CJ Wilson

OK, I have to say something about the Angels. They signed CJ Wilson. And to be honest, I am not surprised by it. CJ wanted to go there. Even a blind man could have seen that coming. It is sad to see him go. It really is, but with all that being said, the contract they gave him was too much. It was more than what the market really called for Wilson, whom in my mind, still hasn't proved himself to be a solid #1 pitcher in a rotation. It hurts to say it, but it is true.

Anyway, I am back to posting here again. I will make an effort to post several times a week, not daily, although I will more than likely do that during the baseball season with some spurts of not posting, as that has been my habit. I will probably not post so many pictures, as they take a lot of time to do and my other activities have been taking precedence over the lagging period since my last post.

Texas Rangers are really Nolan Ryan's team now

By STEPHEN HAWKINS
AP Sports Writer

Nolan Ryan went to the Texas Rangers planning to pitch one more year to end his Hall of Fame career. That turned into five seasons on the mound, and so much more.

When Ryan finally retired in 1993 after the last two of his seven no-hitters, his 300th victory and 5,000th strikeout — plus that pummeling he gave Robin Ventura — the Rangers no longer were a faceless franchise known for, if anything, inventing ballpark nachos and scoreboard dot races.

"The Rangers gained legitimacy as a major league franchise the day they signed Nolan Ryan, and particularly when he showed that he wasn't washed up," said radio play-by-play man Eric Nadel, part of Texas broadcasts for 32 seasons. "That was crucial in the history of this franchise."

Now with Ryan as their president and part-owner, the Rangers are AL West champions and in the playoffs for only the fourth time.

Ryan never led the Rangers to the postseason as a pitcher, but they built a new ballpark thanks to the goodwill he generated. The added cash flow from that helped lead to three AL West titles from 1996-99, though the New York Yankees beat them in the first round each time on way to World Series titles.

Texas bottomed out again in the 2000s, until the Ryan Express roared in again.

Everything good the Rangers have ever been and everything great they could become — starting with Game 1 of the division series Wednesday at Tampa Bay — all trace back to Ryan.

"When he came here as a player, he brought instant credibility," said Steve Busby, the former Kansas City pitcher with two no-hitters who is part of Rangers broadcasts. "When he came back as president, he brought that same credibility."

Especially since Texas was mired in a string of losing seasons when Ryan became team president in February 2008.

"When I reflect back to how it was in 2008, when I was here and how painful and embarrassing at times it was to sit down there, it's been so much improvement," said Ryan, a regular fixture in the front-row seats by the Rangers dugout. "It doesn't seem like the same situation."

Largely because of the influence of Ryan, whose most significant victory for Texas came in a federal bankruptcy court this summer when his group outbid Dallas Mavericks billionaire owner Mark Cuban in an unusual auction for the team.

Major League Baseball owners quickly and unanimously approved the sale, making Ryan the first Hall of Fame player since Hank Greenberg a half-century ago to be an owner.

"Nolan's inclusion in this group, I would not only say is important, I'd say extremely important, and is very beneficial not only for Major League Baseball but for the Texas Rangers," commissioner Bud Selig said last week in Texas. "Nolan's presence is not to be taken lightly."

Ryan and Chuck Greenberg had an agreement in January to buy the team, but the sale became a drawn-out mess when creditors of former owner Tom Hicks balked at a prepackaged bankruptcy plan.

The Aug. 4 auction came 17 years to the day after Ryan, then a 46-year-old in one of his last games as a pitcher, got the 26-year-old Ventura in a headlock and landed several punches on the youngster who had charged the mound after getting hit.

After his last game, Ryan fulfilled a 10-year personal services contract with Texas while also pursuing profitable ventures in banking, ranching and owning two minor-league baseball franchises. He then spent four years in a similar role in Houston, where he pitched nine seasons.

Hicks enticed him back to revitalize the Rangers, who then had only one winning season since their first three division titles. They are still the only current major league franchise that hasn't won a playoff series.

"Obviously we haven't accomplished that much on the winning side, but I think that we've positioned ourselves to do that," Ryan said. "The organization is probably on better sound footing than it's ever been."

The season attendance of 2.5 million was the highest since 2005 at Rangers Ballpark, where a larger-than-life bronze statue of Ryan is prominent in center field and one of the main roads to get there is Nolan Ryan Expressway.

