Game 4: Stars vs. Sharks

Well, the Stars are up 3-0, did you expect it to look any different? And the way the feeling is around the players, who keep saying they are not going to play any different in this game any they have in any of the others... maybe someone should tell them they lost the first three games. I mean, do they know? And the Wilsons are on the line too... no, not Willie Nelson's boys, the coach and GM for San Jose. And why not. Avery Johnson just got fired. And he went to the NBA Finals two years ago. Oh well.

So there is totally going to be brooms at the AAC tonight. And I really think there will be just cause at the end of the game to hang them up high with chanting of "SWEEP SWEEP SWEEP!!!" If the Stars are trailing going into the third... well, I expect them to have tied, if not having already won the game by the end of the third.

This shouldn't be a surprise. Forecast: Stars win it. Score: 4-3. Overtime... nah, they just had an overtime game yesterday... it's not allowed in back-to-back games. Johnny Out.

Game 28: KC Royals at Texas Rangers

Well, the jokers won yesterday. The Rangers are going to make some noise in this series, though. I took some time off from posting since there wasn't too much to post about. The Mavs and Rangers just having been winning much... which makes Johnny a dull boy. I will be following Blake Beaven through the minors. He's going to be a special pitcher in the Majors, hopefully staying a Ranger for a long time.

Anyway, the Rangers send Kevin Millwood to the mound tonight against Brian Bannister. Millwood has pitched well enough to be 4-2 this season, but sports only a 1-2 record. Oddly enough, his two losses were good enough to be wins... and the two losses in the 4-2 mark are the games in which he game up four or more runs and still managed a no-decision. Strange. The Rangers are 2-4 in games that Millwood started. In the eight games Millwood has pitched against Kansas City, he is 4-3 with a career 4.66 ERA. Against Kansas City? Wow, if you don't pitch it in the low 3's, I'd be embarrassed.

Furthermore, Kansas City is batting a healthy .303 against Millwood. If Millwood maintains the good control he has exhibited thus far this season, the Rangers will have a very good chance of pulling off a win today. On a side note, the current Royals roster is batting .319 against Kevin.

Players to look out for against Millwood:

• John Buck: 500 BA; 2 doubles and 5 RBIs
• David DeJesus: .300 BA; 4 doubles and 2 RBIs
• Jose Guillen: .391 BA; 1HR, 7 RBIs
• Mark Grudzielanek (what a freakishly long name): .314 BA; 3 doubles and 3 RBIs

Brian Bannister wears the #19, but he's no Juan Gonzalez on juice. He's a 1-0 guy against the Rangers, giving up 6 baserunners in 7 innings (4 hits and 2 walks). He hasn't been scored on by the Rangers, either. He hasn't pitched in Arlington. That could make all the difference. The only start against Texas was in KC and it was last season. So... this is a very different line-up than what Texas was sporting last year at the end of July (Kansas City won that game 6-1).

So, who got the four hits... Mark Teixeira, Brad Wilkerson, Michael Young and Sammy Sosa. So, who's on the team today? Michael Young. Ben Broussard is 1-5 against Bannister. So, this could be a rather tough night, unless the home field is really an advantage. We'll see.

You know, I am going to be optimistic. It's tough. The Mavs just fired their coach... and people are already itching about the skipper here. I will still give my report card later on this season on JD and Washington... and whoever I believe should be checked out. Still... oh well. Here's the forecast: Bannister can't handle the wind; Rangers win 6-3. Johnny Out.

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Mavs Fire Avery Johnson

In the world of mistakes, the Mavs have made one today... one they had to make. The firing of Avery Johnson would have to come sooner or later. I, personally, believe it should have come during the next season... at least give AJ another chance to start slow... anyway, I can't hold Cuban up and say this decision is uncalled for... I mean, the Mavs had the #1 seed in the NBA last year and get slapped out by the #8 seed. And a team that didn't even have a winning record, if I recall correctly. And even if I don't remember correctly, the Mavs had 67 wins. COME ON!!! And then there is the whole thing about the regular season doesn't matter if your postseason SUCKS.

