162: Rangers at Angels

Game 162. This is it for the Rangers on the field this season. The question looms, can the Rangers finish 80-82, thus holding the Angels to 99 wins? It would take a sweep for the Rangers to accomplish this. It is already an accomplishment for them to finish second, at least in my mind. And it also spells out to me the word: progress. The Rangers may finish the season with the worst ERA (again), but they made this mess with a lot of young blood, and I think that is a fair exchange. Give the ball to some kidds in hopes that a couple of them may stay for the long term with ravishing success. Do you think Harrison is a failure? High ERA, but he also started the year in A ball, went up to AA and threw a no-hitter, and suddenly he's put into the Big Leagues, grabbing down the second most wins on the roster while only playing half a season... and we haven't even seem the other Frisco no-hitter guy, Feliz, who should be just as successful, if not more than Harrison. THE BEST HAS YET TO COME...
Still, other questions loom on my mind, like Kevin Millwood and Vicente Padilla. Will they play better, as in what they did two seasons ago, or was that season simply a fluke? Millwood can pitch in Arlington and keep his ERA under 5. He's already done it once. And if he does well today, he could do it a second time. But he comes into this game with 9 wins, tied for second with Matt Harrison (mentioned above) and an ERA just over 5. He's not a rookie, unlike Harrison. So, does he have an excuse? I can't really think of one.

Scouting Report:

Rangers: Millwood will get one more chance to earn his first victory of September. After his previous outing, he's 0-2 with a 6.12 ERA in his last four starts. If nothing else, he's tied for the staff lead with 29 starts and 119 strikeouts this season, and he's completed at least six innings in six of his past seven starts. If he earns a victory against the Angels, it will give him 10 wins for the third straight season. He's 1-1 in three starts against the Angels this season, with a 3.66 ERA.

Angels to Watch:

• Vlad Guerrero: 25-75 (.333 BA) with 6 doubles, 4 HRs, and 15 RBIs
• Torii Hunter: 13-28 (.464 BA) with 3 doubles, 2 HRs, and 9 RBIs
• Garret Anderson: 9-26 (.346 BA) with 2 doubles and 2 RBIs
• Howie Kendrick: 5-12 (.417 BA) with 3 RBIs

As a team, the current Angels roster is 72-253 (.285 BA) with 12 doubles, 7 HRs, and 35 RBIs. As you can see, the rest of the roster is just about painless outside of the above four. If Millwood can keep these four at bay, then the game should go well for Millwood.

Angels: Saunders, battling kidney stones the past week, hasn't pitched since Sept. 18 in Oakland when he shut out the A's across seven innings. An All-Star who figures to pitch Game 3 of the ALDS if he's ready, he has averaged 6.4 innings in 30 starts. Most of his best work has come on the road, where he's 10-3 with a 2.55 ERA compared to 6-4 with a 4.55 ERA at Angel Stadium. Saunders lost his only start against the Rangers this year and is 2-3 lifetime with a 5.45 ERA in six outings against Texas.

Rangers to Watch:

• Michael Young: 6-16 (.375 BA) with a triple and 2 RBIs
• Gerald Laird: 4-13 (.308 BA) with a double, a HR, and a RBI
• Chris Davis: 1-3 with a HR and a RBI

There really isn't that many at-bats for the Rangers. Ian Kinsler has good numbers on him, but he is out for the season. The Ranger roster is 29-100 with 3 doubles, a triple, 4 HRs, and 13 RBIs on this guy. It doesn't hurt to say that the Ranger bats are hot right now, so the chances of them lighting up Saunders isn't impossible. He's the guy who leads the Rangers in wins... and most likely bean-balls.
Forecast: Angels end it on a good note with win #100. Rangers still battle pretty strong and keep it interesting... score: 8-7, Angels.