Ryan made no immediate wholesale changes in 2008, when general manager Jon Daniels was working on a plan to build from a minor league system considered among the best in baseball.

But the former pitcher known for toughness and an unmatched work ethic during his record 27 seasons emphasized pitchers being in better shape to throw longer. That went for youngsters in the low minors to veterans in the major league rotation.

When the postseason became a distinct possibility this summer, Texas had stocked its system with enough talent to use prospects in midseason deals for ace left-hander Cliff Lee, Jorge Cantu and Bengie Molina.

Even with batting champion Josh Hamilton and Vladimir Guerrero in the middle of the lineup, Texas is no longer known only for slugging.

The Rangers led the majors with a .276 average, but the 162 home runs were their lowest total since 1992. They had fewer than 1,000 strikeouts for the first time since 2000.

More telling of Ryan's influence is the team ERA of 3.93, the lowest since 1990. Along with a Rangers-record 1,181 strikeouts.

Texas unseated the Angels, AL West champs five of the last six seasons. Los Angeles manager Mike Scioscia, who as a player faced only seven pitchers more than Ryan, sees the obvious difference the pitcher-turned-president has made for the Rangers.

"A lot of that is down to Nolan's influence on the franchise in everything they do," Scioscia said. "There's definitely been some impact from Nolan on a lot of parts of that team."

___
AP Sports Writers Jaime Aron in Dallas and Greg Beacham in Anaheim, Calif., contributed to this report.

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.

LAAAAAA Angels (78-81) at Texas Rangers (89-70)

You know, when the Rangers clinched the AL West, a song came to mind, which I have been itching to share...if you aren't into the 'hard rock' style of music, then it probably isn't your flavor then, but all the same, here's the clincher.The Rangers can win out against the Angels to finish with 92 wins, the prediction made by Nolan Ryan before the season started.

I could go into the statistics of why Hunter will do well and Weaver will not... however, all I can say is this. I saw the hitters for the Angels at the game yesterday, and they are not up to snuff. I expect more auditions for the Angels 2011 roster to continue for the rest of the series, with some starters sprinkled in... and that favors the Rangers in a great way. I don't think that made too big a difference yesterday, but today it will, in that the Rangers are getting the starters back into the lineup to fine tune and get a rhythm going into the post-season. Josh Hamilton comes back into the lineup tonight. What does that mean offensively? A great deal. He will still be used sparingly, as I have heard, but he will get at least a couple of at-bats.

Forecast: Rangers win #90 with a score of, I don't know, 5-3 sounds good.

Postgame Alert for the Rangers

Texas Rangers Postgame Alert
August 1, 2010

Texas 1, LA Angels 4 at Angel Stadium of Anaheim
Texas Record: (61-44)
LA Angels Record: (54-53)

Winning pitcher - Jered Weaver (10-7)
Losing pitcher - Cliff Lee (9-5)
SV - Brian Fuentes (20)

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

GAME LINKS:
Recap | Full Box Score | Photo Gallery | Highlights

Visit texasrangers.com for more information »
Standings »
Game Notes »

Next Texas Game: August 3, 2010 07:10 PM PT vs. Seattle Mariners

Upcoming Texas Home Games:
vs. New York Yankees, August 10, 2010 07:05 PM CT Purchase Tickets
vs. New York Yankees, August 11, 2010 07:05 PM CT Purchase Tickets
vs. Boston Red Sox, August 13, 2010 07:05 PM CT Purchase Tickets

Now, if only we can score a couple of runs for Cliff Lee, we could be completely dominating...

1st Half Cy Young Contenders

Every year, Major League Baseball gives out a Cy Young Award for the best pitcher in both the AL and NL, as voted on by members of the Baseball Writers Association of America. If a comparable award were given in fantasy baseball, the results likely would not match.

Many baseball pools focus primarily on wins, strikeouts and ERA, while others require the versatility and dominance of a flame-thrower who can pile up complete games and shutouts while eating innings.

Here's a look at the frontrunners for this year's Cy Young awards:

The NL contenders

Ubaldo Jimenez (COL - SP)

As discussed among baseball's first-half surprises, Ubaldo Jimenez has easily been the most improved pitcher from last season. He's gone from posting a 15-12 record in the 2008-09 campaign to having a 15-2 record this season through July 26. Jimenez has pitched three complete games, two shutouts and one no-hitter while striking out 120, but his ERA has dropped to 10th in the majors at 2.75 after two recent rough outings. Plus, he has walked 55 batters. Unlike the other NL Cy Young candidates, Jimenez isn't a perennial top draft choice, so he's brought some unexpected fantasy value to his owners as the current league-leader in wins.

