Another Roy Oswalt Posting

Roy Oswalt turned down money from Detroit so that he could pitch for either the Cardinals or the Rangers. But the thing is, he turned down $10 million from Detroit, who, now has Prince Fielder, looks to be a real player. Oswalt has back problems and for a pitcher to have back problems and be offered the money Detroit threw at him, well, it seems foolish for Oswalt to have done so in saying a big fat no. What's more intriguing in all of this is that he wants to only start. The Cardinals would be willing to take him, but as a relief pitcher. AND for less cash than that of Detroit. Half the cash, for that matter. The Rangers are being shy and may not even offer the money that was originally rumored to be $7.5 million to most recently a $5 million deal to no deal at all. The Rangers are hinting at them bringing in farm talent that is ready and itching to come up.

So, do the Rangers sign Oswalt? I don't know anymore. It looked good at a glancing view, but now, not so much anymore. I agree with the comment of Fielder for ten to the Rangers as being a bad deal. It would handcuff us much like the A-Roid deal twelve or so years ago. If Detroit wants to handcuff itself, be my guest. We've played that game and all that did was help us lose. The Yankees can play the money game. I don't know if the Tigers can, but they sure do seem to be throwing a lot of money around right now. If the Rangers did that, that would only prove to be foolish financing.

Prince Fielder and Roy Oswalt

I guess besides the money, Prince wanted to go where his father played. I think it is a good fit for the Tigers, not really sure for Fielder. I say this because he could hit more homeruns in other stadiums. But money is money and baseball is a business, too. I think if players were REALLY about the jewelry, they would bundle up to teams with particular players. Maybe that is how New York gets so much in talented free agents,

Roy Oswalt:
"It's enticing when you have a veteran starter who wants to pitch for you," general manager Jon Daniels said Thursday, the paper reports. "The reality is we have a lot of starting pitchers that all have high upsides, and we want to give them the ball."

It doesn't look like Roy is coming to Texas after all. I don't know if I like that idea. From a fan's standing point, we have let Cliff Lee slip from our grasp, and followed that up the next year with CJ Wilson going to a divisional rival. It's tough to see.

Yes, we get Yu Darvish and Adrian Beltre... does that make up for the loses? Bittersweet, I guess.

Detroit Tigers (72-73) at Texas Rangers (81-63)

The A's and Angels both lose, so the magic number is now down to 10...

This song has been stuck on the brain the last couple of days... had to share it.

So, I think the Rangers just might clinch before the series against the A's, but it is still tough to say. One thing is for sure, it will be done on the road, which is a bit of a bummer, as I would truly enjoy going to the 'clinching' game.

So, Colby Lewis against Galarraga. I said yesterday that it was hands down Rangers for this game, but now that I look at it, not so sure. The numbers are good for Galarraga, with one exception: At first glance, I noticed a 4-5 record (indicating not being around all season) and 40 walks (which means if he hasn't pitched too much, those are a lot of free passes). As it is, Galarraga started the season injured and got his first ML action this year in mid-May and has since grabbed down 20 starts and 21 games.

Galarraga has lost his last two starts against the Rangers, allowing eight runs over 14 1-3 innings and receiving two total runs of support. Against Texas, Armando has four starts and a 2-2 record and a 3.95 ERA over 27.1 innings. What is surprising is that the Rangers have 26 hits and 6 walks, giving Galarraga a 1.17 WHIP, which is a good line for a pitcher. The hitters need to take advantage of what Armando gives them tonight, especially since he is averaging 2 walks per start and has given up five walks in a game twice in his last eight starts. In another game, he gave up four walks. I will remind you that he threw a 'one-hitter' on June 3rd, which made a lot of press as he got to one out away from a perfect game against Cleveland before the ump blew a call at first on what should have been the final out, so he can pitch good. He's just not doing that lately and I don't expect him to do anything near a perfect game tonight.

Well, Colby Lewis... he's an awesome pitcher. Here's the thing with Colby... the Rangers are 2-8 in his last 10 starts. And Lewis is 1-7 during that stretch. That is mind boggling to think about. So, he's gone from 9-5 to 10-12 while really not pitching all that bad. There were a couple of games that I think he deserved to lose, particularly against Oakland and Minnesota, but outside of that, he's done a deceint job. With a 20% success rate for the latest number on Lewis, it makes it hard to pick the Rangers in this one.

