Post-Season Thoughts

American League Divisional Series:

Yankees over Twins in four games.

Rangers over Rays in five games.

ALCS:

Yankees over Rangers in five games.

National League Divisional Series:

Phillies over Reds in four games.

Giants over Braves in four games.

NLCS:

Giants over Phillies in six games.

World Series:

Yankees over Giants in six games.

Divisional Series Roadblocks: The Rangers' starting pitchers have to be better in the postseason than they were during the regular season, when they ranked 25th overall in quality starts.

Can Cliff Lee out-duel Rays pitcher David Price? He'll have to, against a Rays team that ranks third in the league in runs scored.

ALCS Pitfalls: It would be much of the same for the Rangers in a series against the Twins or Yankees. Minnesota and New York absolutely rake at the plate, and a lack of quality starting pitching is a feast in the eyes of these team's hitters.

In all likelihood, Cliff Lee will have to pitch on two days rest, and give two stellar outings.

World Series Issues: I know it seems redundant—and it is—but pitching is the key to any World Series championship team. Lee and the rest of the Rangers staff will have to step up, or Josh Hamilton better bring the lumber.

I’ve talked extensively this year about the conundrum of Lee still not having a long term gig with anyone, even after being traded to Texas.

But it would make sense for Texas to keep Lee, especially if he does for the Rangers what he did for the Phillies.

Furthermore, fellow flame-thrower Rich Harden has basically been a bust, so there is plenty of room to think that they could ink Lee for two years, drop Harden, and perhaps make a move on FA Jorge De La Rosa.

OK, I admit that the Rockies will make De La Rosa a priority this offseason; but hey, anything can happen.

-Bleacher Report

Quick Picks

Texas Rangers at Tampa Bay Rays: I like Wilson over Shields. Rangers win it, 7-3.

Atlanta Braves at SF Giants: I don't know, my gut says Braves in the series, but the Giants have a few things going for them. Off the hip, I will say Braves, 4-2.

NY Yankees at Minnesota Twins: I like the Yankees in this series, but the Twins have some moxie, really good on the bases, so they can create runs that wouldn't normally be there. I say Twins even up the series here, 6-4.

Game is starting, gotta go!

LAAAA Angels (79-82) at Texas Rangers (90-71)

No pictures today, not really much today. I am going to the game, my fourth in the last week (and yes, it is nice). Colby Lewis (12-13) goes up against Dan Haren (4-4) and it looks to be a good match up, at least when considering the pitchers. I still am not impressed with the Angels hitters right now. Maybe next year they can strike some fear in me, however, today, this season, they are lack-luster. If they didn't have good to great pitching, they would be playing close baseball with the Mariners. That is just my opinion, mind you, but that is really how it is for them this year. And when you consider how things are going for them, they may not even recover next season unless they really compete in the free agent market.

This is the last day of baseball for most teams. The Rays and Yankees may have one more day. And the Giants, Braves, and Padres may have something interesting going on in the National League. A three way tie? I don't want to try to figure that one out, but I would assume the Padres and Giants play for the division title, giving the Wildcard spot to the Braves, based on percentage points, but I am not officially sure that would be the case.

Going back to the Rangers, this game hinges on what Lewis does in his 6+ innings. It really doesn't matter how good the hitters are, as I think they will take care of business and have four runs in the first seven innings. So, lets say Lewis pitches six, if he holds the Angels to two runs (which I think he can do) then it is simply all good for Texas Rangers fans. However, if he folds along the way, the we could be in trouble, but that kind of goes without saying, really.

Hamilton is back in the lineup, all the starters should be used today, so I really think we should expect more than four runs over seven innings... let's say that the forecast looks like this: Texas is hot (duh) and the Rangers win 8-3.

