Game 21: Rangers vs A's

The Rangers are on the verge of a sweep. I had to wait until today to see who exactly is starting. I had checked several websites and each one had different starters. This morning, everyone is on the same page.
I may change some in the National League, but I do an all Rangers ticket for the American League. I am certain that Davis will not go... or Andrus, Saltalamacchia, and Murphy. Cruz might go as a reserve. Hamilton is in some gray area right now as he hasn't played up to the standard of last season and now he is injured. I would think Young and Kinsler are givens, whether as a starter or a reserve. If I could vote for a pitcher, I would say that Millwood is on the inside track right now to make the All-Star team. Still, a lot can change over the next month...
Vicente Padilla (1-1, 8.27 ERA) will take the ball for Texas on Thursday after his scheduled start Wednesday was postponed due to rain. The A’s and Rangers will make up the game May 29 as part of a doubleheader. Padilla yielded four runs and seven hits in a season-high 6 2-3 innings during his last start, not getting a decision in a 5-4 win over Baltimore on Friday.

The A’s will counter Padilla with Dallas Braden. Wednesday’s scheduled starter, Josh Outman, was pushed back to Sunday at Seattle. Braden (2-2, 2.52) will try for his second straight win after beating Tampa Bay 5-2 on Saturday. He allowed one run and four hits in 5 2-3 innings. Braden is 0-2 with a 5.12 ERA in six appearances against Texas. The left-hander said he tweaked his groin during that outing, but is not overly concerned about any lingering effects.

The Angels are moving up... and Seattle is moving down. Interesting...

Forecast: Padilla is getting more and more on target. Braden looks to have a bit of a tough time with Texas. I think that trend will hold true in this game, especially when you look at the intangibles. Score: 7-4, Rangers.

Home Plate

Game 20: Rangers vs A's

Things could be worse. Seattle is starting off strong. That won't last. Oakland isn't doing well. That should continue. The Angels are stinking early. Don't expect that to last. The Rangers are second in the division. I expect that to be the case, just not the one game under part. The Rangers are going to do well this season.
Rangers are three games back of Seattle, who are overperforming right now. I think the Rangers are slightly underperforming, but they are showing signs... good signs... and that gives me hope for my baseball team.
Kurt Suzuki is batting .529 with two doubles, a homer and all seven of his RBIs this season in his last five games.

Michael Young, who had a career-best 24 homers in 2005, hit his sixth of the season in Monday’s 6-4 win over the Orioles. Young, though, has just three homers in his last 59 games against the A’s.

Ian Kinsler went hitless in his last 12 at-bats of the road trip, but is batting .537 (22-for-41) with three homers in nine games at home.

Nelson Cruz, second on the team with six homers, had Monday off after going 2-for-12 in his previous three games.

Josh Hamilton is questionable Tuesday after missing the last two starts with bruised ribs.

Millwood is a great pitcher right now. He's just not winning. He leads the team in innings at 30, he has one of the best ERAs in the majors with a 2.10 ERA and has thrown AT LEAST seven innings in each of his four starts. And still, he stands with a 1-2 record. It is kind of baffling to see that. In his career against the A's, he is 4-3 in 13 starts and has a 3.88 ERA to back it up. This season opponents are hitting Millwood for a .181 batting average. I'll take that. Should Millwood continue with these numbers for the rest of the season, we could be looking at a 20 win season.

Rangers to Watch:

• No Rangers have ever faced Brett Anderson.

Anderson has pitched just six games above Class A, but with the uncertainty about the A's rotation, and Anderson's great spring, he'll open with the A's. Anderson will work with the standard four pitches (fastball, curve, slider, change), throwing mostly four-seamers but mixing in the occasional two-seamer. His command and feel are exceptional, and he can spot his fastball all over the zone. He had a reputation as a very polished arm coming out of high school, and he hasn't disappointed. He knows what he's doing on the mound: mixing it up, locating, getting ground balls when batters make contact and limiting the big innings. Anderson profiles as a potential third or fourth starter . He may not be a huge strikeout pitcher in the majors, but he's going to be solid in all of the other fantasy categories, and he'll have a rotation job as the season opens.