Forecast: Well, the Rangers are smart when it comes to having a game plan. I think that comes with having Washington as the chief in charge. But the thing that sticks in my mind is the whole 20% on Colby. Colby is 8th in strikeouts in the AL, more than Cliff Lee and more than CJ Wilson, so he will fan them out tonight. Lewis is also 16th in WHIP with a 1.22 WHIP, which shows his control of a game. Has he not been lucky? I think so. Will he be lucky tonight? I want to say yes, I really do, but I honestly don't think it will change much. I am going to go with my mind and against my gut and say Detroit splits this one with a 4-3 score.

Detroit Tigers (72-72) at Texas Rangers (80-63)

My apologies as I have been away from the blog due to a death in my family, followed by only what I could describe as an extended grieving period. I did stay busy, though, as I have some new ideas on revamping this look a little bit more. I hope you like the changes so far, I do have some more adjustments in mind to make.

Anyway, the Rangers just swept the Yankees, and you can pretty well guess how I feel about that... :-) The magic number is now at twelve games. I would say that the Rangers will clinch the division in Oakland, and my guess would be the first game of that series on September 23rd. I am not sure if Cliff Lee will be pitching on the four days rest the rest of the way as the original plan was for him to do that, but if that is the case, he would end up missing the Oakland series completely, pitching in the last game against the Angels (on the 22nd). Lee's last regular season start would place him on October 1st, which would mean he would be able to start with four days rest on October 6th, which would be game one against someone, with game two the following day. The schedule for the playoffs goes as follows:

• Game One of ALDS on October 6th
• Game Two on October 7th
• Game Three on October 9th
• Game Four (if needed) on October 10th
• Game Five (If needed) on October 12th

 Just a thought to see how this plays out as Lee missing Oakland could pose to be a big deal, not crucial, but you would want him to pitch in that series.

Derek Holland vs. Jeremy Bonderman for tonights game. This is a two game series, with Lewis against Porcello in game two (which, right off the bat, I'm thinking the Rangers take that one). Let's look at this one.
Holland is 3-3 with a 4.31 ERA, but has a 2-0 record and a 2.45 ERA at home. Starting in June, Holland has pitched in four games, three of which were starts. During that time, he is 1-2, winning his last start against Toronto. I will note that he was taken out of a game in which he had the lead and Alexi blew it, giving the loss to Holland, so he could have easily been 2-1 over the same stretch. Looking at his return to the Majors, Holland's ERA is actually better, posting a 4.21 ERA over his last 21.1 innings.

Holland has never pitched against Detroit and has faced only one Tiger, Johnny Damon, who is 0-4 with three strikeouts. Damon went 1-8 against Baltimore with a walk and two runs scored.

This year, Bonderman is 2-5 on the road with a 6.61 ERA. Against the Rangers, it gets worse. He has no record in two starts, but has a 7.36 ERA ERA (that's nine runs in eleven innings), coughing up fifteen hits, two HRs, and three walks. That's a 1.63 WHIP while the Rangers slap him with a .319 batting average. YUCK for him, great for the Rangers. Now, here's a concerning trend, Bonderman has a 2.93 ERA this month, along with a 1-0 record in two starts. Still, that's only two starts, with one of those coming against Kansas City, so you almost can't even count that one... although he did ace out the White Sox, which is very notable. Overall, he has a 5.03 ERA with a 8-9 record.

Digging through things, Bonderman didn't pitch against the Rangers in 2009, and pitched one game in 2008, throwing 4.2 innings giving up two runs off two hits, but walked SEVEN batters in that time. Bonderman somehow managed to get a no-decision in that game, too.

Going back to 2007, Bonderman finally got a decision against the Rangers and not all that surprised, it was a loss. He pitched seven innings, posting a 2.57 ERA, but gave up four runs, two earned. He fanned nine while walking four and giving out seven hits.