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Game 161: Rangers at Angels

The second to last game for the Rangers this season. I can't really believe that the Rangers are letting Feldman stay in the rotation after saying that he would be done for the year almost two weeks ago. I guess they didn't want to give any other young blooded kid a chance.
Scouting Report:

Rangers: Feldman lost to the Angels, 7-3, on Sunday while allowing six runs in six innings. He has pitched at least six innings in 17 of 24 starts but the Rangers are 5-12 in those games. They are 42-15 when any other starter goes six innings. Feldman has lost three straight starts and is 1-5 with a 6.57 ERA in his last nine starts. He is 0-2 with a 10.34 ERA in three starts against the Angels. He has made 12 starts at home on the season and is 4-5 with a 6.06 ERA.

Angels to Watch:

• Mark Teixeira: 3-8 with a double, a HR, and 2 RBIs
• Mike Napoli: 4-7 with a RBI
• Torii Hunter: 3-7 with 3 RBIs

As a team, the current roster is 29-87 (.333 BA) with 5 doubles, a triple, 3 HRs, and 18 RBIs. You could say that the Angels will be taking batting practice tonight.

Angels: Santana's run of excellence continued with a dominant effort against the Mariners in Seattle on Monday night. Retiring the last 12 men he faced across eight innings, he yielded one run on five hits and no walks, striking out nine. Over his past nine starts, Santana has walked seven hitters while striking out 75 -- better than a 10-to-1 strikeout-to-walk ratio. The man is pumping the strike zone with premium gas, with a wicked slider and changeup behind it. He's 3-0 with a 4.09 ERA in three starts this year against the Rangers, and 7-4 with a 6.01 ERA in 13 career outings.

Rangers to Watch:

• Michael Young: 15-37 (.405 BA) with 2 doubles, 2 HRs, and 9 RBIs
• Hank Blalock: 10-26 (.385 BA) with 3 doubles, a triple, 3 HRs, and 7 RBIs
• Milton Bradley (below): 6-14 (.429 BA) with a HR and 2 RBIs

As a team, the roster is 61-197 (.310 BA) with 12 doubles, 2 triples, 10 HRs, and 30 RBIs.

I sure do like his games.... he probably hasn't ever heard that one.
Forecast: Angels win this one... because of the whole batting practice thing. Score: 9-6.

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Dallas Stars Open House

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Game 4: Cowboys vs. Redskins

Tony Romo is 62-92 with 892 yards. He snags 9.70 yards per attempt and has 5 TDs and 3 Ints. He's been sacked three times and has a rating of 103.2. Marion Barber and Felix Jones are the backs. Barber has 62 carries for 285 yards with four TDs and one fumble that was lost. Jones has 18 touches for 148 yards and 2 TDs. Witten and Owens lead out with receiving. Witten has 20 catches for 273 yards. TO has 10 catches, three for TDs, and has 193 yards. Miles Austin has four catches for 127 yards and one TD. Felix Jones also does KO returns. He has nine for 316 yards.
NFC East is undefeated when playing teams outside the division. That gives them a record of 8-0 in those games. Jason Campbell is 61-93 for 647 yards with four TDs and no Ints. He's been sacked 5 times and has a QB rating is 100.1. Clinton Portis has 65 carries for 248 yards with 3 TDs. Campbell has three main targets in Santana Moss, Chris Cooley, and Antwaan Randle El. Moss has 19 catches for 276 yards with 3 TDs. Cooley has 13 grabs for 151 yards. Randle El has 14 snags for 149 yards. Rock Cartwright has 10 KO returns for 258 yards.

Looking at all the numbers, the Cowboys have the better offense and both teams seem to have a very equivalent defense, at least in regard to points given up.

Forecast: The Cowboys don't really get any kind of a break. None. It's either a good team or it's a rivalry (or both). This game is at Dallas (actually, Irving, TX). That generally doesn't mean much to this rivalry. Still, the Cowboys are the better team. And they will move to 4-0 and begin looking at the Bengals. Score: 28-27.

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The Oklahoma City Thunder

This logo could have been a lot better than what it is. I like the name, really don't care too much for the logo. It will probably be changed in a couple of years to something much better...