Josh Johnson (FLA - SP)

Like Jimenez, Florida's Josh Johnson has been an all-around star pitcher this season, but has been exceptional in one particular category. Johnson leads the majors with a sparkling 1.61 ERA. The only other starter below 2.00 is St. Louis's Adam Wainwright at 1.94. At 10-3 with 141 strikeouts, which is good for second in the NL, just 29 walks allowed and a stellar 0.97 WHIP, Johnson likely has the edge over Jimenez at this point in the NL overall — and in terms of the best NL pitcher in fantasy baseball.

Roy Halladay (PHI - SP)

Roy Halladay doesn't seem to mind pitching in the National League. Although he spent his entire career up until this season in the AL with the Blue Jays, Halladay has shown little need for a learning curve and is still the same dominant pitcher. Case in point: he is first in complete games (seven), shutouts (three) and innings pitched (162). He's fourth in ERA (2.28), seventh in strikeouts (140) and tied for eighth in wins (11). What's even more impressive is that Halladay has allowed the second-fewest walks (20) of any of the top 70 strikeout leaders in the majors, behind Cliff Lee, although Doc also has eight losses.

Adam Wainwright (STL - SP)

You know that the crop of pitchers in the NL is phenomenal when we're talking about Adam Wainwright fourth on this list. He's actually been the best pitcher in the majors over the past month. He's gone 4-0 with a complete game, 29 K's and an unbelievable 0.25 ERA. On the season, Wainwright is second in wins with a record of 14-5, fourth with four complete games, fourth among pitchers with at least 100 innings pitched with a 1.00 WHIP and second with an enviable 1.94 ERA. He's also fifth in the NL with 136 strikeouts.

Chris Carpenter (STL - SP)

The other half of St. Louis's one-two punch is also having a stellar season, as usual. Chris Carpenter is 11-3 with 122 strikeouts and a 3.09 ERA in 22 starts. The 2005 NL Cy Young Award winner has pitched 148.2 innings, good for third in the majors, but he has no complete games through July 26.

Tim Lincecum (SF - SP)

This list wouldn't be complete without two-time reigning Cy Young Award winner Tim Lincecum. Lincecum has a ways to go if he's to catch the aforementioned contenders or even match his stats from the past two seasons. San Francisco's ace is 10-4 with a 3.12 ERA in 21 starts. He leads the NL with 143 strikeouts, but has already surrendered 53 walks. By comparison, in 2009 Lincecum was 15-7 with a 2.48 ERA and just 68 walks, while in 2008 he went 18-5 with a 2.62 ERA.

The AL contenders

Cliff Lee (TEX - SP)

If you haven't been paying attention to Cliff Lee's stats, you may think he was shipped out of Seattle because he's been underperforming. It's quite the opposite. The Texas Rangers acquired one of the best pitchers in baseball. Yes, he's only 9-4, but that's in just 16 starts. The 2008 Cy Young winner leads the American League with a 2.56 ERA and six complete games. He has also walked a measly seven batters all season, which is the fewest walks allowed among pitchers in the top 70 in strikeouts. Throw in the fact that Lee has the best WHIP among starters at 0.92 to go along with 101 strikeouts and you have yourself a frontrunner for the AL Cy Young Award.

Carl Pavano (MIN - SP)

More than any other pitcher on this list, Carl Pavano is an excellent example of a pitcher who likely won't win the Cy Young, but probably would have won a fantasy baseball version if there was one. He doesn't lead any pitching categories after 20 starts with the Twins, but he's near the top in several of them. More important, though, he went largely undrafted or was a very late steal in Yahoo fantasy leagues. Pavano is tied for fourth in the majors in wins (12-6), tied for third in complete games (five), tied for second in shutouts (two) and is seventh in innings pitched (143.2). He has a respectable 3.26 ERA, 81 strikeouts and just 19 walks. Additionally, Pavano is fifth among pitchers with at least 100 innings pitched with a minuscule 1.01 WHIP and has pitched complete games in his previous two starts.