Rangers Against Tigers (RAT, for short):

• Vlad: 5-26 (.192) against Bonderman, so it would be wise to play him off the bench. One double and three RBIs, it would be good to have a strong bat come off the bench, albeit, a DH.
• Michael Young: 8-23 (.348) against Bonderman. He has two HRs and five RBIs.
• Cristian Guzman: 6-16 (.375) against Bonderman. He's only played two games over the last week, but there are no notes on an injury that I can find. I would play him, start him, against Bonderman if he is available.
• Josh Hamilton: 4-9 (.444) against Bonderman. One HR. Two RBIs. Will he get his groove on tonight? He has numbers to indicate he will...
• Ian Kinsler: 4-7 (.571) against Bonderman. A Double. A HR. Four RBIs. Nuf Said.
• Julio Borbon: 1-5 against Bonderman. I note him as he has been showing some stick of late, so even though he is .200 against Bonderman, I still expect him to show up.

Forecast: Well, it shouldn't be a surprise that I like the Rangers for this one. The numbers really speak for themselves. The Rangers just about own Bonderman. What I don't understand is how this guy manages to squeek out of the game without taking a loss. He should be 0-2 this year, 0-1 in 2008... etc. against the Rangers. This guy just might be the luckiest pitcher in a Tiger uniform. Despite his awkward luck, I still say he will take the loss, although, it might be decided by the bullpen in a strange turn of events, at least for the Tigers. I like Holland, simply as he has pitched four games in his return, one at home, and has done better than before he went down... So, if Bonderman pitches like Bonderman should and Holland pitches like Holland should, hands down a Ranger win. I don't really expect everything to fall into place, but with considering the intangibles, I still say Rangers win it. Score (on a conservative side) will be 6-4, (but can realistically be more like 9-3, Rangers).

Postgame Alert for the White Sox

Chicago White Sox Postgame Alert
August 3, 2010

Chicago White Sox 12, Detroit 2 at Comerica Park
Chicago White Sox Record: (60-45)
Detroit Record: (52-53)

Winning pitcher - Mark Buehrle (10-8)
Losing pitcher - Rick Porcello (4-10)

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9		R	H	E
CWS	0	0	4	1	2	0	4	1	0		12	15	0
DET	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	1	0		2	8	0

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Next Chicago White Sox Game: August 3, 2010 07:05 PM ET vs. Detroit Tigers

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vs. Minnesota Twins, August 10, 2010 07:10 PM CT Purchase Tickets
vs. Minnesota Twins, August 11, 2010 07:10 PM CT Purchase Tickets
vs. Minnesota Twins, August 12, 2010 07:10 PM CT Purchase Tickets

Cabrera, Hamilton, Votto Aim to Make Second Half Run at History

By John Schlegel / MLB.com

More than four decades A.Y. -- After Yaz -- and still no Triple Crown in the barn.

Could 2010 finally be the year? Well, at least there is the right number of early contenders: three.

As the years continue to mount since Red Sox legend Carl Yastrzemski registered baseball's 13th and last Triple Crown in 1967, a trio of viable candidates enters the second half of the 2010 season with a swing at history.

For the moment at least, none of them is named Albert Pujols, who quietly made a run just last year at the precious -- and elusive -- three-pronged jewel for hitters.

The Tigers' Miguel Cabrera and the Rangers' Josh Hamilton both have situated themselves statistically within reach of the American League lead in all three categories traditionally celebrated as the Triple Crown: batting average, home runs and RBIs.

In the National League, it's the Reds' Joey Votto who's in the running in all three categories, having helped push his club ahead of Pujols' Cardinals in the NL Central to this point.

In the current era, the Triple Crown is a feat many would associate with Pujols, who epitomizes the complete hitter. Last year, he finished third in batting average (.327 to .342 by the Marlins' Hanley Ramirez) while leading in homers (47) and finishing third in RBIs (135).

Even one of this year's early candidates hears Triple Crown and thinks Pujols.

"The only guy I can see hit 40 home runs, hit .330 and drive in 130," Cabrera said earlier this season, "is Pujols. He's done it for a lot of years."

Yet it's Cabrera who's in position this year, and a good one given his own history of delivering in all facets of the hitting game. He's neck and neck with Hamilton in average with a Majors-leading .346 -- but with four others within 16 points -- and in homers with 22, two behind Toronto's Jose Bautista. Cabrera has the edge in RBIs, leading the Majors with 77, or 13 more than Hamilton in fourth place in the league.

They have about the same attitude about the Triple Crown at this point: Let's wait till September to really see where things stand.