So who is going to replace Johnson? I have no clue. Johnny Out.

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Clinton vs. The Great Lakes

The Rangers minor league team (Low A), the Clinton Lumberkings went up against the Great Lakes Loons... which is a type of Duck... Last night was Blake Beavan's debut.

And here is the information we are looking for:

Low-A: at Clinton 4, Great Lakes 2
Win: Beavan (1-0, 0.00)

And it just gets better...

6 innings
3 hits
0 runs
0 walks
3 strikeouts

Only three baserunners in six innings. He produced 2 groundballs to one fly ball. And we're talking 10 groundballs and 5 fly balls. NICE!

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Playoff Game #3: Sharks at Stars

Stars have already posted a 1-0 lead in the first period. Stars lead the series 2-0 and it looks like the Stars will win the series in five games at the most. I already think the Stars are going to whipe the next two games and finish it in four games.
Todays score: Stars clean it up and win it 4-2. Johnny Out.

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Playoff Game #5: Mavs at Hornets

Well, when the playoffs hit, the Mavs somehow dig up the ghosts of how they played in the 90s. And in case you were not a MFFL in the 90s (few really were), they didn't even make the playoffs back then.
This logo is almost fitting. I love the Mavs, don't get me wrong. I must admit that I am sad that the Kidd deal didn't work out for the Mavs. I really wanted the Mavs to have some momentum into the playoffs. They didn't.
This series was decided before it started. New Orleans wraps it up tonight. Score: 121-94. End of the road for the Mavs...

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A Bright Spot

Well, with the way everybody is playing... it is hard to stay positive. The Rangers minor league system is the only thing going right currently. And here is some brilliant news:

The Rangers have transferred RHP Blake Beavan from extended spring training to Low A Clinton, for whom he is set to debut in the next few days. To make room for Beavan’s arrival, RHP Evan Reed (who made an impressive spot start for Frisco last week) has been promoted to High A Bakersfield.

Beavan joins a LumberKings staff that features Neftali Feliz, Derek Holland, Kennil Gomez, and Jorge Quintero in the rotation, Fabio Castillo and Josh Lueke in the bullpen, and the quietly unhittable Ryan Tatusko swinging between the two roles.

That was brought to you by Mr. Jamey Newberg. God bless the dude. I think this blog will sport Beaven all the way... he is supposed to be a brilliant stud. We'll watch the scoreboard and see what the kid's got. Johnny Out.

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Game 11: Rangers vs. Blue Jays

The 'Jays are going down. Padilla had a bad start last night... and I don't know if Fukumori is really ready for the Majors. Three games and a 32.40 ERA to show for it. Can we say: Chan Ho Park? He's already starting to look like him, at least with effectiveness.

Luis Mendoza makes his debut after starting the season on the disabled list with a blister on his pitching hand. The rookie has never faced Toronto, and was 1-0 with a 2.25 ERA in three starts and six overall appearances in 2007. Nice.

Mendoza has been pitching for the AAA Redhawks. I almost called them the Rednecks. He threw 7.1 innings, giving up one run on seven hits. His WHIP was a weak 0.95 (HOW AWESOME IS THAT?). He snagged one win in his only start.

Mendoza faces off against Roy Halladay, who has some interesting stats. It depends on the source as to what you will read on Halladay vs. the Rangers. Take it from me. First off, Halladay's career hasn't been golden vs. the Rangers. That is true. His career numbers: 6-5 with 2 complete games. 98.1 innings, a 5.86 ERA, 1.52 WHIP, and the Rangers bat .295 against him. Now, the last three years? 4-1 with 2 complete games, 39.2 innings, and the Rangers bat .261 against him. So, his career numbers are very decieving.