Postgame Alert for the Braves

Atlanta Braves Postgame Alert
July 31, 2010

Atlanta 2, Cincinnati 5 at Great American Ball Park
Atlanta Record: (59-44)
Cincinnati Record: (58-47)

Winning pitcher - Bronson Arroyo (11-6)
Losing pitcher - Jair Jurrjens (3-4)
SV - Francisco Cordero (28)

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9		R	H	E
ATL	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0		2	8	2
CIN	0	0	0	1	0	0	4	0	X		5	8	1

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Next Atlanta Game: August 1, 2010 01:10 PM ET vs. Cincinnati Reds

Upcoming Atlanta Home Games:
vs. New York Mets, August 2, 2010 07:10 PM ET Purchase Tickets
vs. New York Mets, August 3, 2010 07:10 PM ET Purchase Tickets
vs. New York Mets, August 4, 2010 07:10 PM ET Purchase Tickets

Postgame Alert for the Braves

Atlanta Braves Postgame Alert
July 30, 2010

Atlanta 6, Cincinnati 4 at Great American Ball Park
Atlanta Record: (59-43)
Cincinnati Record: (57-47)

Winning pitcher - Jesse Chavez (3-2)
Losing pitcher - Francisco Cordero (3-4)
SV - Billy Wagner (24)

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9		R	H	E
ATL	0	0	1	0	2	1	0	0	0		6	12	0
CIN	0	0	3	0	0	0	0	1	0		4	11	0
	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18		R	H	E
ATL	2	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X		6	12	0
CIN	0	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X		4	11	0

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Next Atlanta Game: July 31, 2010 04:10 PM ET vs. Cincinnati Reds

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vs. New York Mets, August 2, 2010 07:10 PM ET Purchase Tickets
vs. New York Mets, August 3, 2010 07:10 PM ET Purchase Tickets
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Postgame Alert for the Braves

Atlanta Braves Postgame Alert
July 29, 2010

Atlanta 3, Washington 5 at Nationals Park
Atlanta Record: (58-43)
Washington Record: (44-58)

Winning pitcher - Scott Olsen (3-2)
Losing pitcher - Derek Lowe (10-9)
SV - Matt Capps (26)

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9		R	H	E
ATL	0	0	0	2	0	1	0	0	0		3	6	0
WSH	0	2	0	2	0	0	0	1	X		5	7	1

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Next Atlanta Game: July 30, 2010 07:10 PM ET vs. Cincinnati Reds

Upcoming Atlanta Home Games:
vs. New York Mets, August 2, 2010 07:10 PM ET Purchase Tickets
vs. New York Mets, August 3, 2010 07:10 PM ET Purchase Tickets
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Postgame Alert for the Braves

Atlanta Braves Postgame Alert
July 28, 2010

Atlanta 3, Washington 1 at Nationals Park
Atlanta Record: (58-42)
Washington Record: (43-58)

Winning pitcher - Tim Hudson (11-5)
Losing pitcher - Livan Hernandez (7-7)
SV - Billy Wagner (23)

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9		R	H	E
ATL	2	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	0		3	8	0
WSH	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	0		1	7	0

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Next Atlanta Game: July 29, 2010 12:35 PM ET vs. Washington Nationals

Upcoming Atlanta Home Games:
vs. New York Mets, August 2, 2010 07:10 PM ET Purchase Tickets
vs. New York Mets, August 3, 2010 07:10 PM ET Purchase Tickets
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Postgame Alert for the Braves

Atlanta Braves Postgame Alert
July 27, 2010

Atlanta 0, Washington 3 at Nationals Park
Atlanta Record: (57-42)
Washington Record: (43-57)

Winning pitcher - Miguel Batista (1-2)
Losing pitcher - Tommy Hanson (8-7)
SV - Matt Capps (25)

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9		R	H	E
ATL	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0		0	5	2
WSH	1	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	X		3	6	0

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Next Atlanta Game: July 28, 2010 07:05 PM ET vs. Washington Nationals

Upcoming Atlanta Home Games:
vs. New York Mets, August 2, 2010 07:10 PM ET Purchase Tickets
vs. New York Mets, August 3, 2010 07:10 PM ET Purchase Tickets
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Postgame Alert for the Braves

Atlanta Braves Postgame Alert
July 25, 2010

Atlanta 4, Florida 5 at Sun Life Stadium
Atlanta Record: (57-41)
Florida Record: (49-49)

Winning pitcher - Jorge Sosa (2-2)
Losing pitcher - Jesse Chavez (2-2)