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The Twins and White Sox Games

Game 160: The Twins have the inside track with a fairly easy opponent in the Royals. Still, this is the majors and one shouldn't count the other out until they have a 20 run lead...Scouting Report:

Royals: Davies has burst into prominence in his last two starts. After throwing eight shutout innings against the Mariners, he got through the opening seven innings on Saturday against the White Sox without surrendering a run. Davies faced the minimum over that span and wound up surrendering just two runs and taking his second victory of the week. Davies has cited a quick tempo as the key to his recent success. He's challenging the strike zone with his best stuff and therefore has gotten away from his earlier penchant for high pitch counts.

Twins: Liriano rebounded from his roughest start since being recalled on Aug. 1 to deliver a gem against the Rays at Tropicana Field. The left-hander allowed just one run over seven innings to the playoff-bound Rays. Liriano struck out seven but found some trouble, issuing four walks. He is 6-0 with a 2.05 ERA in 10 starts since returning to the Majors. He’ll face the Royals for the fourth time this season. Two of those have come during his second stint with the Twins, and in those, Liriano has allowed just five earned runs over a combined 13 2/3 innings.

Game 159: The White Sox and Twins are neck and neck, with the Twins having a 1/2 game edge. The Sox have a tougher opponent in the Indians... and then one game against Detroit, should it be needed.

Scouting Report:

Indians: Lewis showed that he is, in fact, human in his third career start on Sunday, though he was still able to pick up his third win in as many opportunities. Lewis worked five innings and gave up three runs in the Indians' big win over the Tigers. His 15-inning scoreless inning streak was snapped in the second inning, when he allowed a run in on a double play. Lewis was finally touched up for his first career home run when Edgar Renteria launched one in his final inning of work. Surprisingly, though, Lewis, not known for his velocity or nasty stuff, picked up six strikeouts to go along with three walks. This will be Lewis' first career start against the White Sox.

White Sox: Danks responded to the challenge of what Ozzie Guillen dubbed as the team's biggest game of the year by throwing seven scoreless innings during the White Sox 3-0 victory Sunday at Kauffman Stadium. Danks allowed four hits in seven-plus innings, striking out three and walking one, extending his scoreless innings streak to 13 straight. He threw 62 of his 90 pitches for strikes and will come back Friday on regular rest in a start that could lock down the American League Central title. Danks has a 0-1 record and 2.89 ERA in three starts against the Indians this season and is 4-5 with a 3.46 ERA at U.S. Cellular Field.

Forecast: Here's the thing. The Twins should just be given two of these next three games, meaning that the White Sox need to win three out of their next four to force a tie. Well... I do like the Royals chances in this one, but the Twins will take it with a score of 4-2. For the Sox, they are sending Danks, who should be a Ranger... (bitter much?)... and has great enough numbers, that he should take this one for the Sox... with a score of 3-2.

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Game 160: Rangers at Angels

You know, I just don't get bored of making new matchup headers. It really is fun.
Lackey vs. Padilla. You know, I think I am going to have to not only look at this matchup, but keep a strong eye with what happens with the Seattle/A's series.

Scouting Report:

Rangers: Padilla compiled 10 victories before the All-Star break. Since then, he has just three. His last time out, he took his third loss in his last four decisions. Facing the Angels, he allowed five runs in six-plus innings. He'd given up a respectable three runs until he came out for the seventh. The Angels tallied seven runs off him and worked three walks. He didn't help himself any, throwing two wild pitches and hitting home plate umpire Tom Hallion with a pitch when Hallion called time in the middle of Padilla's motion, which probably didn't earn him any calls the rest of the inning. He'll face the Angels again Friday in his last start of the season. He's 1-1 against the Halos this season with a 5.54 ERA.

Angels: Lackey's last start couldn't have gone much better. He was perfect through three innings, he didn't allow his first hit until the fifth and he struck out a career-high 12 batters. Seven of those strikeouts were consecutive, which was one shy of tying the American League and Angels club record. He also shut the Rangers out through his six innings to pick up his first victory since Aug. 26. Not bad compared to his last start at Rangers Ballpark when he allowed six runs in 5 2/3 innings. He'll get the Rangers again on Friday at home. He's 1-1 against the Rangers in three starts this season with a 5.40 ERA.