"I think that's too soon," Cabrera said. "I don't think about that. It's going to be two more months. I want to focus on winning games. If it happens, it happens. You have to not put pressure on yourself. You have to be yourself and go out there and play every day hard."

Said Hamilton: "If I said it wouldn't be nice, obviously, I would be lying. If it happens, it happens. If not, I'll just settle for a strong year and a winning year. Those are the two things that are foremost on my mind."

It is heady stuff, to be sure. All 11 Triple Crown winners since 1901 are in the Hall of Fame, including twice-crowned Ted Williams and Honus Wagner. No Hank Aaron, no Babe Ruth, no Willie Mays. Stan Musial's not one of them, either, having lost what would have been the crucial homer to a rainout in 1948.

It takes a remarkable -- and full -- season to get there. In 1967, Yastrzemski hit .324 with 19 home runs and 56 RBIs in 79 games before the All-Star break, and went .329/25/65 afterward. The year before, Frank Robinson won the AL Triple Crown going .312/.321, 21/28 and 56/66.

So, clearly, the current candidates' work is far from complete. In fact, they really need to pick it up a notch.

Cabrera's past performance shows in remarkable similarity that he doesn't do much differently in either half of the season. Entering this season he had batted .311 before the break and .311 after it. He had 108 homers before, 101 after. And 364 RBIs before, 389 after.

Hamilton's a little harder to gauge. There was his breakout season in 2008, in which he hit 21 homers in the first half and 11 in the second, while driving in 95 runs in the first half and 35 in the second. Last year, Hamilton's first half was marred by injury, but he had a big August at the plate, batting .342 with 17 RBIs but just one home run. So, hard to tell what that all means for this year.

Besides, there's always the chance for a spoiler, and each league has an excellent candidate or two at this juncture. In the AL, Bautista leads in homers and is showing few signs of slowing down, and Martin Prado of the Braves is 11 points ahead of Votto, with four others in between.

Votto's candidacy is the most precarious of the three largely because of that stat -- his 1.011 on-base plus slugging percentage, tops in the NL and second only to Cabrera in the Majors -- can't help him there. While he's knotted at the top in homers with Adam Dunn at 22, he's also got a lot of traffic in the RBIs race, standing at 60 with leaders Corey Hart, Ryan Howard and David Wright, plus three others standing in his way. While the Rockies' Carlos Gonzalez is also lurking in all three categories and Pujols is an average-boosting streak away from joining the fun, it's clearly a tough environment to become the first NL'er to win it since Joe Medwick in 1937.

Like the others, though, it's not really about chasing an elusive crown for Votto. It's about performing at a high level, hoping to help the team advance. It's about becoming the best hitter he can be, and that might just be enough.

"I'm just like everybody else. I want to succeed. I want to play well and be meaningful to the team," Votto said as he awaited an All-Star nod, eventually given in the Final Vote. "Good things come with that and they will."

Added Reds right fielder Jay Bruce: "It's getting hard to ignore him. He's arguably one of the top three hitters in the game."

And right now, he's among three who look like they could make a run at joining an even more exclusive club: Triple Crown winners.

Postgame Alert for the Rangers

Texas Rangers Postgame Alert
July 21, 2010

Texas 1, Detroit 4 at Comerica Park
Texas Record: (55-40)
Detroit Record: (49-44)

Winning pitcher - Max Scherzer (7-7)
Losing pitcher - Colby Lewis (9-6)

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9		R	H	E
TEX	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1		1	4	2
DET	0	2	0	0	0	0	2	0	X		4	10	1

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Next Texas Game: July 22, 2010 07:05 PM CT vs. Los Angeles Angels

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vs. Los Angeles Angels, July 22, 2010 07:05 PM CT Purchase Tickets
vs. Los Angeles Angels, July 23, 2010 07:05 PM CT Purchase Tickets
vs. Los Angeles Angels, July 24, 2010 07:05 PM CT Purchase Tickets

7-21 Newberg Report

The entirety of last Thursday’s report read:

=================================

Since 2008, Texas has a 3-10 record in Boston. 

And an 0-9 record in Detroit.

Time to see what this Rangers team is made of.

=================================

Answer: Two series wins, and five wins in six games at the moment, the lone loss coming on a night when Cliff Lee gave up two runs on six hits and one walk (remember that it was intentional when his season walk numbers are referenced) in nine innings and was one out away from a victory.