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9		R	H	E
ATL	1	0	1	0	0	1	0	1	0		4	11	0
FLA	0	0	0	4	0	0	0	0	0		5	11	0
	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18		R	H	E
ATL	0	0	X	X	X	X	X	X	X		4	11	0
FLA	0	1	X	X	X	X	X	X	X		5	11	0

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Next Atlanta Game: July 27, 2010 07:05 PM ET vs. Washington Nationals

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vs. New York Mets, August 2, 2010 07:10 PM ET Purchase Tickets
vs. New York Mets, August 3, 2010 07:10 PM ET Purchase Tickets
vs. New York Mets, August 4, 2010 07:10 PM ET Purchase Tickets

Postgame Alert for the Braves

Atlanta Braves Postgame Alert
July 24, 2010

Atlanta 10, Florida 5 at Sun Life Stadium
Atlanta Record: (57-40)
Florida Record: (48-49)

Winning pitcher - Jesse Chavez (2-1)
Losing pitcher - Jhan Marinez (1-1)

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9		R	H	E
ATL	1	0	1	0	0	0	0	8	0		10	10	0
FLA	1	0	3	0	0	1	0	0	0		5	11	2

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Next Atlanta Game: July 25, 2010 01:10 PM ET vs. Florida Marlins

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vs. New York Mets, August 2, 2010 07:10 PM ET Purchase Tickets
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Postgame Alert for the Braves

Atlanta Braves Postgame Alert
July 22, 2010

San Diego 0, Atlanta 8 at Turner Field
San Diego Record: (55-39)
Atlanta Record: (56-39)

Winning pitcher - Tim Hudson (10-5)
Losing pitcher - Clayton Richard (7-5)

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9		R	H	E
SD	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0		0	4	1
ATL	2	1	1	0	0	0	4	0	X		8	13	0

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Next Atlanta Game: July 23, 2010 07:10 PM ET vs. Florida Marlins

Upcoming Atlanta Home Games:
vs. New York Mets, August 2, 2010 07:10 PM ET Purchase Tickets
vs. New York Mets, August 3, 2010 07:10 PM ET Purchase Tickets
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Postgame Alert for the Braves

Atlanta Braves Postgame Alert
July 20, 2010

San Diego 1, Atlanta 4 at Turner Field
San Diego Record: (54-38)
Atlanta Record: (55-38)

Winning pitcher - Jair Jurrjens (3-3)
Losing pitcher - Wade LeBlanc (4-8)
SV - Billy Wagner (22)

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9		R	H	E
SD	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0		1	5	0
ATL	0	0	0	2	0	0	2	0	X		4	8	3

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Next Atlanta Game: July 21, 2010 07:10 PM ET vs. San Diego Padres

Upcoming Atlanta Home Games:
vs. San Diego Padres, July 21, 2010 07:10 PM ET Purchase Tickets
vs. San Diego Padres, July 22, 2010 01:05 PM ET Purchase Tickets
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Postgame Alert for the Braves

Atlanta Braves Postgame Alert

July 18, 2010

Milwaukee 6, Atlanta 11 at Turner Field
Milwaukee Record: (42-51)
Atlanta Record: (54-38)

Winning pitcher - Derek Lowe (10-8)
Losing pitcher - Manny Parra (3-7)

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9		R	H	E
MIL	1	0	0	0	0	2	0	1	2		6	14	0
ATL	0	2	5	0	1	3	0	0	X		11	13	1

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Next Atlanta Game: July 20, 2010 07:10 PM ET vs. San Diego Padres

Upcoming Atlanta Home Games:
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vs. San Diego Padres, July 21, 2010 07:10 PM ET Purchase Tickets
vs. San Diego Padres, July 22, 2010 01:05 PM ET Purchase Tickets

MLB Teams Take Scouting to New Level, Track Umpires

By BEN WALKER AP Baseball Writer

Ron Washington flips the pages of his three-ring notebook, filled with inside info on the other team's pitchers and hitters.

The Texas manager gets to the back of the black binder, reaches into the pocket and pulls out another scouting report — on that night's home plate umpire.