CC Sabathia (NYY - SP)

Baseball fans have become accustomed to the consistent dominance of CC Sabathia and again this year he's not disappointing. He's tied for first in the AL in wins with 13 and is third with 144.1 innings pitched. Sabathia also has three complete games, two shutouts, a 3.18 ERA, 119 K's and just three losses on the season. More important, he is 9-0 in his last 10 starts for New York.

David Price (TB - SP)

The American League's starter at the 81st all-star game has had an up-and-down month, but David Price is still squarely in the race for the top pitcher award. The Tampa Bay starter is tied for first in the AL in wins with a career-high 13 (to go along with five losses) and, despite being higher up the list until recently, Price finds himself in fifth with a 2.90 ERA. The 2007 first overall pick has also obtained new personal benchmarks in strikeouts (108), complete games (two) and shutouts (one) and will add games started and innings pitched to that list shortly. You couldn't ask for much more from a late-round pick in your draft.

Felix Hernandez (SEA - SP)

With Cliff Lee now in Texas, Felix Hernandez has resumed his role as the Mariners' ace. He's third in the majors in strikeouts with 145, second in innings pitched with 160.2 and tied for third with five complete games. Hernandez is also third in the AL with a 2.86 ERA, but has a record of just 7-7 in 22 starts. Like last year, it seems Hernandez could possibly be on pace for a better second half of the season though. In the past month, he's 2-2 with a 1.88 ERA, 40 strikeouts, three complete games and a shutout.

Jon Lester (BOS - SP)

One fairly surprising candidate for the award this season is Jon Lester. In a stacked Red Sox rotation, which includes another potential contender in Clay Buchholz, Lester has a record of 11-5 with two complete games. He's tied for fourth in the majors with 143 strikeouts and has a 2.92 ERA, which is good for sixth in the AL.

Jered Weaver (LAA - SP)

Though his record and ERA are not leading the league through 21 starts (9-6, 3.22 ERA), Jered Weaver is one of the MLB's top flame-throwers in 2010. Weaver is second in the majors in strikeouts, just two behind his new teammate Dan Haren, with 147 and he has walked just 30 batters. Not bad for a guy who had a career-high 174 punch-outs last season in 33 starts.

Trivia: Who was the last Ranger pitcher to get a Cy Young award?

Postgame Alert for the Rangers

Texas Rangers Postgame Alert
July 31, 2010

Texas 2, LA Angels 1 at Angel Stadium of Anaheim
Texas Record: (61-43)
LA Angels Record: (53-53)

Winning pitcher - Rich Harden (4-3)
Losing pitcher - Dan Haren (7-10)
SV - Neftali Feliz (29)

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

GAME LINKS:
Recap | Full Box Score | Photo Gallery | Highlights

Visit texasrangers.com for more information »
Standings »
Game Notes »

Next Texas Game: August 1, 2010 12:35 PM PT vs. Los Angeles Angels

Upcoming Texas Home Games:
vs. New York Yankees, August 10, 2010 07:05 PM CT Purchase Tickets
vs. New York Yankees, August 11, 2010 07:05 PM CT Purchase Tickets
vs. Boston Red Sox, August 13, 2010 07:05 PM CT Purchase Tickets

Postgame Alert for the Rangers

Texas Rangers Postgame Alert
July 30, 2010

Texas 7, LA Angels 9 at Angel Stadium of Anaheim
Texas Record: (60-43)
LA Angels Record: (53-52)

Winning pitcher - Ervin Santana (10-7)
Losing pitcher - Tommy Hunter (8-1)
SV - Brian Fuentes (19)

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9		R	H	E
TEX	3	2	1	1	0	0	0	0	0		7	12	1
LAA	0	4	0	4	0	1	0	0	X		9	10	1

GAME LINKS:
Recap | Full Box Score | Photo Gallery | Highlights

Visit texasrangers.com for more information »
Standings »
Game Notes »

Next Texas Game: July 31, 2010 08:05 PM CT vs. Los Angeles Angels

Upcoming Texas Home Games:
vs. New York Yankees, August 10, 2010 07:05 PM CT Purchase Tickets
vs. New York Yankees, August 11, 2010 07:05 PM CT Purchase Tickets
vs. Boston Red Sox, August 13, 2010 07:05 PM CT Purchase Tickets

Haren Says He'll Start Saturday for Angels

ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Newly acquired Angels pitcher Dan Haren expects to make his next start as scheduled despite a bruised forearm.