Padilla leads the Rangers in wins this season, followed by a tie with Rookie Matt Harrison and Supposed Ace Kevin Millwood. Am I the only one who remembers what Millwood said when he joined the Rangers? He said, "I am not worried about my ERA. All I have to do is pitch better than the other guy." He hasn't done that too much. Anyway, I am supposed to talk about Padilla, the #2 guy.

The Rangers have lost 5 out of his last 6 starts and has seen his ERA rise from 4.59 up to 4.85. His first win of the season came against the Angels where he pitched 7 innings of baseball, giving up four runs, three earned off of 9 hits, two were homeruns.

Angels to Watch:

• Vlad Guerrero: 17-44 (.386 BA) with 3 doubles, 3 HRs and 11 RBIs
• Garret Anderson: 10-29 (.345 BA) with 2 doubles, 4 HRs and 8 RBIs
• Howie Kendrick: 6-13 (.462 BA) with 3 doubles and 3 RBIs

As a team, the current roster is 76-226 (.336 BA) with 12 doubles, 11 HRs and 36 RBIs. There are plenty of Angel hitters who have Padilla's number. If he is to gain respect from the Angels, he may need to throw a couple of bean-balls. And if I can come up with a couple of players who are on the BEAN'S list, that would be Anderson first, followed by Vlad.

Lackey is sporting a 3.25 ERA (hey, my Birthday!) with a 12-4 record. He gave up two hits in his last start against Texas (and that was his last start) going six innings. He walked three and struck out 12 as he threw 110 pitches in that game.

Rangers to Watch:

• Michael Young: 27-73 (.370 BA) with 4 doubles, a triple, 2 HRs, and 13 RBIs
• Hank Blalock: 19-59 (.322 BA) with 6 doubles, a HR, and 6 RBIs
• Marlon Byrd: 5-17 (.294 BA) with a double, 2 HRs, and 3 RBIs
• Josh Hamilton: 2-11 (.182 BA) with 2 HRs and 3 RBIs

The current roster is 80-281 (.285 BA) with 17 doubles, a triple, 9 HRs, and 35 RBIs.

The Michael Young card... it looks good. Too bad he won't finish with 200 hits this season. He had an excellent run, though.
Forecast: I think the Rangers need two wins to clinch their spot, maybe just one could do it. Seattle is almost a bye team for the A's, but if Seattle can beat somebody, it should be the A's. Still, Padilla really needs a good start, and may get it and the Rangers still lose this one. And I think that is what will be happening tonight. Score: 6-2.

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Game 158: White Sox at Twins

How many baseball games have I covered this season that are not related to the Texas Rangers? ZERO. But I was looking at today's games and couldn't help be interested in this one. My wife claims the ChiSox as her favorite team, so I always tend to keep an eye on them as it is...
This game means first place and the front runner for the division title. No pressure. The White Sox send Floyd and Minnesota responds with Slowey.

Scouting Report:

White Sox: The official White Sox ledger concerning starters pitching on three days' rest this week fell to 1-2 as Floyd suffered the loss against the Royals on Saturday night. The right-hander actually kept the White Sox in contention, but was victimized by three long balls, including David DeJesus' inside-the-park homer. Floyd yielded five runs on eight hits over 6 1/3 innings, although he didn't get any bullpen help to keep that run total down, striking out four and not issuing a walk. Floyd has dominated the Twins this season, posting a 3-1 record with a 1.86 ERA in four starts. Minnesota has just 17 hits over 29 innings in 2008 against Floyd, who also has a 1-1 mark at the Metrodome.