It's a color-coded computer printout showing his strike zone — how he tends to call balls and strikes — and whether he usually gives the pitcher a break if the ball sails just off the corner of the plate. In this ump's case, the calls on the edges are too inconsistent to be predictable.

"We do have their tendencies in the dugout on the wall. The name of the umpire and his tendencies, what they call and what part of the zone they call strikes," Washington said.

"When I was playing, we just knew he was a high-ball umpire or a low-ball umpire, whether he was a pitcher's umpire or a hitter's umpire," he said.

Pre-Season Stats

The Rangers will finish third in Cactus League standings, no matter what happens today. My son and I will be going to the pre-season finale this afternoon - YEAH BABY! Here's what I like: I like that the Rangers are one in six teams with 20 wins or more this preseason. I like that Josh Hamilton collected over 25 RBIs this preseason. I wonder if he will collect over 150 RBIs this season. I am certain he will collect over 40 HRs, and probably over 45 HRs.
If the Rangers have a .618 win percentage during the Regular season, they will nail down a 100-62 record. I don't think they will do that this year. I'm just being honest. So, what about a 58% wining percentage? That would be 94 wins. Well, then what about 56%? That would give them 91 wins. And I think that could be closer to what the Rangers will do this season. I don't see the Yankees, Braves, or Angels knocking down what they did in pre-season in the regular season.

I wish the Rangers would have the promotional schedule that the Astros have this season. They have a lot of great freebies this season.

Home Plate

Whew!

This one almost slid away from us. Good thing we have Michael Young.
Johnny Out.

Home Plate

Game 74: Rangers vs. Braves

This is my favorite logo of the three I put up here. It's got some flavor! Today concludes the series between the Braves and Rangers. They will see each other again in three years, unless the format of interleague play is changed to maybe the format that the NFL does it, in which case a tougher schedule given to the better teams and a lighter schedule given to the lesser fortunate teams. That would make sense, but then, sometimes things are made to not make sense.
Now, today we have Morton vs. Feldman. And I have to be honest... I do not feel optimistic about the Rangers chances for two reasons. The Rangers bite on day games... and Feldman has been biting for quite some time... so combine the two and you get a horrendous performance from the Rangers today. YIKES!!!

So, let's take a look at Feldman. Feldman, to me, doesn't look all that bad... at least on paper. He has a 4.84 ERA (league average is 4.19) and a 1-3 record. He's only 25 years of age and hasn't been used as a starter until this season. He was first brought up in 2005 and in one way, is having more success this year than he previous two (when you look at OPP), but his WHIP is still higher than that of 2006, so he is still getting a substantial amount of baserunners, if you consider 1.27 high, which it really isn't all that bad. He has given up more HRs than all his previous seasons combined. He has never pitched against the Braves.

The Rangers have lost the last six games tht Feldman has started and eight of the nine starts that Felman has done in his career. Feldman has never faced any of the Braves batters.

Yeah, that was a different Morton in the first matchup picture. A look at Morton... he's only had one ML start/appearace which was on June 14th against the Angels in which the Braves won 9-4. He went six innings and gave up three runs on five hits and a walk. The Angels hit .217 and it goes to wonder that Morton has a 4.50 ERA. He hasn't given up a ML homer just yet. Look for that to happen today.

Beginners luck? It could be... or he could just be another awesome pitcher in the Braves system. They just seem to crank them out. The Rangers do to, except we just ship them off to other teams.

Forecast: The Braves tend to struggle in Arlington, if my memory serves me right. And if my memory is correct, then they should struggle today. I could be completely wrong. The Braves could own the Rangers in Arlington. But I like my memory whether it is right or not... so, Feldman gets a little lucky, Bradley is back in the lineup, and the Raners score a little early and hold on to it, 6-4.