Now, Halladay has been harder against the Rangers in Toronto than in the Ballpark. He's thrown a 4.38 ERA in Arlington, a 2-1 record, while allowing a .287 batting average. And when did that loss come? Why, last year. Halladay posted a 15.19 ERA in Arlington and busted out a .444 batting average for the Rangers. So, what trend do I go with? The Queen says the Rangers are going to win...

On a side note, my little family is going to the Rangers game tonight. So, tonight more than ever, I want the Rangers to win. Will Mendoza be all kinds of sharp? I think Mendoza is going to play sharp. I also feel the same way about Halladay. This could be a game decided by how good the bullpen does... if that is the case... well, who really knows. I will side with the Queen on this one. Forecast: Rangers win 4-2.

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Game 80: Mavericks at Portland

Dallas is in the playoffs. They come into tonights game with a 50-29 record. The Mavs are 17-22 on the road. Portland is lottery bound with a record of 39-40 and an impressive 26-13 home record...

The Mavericks lost the first meeting this year, 91-82, which was at Portland. The November 10th game was the second loss of the season. The Mavericks won the second meeting 91-80 on November 30th, pretty much as a response to the first loss to the Trail Blazers. The Mavericks looked like NBA Champs when they whupped up Portland 96-76.

Tonight's game is the fourth and last game between the two this season... that is unless the playoff bracket changes to ten teams. Mavericks could take two approached to tonights game. Rest starters for the playoffs, or tune up for the playoffs. With two games after this remaining in the regular season, look for the latter to happen.

Mavericks continue to play great ball and end up winning three out of four against Portland this season. Forecast: Mavericks 89-85.

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Playoff Game 2: Stars at Anaheim

OK, so I still do not know much about hockey. What I do know, limited as it may be, is that a shutout of a team ranked higher than yourself... well, that just means it is sudden dominance. And the Stars did that in Game 1. They also scored at will. A 4-0 victory in Game 1 in Anaheim says a lot. And what will become of Game 2, 3 and 4? Well, it's tough to say, but the Stars are a great team. I read an article back at the start of the season, which basically stated that the Stars would not be a playoff contender and the Mavericks would be there at the end of playoffs. I thought differently. And I still kinda feel that way, although the Mavs have got me itching a bit.

So, game 2... that's the focus. Can the goalie continue to dominate? I have to say that I noticed that Dallas shot almost 40 attempts to the Ducks 22 shots. And that means Dallas was in Duck turf most of the night and our goalie was picking his nose and practicing his bump national anthem. And so he didn't have all that much pressure, or half the pressure of the Duck goalie. I don't think there will be back-to-back shutouts. Although our guy turns it up quite a bit during the post...

Dallas and the Ducks write in a game 5... Ducks upset Dallas in Anaheim with a 2-1 score.

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Game 10: Rangers vs. Blue Jays

Everyone needs to look-out. I got all three of those guys to bust through yesterday. And, one of those wins was with the score exactly correct! NICE...

Today it is the Toronto Blue Jays against the Texas Rangers: Jesse Litsch (1-0) vs. Vicente Padilla (1-0).

Litsch has thrown five innings this season. He has never thrown against the Rangers. Last season he finished with a 3.81 ERA while pitching an impressive 111 innings in his rookie season. His record (7-9) however didn't reflect just how good he was. I guess I should note that even if you pitch a no-hitter, you can still find a way to lose. This season he has a 3.60 ERA. No Ranger batter has ever faced this kid.

Now, Padilla has done a great job tossing the ball. In 13 innings, he has given up 17 hits and five runs (four earned), while starting out with a 1-0 record over two starts. Toronto as a team bats .189 average (23-122) with no one really standing out as doing a great job against Padilla. He has four starts against Toronto, going 3-1 over 27.2 innings. The Jays bat .243 and Padilla throws a 3.25 ERA when these two teams collide.

The stats speak for themself. And since Toronto is a Canadian team, the Queen says the Rangers. And I think she's right on this one. Experience prevails over Youth... Forecast: Rangers win it: 6-3.