OK, that's his scouting report coming into the season. He's only 21 years of age. He has pitched three games for the A's this season and has a 0-2 record with a 5.89 ERA. Welcome to the Majors, junior. Still, he is averaging over six innings a start with 18.1 innings thus far. He's given up four long balls and fanned only nine. It should be interesting to see how this pitcher matures as the season wears on.

A's to Watch:

• The current team is batting 66-224 (.295) with 18 doubles, 5 HRs, and 29 RBIs.
• Orlando Cabrera is 25-82 (.305) with 4 doubles, a HR, and 11 RBIs.
• Mark Ellis is 12-28 (.429) with 3 doubles and 2 RBIs.
• Jason Giambi is 6-12 (.500) with 2 HRs and 3 RBIs.

Forecast: The Athletics have good numbers on Millwood. But this Millwood is a pitcher we haven't seen in a long, long time. It looks like the team is starting to click, and Millwood is there to lead the way. That was strange to say. Rangers win the opener of the series, 10-4.

Home Plate

Playoff Game #5: Mavericks at Spurs

Now, the Mavericks have three games to wrap this series up. It will only take one. Jason Terry is the 6th man. He has an award to prove it.

Eric Dampier is looking like a center. Finally. It's time to stop calling him Erica. Dirk played a great game and didn't really shoot much at all in game 4. New trend for him to let others play and not take all the shots? It definitely made the team better.

After the Mavericks 2-7 start, they played 48-25, which is a .658 winning margin coming into the playoffs. The Spurs were .659 for the entire season. Evenly matched?

The Spurs led after the first quarter in game 4. If they come out with the same momentum in game 5, will they fizzle like they have in pretty much this entire series? I think so. Unless, of course the margin at the end of the first quarter is 15 or higher. If the Spurs have a 20 point lead at half-time, look for the Mavericks to take the series back at home in Game 6. It may benefit the team for the starters to sit most of the second half, should that be the case.

Forecast: I like what the Mavericks have done this time in the playoffs. They have a spark. They know how to win and they are doing it. They have already won this series in my mind. Now, it is just winning tonight. Mavericks wrap up the series with a 97-91 victory.

Home Court

Game 19: Rangers at Birds

Rangers lead this series 2-1 and the season series is notched even at 3-3 as they head in the final game of this series.

Harrison hasn't looked sharp at all this season. Harrison is 0-2 with a 9.20 ERA. Harrison pitched well enough to not get a loss in his last start, although that is debatable. He lasted only four innings and gave up five runs in a ND to Toronto. He has 14.1 innings this season. What happened to the Harrison of last year? If he continues on this trend, I can't think the Rangers will give too many more starts.

Rangers to Watch:

• The Team is 9-40 (.225) with one double and one RBI.
• Michael Young is 2-9 (.222) with a double.
• Marlon Byrd is 2-5 (.400).
• Ian Kinsler is 2-5 (.400) with an RBI.
• Jarrod Saltalamachia is 2-3.

Guthrie has a 5.16 ERA and a 2-1 record after four starts. His last two starts have been everything but nice. In 4.2 innings against the Red Sox, he gave up eight runs (five earned) with two round trips in what resulted as a no decision. The team still lost the game 10-8. The following start against the White Sox wasn't any better. He did go six innings, but gave up five earned runs off of 1 HR. He has struggled a little with control, as in his last 10.2 innings, he has yeilded seven walks. Yuck for him, good for us. I don't see that trend changing anytime soon, even with his success against the Rangers. Last season he had two whitewashes against the Ranger, one score was 9-1 and the other was 10-4. In both starts, he went longer than six innings.

Birds to Watch:

• The Team is 7-13 (.538) with two doubles, two HRs, and six RBIs.
• Aubrey Huff is 1-3 with a HR and two RBIs.
• Melvin Mora is 2-2 with a HR and three RBIs.
• Brian Roberts is 2-2 with two doubles.

Let's remember that Harrison does well after his first start against a team. I am not sure if this trend holds true to the second start against a team in the same season, or if it is an umbrella effect over, meaning the second start ever.

Forecast: I like the Rangers in this one. If it is just me figuring that Harrison's trend holds true to the unbrella theory and not seasonal. Rangers win this one 9-4.