The three-time All-Star plans to make his second start for Los Angeles on Saturday against the AL West-leading Texas Rangers. The right-hander was acquired Sunday in a trade that sent lefty Joe Saunders and three minor league prospects to the Arizona Diamondbacks.

He was drilled on his pitching arm by a line drive off the bat of Boston's Kevin Youkilis in the fifth inning of his Angels debut on Monday night. X-rays were negative.

"As of now, barring any setbacks, I should be good to go," Haren said Wednesday. "It's obviously still bruised and a little tight, but I don't see it being a problem. I'm staying on top of it and getting treatment before, during and after the games. And I'm doing my best to be out there. My arm feels great. I only threw 62 pitches Monday, so I feel real fresh, so I'll have plenty in the tank on Saturday."

Haren returned to the clubhouse Wednesday morning after spending a day in Arizona to pick up some personal belongings at his home and get in a workout at the team's Tempe training facility.

"I didn't know if there would be any restrictions or anything, so I was a little cautious at first. But I was able to pretty much just let it go," Haren said. "I threw all of my pitches, and by the end, I had no restrictions. So I'm definitely encouraged."

Manager Mike Scioscia shared Haren's optimism. But he had very little choice with a rotation already showing signs of cracks. Scott Kazmir is on the disabled list with shoulder fatigue. Joel Pineiro was a last-minute scratch before Wednesday's matinee against the Red Sox due to an oblique strain while he was warming up, and is expected to miss six to eight weeks.

"We'll look at Dan again the next couple of days and make sure he's still progressing," Scioscia said. "But it looks like he had no problem manipulating the ball and making all his pitches. So he should be good to go on Saturday."

The eight-year veteran has made 190 consecutive starts without missing a turn since 2005.

"It's scary. You don't really even have time to react," he said. "It's just kind of instinct. I kind of moved my arm up into the ball. I've had some close ones, but that was about as hard as I've ever been hit. I've gotten hit below the waist quite a few times, but never above. It got me good. Someone said the bat might have been broken — but it didn't feel like it."

7-29 Newberg Report TROT COFFEY*

(* Trade Rumor Offerings To Chew On For Fun, Even Yuks)

Not to be confused with Brewers journeyman reliever Todd Coffey, the TROT COFFEY is a mailing list-only update on various trade and free agent rumblings unearthed, if not hatched, by the media:

But first, real quick: The Rangers’ Stretch Drive promotion closes at the end of the day tomorrow.  You can reserve seats for the final 24 home games of the season, which includes five with the Yankees, three with the Red Sox, three with the A’s, and the regular-season-ending four with the Angels – and guarantees you the option of purchasing the same seats for all playoff games.  It also includes significant savings off gate prices.  Basically, you get to be a season ticket holder now, just in time for the post-season. 

More details are contained in the attached PDF and on texasrangers.com.  You can also email Troy King at TKing@texasrangers.com with questions, or call 972-RANGERS.

·         The Rangers were “inching closer to a first base acquisition” on Wednesday (Jim Bowden, MLB Network Radio/Fox Sports Radio)

·         According to local reports and the identified national outlets, Texas is said to be in the mix, to one degree or another, for Prince Fielder (Jon Heyman, Sports Illustrated; Will Carroll, Baseball Prospectus), Adam Dunn (Jon Paul Morosi and Ken Rosenthal, Fox Sports), Jorge Cantu (Jayson Stark, ESPN; Rosenthal), Ty Wigginton (Rosenthal), Mike Lowell (Rob Bradford, WEEI, noting that Lowell is 11 for 22 with four doubles and four home runs in five rehab appearances over the last week), and Wes Helms

·         We talked about the Fielder idea during a radio segment I did on 105.3 The Fan yesterday; I just don’t think it makes sense to part with, say, Martin Perez or Tanner Scheppers, plus Chris Davis (who would be the 2010 version of the Nelson Cruz piece that was included when the same two teams made the Carlos Lee deal in 2006), plus an arm like Scott Feldman or Matt Harrison, plus another blue-chip prospect like Engel Beltre since the Rangers would need Milwaukee to dump a bunch of cash into the deal – if we’re going to load up with a package that looks anything like that (and I do expect the Brewers to demand something along those lines since they’d be giving up a year and a half of Fielder), I’m going hard after Josh Johnson or Zack Greinke or someone like that