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Game 9: Rangers vs. Orioles (DH - Game 2)

The second game and third and final game of the series. Tonight, we have Adam Loewen against Kason Gabbard. Gabbard in his last outing (his only outing this season), went seven innings on his way to a victory.
The Gab has two career starts against Baltimore. He's 1-0 over 10.2 innings, allowing 12 hits (none are HRs), and three earned runs... for an ERA of 2.53, which, I think, is very nice. I also think I overused the good ol' comma. With his 5 walks issued to Baltimore, his WHIP is 1.59 and the team knocks a good deal of .293 in form of a batting average.

Let's look at Loewen... He's only faced two of the current Rangers, so I would assume that he has never faced the rangers as a team. Milton Bradley has 5 at-bats and one hit. Marlon Byrd has two at-bats and no hits. Look for more success by the Rangers against a green Loewen today.

Loewen threw 30.1 innings in 2007 and posted a nice 3.56 ERA while cruising to a 2-0 record. In 2006, he wasn't so lucky. He posted a 6-6 record while working 112.1 innings in the Majors. His 5.37 ERA wasn't quite as good as last season's mark, but he got better as the season wore on... the good news: this ain't September.

Rangers slap Loewen another beating... and take an early lead. The Queen says another Rangers loss. The last I checked, the Rangers and Orioles are both NOT under the Queen's authority. And so the Rangers win again, sweep the DH! Forecast: Rangers 9-4.

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Game 79: Dallas vs. Utah

The Dallas Mavericks (49-29) vs. The Utah Jazz (52-26)

The Mavs dominate at home and the Jazz are, well, how do you say, stinky on the road. Mavs are 32-7 at home. Jazz are 17-22 on the road. Dallas is the favorite 66% and Utah is the underdog at 34%.

The Mavericks won the first game on December 8th with the score of 125-117. Josh Howard led the way with 47 points and 10 rebounds for the Mavs. The Mavericks then went to Utah and lost 99-90 on December 26th. Dirk led the Mavs with 20 points and 9 boards. On March 3rd, the Mavs went back out to Utah and lost again with a 116-110 score, with Howard putting up 25 points, Dirk had 7 boards, and Kidd dished out 9 assists. This is the final regular season game between the two.

The only think left to point out is that the Mavericks have split the last ten and the Jazz are 8-2 over their last ten.

The Mavericks are really gelling right now. I think they are going to steamroll into the playoffs. I still think my most recient hunch will be on the money (a Mavs first round exit), however, that may change come playoff time. This team is getting better and better. Look for a killing tonight. Forecast: Mavs win - 103-97.

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Game 8: Rangers vs. Orioles (DH - Game 1)

Well, I have to bag the Pre-Season... And I have to kind of bag history. Today, we have Steve Trachsel against Kevin Millwood. Millwood has done everything right. And he is 0-2. I don't know what is going on, but I think I would prefer him out there over Gabbard in the 1st Game. Trachsel pitched 5.2 innings on his way toward a victory in his only start this year.

Trachsel won against Seattle, which should be noted, but has a not so great career against the Rangers. He's thrown 21.2 innings in four career starts and has given up 29 hits and 21 runs, but only 17 runs are earned. He also gave up 5 homeruns and 9 walks. His ERA against the Rangers is a cutsy-wootsy 7.06... that's too funny. Cutsy-wootsy... what in the world of baseball is that? Hopefully that continues the "HEX" on Trachsel.

The Mill Man has pitched well against Baltimore over the last three years. In fact, he is 5-1 over that stretch while posting a 2.09 ERA. Baltimore has hit a dismal .204 against him. He has averaged over 7 innings against The O-NOs. Look for Millwood to continue his success.

Now, the current Ranger hitters, as a whole, bat .179 against Trachsel. That's 10-56 (2 HRs) and eight RBIs. Up to discovering that, I was giving the Rangers the "IT'S GOOD!", however, I am not all too sure right now.

