Wednesday morning items
by Brett Perryman on Apr 9, 2008 7:43 AM CDT
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PrintWell, that wasn't too hot. Jason Jennings doesn't look like he's ready to help the team right now, and the offense really struggled against some less than dominant pitching yesterday. Tim Cowlishaw thinks that the lineup could be what holds this team back this year.
Richard Durrett previews Luis Mendoza's upcoming start by reviewing his recent rehab appearance.
Brad Townsend reviews Nolan Ryan's first opener, and if there was one theme yesterday on the broadcast it was that everyone loves Nolan.
And T.R. Sullivan talks about the weird scheduling slight that the Rangers have endured, opening on the road almost every year of this decade.
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Byrd
There's a funny quote by Byrd in the Cowlishaw column. Apparently he's concerned that he'll be the first guy ever to go hitless in an entire season. Let's hope he gets it going sooner rather than later.
By the way, I appreciate the early post, Z.
by Jack Nicholson 1974 on Apr 9, 2008 8:29 AM CDT reply actions
until then...
how about batting him ninth?
This righty lefty righty nonsense pushes Murph to deep in the lineup for my liking.
(Young, Hamilton, Bradley, Hank, Byrd, Murphy)
by red shoe ranger on Apr 9, 2008 10:05 AM CDT up reply actions
Yeah, Murph really looked stellar........
with the bases loaded yesterday.....
neve said....
he was perfect.
True enough that wasnt a good AB but his lineout earlier in thegame with 2 runners on was just bad luck.
I'd like to see him up before Byrd....
by red shoe ranger on Apr 9, 2008 10:40 AM CDT up reply actions
There is a very good reason...
to go righty/lefty in a lineup.
So where do you want Murphy to hit, cleanup?
"The only good is knowledge and the only evil is ignorance."-Socrates
Murphy
He has shown he is not overmatched against lefties so that shouldn't factor into his position in the lineup. I would like to see him hit 6th after his hot start to this season.
I don't think Murphy is overmatched against lefties...
but I'm still a fan of the alternating Lefty/Righty whenever possible.
Even if a lefty does ok against another lefty, they hit righties better (in most cases) which can come in handy late in a game when the bullpen starts to factor into the game.
"The only good is knowledge and the only evil is ignorance."-Socrates
my point...
is that I believe Murphy is a better hitter than Byrd and therefore should hit ahead of him in the lineup.
While the last game (murph left 5 men on base) doesnt help make my point, I still believe you want Murph up more often than Byrd with Runners in scoring position.
Tom Grieve keeps insisting that Byrd will "come around". Does Byrd's track record suggest that that will happen or is that just Grieve's wishfull thinking? I fear it is the latter.
by red shoe ranger on Apr 9, 2008 8:07 PM CDT up reply actions
I'm not a fan of Byrd either...
that's why it will be better when Salty gets up, because he would fit into that 6 hole behind Blalock and in front of Murphy nicely imo.
"The only good is knowledge and the only evil is ignorance."-Socrates
Yesterday
I haven't had a chance to browse through the gameday threads but the worst play of the game to me is clear to me. Bradley trying to go home on the "passed ball" was a terrible move. Talk about rally killer.
And with the 22nd overall selection the Dallas Cowboys select Jonathan Stewart.
Disconcerting...
It is maddening the "bad baseball" mistakes this team makes.
Yestarday's game may look different without Kinsler's error. Those 2 unearned runs kind of killed any thoughts of coming back.
by red shoe ranger on Apr 9, 2008 10:12 AM CDT up reply actions
Disconcerting
I got to go sit thru that yesterday and it was pretty bad. Jennings had no clue where the plate or the strike zone was. The home plate ump was pretty bad but Jennings certainly did not do anything to help his cause. I agree that the key miscue was Bradley trying to go home on that passed ball. If Jennings gets anymore starts and he preforms like he did yesterday, his major league career is in danger of being might short.
yo soy Horsedooty!
I soloed in the mile high club.
by Sr Horsedooty on Apr 9, 2008 10:27 AM CDT up reply actions
I'd suggest giving Jennings another start or two.......
before releasing him (!) He looked decent in his first start, except for one pitch & yesterday, I'm sure he was a little keyed up, returning home, etc. He wasn't good (no doubt) but the ump made things worse.
Can't Blame the Ump
I'm sure Ed Coffin can back me up on this as he's the only other one on this board with umpiring experience. If the pitcher is all over the place as JJ was yesterday, he's just simply not going to get too many calls his way.
It's not a conscious thing by the umpire I don't think, it's just more that the umpire sees you're wild and his mind is already thinking ball and when it is a strike, especially a close one, it almost surprises the umpire to where you have hesitated that split second and then just leave it a ball so that you can sell your call. If the ump waits that split second and then calls that close pitch a strike he can not sell that call as good and will get beat on by the opposing dugout.