Twins: Slowey looked to be locked in early during his last start, but like many of the other Twins starters lately, he could not make it through the fifth inning. Slowey allowed five runs over 4 1/3 innings, taking his third loss in his last four starts. That lone win came at the Metrodome, where Slowey has found most of his success this season. The right-hander is 7-4 with a 3.04 ERA in 11 starts there. This will be Slowey's fourth start vs. Chicago this season. In his lone outing against them at the Metrodome, he pitched a shutout.

Slowey is 1-3 in his last four starts, with his win coming at home and the the three losses coming on the road. In his last ten starts, the Twins are 5-5. He is 1-2 against Chicago this season, with both losses coming in Chicago and the win coming at home. He has given up 11 runs to them at Chicago, with three homeruns.

ChiSox to Watch:

• Jermaine Dye: 4-11 (.364 BA) with a double, a HR, and 2 RBIs
• Orlando Cabrera: 4-10
• AJ Pierzynski: 3-7
• Juan Uribe: 4-7 with 2 doubles, a HR, and 3 RBIs

As a team, the White Sox are 29-97 (.299 BA) with 9 doubles, a triple, 3 HRs, and 12 RBIs off Slowey.

Floyd has enjoyed success this season, as he is 16-8 with a 3.84 ERA. He has four starts against the Twins this season, with going 3-1 in those games. He had lost the first of those four games and has gone six or more innings in every one of those starts. The Sox have won nine of his last twelve starts and he has gone six or more in his seven starts.

Floyd is 3-3 in his career against the Twins, but 3-0 in his last three starts... so that is really the trend to look at, not so much the 3-3, but the 3-0. The current roster is 27-122 (.221 BA) off him with 5 doubles, a triple, 5 HRs and 14 RBIs.

Notable Twins:

• Justin Morneau: 4-17 (.235 BA) with a double, 2 HRs, and 6 RBIs
• Jason Kubel: 5-16 (.313 BA) with 2 HRs and 4 RBIs
• Michael Cuddyer: 4-14 (.286 BA) with a double, a HR, and 3 RBIs

Forecast: I like the White Sox in this one. I could go with the hotter team in the Twins, but I really don't feel it. Now, I am willing to bet that the Twins are going to be watching the starter closer that a hungry dog does his food bowl, so if anything looks to go wrong, they will quickly pull the guy for someone else. This WILL be a close game, to say the least, with both teams putting every ounce they have to make sure they walk away tonight a winner. ChiSox still win: 5-3.

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Game 5: SGP Warriors vs. Nimitz

The Warriors vs the Vikings. This is the first district game for the Warriors, who come in with a 3-1 record. Nimitz is 1-3. The Vikings have lost there last three games, whereas the Warriors have won their last three. And the reason for both teams recent outcomes has been due to defense (or lack thereof). SGP finds itself in the Area 5A top twenty for the first time this season.

Campos had another 100+ yard passing game and McGlothen had another 100+ rushing game. The passing game was a bit more spread out this last time out, where Campos found Peace four times, Moore twice (for his first two catches of the season) and Faucett twice.

The Vikings have given up 130 points in four games this season, finding sucess when they hold their opponents under 20 points (which they have done only once). The last three games, their opponents have averaged almost 40 points a game. The Vikings have scored an average of 26 points. They have played three home games, losing every single time. They are undefeated on the road (1-0) and will be playing the Warriors in the Warrior/Gopher Bowl.

Forecast: The Warriors are hot. They are now considered a "ranked" team, and I am willing to bet that every player on the Warrior's team knows they cracked the top 20. District rival Cedar Hill is the only other team in the Warriors 7-5A district that is ranked (at #11 with a 3-1 record). The Warriors play Cedar Hill after Nimitz at Cedar Hill. This game should be a wash for the Warriors. Look for Campos to continue his string of 100+ passing games. He should be hitting Peace all night long (Peace should have 6 catches at the very least) and McGlothen should rush for over 150 yards. I would say that Campos should end up with close to 200 yards passing, and maybe go as much as 250 yards passing in a game that says that SGP is a player. Score: 48-14.