The Queen has said the Rangers are going to loose this game. But what does a quarter know anyway... I guess that is a quarter. It does say 25 cents on it... that DOES make a quarter. Anyway, I am going to go against the Queeney Quarter and sayeth thateth theth Rangerethes areth going to wineth... Forecast: Rangers win the header of the double dipper: 3-1.

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Game 8: Rangers vs. Orioles

Well, I have to bag the Pre-Season... And I have to kind of bag history. Today, we have Steve Trachsel against Kason Gabbard. Gabbard in his last outing (his only outing this season), went seven innings on his way to a victory. Trachsel pitched 5.2 innings on his way toward a victory in his only start this year.

Trachsel won against Seattle, which should be noted, but has a not so great career against the Rangers. He's thrown 21.2 innings in four career starts and has given up 29 hits and 21 runs, but only 17 runs are earned. He also gave up 5 homeruns and 9 walks. His ERA against the Rangers is a cutsy-wootsy 7.06... that's too funny. Cutsy-wootsy... what in the world of baseball is that? Hopefully that continues the "HEX" on Trachsel.

The Gab has two career starts against Baltimore. He's 1-0 over 10.2 innings, allowing 12 hits (none are HRs), and three earned runs... for an ERA of 2.53, which, I think, is very nice. I also think I overused the good ol' comma. With his 5 walks issued to Baltimore, his WHIP is 1.59 and the team knocks a good deal of .293 in form of a batting average.

Now, the current Ranger hitters, as a whole (look! more commas), bat .179 against Trachsel. That's 10-56 (2 HRs) and eight RBIs. Up to discovering that, I was giving the Rangers the "IT'S GOOD!", however, I am not all too sure right now.

So, what happens when things look pretty even? Well, you flip a coin. At least, that's what I did today. And Quenn Elizabeth told me that the Rangers would be winners today. Forecast: (EXTRA INNINGS???) Rangers win this one late, and by one run. SCORE: 5-4.

RAINOUT... MATCH-UP CHANGE!

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Game 78: Dallas vs. Seattle

Seattle (18-59) at Dallas (48-29)

Seattle is 3-16 since the start of March, so they aren't playing great basketball. At the start of March, Seattle had a winning percentage of .259 and since then, they have had a winning percentage of .158 to bring their overall percentage down to .234. YIKES! And the good thing for the Mavs is that they have no problem beating up on a sub-par team. And let's be honest, Seattle is a sub-par team. The only team with a worse record is MIAMI. Say HELLO to the lottery.

The Mavs haven't been as great as they thought they would be after acquiring Jason Kidd. In March, the Mavs went 7-8 for the month. So far in April, the Mavs have won two of three, all against playoff quality teams. The Mavs play the lowly Sonics twice in a weeks time, so that just means the Mavs are going to get their 50 wins. I don't see them jumping up in the standings, or lower either... they will finish out in the #7 spot. And, I am certain that they will also be a first round exit, but that is a little more than a week away, so no worries just yet.

Well, if you haven't already gotten how I think this game is going to end, then let me just say: Mavericks spank Seattle. Score should be something embarrassing, like 117 to 92.

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Game 7: Rangers vs. Orioles

It's Baltimore at Texas... the Rangers Home Opener.

I will not be in attendance on the Home Opener... I can't say that I have ever, with the one exception of the first game played at the Ballpark in Arlington in 1994. That was the only season or home opener that I have attended. Pretty Cool to be at that game, though.

Anyway, Jason Jennings vs. Brian Burres.

What in the world of baseball in happening? Detroit is 0-6 and Baltimore is 5-1? Baltimore has the best record in the American League and third in the majors? The Rangers have pounded the Angels, not once, but twice?! OK, some of this, I can get used to... especially the Rangers part.

Brian Burres is still "GREEN". He has pitched 130 innings in his career, only one inning this season... his overall ERA? 5.89... a 6-8 record with a total of 17 starts. He's given up 15 homeruns and 67 walks.