·         According to a local report, Texas refused to discuss Beltre with Seattle in the Cliff Lee trade talks

·         I suspect it would take less to get Dunn than to get Fielder, but it’s still probably a prohibitive demand (Washington reportedly asked either for second baseman Gordon Beckham straight up or a package including righthander Dan Hudson plus either catcher Tyler Flowers or outfielder Jordan Danks or third baseman Brent Morel from the White Sox); don’t hold your breath

·         Shoehorning this in: Baseball America’s Jim Callis issued a Prospect Dream Team earlier this week, including Perez in his starting rotation and making Scheppers his closer

·         The Rangers haven’t ruled out waiting until August to address first base (Rosenthal)

·         According to a local report, Florida is interested in Frisco reliever Evan Reed as part of any Cantu trade

·         The Marlins are “believed to be looking for [a] young” lefthander for Cantu (Rosenthal) (for Texas, Derek Holland and Perez and Robbie Erlin are obviously not up for discussion, which could put Harrison or Michael Kirkman or Robbie Ross in play, though I doubt Texas would move Harrison for a bench bat; Kasey Kiker likely has no trade value at the moment)

·         The hangup between Texas and Florida on Cantu is that “the Marlins are balking at [taking on virtually all of the $2 million remaining on Cantu’s 2010 contract] unless the Rangers are willing to dramatically upgrade the player return” (Stark)

·         Nonetheless, “one [big league] source . . . believes that the Marlins, while still talking with other clubs, will get something done with Texas, as long as [the] Commissioner's Office signs off on [the] financials in the deal” (Gordon Edes, ESPN Boston)

·         The same local report that mentioned Reed adds that “clubs are inquiring” about Bakersfield reliever Fabio Castillo (the Reed and Castillo notes illustrate the importance of the Rangers’ prospect depth, as those two are probably on the third tier of the club’s prospect inventory but are still drawing July interest)

·         According to a local report, Texas has dispatched a scout to Washington to keep tabs on Josh Willingham and Cristian Guzman

·         Various reports indicated that the Rangers were in on Derrek Lee, who wielded his 10/5 rights and declined a trade to the Angels on Wednesday

·         The Angels may have “pulled back” from the trade market, deciding that, at 8.5 games back, the odds of extending their season past 162 don’t justify gutting the farm system for a short-term fix (Rosenthal) (see Sosa/Alvarez/Fletcher for Baines/Manrique, which went down 21 years ago today) (yesterday afternoon’s injury to scratched starter Joel Pineiro, who will miss 6-8 weeks with a strained oblique, surely sealed the Angels’ decision) (I sorta wish they did give up a legitimate prospect or two for Derrek Lee)

·         Los Angeles could even go so far as to becoming a seller this weekend rather than a buyer, potentially listening to overtures for veterans like Bobby Abreu, Brian Fuentes, Hideki Matsui, and Maicer Izturis (Mike DiGiovanna, Los Angeles Times)

·         Related note: Oakland righthander Ben Sheets is done for the year, needing flexor tendon surgery

·         The second-worst part about the Angels’ acquisition of Dan Haren, for me, is that the Yankees were said to be in on Haren, whose acquisition presumably would have taken them out of the Cliff Lee hunt this winter

·         At least one local report suggests that there are clubs showing some level of interest in Scott Feldman and Rich Harden (also reported by Rosenthal)

·         Texas maintained interest in Roy Oswalt, even after acquiring Cliff Lee (Rosenthal, Heyman), but this morning all indications are that the Astros and Phillies have agreed on players (reportedly including lefthander J.A. Happ, righthander Vance Worley, and maybe two more arms) and await only Oswalt’s approval of the deal, which could include a decision on whether his 2012 option would be exercised now

·         Sadly (if you’re a Phillies fan), any package headed by Happ probably means Philadelphia will give up more for Oswalt than they got for Lee

·         The Rangers asked Florida about righthander Chris Volstad but “were turned away” (Joe Capozzi, Palm Beach Post)

·         The Red Sox, Yankees, and Tigers are interested in Oakland reliever Michael Wuertz, but Oakland, “barring [a] knockout offer,” won’t trade the right-handed slider specialist (Rosenthal) (I’d love to add Wuertz here, but not for what the A’s would evidently want)