Unbelievable. 

But getting closer, each series, to believable.

A few quick things:

1.      Tommy Hunter is now 7-0, the first Rangers starting pitcher to begin a season with that record.

a.       Only twice in Hunter’s starts did he not win.  On June 16, he left in third with a strained hip flexor, having allowed one run (which actually didn’t come across until he’d already exited).  In fact, it’s the only one of Hunter’s nine appearances that wasn’t a quality start (though Texas ended up winning the game).  And on July 8, he went six-plus innings against Baltimore, leaving a 4-2 lead in the hands of the bullpen (one of Hunter’s runners came across with Alexi Ogando on the mound).

b.      Only twice in Hunter’s nine starts has Josh Hamilton not homered: (1) on July 3, a 3-1 Rangers win over the White Sox in which no Texas hitter managed an extra-base hit off John Danks and three Chicago relievers; and (2) on July 15, a 7-2 Rangers win over Boston in which Hamilton doubled three times.

c.       Almost as freaky: Since Hunter has joined the active roster, Hamilton has 13 home runs . . . seven coming in Hunter starts. 

d.      Hunter’s next start: Newberg Report Night, this Sunday.

2.      Two interesting AAA role changes in the last week: (1) righthander Tanner Scheppers has moved from the Oklahoma City rotation back to the bullpen and (2) hitter Mitch Moreland has moved from the outfield back to first base. 

Said Assistant GM Thad Levine of the Scheppers transition: “With our current pitching depth and our goal for Tanner for innings pitched this year, we feel that he can make the most impact as bullpen depth for the major league team as we try to best position ourselves for playing meaningful games in September and beyond.”  Scheppers, who struggled in six RedHawks starts (5.84 ERA, .330 opponents’ average, 19 strikeouts and eight walks in 24.2 innings), gave up two runs on three hits and a walk in two relief innings last night, fanning none.  His arrival in Texas isn’t imminent, but it’s clearly in the plans.

Just don’t expect it to be as soon as Newberg Report Night, like last year’s surprise call-up of Neftali Feliz that was announced just as Jon Daniels completed his Q&A with us.

As for Moreland, who played his first 82 games of the season in left or right field, we speculated even before Chris Davis’s return struggles that the trade of Justin Smoak could prompt a Moreland move back to first base.  It has.  In his five games since the transition, Moerland is hitting .294/.391/.471, right in line with his overall .286/.369/.475 line.  (Of course, Davis hit .354/.403/.555 in Oklahoma City this season.)  Moreland’s monthly OPS numbers: .668, .824, .880, .989.  And since April, he has almost as many walks (38) as strikeouts (39).

Last night’s solid Davis game notwithstanding, I expect another first baseman added to the roster in the next 10 days, but it won’t be Moreland, a fellow left-handed hitter.  The Rangers are going to get another right-handed bat in here, and it will be a veteran who can play first (Ty Wigginton, Mike Lowell, Jorge Cantu, Wes Helms, Xavier Nady).  If Davis can build off last night’s effort, he won’t necessarily be replaced in the lineup, but he’ll likely give up some meaningful at-bats.

Still, Moreland is on the radar.

3.      Baltimore Sun reporter Jeff Zrebiec speculates that the Orioles could accept a middle infielder like Joaquin Arias or Leury Garcia or Luis Sardinas for Wigginton.  I doubt the Rangers would make Sardinas available in a deal like that.  Texas is also on the hunt for a left-handed reliever, according to Ed Price of AOL FanHouse.

4.      An addition to the auction list for our event on Sunday: A visit to Chuck Morgan’s control room and booth during that night’s game.

5.      Justin Smoak (.267/.267/.500) has struck out in nearly half his Seattle at-bats (14 of 30).  Maybe more astounding: zero walks.

6.      Josh Lueke has made two relief appearances for Seattle’s AA West Tenn club: 3.1 scoreless innings, two hits, no walks, six strikeouts.  Thirty of his 36 pitches have gone for strikes.  Blake Beavan’s first start for the same club: five runs on six hits and one walk in four innings, three strikeouts.  Michael Main has a 7.84 ERA in three AA starts for the Giants, with seven walks and four strikeouts in 10.1 innings.