And I am convinced that Baltimore is just not as good as their 5-1 start. I am also convinced that Detriot is no where near as bad as their 0-6 start. The Rangers are better than their 3-3 start. How can Millwood start 0-2 and only give up 2 earned runs?

I can get so distracted and off track, even if it is slight. Burres has pitched against Texas just once, it was a 2/3 of an inning, but he gave up 8 runs on 8 hits, one of those was a dinger. He also walked one. The Rangers hit a rediculous .800 against Burres, and Burres' ERA against Texas: 108.00 ERA. NASTY! However, the current roster is 9-16, which is only a .563 batting average. Byrd has a homerun and four RBIs. I really can't say much more, since there really isn't much to say.

Jason Jennings has one start in his career against Baltimore. He threw 7 innings of work and gave up ZERO runs. Here's his problem: He gave up six hits AND five walks. He struck out 7, though, so even though he allowed 11 baserunners, he also kept 7 batters from putting balls in play. And that helps. The current Baltimore roster is 31-112, a .277 batting average. The O's have one homerun and 8 RBIs against Jennings.

Today's Forecast: I just like the Rangers chances of hitting a two-game winning streak today. I mean, does it get any better than the numbers above? Well, the answer is a heave-ho NO. Rangers win their home-opener 5-2. Johnny Out.

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Game 5: Rangers at Angels

Tonight, it's Kevin Millwood vs. Jeff Weaver. This is going to be a good game. Millwood pitched six innings in his first start of the season.

Scouting Report: (from MLB.com)

Rangers: The Rangers are going with a four-man rotation for the first two weeks of the season because of two off-days and won't need a fifth starter until April 12. Luis Mendoza won that job when Brandon McCarthy went down with severe inflammation in his elbow. Millwood, who lost to the Mariners on Opening Day in Seattle, is 2-2 with a 3.59 ERA in seven career starts against the Angels.

Angels: For openers, Weaver wasn't razor-sharp, putting too many fastballs in good locations to Twins hitters. But he was resourceful in getting out of jams and kept his team in the game while yielding three earned runs on eight hits and two walks in 6 1/3 innings. His endurance (106 pitches) was excellent, and he struck out five hitters.

Millwood officially doesn't have any spring numbers. I remember him doing fairly average - nothing to really write-in about, I guess. He does have a ZERO ERA but an 0-1 record. He's not given up an earned run AND he still takes the loss. I don't know what a guy has to do to get a win around here... Almost every starter has gone six innings. Gabbard went seven last night, the deepest a Ranger starter has done in this early season. On a side-note, Millwood has pitched over 200 innings five times in his career, but the last four seasons, he has only hit 200 just once.

Hitters Millwood Should Take Notice:

• Vladimir "Vlad the Impaler" Guerrero: 68 AB; 22 hits (4 HRs) - 15 RBIs (.324 BA)
• Torii Hunter: 21 AB; 11 hits (2 HRs) - 8 RBIs (.524 BA)
• Garet Anderson: 16 AB; 5 hits - 1 RBI (.313 BA)

Jered Weaver had a great spring this year. He went 4-0 with a 1.29 ERA in four starts while putting together a wonderful 14 innings of work. He only gave up two runs on five hits. But then, some really wonder just how great are the stats in Spring Training. Sometimes you end up pitching against minor leaguers and you can get some great numbers that way... you can also be told to throw only fastballs for one outing and pile up some horrible numbers. So, in a lot of cases, you take Spring with a grain of salt. But either way, Weaver had a sweet spring. As it is, reality hit when Spring was over, he's 0-1 with a 4.26 ERA. He gave up 8 hits in 6.1 innings, allowing 3 to score against the Twins.