·         Get this: When Texas recently approached Pittsburgh about reliever Joel Hanrahan, the Pirates, “according to a scout with direct knowledge of teams’ dealings,” responded by asking for Neftali Feliz in return (Dejan Kovacevic, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette) (umm, wow)

·         The $590,000 signing bonus that Texas gave this week to California high school righthander Cody Buckel, the club’s second-round selection in June, was more than $80,000 over slot – the second-highest over-slot deal announced so far across the league (Callis; Kevin Goldstein, Baseball Prospectus) (Buckel, who is forgoing a commitment to Pepperdine, will report to the Arizona League)

·         The Rangers have granted righthander Geoff Geary’s request for his release

·         The trade deadline arrives Saturday afternoon at 3:00 Central; stay tuned  

DFW Tire Dealers Set for Grid Iron Gains via Yokohama/Cowboys Deal

Tire dealers throughout the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex are in position to score some points with motorists as Yokohama has signed a one-year sponsorship agreement with the National Football League’s Dallas Cowboys.

The deal includes signage at the state-of-the-art Cowboys Stadium, which opened last year; pre-game, post-game and in-game spots on the team’s flagship radio station; in-stadium displays and in-game announcements on the public address system and on LED boards; as well as hospitality opportunities at select games.

Yokohama will also be associated with the team’s traveling Dallas Cowboy Museum Tour truck, which goes to more than 100 events per year.

“We’ve had great success the last few seasons with our sports marketing program,” says Dan King, vice president of sales and marketing, “but we’ve really raised the bar by partnering with the highly visible Dallas Cowboys. “They have a huge, passionate fan base in Texas and across the U.S. They truly are America’s Team.”

With the latest agreement, Yokohama has now secured sponsorship deals with the NFL, Major League Baseball’s Los Angeles Angels and the National Basketball Association’s Boston Celtics and San Antonio Spurs. “More are to come,” says King, “we’ll have an announcement in a few weeks on other NFL teams we’re partnering with.”

Postgame Alert for the Angels

Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim Postgame Alert
July 27, 2010

Boston 4, LA Angels 2 at Angel Stadium of Anaheim
Boston Record: (57-44)
LA Angels Record: (52-51)

Winning pitcher - John Lackey (10-5)
Losing pitcher - Jered Weaver (9-7)
SV - Jonathan Papelbon (24)

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9		R	H	E
BOS	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	1	1		4	9	1
LAA	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	1	0		2	7	1

GAME LINKS:
Recap | Full Box Score | Photo Gallery | Highlights

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Next LA Angels Game: July 28, 2010 12:35 PM PT vs. Boston Red Sox

Upcoming LA Angels Home Games:
vs. Boston Red Sox, July 28, 2010 12:35 PM PT Purchase Tickets
vs. Texas Rangers, July 30, 2010 07:05 PM PT Purchase Tickets
vs. Texas Rangers, July 31, 2010 06:05 PM PT Purchase Tickets

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Angels set to fade away into the sunset, maybe finish third in the division with current state of play.

7-27 Newberg Report

Boston 6, Los Angeles 3. 

The Rangers’ division lead over the Angels is now 7.5 games, nine in the loss column.  But that’s not all.

The Angels (52-50) have actually slipped into third place, a hair behind Oakland (50-48), which is also 7.5 games back.

And Dan Haren made his Angels debut tonight in that loss to the Red Sox, getting knocked out in the fifth when he took a Kevin Youkilis line drive off his pitching forearm.  Early diagnosis: Just a bruise.

Haren’s next scheduled start is Sunday afternoon, against Cliff Lee, in Anaheim.

Haren’s career against Texas: 3-5, 4.29 in 10 starts.

Lee’s career against Los Angeles: 7-3, 3.07 in 10 starts.  As we mentioned when The Trade was made, the Angels are hitting .136 as a team against Lee since 2008.

But first things first.  Lee tonight at home, against Oakland lefthander Gio Gonzalez, in what has suddenly become the Rangers’ fifth straight game against the second-place team in the division.