Home Plate

Beavan's Last Two Starts

High-A: Stockton 6, at Bakersfield 3
Loss: Beavan (0-3, 5.48)

Similar to Michael Main on Saturday, Blake Beavan zipped through five innings: one hit, runner promptly caught stealing, two strikeouts. He drove into a brick wall in the 6th, allowing six runs on five hits and a wild pitch (plus a Jonathan Greene error and a passed ball). Beavan departed after 5.1 innings with four earned runs on his ledger. Corey Young (1.2 IP), Zach Phillips (1 IP, 3 SO), and Evan Reed (1 IP, 1 SO) didn’t permit a hit for the remainder.

Engel Beltre (.184/.215/.289) socked his first homer and doubled in five at-bats. Joey Butler (.233/.258/.300) also homered for the first time, doubled and singled. Butler’s making slow bu t measurable progress. In his first 30 at-bats, he batted .200 with 16 strikeouts. In his most recent 30, he’s hitting .267 with only five whiffs.

High-A: at Visalia 5, Bakersfield 2

Loss: Beavan (0-2, 5.06)

Bakersfield is 248-325 as a Texas affiliate. It must be Texas’s designated locale for learning to deal with adversity. Despite consisting primarily of guys who were the class of the Midwest League for much of 2008, the Blaze fell to 3-10 with their 7th consecutive defeat.

Through four innings, starter Blake Beavan had been hittable but had largely matched Arizona’s top prospect Jarrod Parker. Down 2-1 in the 5th, Beavan walked consecutive batters, then allowed a homer by Sean Coughlin. Beavan departed after the 5th with five runs on his ledger along with eight hits, three walks and six strikeouts. In 25 previous professional starts, Blake had allowed five earned runs only once, had walked two batters in a inning only once, and had never walked two batters consecutively.

Home Plate

Game 18: Rangers at Birds

Rangers are keeping it close. But the important thing is that they are winning. 8-9 going into this game, the Rangers are winning despite some horrible numbers. What numbers, you ask? Well, Chris "Crush" Davis leads the majors in striking out. The Rangers have one of the highest team ERA's currently with a 5.95 ERA. That puts the third from the bottom. The Rangers do have the most homeruns as a team, leading the way with 35, six more than second place. Want to hear a surprise? The Rangers are third in the majors in stolen bases. The Rangers are one of five teams who have yet to strikeout 100 batters. They also walk a lot of batters, putting them at a tie for sixth worse in that catagory.

McCarthy is the most consistent among our starters. Millwood would have to be right there neck and neck with McCarthy. Bergesen has a 1-0 record with a 1.59 ERA, whereas McCarthy has a 4.76 ERA and a 2-0 record. Bergesen made his first ML start against the White Sox on 4/21.
Forecast: The Rangers are hot... in a weird sort of way. One run victories are still victories. I like the Rangers in this one, thanks to McCarthy. I'm just not going to go against McCarthy right now. Rangers win this one, 4-2.

Home Plate

Game 17: Rangers at Birds

The Rangers top the Birds with a clutch shot from Michael Young. Now, that's awesome. And it was with two outs. Kinsler gets a two out single and Young hits a two-out, one on HR. It doesn't get too much nicer than that right there.

When things are good, it is good to laugh. When things are not so good, it is still good laugh.

Feldman hasn't made a start this season and is filling in for an injured Benson. Feldman is 0-0 with a 12.15 ERA. Over the last three years, Feldman has a 4.15 ERA against Baltimore with a 1-0 record. The Birds do hit him for a .344 batting average over that span, so even they are getting a good clip on Scott, they aren't making it count to the extent that it should.

Rangers to Watch:

• Omar Vizquel is 7-15 (.467) with five doubles and two RBIs.


• Michael Young is 4-11 (.364) with a double, a HR, and three RBIs.


• Ian Kinslrt is 3-3 with a double, a HR, and an RBI.

Hendrickson started the game in which the Rangers won 19-6. He gave up only two earned runs in 3.2 innings of work that day. He also gave up seven unearned runs in that game. Hendrickson has pitched 14 innings in three starts, 9 walks, 18 hits (three HRs) and has a 1-2 record, but has lost his last two starts. He has a 3.86 ERA.

Birds to Watch:

• Ty Wigginton is 3-5 with a double with two RBIs.