Hitters Weaver Should Throw FAT Pitches To:

• Michael Young: 18 AB; 5 hits - (.278 BA)
• Hank "The Hammer" Blalock: 11 AB; 4 hits (1 HR) - 1 RBI (.364 BA)
• Ben "Bro" Broussard: 19 AB; 7 hits - 3 RBIs (.368 BA)

Weaver, in his career against the Rangers, is 1-1 with a 2.79 ERA. He has started six games against the Rangers and put together 38.2 innings of work against them. The Rangers have 36 hits, 14 runs, but 12 earned. Weaver has given up three HRs, walked 12, and struck out 30. The Rangers hit a wee .245 against Weaver. Hopefully, last night's hitting parade will continue on tonight.
The Rangers struggle against the Devils, historically speaking. Will the Rangers poney up for Millwood tonight, after they didn't do that on the season opener? They should. Weaver didn't fair well against the Twins. Does he start the season slow? That could be the case. Forecast: Ranger's pen blows this one: 5-3.

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Game 4: Rangers at Angels

Well, yesterday... I got my foot handed to me. I was a little off on the score. Just a little. But that was yesterday... and yesterday is gone. On to what's going down tonight. The Rangers bump heads with the Devil's Angels. We have Kason Gabbard vs. Dustin Moseley. The Rangers come into this game with a 1-2 record to the Devil's 3-1 record. If you pay attention to the line, the Angels are currently 56% favored to the Rangers 44%.

Gabbard had an ERA last year of 4.65 and a record of 6-1. He has no record in his history against the Devil's, but has a 7.50 ERA. The Devil's hit a wee little .238 against him, but they seem to make it count, scoring 5 runs in 6 innings.

I am not sure what I was going to call in tonight's game. The Rangers are now up 5-0 halfway through this bad boy. The Devils are good, but down 5-0 in the bottom of the fourth, well that is a bit tough to comeback from... Rangers win this one: 7-4.

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Game 3: Rangers @ Mariners

It's Jason Jennings vs. Carlos Silva. What the Rangers are hoping to get this season is a 2006 Jennings and not the other four years of production in the last five years. Is that a likely expectation to hope for what amounts to be a fluke year? Well, let's just say that Jennings pitched in Colorado for almost his entire career, up until last year, and kept his ERA in the low 5's. That may sound downright awful until you realize that the ball travels extremely far in thin air. So what would amount to a routine fly ball in any other stadium amounts to a homerun at Coors field. Colorado is not the place to go to revive a pitching career. And that would have to be an understatement if I ever heard one. And to add insult to injury, Jennings only year out of the mile high area was in a hurtful season in Houston, about a whole mile less in elavation. And his results were a bit shaken. He still posted a high ERA (in the mid 6's), actually the highest of his career.

So, the Rangers got him realitively cheap.

A huge factor in tonight's game is this - the injury report.

• Milton Bradley: LF - Apr 1: Day-To-Day - Knee Injury
• Michael Young: SS - Apr 1: Day-To-Day - FLU
• Hank Blalock: 3B - Apr 1: Day-To-Day - FLU

So, that is the injury report. ESPN also lists Ian Kinsler, but then doesn't say why he is on the list... one of those errors, I guess. Bradley should be fine to play, since this is the injury he has been recovering from all Spring.

The line list Seattle as the favorite (60% to 40%). I don't know how they come up with that garbage, but that's what it said. I guess home field is worth a 20% swing? Carlos Silva isn't that much off from Jennings when you look at Silva's history.

Jennings stats for Spring 2008: 1.54 ERA, going 0-1 over four starts (only 11 2/3 innings, though), giving up six hits, three runs, but only two earned. Silva, on the other hand, went 0-2 this spring and posted an atrosious 9.21 ERA over four starts. He threw 14 2/3 inngs, giving up a nice 28 hits and 16 runs, but only 15 earned. ONLY. And let's be honest, the Spring normally carries over into the regular season. I certainly hope that it does tonight. The only question is: do Young and Hank play tonight or sit out with the sickies? Hank played last night with a 104 degree fever. Hopefully that knocked down his temp a little and he can play.

FORECAST: Rangers dish out a pounding on Seattle, win series 2-1. Third starter in a row to go at least six innings. Score: 12-3.

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