Postgame Alert for the Angels

Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim Postgame Alert
July 26, 2010

Boston 6, LA Angels 3 at Angel Stadium of Anaheim
Boston Record: (56-44)
LA Angels Record: (52-50)

Winning pitcher - Clay Buchholz (11-5)
Losing pitcher - Dan Haren (7-9)
SV - Jonathan Papelbon (23)

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9		R	H	E
BOS	0	1	1	0	0	0	0	2	2		6	11	0
LAA	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	0		3	8	0

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Next LA Angels Game: July 27, 2010 07:05 PM PT vs. Boston Red Sox

Upcoming LA Angels Home Games:
vs. Boston Red Sox, July 27, 2010 07:05 PM PT Purchase Tickets
vs. Boston Red Sox, July 28, 2010 12:35 PM PT Purchase Tickets
vs. Texas Rangers, July 30, 2010 07:05 PM PT Purchase Tickets

Postgame Alert for the Rangers

Texas Rangers Postgame Alert
July 25, 2010

LA Angels 4, Texas 6 at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington
LA Angels Record: (52-49)
Texas Record: (58-41)

Winning pitcher - Tommy Hunter (8-0)
Losing pitcher - Trevor Bell (1-2)
SV - Neftali Feliz (28)

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

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Next Texas Game: July 27, 2010 07:05 PM CT vs. Oakland Athletics

Upcoming Texas Home Games:
vs. Oakland Athletics, July 27, 2010 07:05 PM CT Purchase Tickets
vs. Oakland Athletics, July 28, 2010 07:05 PM CT Purchase Tickets
vs. Oakland Athletics, July 29, 2010 07:05 PM CT Purchase Tickets

Go Rangers!!!

Angels Acquire 3-Time All-Star Dan Haren

The Angels Sunday acquired right-handed pitcher Dan Haren from the Arizona Diamondbacks in exchange for Joe Saunders, minor league pitchers Patrick Corbin & Rafael Rodriguez and a Player to be Named Later.

Haren, 29, comes to the Angels as one of the National League's top pitchers. His 30 combined wins over the last two campaigns trail only consecutive Cy Young Award winner Tim Lincecum (33). The three-time All-Star (2007-09) has averaged 15 wins per year over his last five seasons. In 2009, he set career-highs in innings pitched (229.1) and strikeouts (223) while walking just 32 batters.

In 2010, the 6'-5", 215-pound right-hander is 7-8 with one complete game and a 4.60 ERA (141 IP - 72 ER) with 141 strikeouts in 21 starts with Arizona. His 141 strikeouts are tied for the National League lead. Haren has walked just 29 batters in 141 IP, T6th fewest per 9 IP in the N.L (1.9). The California native is a veteran of eight seasons in the Majors, compiling a career record of 86-70 with 10 complete games, two shutouts and a 3.71 ERA (1367.2 IP - 564 ER) in 217 games (208 starts).

Saunders, 29, broke into the Majors with the Angels in 2005 after being drafted by the club in the first round of the 2002 draft. In 115 career starts with the Angels, the lefty was 54-32 with four complete games, two shutouts and a 4.29 ERA (692 IP - 330 ER). His 33-14 record from 2008-09 ranked second in the A.L. to Roy Halladay (37-21) in the span. In 2008, he was named to the A.L. All-Star Team. In 2010, the Virginian native has posted a 6-10 record with two complete games, one shutout and a 4.62 ERA (120.2 IP - 62 ER) in 20 starts.

Corbin, 21, was drafted by the Angels in the second round of the 2009 Draft. In 2010, he split time with Cedar Rapids where he went 8-0 while posting a 3.86 ERA (58.1 IP - 25 ER) in nine starts before being called up to Rancho Cucamonga. With the Quakes, he made 11 starts going 5-3 with a 3.88 ERA (60.1 IP - 26 ER). Over his two professional seasons, the left-hander owns a 17-5 record and a 4.20 ERA (165.0 IP - 77 ER) in 33 games (32 starts).

Rodriguez, 25, spent all nine of his professional seasons playing at every level of the Angels organization. In 2010, he spent a majority of the season playing at triple-A Salt Lake with one call-up to the Angels. The Santo Domingo native owns a career 0-1 record with a 5.50 ERA (32.2 IP - 20 ER) in 19 games in the Majors with a 41-49, 4.54 ERA (776.1 IP - 392 ER) during his minor league career.

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On a side note, the Rangers have been said to be in talks in regards to get some guy named Fielder, not Cecil, but some relative...