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Pre-Season Game 2: Stars vs. Avalanche

This, I know, is a game that brings much spark. I do not know if it will carry the same intensity as a regular season game between these two, but it should still be interesting to watch. I am not even going to drop any kind of wisdom right now on hockey for two reasons, it's preseason and second, I still don't know enough to really say anything. I am educating myself on the sport, so maybe somewhere down the line, I might be able to give speculation on what may or should happen.
Forecast: Colorado wins this one 4-1.

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Game 159: Rangers vs. A's

The Rangers send Matt Harrison up against Dana Eveland. Dana hasn't had any success against the Rangers and Harrison is still trying to find his consistency in the Majors. I would say he will be an Ace in a rotation in just a few years.

Scouting Report:

A's: Eveland, who was in the Minors less than a month ago to work on his command, had the best of his six starts since returning with an altered windup, scattering seven hits without a walk while striking out seven in a crisp 83-pitch outing on Sept. 19 against the visiting Mariners. Eveland, 24, is 0-1 with a 6.32 ERA in three starts against the Rangers this season.

Rangers: How did Harrison follow up his shutout? Not so well. He lasted just three innings against a hampered Angels lineup and allowed seven runs on nine hits and two walks in the process. He also reverted back to walking more batters than he struck out, posting just one strikeout. He hadn't had such a start since Aug. 10 at Baltimore. He'll look to finish his season on a high note against the Athletics, whom he shut out two outings ago.

This is a good card to have. Marlon Byrd has become a somebody in baseball as a Ranger. The Rangers have a habit of doing that to hitters.

Forecast: I am going to go with Harrison in this one. He needs to pitch well and usually does when the foot meets the floor. Will Eveland last six innings? Will Harrison pitch another nine in his final game of the year? Will the Rangers finish in second? I don't think Eveland will last six. I don't think Harrison will go nine innings. And I don't think the Rangers will finish, simply due to who they play the last three games against. Today's score will be 8-2, Rangers.

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Game 158: Rangers vs. A's

The Rangers are now in third place in the AL West. And they have clinched a sub-500 season. I think it is time to repay the favor. It would be quite nice, since I will be in the stands for this one.
Scouting Report:

A's: Acquired in the July trade that sent Joe Blanton to the Phillies, Outman had a sloppy outing on Thursday at home against the Angels, allowing three runs on six hits and three walks while throwing 93 pitches in 4 1/3 innings. A rookie who throws up to 95 mph, Outman was making his second big league start against the Angels, who took a patient approach that paid off. In his first career start, Outman, who opened the year with Philadelphia's Double-A affiliate, beat the Rangers at home, allowing one run on four hits in five innings.

Rangers: After a perfect first inning, Nippert quickly fell apart in his last outing. He let the first two hitters reach base in the second inning to put him in the stretch. He said he felt a little uncomfortable in the stretch and once he began to struggle, he started thinking about his mechanics too much and his start continued on a downward path. His discomfort showed, lasting only 4 1/3 innings and allowing five runs on six hits and four walks. Against Oakland this season, he's 1-0 with a 1.00 ERA and 10 strikeouts to six walks.

I'm not going to add too much to that. But I will break down a few more things...

The four Ranger hits went to: Hamilton, Byrd, Laird (who got a double), and Nelson Cruz (a double and a RBI). Blalock and Cruz both had a walk.

The A's are 8-35 against Nippert with 2 doubles and a RBI. Kurt Suzuki is 3-4 and Rob Bowen is the only player to have a RBI on Nippert.

I guess I should have had this card for yesterday's game. He'll have one more chance to get his ERA under the 5 mark as he pitches the final Ranger game of the season in Anaheim.
It would appear that Mack doesn't care too much for bunting...
Forecast: Outman looked like he owned the Rangers in his only start against them. Nippert's numbers look pretty great, too. But the Rangers have lost their last five. I've seem temperature's in Antarctica that weren't this cold. And logic simply states that I should go with the A's, with a score of 5-2.