• Nick Markakis is 1-4 with a double and two RBIs.


• Felix Pie is 2-2 with a HR and an RBI.

Forecast: Feldman needs to have a GREAT start. That would be the only thing that might get him to stay in the rotation. And I should put an emphasis on might. Derek Holland is in town and most likely will get a nod in the not too distant future to start. Feldman is a good starter. Look for him to take care of business in Baltimore with a score of 6-3, Rangers.

Playoff Game #4: Mavericks vs Spurs

Game 4. Mavericks have controlled two of the three games thus far. The Mavericks will win this series. And they will, at least in my mind, have a 3-1 advantage going into San Antonio. They have learned their lesson. They have learned not to blow a series up by two games.
These five starters will go into to round two. Round one is just a workout at this point. I could talk about how Dirk is really leading this team. I could talk about how Kidd is directing the players on the court. A NBA Champion team needs three strong key players. The Mavericks have those three players. They have Dirk. They have Josh Howard. They have Jason Kidd. And JJ Barea doesn't look too shabby, really. I'm not handing out an NBA Title just yet... they the pieces are there. Time isn't.
Forecast: I don't need to talk about the Spurs. They are out to pasture, at least for this post-season. Mavericks win Game 4 with a score of 97-89.

Home Court

Game 16: Rangers at Birds

This is going to be quick. I was a bit disappointed about yesterday's game. 5-2. Toronto. Yuck.

Baltimore is 8-8 and the Rangers are 6-9. Padilla hasn't looked like his normal self. I don't see the toughness there. Uehara... well, he's not a Ranger, so he stinks. Padilla is 1-1 whereas Uehara is 2-1. Padilla's ERA is atrocious. It's a 9.64 ERA... obviously not what we are used to from him. Uehara has a 5.29 ERA.

Forecast: I know I haven't done the normal "homework" that I normally do... still, the basic info reveals enough. Birds over Rangers with a score of 6-4.

Home Plate

Game 15: Rangers at Blue Jays

Wow, the Rangers played fairly well yesterday, going into extra innings before dropping 6-8. I like Millwood in this one. He plays better on the road, at least with the Rangers, so I like our chances since Millwood has one of the best ERA's right now.

I am trying to get the images over to the Ranger Red, but it is taking a little longer than expected. Feldman will get the start on Saturday, or at least that was what was being said earlier. He pitched in yesterday's game, so I do not know if that will alter whether he is going to start or not.

Forecast: In due of time and that the first pitch is, like, any second... Rangers win this one with a score of 4-2.

Home Plate

Game 14: Rangers at Blue Jays

Rangers win the opener. And in good style, too. Topping Halladay isn't a walk in the park. McCarthy is starting to look like the guy we searched out for in the Danks/McCarthy trade. McCarthy is now the only Ranger pitcher with two wins.

Newsday’s Ken Davidoff reports that the Rangers have claimed right-handed reliever Darren O'Day off waivers from the Mets, who had designated the 26-year-old for assignment on Saturday to make room for Nelson Figueroa (whom the Mets then DFA’d the next day). No word on whose roster spot – on the Rangers’ 25-man and the 40-man – O’Day will take.

New York had drafted O'Day from the Angels via Rule 5 in December, so he must stay in the big leagues with Texas for now. If the Rangers later try to get him through waivers, as the Mets did, even if he were to clear than the Rangers would have to offer him back to the Angels for $25,000.

O’Day, who was undrafted out of the University of Florida, has a tremendous minor league pedigree closing games (2.76 ERA in three seasons, eight strikeouts and two-and-a-half walks per nine innings). He posted a 4.57 ERA as an Angels rookie last year and had pitched four times for the Mets this month, allowing no earned runs (two unearned) on five hits and a walk in three innings, fanning two.

The Rangers have placed righthander Kris Benson on the 15-day disabled list with right elbow tendinitis. Benson’s move to the DL clears a spot on the active roster for newly acquired reliever Darren O’Day.

Righthander Scott Feldman is expected to take Benson’s start (which was originally scheduled for tonight) on Saturday.

To make room on the 40-man roster for O’Day, righthander Dustin Nippert has been shifted from the 15-day disabled list to the 60-day disabled list.