7.      Jarrod Saltalamacchia has thrown out six of 51 would-be AAA base-stealers. 

8.      Dear Cowboys Fan:  Save me a spot.  I’m gonna be running late this year.

And feel free to stay a while.

Postgame Alert for the Rangers

Texas Rangers Postgame Alert
July 20, 2010

Texas 8, Detroit 0 at Comerica Park
Texas Record: (55-39)
Detroit Record: (48-44)

Winning pitcher - Tommy Hunter (7-0)
Losing pitcher - Armando Galarraga (3-3)

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9		R	H	E
TEX	2	1	0	0	0	1	0	0	4		8	13	0
DET	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0		0	4	0

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Next Texas Game: July 21, 2010 07:05 PM ET vs. Detroit Tigers

Upcoming Texas Home Games:
vs. Los Angeles Angels, July 22, 2010 07:05 PM CT Purchase Tickets
vs. Los Angeles Angels, July 23, 2010 07:05 PM CT Purchase Tickets
vs. Los Angeles Angels, July 24, 2010 07:05 PM CT Purchase Tickets

Postgame Alert for the Rangers

Texas Rangers Postgame Alert
July 19, 2010

Texas 8, Detroit 6 at Comerica Park
Texas Record: (54-39)
Detroit Record: (48-43)

Winning pitcher - Matt Harrison (2-1)
Losing pitcher - Enrique Gonzalez (0-1)
SV - Neftali Feliz (25)

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9		R	H	E
TEX	2	0	3	0	0	0	1	0	0		8	19	3
DET	1	1	1	0	2	0	0	1	0		6	13	2
	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18		R	H	E
TEX	0	0	0	0	2	X	X	X	X		8	19	3
DET	0	0	0	0	0	X	X	X	X		6	13	2

GAME LINKS:
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Next Texas Game: July 20, 2010 07:05 PM ET vs. Detroit Tigers

Upcoming Texas Home Games:
vs. Los Angeles Angels, July 22, 2010 07:05 PM CT Purchase Tickets
vs. Los Angeles Angels, July 23, 2010 07:05 PM CT Purchase Tickets
vs. Los Angeles Angels, July 24, 2010 07:05 PM CT Purchase Tickets

Texas Sets Beltre for Majors Debut vs. Angels

Texas Rangers right-hander Omar Beltre is scheduled to make his long-delayed major league debut against the Los Angeles Angels on Wednesday night.

The Rangers announced Monday that Beltre will be added to the 25-man roster before the second game of the three-game series matching the AL West's top two teams.

Colby Lewis (7-5, 3.28 ERA) will be pushed back until Friday's home game against the Chicago White Sox to get extra rest.

"Beltre has been throwing well for (Triple-A) Oklahoma City, and we wanted to give him an opportunity when he's going good," Rangers manager Ron Washington said. "Colby has been big for us and we want to keep him strong the whole year. Giving him a little extra rest now should pay off down the road."

Beltre and reliever Alexi Ogando were unable to get into the United States from the Dominican Republic for five years because of visa problems before finally getting to spring training with the Rangers in February.

Before the visa problems, the 29-year-old Beltre was considered one of the Rangers' top prospects.

Beltre was 0-2 with a 1.25 ERA in five starts this season for Triple-A Oklahoma City, where he allowed only three earned runs in 21 2-3 innings as a starter with 24 strikeouts and seven walks. He was 0-5 overall with two saves and a 2.39 ERA in 15 appearances.

Ogando made his major league debut with a win in relief for Texas at Florida on June 15, and went on to become the first pitcher to win in each of his first three relief appearances since Detroit's Jon Warden in 1968.

Ogando has made four scoreless appearances (7 1-3 innings) during which opposing teams have hit only .083 (2 for 24) against the right-hander.

The rest of the rotation for the Angels series is unchanged. Scott Feldman (5-6, 5.32) will still start the opener Tuesday and left-hander C.J. Wilson (6-3, 3.35) pitches the series finale Thursday.

After Lewis starts the opener against the White Sox, Tommy Hunter (4-0, 2.15) goes Saturday and Feldman is scheduled for the finale of that weekend series.

Wilson Goes from Texas Bullpen to Reliable Starter

By STEPHEN HAWKINS AP Sports Writer

C.J. Wilson is coming off a complete game, has pitched at least six innings every start and is among the best in the American League with a 1.51 ERA.