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Pre-Season Game 1: Stars at Blues

Welcome to the Pre-Season. I do not know much about Hockey, but I am becoming more interested in the sport. I hope to gain some knowledge as this season begin on... and gain even more interest. My first hockey game was the Stars agains the Blues. I didn't understand much, but what I did learn is that these two teams do not like each other. That was then... and maybe it is still the case now. I do not know if the hockey preseason is like any other preseason, where there are try outs for some players and a whole bunch of cuts before the regular season, or if it is like the NBA preseason, where some are getting looks, but it is more of fine tuning and getting prayers some time to get into shape...
Forecast: Well... I am not all that informed about the NHL, but I know Saint Louis didn't do all that well last season (33-36-13, adjusted to 33-49) and the Stars made the playoffs (seeded fifth with a 45-30-7, adjusted to 45-37). I am going to go with the Stars on this one, say with a score of 3-1.

Home Plate

Game 157: Rangers vs. A's

Only 6 games remain for the Rangers this season - the last three home games and then the final three games of the season on the road against the Angels.
I wanted to start off with some good things, like Hamilton and Salty cards...
The Rangers send Millwood for tonight against Greg Smith. The Rangers lead the A's by 1/2 a game coming into this series. The Rangers need to win this series, most likely with a sweep, to make sure that the A's do not catch them for second place in the standings. And that is important, if for anything pride. The Rangers need to win therest of their games to finish at 500 for the season. A's also need to do that. Tonight, someone is going to clinch a losing record for the season.
Scouting Report:

A's: Smith entered his most recent start with the lowest run support in the Majors at 2.82 runs per nine innings. Despite seeing that number shrink, Smith was in line to beat the 2008 American League West champions until Mark Teixeira's two-run homer in the ninth inning gave the Angels a 2-1 lead that they lost in the bottom half of the frame. Less than a month after being tagged for 10 hits by the Angels in Anaheim, Smith held the Halos to four hits and a walk over six efficient innings Wednesday in Oakland. Smith, a rookie who leads the Majors with 15 pickoffs this season, is 0-2 with a 7.15 ERA in four starts against Texas this season.

Rangers: Millwood didn't get the victory his last time out, but he definitely pitched worthy of one for 5 1/3 innings. That was the span he went without allowing a single baserunner. Six of the 16 straight batters he retired were by way of strikeouts. However, he allowed a run in the first inning and three more in his seventh and final inning to put a damper on his outing. It's now been three starts since Millwood earned his last victory on Aug. 31. He'll try again Monday against the Athletics, whom he is 1-0 against in two starts this season with a 1.35 ERA.

I really can't add to much to this scouting report... it seems pretty solid to me. The A's have only grabbed a win three times in Smith's last 12 starts. Smith is 2-8 over that stretch. The A's are 2-2 when he starts for them against Texas this year.

Notable Rangers:

• Josh Hamilton: 3-12 with two doubles and two RBIs
• Milton Bradley: 2-7 with a double, a HR and three RBIs
• Brandon Boggs: 3-5 with a double, a HR and three RBIs

Millwood's ERA has been back on the climb over his last three starts, going from 4.84 up to the 5.15 ERA that it is now. Over that time, he has gone 0-2 with a 7.50 ERA, but has still averaged 6 innings a start. He has a 5.35 ERA at home this season with a 5-3 record.

Notable A's:

• Mark Ellis: 12-28 (.429 BA) with three doubles
• Emil Brown: 6-21 (.286 BA) with a double, a triple, a HR, and two RBIs
• Frank Thomas: 12-20 (.600 BA) with two doubles, two HRs, and six RBIs

Forecast: Second or Third. Second or Third. Who wants second more? This game will really tell everyone who is just that much more hungry for stature. Both teams have players who can hit the opposing pitcher. Millwood needs to get his ERA under the 5 mark. He could be on the trading block, but the question is if there is anybody willing to take him. Still, he has personal respect on the line. And because of all those particular intangibles, the Rangers will win. A big win. A needed win for personal respect. Score: 6-5.

Home Plate