Harrison is 0-2 and the only Ranger pitcher with two loses. He averages less than six innings of work per start, totalling 10.2 innings in two starts. The Rangers, as a team, have an ERA of 6.18 currently. Harrison adds that, sporting an 8.44 ERA. In fact, only five Rangers have an ERA of less than 6.18, including Millwood, Francisco, Jennings, McCarthy, and CJ Wilson.

On a good note, Harrison is what I call a rebound pitcher. Notably, he does well when he faces a team the second time around. His first start against a team he has never faced before generally does go too well. With that said, he has never faced the Blue Jays. He has faced Kevin Millar three times. Millar is 1-3 against Harrison. Still, it is tough to swallow and wait for him to get the cobwebs off before he starts to dominate.

Purcey has three starts thus far this season and is 0-1 with a 6.46 ERA. He has handed out 13 walks in 15.1 innings but also has 17 strikeouts over the same amount of time. I wouldn't expect him to go longer than six innings, and I question whether he will make if even five innings. Still, the Rangers have 13 at-bats and only one hit, which was a Chris Davis HR.

Forecast: This one is a bit tough to call. Toronto will get their runs for sure. Purcey has success against the Rangers. Will that success show up tonight? I doubt it. Score: 10-8, Blue Jays.

Home Plate

Playoff Game #3: Mavericks vs Spurs

Three of the next four playoff games are in Dallas. I say four games, but the next three wins for either team will determine if there is three games or five games.
If you compare the two teams, the Mavericks simply have more weapons. They may have caved in Game #2, but in the long run, in the run of the series, I would take the Mavericks over the Spurs by simply the weapons they have.
The Spurs do find ways to win. But the ship is sailing on them now. They are going out to pasture, per se. Ginobili is a serious threat to the Mavericks and he is out for the season. The Mavericks also started the season 2-7 and finished with 50 wins, the first team to ever accomplish such a feat.
Forecast: Mavericks take Game #3... I don't want to get ahead of myself, but let's just say the Mavs win this one in overtime. Score: 131-127.


Home Court

Game 8: Rangers vs. Orioles

Well, it's now four in a row. I hate losing streaks. It just takes the wind out of everything. McCarthy on the hill tonight... will he turn things around for us?

Scouting Report:

Orioles: Simon pitched three shutout innings in his season debut, but then he allowed a pair of home runs in the fourth that turned the game around. The right-hander mostly used his fastball in that game after his off-speed offerings deserted him. Manager Dave Trembley said that Simon can get by with his fastball, but only when he's able to keep it down in the strike zone. Simon will be tested in his next start, which comes against the Rangers in one of the league's toughest offensive environments.

Birds to Watch:

• Aubrey Huff is 5-9 (.556) with a HR and three RBIs.
• Gregg Zaun is 2-5 (.400) with a double.

Rangers: McCarthy is pitching again, that's the big thing. He wasn't his sharpest in his season-opening start Thursday against Cleveland, but he did get the win, allowing three runs in five innings. He threw 105 pitches, a big improvement over seven in his most recent start, Sept. 15, 2008 against Detroit. His slider got him through a tough-hitting Indians lineup. His fastball will have to better against the Orioles. McCarthy had seven strikeouts against Cleveland -- he credited his slider -- but he had four walks and a hit batter.

No Texas Ranger has ever faced Simon.

Forecast: It has got to end sometime. I can't handle too much more of this. Call me picky if you want to. McCarthy is good enough to win. The Rangers just need to put it together. Even the bad teams win sometimes, although I am not calling this Ranger squad a bad team, they're just not playing that great right now. Rangers win this because I said so, score: 8-6.

Home Plate

Game 7: Rangers vs. Orioles

Rangers were in Red at home for the opening series. Rangers were in Blue on the road against Detroit. Would you like to guess what they will be wearing tonight?
Scouting Report:
Orioles: Uehara was impeccable in his big-league debut, throwing first-pitch strikes to nine of the first 13 batters and keeping the powerful Yankees lineup in check. Uehara allowed five hits in five innings on a night when he couldn't really grip the seams of the baseball, a fact that forced him to ditch his curveball. The right-hander survived just fine with his fastball and split-finger and got seven of his 15 outs on fly balls. But in Texas, a well known offensive playground, those fly balls might not come back.

