Sunday a.m. things

by Adam J. Morris on Sep 9, 2007 10:40 AM CDT in News

7 games under .500, 1 game back of 3rd place...and a 14-7 finish to the season would mean finishing at .500 on the season. Not a bad comeback, given that three months ago, the local pundits were proclaiming this team the worst in baseball...

I've seen some folks worrying that the Rangers' finish might be strong enough that they'd end up in the top half of the league, and thus lose their first round pick when they go out and moneywhip Torii Hunter this offseason.

Right now, there are 14 teams (including the Rangers) with a sub-.500 record, and Toronto, the Cubs, and Milwaukee are all 3 games over .500.

In order for the Rangers to lose their first round pick, they'd have to pass all of the sub-.500 teams, and two of the teams currently above .500. That would mean, even if the Rangers went 14-7 the rest of the way to get to .500, two of those teams would have to go 9-12 just to end up with the same record as Texas (or Colorado would have to go 8-13, or Atlanta would have to go 8-12).

Is it possible? Sure. But it is very unlikely.

Evan Grant says Luis Mendoza and A.J. Murray both impressed with their performances yesterday, and Mendoza will likely get another start before the end of the year. Mendoza wanted to go back out for the third inning, after taking a shot from Nick Swisher off his knee, but it was starting to swell and the Rangers preferred to err on the side of caution.

Hank Blalock is now up to .295/.346/.530 on the season. The fact that he has looked so much more like the old Blalock makes it that much more disappointing that he missed so much time this year with a freak injury...

T.R. Sullivan has injury updates on Kason Gabbard and C.J. Wilson. Gabbard's thumb blister had been bothering him in his last couple of starts, and contributed to the control problems that plagued him in those outings. Wilson has a sore ribcage and won't pitch again until Tuesday, at the earliest, with the Rangers wanting to monitor his workload and avoid having him pitch in back-to-back games the rest of the way.

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odds

the the odds of making the playoffs are 0.00195%
Even if we go 21-0 the rest of the way we have a 15.6% chance of making it in the playoffs. let's do it

by meatbonelefty on Sep 9, 2007 10:43 AM CDT reply actions

theres always hope

exploding highfive

by sarnold on Sep 9, 2007 11:10 AM CDT up reply actions

Is thier a prettier swing on this team

than when Hank really connects on one, I love MY's opposite field approach but it is so nice to see Hank back and swinging the bat like he is...I did hear something about another set-back while he was throwing has anyone else heard more on that?

"The only good is knowledge and the only evil is ignorance."-Socrates

by slc ranger on Sep 9, 2007 10:52 AM CDT reply actions

*there...sorry

"The only good is knowledge and the only evil is ignorance."-Socrates

by slc ranger on Sep 9, 2007 12:38 PM CDT up reply actions

Mendoza...

how did this guy sneak-in? I've never heard anyone mention him? What's the story?

2008 Staff looking better right now:

Millwood
Padilla
Gabbard
McCarthy
Volquez?

All in all, that could be decent.

by 3Bagger on Sep 9, 2007 11:00 AM CDT reply actions

Mendoza

Came over last year for Bryan Corey. He would be a 6 year minor league free agent after the season, so if the Rangers didn't add him to the 40 man roster, he could sign with anyone. The Rangers could end up waiving him in the offseason, but this buys them some more time to make a decision on him and lets the major league coaching staff get an up-close look at him.

There was some discussion of him adjusting his delivery earlier this year, that resulted in much better results:

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/spt/baseball/rangers/stories/072807dnsporangfarm.23d5033 .html

by Adam J. Morris on Sep 9, 2007 11:05 AM CDT up reply actions

Thanks

This is what I like about a unified "rebuilding mode" --- you can see a lot of potential players who may slip through the cracks otherwise. Some dudes just need a chance. And obviously most don't stick, but those who do will make our long term chancesa lot better.

It's a good time to be a minor leaguer for the Texas Rangers.

by 3Bagger on Sep 9, 2007 2:58 PM CDT up reply actions

Strong finish

I am much more concerned about this strong finish giving the Rangers a false sense of being close to competing next year. Leading to stop gap veteran free agents and young guys wasting away on the bench or in AAA.

by LoneStarBallUser on Sep 9, 2007 11:49 AM CDT reply actions

I'd be surprised if that happened

If for no other reason than because the f.a. pickings are very slim this offseason.

by Adam J. Morris on Sep 9, 2007 12:01 PM CDT up reply actions

that's why

JD is building this team the way he is right now?

"Jon Daniels is going to end up being the best thing to ever happen to the Texas Rangers." - me, a long time ago...

by Longhorn on Sep 9, 2007 12:03 PM CDT up reply actions

agreed

i think a strong finish will give false hope, as well as lower the draft position for the 08 draft.

but as a fan watching the winning is nice because even when the games mean nothing it sucks to see them lose.

Can you please Look into getting a less funny signature? That's sarcasm, btw. - Sharky

by rentz on Sep 9, 2007 12:10 PM CDT up reply actions

HOPE...

To me, professional athletes are born with hyper-competitive drives, hopes, dreams, expectations. So the concept of "false hope" is not a reality anyway. (Unlike Little Leaguers who may not need to dreams crushed so soon.)

Unlike last offseason, we are not losing anything of superior value. The pitching staff is deeper. Maybe thinner in the pen though. We have some speed. The youth and depth seem to help the attitude overall. Without superstars everywhere, I think the team is not only hopeful, but players are hustling everywhere. No one needs to play in pain either, we're alwys marching out 9 healthy players. I think that's important.

Sure, I'm hopeful. Kill me. Why not be? What else is there?

by 3Bagger on Sep 9, 2007 2:55 PM CDT up reply actions