Given his long-desired chance to be in the rotation again, five years after failing in that role as a rookie when coming off Tommy John surgery. Wilson then became a top reliever.

Now he has become the most reliable starter for the Texas Rangers.

"I'm just really filling out the job description, that's it," Wilson said. "There's no magic formula to like transitioning from one thing to the other or anything like that. It's not mystical in any sense."

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.

Detroit (10-9) at Texas (8-10)

This is the final game of the four game series. The Rangers lead the series 2-1.

Detroit (10-8) at Texas (7-10)

An smidge from the Newberg Report:

The Tigers have to scratch their scheduled starter hours before gametime, with a bullpen whose tensile strength was already being put to the test asked to go nine innings on the road in a nearly sold-out game against the other team’s number one starter. Each of the Rangers’ three AL West division-mates had already lost.

That’s a game you’ve got to win.

Detroit (9-8) at Texas (7-9)

little Clip from the Newberg Report:

Six straight losses, the Texas Rangers longest skid of this season put the Rangers at 5-9.

In four seasons under Ron Washington, Texas is 22-34 in the first 14 games each year, a .393 win percentage. Extrapolated over a full season, that translates to 64-98.

In games 15 through 162, Washington’s Rangers are 224-220, a .505 clip, translating to 82-80.

Game 97: Rangers vs. Tigers

This game may not be played today. A lot of rainy weather in the area... Detroit has a two game lead over the second place White Sox, which means that in the Wild Card standings, the Tigers are five games back behind the Red Sox, or two and a half behind the Rangers, who have the fourth best record in the American League.

On 7/17/09, the Rangers were 48-39 and have gone 6-3 since. The Angels have gone 8-2 during that same period of time. 6-3 is good. 8-2 is better.

I haven't posted the wildcard standing this season. In fact, I am not even sure if I have ever posted the WC standings. Whatever. The Royals were once first place in their division... boy, have they gone south. A trade for Zack Grienke? I would sure hope the Rangers could pry him away.


If Ben Sheets is a Class A Free Agent, even though it is after the draft, will the Rangers still have to give up picks? Anyone know?

Scouting Report:

Tigers: Galarraga lowered his ERA by more than a quarter of a run in his last outing, thanks to 7 1/3 innings of one-hit, one-run ball. He had a shutout going into the eighth before walking Jack Hannahan ahead of Russell Branyan's two-run homer off Bobby Seay. He has pitched at least 6 1/3 innings with one run allowed in three of his past four outings to revitalize his season, but the Tigers have won only one of those games. He would no doubt love to earn a victory against his old team in Texas, which he has beaten twice since the Rangers traded him to Detroit last year.

Rangers to Watch:

• Marlon Byrd is 3-6 against Galarraga.
• Chris Davis (currently in AAA) is 2-6 with one HR and three RBIs.
• Josh Hamilton is 2-5 off Galarraga.
• Hank Blalock is 1-3 with an RBI.

Rangers: Hunter pitched six innings and allowed one earned run on Tuesday against the Red Sox for his second Major League win. It was his third quality start of the season. He has gone 2-1 with a 1.52 ERA over his last four starts to lower his ERA to 2.16 from 5.06. Hunter produced 10 consecutive batters from the second out of the third inning to the second out of the sixth. This is his debut against the Tigers. In his career at home, Hunter has a 5.01 ERA with a 2-2 record, but a 2.74 ERA with a 2-1 record this season.

Forecast: I have to start this one out like this...

Loser (noun):

• A person, team, nation, etc., that loses.
• A person who has failed at a particular activity.
• Someone or something that is marked by consistently or thoroughly bad quality, performance, etc.
• A misfit, esp. someone who has never or seldom been successful at a job, personal relationship, etc.
• One that fails to win.

Why do I put this in this particular part of the post? Because the Rangers are 0-6 this season against Detroit. The Rangers, as the definition would claim, fails to win against the Tigers. Last season, the Rangers went 3-6 against the striped cats. You have to go back to the 2006 season when the Rangers didn't have a losing record against the Tiggers, when they split the series 5-5. I do not understand the hex against the Rangers, but I am at a point to where the Rangers need to prove something to me when it comes to Detroit. Tigers win this one, 5-2.