Home Plate

Game 73: Rangers vs Braves

Throwback logos. Eric Hurley vs. Jo-Jo Reyes... Rangers lead in the series 1-0.
Hurley has one career start. He's 0-0 with a 6.00 ERA. The Rangers lost his start to Kansas City. That's about all I am going to say about Hurley. If you want some really cool information on Hurley, check out this link: Eric Hurley

Reyes came up last year from the minors. Last year he went 2-2 in ten starts and eleven games and finished with a 6.22 ERA. Opponents hit him for a .286 average. Milton Bradley is the only Ranger to have faced him, going 1-2. This season is a bit better for Reyes, as he is 3-4 with a 4.42 ERA. He has lost 3 of his last 5 starts, but he pitches better on the road with a 3.32 ERA. Batter hit him currently with a .265 batting average, and despite the bad luck, his ERA has dropped over his last four starts from a 5.84 ERA down to the current number. In his last four starts, he has pitched at least 6 innings and three have gone 7 innings or more.Here's some pictures of the Rangers playing professional slip and slide in NY during the Mets series. Man, that looks like fun.

Forecast: I think this could actually be a good game. I was writing off the Rangers on the last two games of this series, but now I believe the Rangers have a valid shot for this one. Rangers win it with some bats, 8-3, Rangers.

Home Plate

Game 72: Rangers vs. Braves

Wow. These are my two favorite teams. I love the Rangers... but my #2 team is the Atlanta Braves. And that's even with them having Mark Teixeira. And so, this is a series that I will be watching closely. And prayerfully, I will be able to get to see a game.

Tim Hudson comes into this game with a 7-4 record and a 2.76 ERA. His WHIP is 1.14, which is really good. He has a 6-5 record against the Rangers in his career and a 4.01 ERA. Historically, the Rangers have hit him with a .241 batting average. On the road, Hudson is 2-3 this season with a 2.96 ERA. His last start against the Rangers was in 2005, where he picked up a loss going 2.2 innings and puking up 5 runs. Talk about a bad day. The current Ranger roster is batting .268 (26-97) against Hudson.

Rangers to Watch:

• Michael Young: 9-25 (360 BA); 1 double and 2 RBIs

To be honest, no other Ranger is worth bragging about. Josh Hamilton (0-3) should be entertaining to watch tonight against Hudson. I think he will create a batting average on Hudson and not just leave it at zero.

Vicente Padilla is 8-3 with a 3.89 ERA and a WHIP of 1.45 coming into tonights game. At home he is 2-2 with a complete game shutout. His ERA in Arlington is 3.27 and opponents are hitting him for a .248 batting average in the hitters park. In his career against Atlanta, he is 5-8 with a 3.67 ERA in 95.2 innings. Atlanta historically has hit him for a .272 batting average. In fourteen starts, Padilla has pitched 6 innings 10 times. When he pitches 6 innings or more, he is 7-2.

Braves to Watch:

• Chipper Jones: 11-33 (333 BA); 2 doubles, 1 HR, and 4 RBIs
• Mark Kotsay: 8-23 (348 BA); 2 doubles, 1 HR, and 3 RBIs (out)
• Mark Teixeira: 2-2 (1000 BA); 2 HRs and 3 RBIs (BEANBALL candidate)

I really think Tex is in danger of being thrown at... and it would be suited, like a "welcome back to Arlington, loud-mouth"... it will be definitely the matchup to watch tonight.

The dot race... Big Brown is the winner. Why not, right?

I thought to add this to the series. Blalock should be coming back soon. It's been heard that he is currently in Frisco or Oklahoma grabbing some playing time. I think it is Oklahome, though. I do not know any more than that.

Forecast: These two teams seem evenly matched. And that will make it all the more worthy of watching. Hudson and Padilla both should do a good job, so after seven innings are done, and things get handed over to the bullpen... who will go to work to preserve their starters good work? Atlanta has the better pitching, by far... and the Rangers have the better offense... but not by far. It is rather close to Atlanta's. Bullpen blows it for the Rangers, 6-4. Johnny Out.

Home Plate

Yep, Tex is a Brave

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

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

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

Minor League stats for Jarrod go like this:

GCL Braves: (2003)

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

Rome: (2004)

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

Myrtle Beach: (2005)

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

Mississippi: (2006 - first time at AA level)

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

Mississippi: (2007)

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

Total Minor League Stats:

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

Atlanta Braves: (2007)

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

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

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

GCL Braves:

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

Matt Harrison: (Career #s in the Minors)

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

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

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

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

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