Birds to Watch:

• Greg Zaun is 5-16 (.313) with two doubles and a RBI.
• Brian Roberts is 7-12 (.583) with four doubles and two RBIs.
• Nick Markakis is 6-9 (.667) with two doubles, a HR, and five RBIs.

Rangers: Padilla snapped a six-game winless streak at home with an 8-5 victory over the Indians on Wednesday. He allowed three runs on four hits, walked three and struck out five. His curveball was erratic and the Indians laid off his split-finger fastball but Padilla had an excellent fastball. Padilla lost two starts to the Orioles last year while allowing 14 earned runs on 17 hits in 6 2/3 innings. He is 2-5 with an 8.60 ERA against the Orioles in his career. That's his highest ERA against any American League team.

Rangers to Watch: No Ranger has any history against Uehara.

Forecast: Rangers in red is enough said, right? Still, they are undefeated at the Ballpark. But they are considered cold, with three straight loses. Padilla is the guy, he can grab wins when the Rangers are cold... so, I am going with the Rangers on this one. My mind says Rangers and my gut agrees. Score: 6-2.

Home Plate

Bakersfield vs Modesto Nuts

Well, there is some changes this season for Beavan. He is not with Clinton for two reasons. Reason #1 is that the Texas Rangers no longer use Clinton as a minor league facility. Reason #2 is that Beavan is no longer in Low A baseball, which is what Clinton represented to the Rangers. He has moved up to High A baseball in Bakersfield.
Beavan's first start of the season was against the Nuts' Cory Riordan. He fanned six while giving up four hits and walking ZERO. He also is more of a fly-ball pitcher, at least in this game, sending 8 baseballs into the air for outs while two grabbed dirt for an out.

Home Plate

Game 6: Rangers at Tigers

Rangers have dropped two in a row. One by a hundred runs, the other, just by one run. They scored two three runs on two hits. Two hits. I hope this isn't a start of a bad trend. Still, they win three straight and then drop two in a row...
Scouting Report:
Rangers: Millwood won for the first time in four Opening Day starts with a 9-1 victory over the Indians on Monday. He allowed one run on five hits, walked one and struck out five. He threw 113 pitches and said he still felt strong going into the seventh. Millwood is 4-4 with a 3.91 ERA in 11 career starts against the Tigers and 2-1 with a 3.15 ERA in three starts in Detroit. He was 4-7 with a 5.05 ERA on the road last year. That was the sixth highest road ERA among AL ERA qualifiers last year.

Tigers to Watch:

• Placido Polanco is 9-17 (.529) with two doubles and a RBI.
• Magglio Ordonez is 9-21 (.429) with two doubles and a RBI.
• Miguel Cabrera is 7-24 (.292) with two doubles, two homeruns, and five RBIs.

Tigers: If the Tigers can get anything close to the efficient success of Jackson's Tigers debut going forward, they might have the innings-eating workhorse for their rotation. Jackson threw just 89 pitches Tuesday in sending down the Blue Jays through seven innings of one-hit scoreless ball before Scott Rolen's leadoff homer and a subsequent error by Brandon Inge knocked him out in the eighth. Brandon Lyon's blown save left Jackson without a win to show for his work, but his ability to give the Tigers a chance in what had been a low-scoring duel could be huge for Detroit if he can keep it up.

Rangers to Watch:

• Ian Kinsler is 3-9 (.333) with a double, a HR, and two RBIs.
• Hank Blalock is 3-5 (.600) with a double and two RBIs.
• Nelson Cruz is 2-5 (.400).

It looks as though the Tigers have the upperhand, statistically speaking. Michael Young is a dismal 3-13 off Jackson and doesn't have extra bases or production. The Tigers also have a two game streak going thus far and they are playing at home. It would be good for the Rangers to NOT sweep and then be swept.

I put this out there since I like the Ranger Red. Maybe the color will provide a spark on Sunday...
I have a streak going up to one game in a row, at least halfway through the Marlin/Met game...
Forecast: Well... the Tigers are the team with the momentum. Millwood does look like the guy we signed in the off-season three plus seasons ago. My gut is telling me Tigers, my heart is saying Rangers. Tigers take it, 4-2.

Home Plate