Home Plate

Game 39: Rangers at Tigers

Well, the winning streak is over. Time to start another one. Harrison is a pitcher who can do that for the Rangers. The Rangers now have a three game lead over the Angels, and look for the Angels to be strong in their current series against the Mariners. That's just the nature of the beast.
Detroit does well against the Rangers. I'm not terribly sure why, but over the last few years, the Rangers couldn't do anything right in Detroit. Yesterday, they mustered up only one hit as they got shutout by a pitcher with an ERA over seven. YUCK! Again, it's the nature of the beast. The Rangers will pick themselves up and make something happen today. I don't see them going 0-2 to start this road trip.

Harrison is 4-2 with a 4.23 ERA. He doesn't strikeout much, but when you are a finesse pitcher, you don't really need to be. You trust your defense to take care of business. When you have Kinsler and Andrus up the middle, you find it easy to trust your defense. And let's not even mention the outfield, catcher, and third base. Those guys get it done, too. Harrison has thrown two complete games and has a personal four game winning streak. In his last four starts, he has a 1.80 ERA, which makes him pretty unbeatable. I'm not saying that he is unbeatable, I'm just saying that with those types of numbers, it takes solid pitching for the other team to just compete.

Verlander is 3-2 with a 4.29 ERA and has a career 4-1 mark against the Rangers. In his last four starts, he has a 0.92 ERA, which should make this start very interesting. Two juggernauts pitching so good, you can't really ask anything more from them. And Verlander does well against the Rangers. In six starts, he has a 2.23 ERA against them.

Forecast: This is a tight game with a tight score at the end. Rangers win this one by a call to the 'pen 3-2. Look for this one to possibly go extra innings.

Home Plate

Game 38: Rangers at Tigers

I don't know what the Angels and Mariners will do, but I can't see Oakland coming back to win this one, so they will move to nine games back.

At worst, the Rangers will be four games over the Angels when tomorrow's game starts. And that's not bad, especially since they are winners of seven straight games. There are several hot teams out there. The Yankees have won five straight. So have the Brewers. The Phillies, Rays, and Blue Jays have all won four games in a row. The Brewers and Rangers are winners of eight of their last ten games. Dodgers and Blue Jays are the only teams with a better winning percentage. Things are looking great for my team in Texas. I find it easy right now to love baseball. And I really love baseball.

Brandon McCarthy is looking more and more like the player he gave up John Danks for a few seasons back. In his career against Detroit, McCarthy is 1-2 in eleven games (four starts) and has a 5.11 ERA against them. In his last two starts this season, McCarthy is 0-1, giving up eleven runs in eleven innings. His ERA has gone up from 4.67 to 5.92 in that stretch. He is 0-2 in Detroit.

Rangers to Watch:

• Andruw Jones is 15-48 (.313) with six doubles and six RBIs.
• Marlon Byrd is 6-18 (.333) with two doubles, a HR, and two RBIs.

The Rangers current roster is 26-95 (.274) with nine doubles, a HR, and ten RBIs.

Detroit is first in their division with a 20-16 record. They have a game lead on the Royals, who have lost seven of their last ten. You could call it fading early... but it is a stretch to call it fading. More like plummeting. Still, the Tigers are now a first place team. Willis has two career starts against the Rangers and is 0-1 with a 6.52 ERA. He has only one start (game) this season in which he took the loss of a 14-10 slugfest in Minnesota. He gave up four runs in 4.2 innings, which will account for his 7.71 ERA I don't expect any miracles against the Rangers. In fact, I expect his first start to continue its woes.

Tigers to Watch:

• Magglio Ordonez is 4-10 (.400) with two RBIs.
• Brandon Inge is 3-8 (.375) with a HR and three RBIs.

The Tigers current roster is 10-47 (.213) off McCarthy with a double, a triple, a HR, and six RBIs. Forecast: It is really easy to pick the Rangers. This game has me a little leary in doing so, though. My concern mostly comes from McCarthy's record in Detroit. He's 0-2 in Tiger Town. So, I'm a bit nervous. I like his numbers against the current Tiger roster. And the Rangers are hot, but coming to play with an a day of rest. Does rest kill momentum? In football, definitely not. Baseball? It can at times. Will it for the Rangers? I think just changing the scenary could cause a bit of a problem. Tough to say why I feel this way. Maybe it's the cold I've been carrying around... Rangers win it, 6-4.

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