When I have called games where a pitcher hits the outside corner off the plate by an inch or so, I have told catchers (with the hitter certainly able to hear it ) that if his pitcher can continue to throw to that spot I will give it to him all day. Hitters don't mind a "ball" being called for a strike as long as you're consistent. But when the pitcher is not consistent, it is very hard for the umpire to be as well.
Pretty much
If a guy consistently nips the front part of the plate with breaking pitches or armside run, I think I gave him slack without thinking about it. That irritates batters who go to the back of the box and have no chance to make good contact, but it's a fact that the zone is "at" the plate, not "at" the batters' stance. We have too many in the lineup that retreat too far to the back to cover the plate well.
'At Georgia Southern, we don't cheat. That costs money and we don't have any.' Erk Russell / Georgia Southern
by Ed Coffin on Apr 9, 2008 1:36 PM CDT up reply actions
i dunno
I know I'm in the minority but I thought he looked pretty awful in Seattle too and it was just all the Sexson that enabled him to not get bashed
I agree
he didn't look good in Seattle either. They are a freeswinging team that helps him out by swinging at pitches out of the zone.
by Randy Richardson on Apr 9, 2008 2:52 PM CDT up reply actions
haha there you are..
I was just asking the other day, what the hell happened to horsedooty?
Hosedooty has not left the building!
Fukudome is hitting .500. I sure hope we didn't get the shit end of the Fuk
stick. (again)
haha there you are
greetings LAMuscleFag
I could not stay away with this being a new season and a reason for hope and it springs eternal. I think it is gonna be a long season though.
yo soy Horsedooty!
I soloed in the mile high club.
by Sr Horsedooty on Apr 9, 2008 2:03 PM CDT up reply actions
He has been diagnosed
with a case of the Fast Freddie Guzman's and a slight breakout of the Juan Pierre's. It doesn't look so hot.
lepricon
What was Wash thinking.....
playing the infield in, in the second inning?
I'm also not too crazy about pulling Jennings (4 2/3) when he did.....it's not like it was a 4-3 game.....I'm sure the other pitcher's noticed it!
What was Wash thinking?
Really, you have to wonder that? As far as I can tell he is rarely thinking about baseball, and hasn't for the better part of a year.
Fire Ron Washington
I wouldn't say he wasn't thinking...
...about baseball, but I would say that as usual he was thinking poorly about baseball.
Right around the time all the young talent is ready to contend is when the organization will realize that Ron Washington is the wrong man for the job.
Robinson Tejeda...
Is there any news on the status of Robinson Tejeda? Has be been traded, claimed, or cleared through waivers?
Cleared waivers
Per Jamey Newberg about 10 minutes ago:
Pleased (and a bit surprised) to report that RHP Robinson Tejeda has apparently gone
through waivers unclaimed. Texas has outrighted him to AAA.
It's baseball. You don't always get what you want, and you don't always want what you get. --Ed Coffin
Jennings
I think we're overreacting. The guy is coming off surgery and I think he's going to take a few starts to get comfortable. I think he'll pretty much suck in April but be fine in May and the rest of the year.
A working class hero is something to be.
completely agree
No one should think Roger Clemens is going to show up every time we hand him the ball. I feel the same way about the game yesterday. Yes, they definately blew monkeyballs. We are gonna have those days.
Jennings
maybe we are over-reacting but when you put the big boy uniform on, shouldn't you be ready to pitch? Why not get a few starts at OKC instead of embarrassing yourself and the club. Just my selfish thoughts for the new season.
I soloed in the mile high club.
by Sr Horsedooty on Apr 9, 2008 3:04 PM CDT up reply actions
and what difference does it make
if he puts it together by may if he loses us 4 games and we are 8 out by may 1st? i agree he should do better as the season progresses but if we start like last season it wont make any difference.
.500 or bust!
Bad Vibes Kill Rallies!
"Well, we are one of the cheapest teams in Major League Baseball"
-Tom Hicks 4/8/2008
Yesterdays game
After reading about the game in the gameday threads and seeing the box score (was too busy at work to really follow as it was happening) I can say that I am really glad I didn't waste a vacation day to go.
"When we're mad we'll use our words. Then the rest of the world will play nice with us. And the only boom-booms will be in our pants." - Ralph Wiggum
just listened to the podcast
and it was interesting how you guys emphasized that gabbard's performance hinged largely on the Angels being really impatient.
Well, the O's didn't look so impatient yesterday and Jennings, while bad, offered a lot of borderline pitches that the O's didn't swing at.
conclusion: I'm a little scared.
scap load or die
But
Jennings was so bad they really could afford to just sit back and force him to throw better pitches.
A working class hero is something to be.
+1
I think we already saw the best of Gabbard. I think he his going to get hammered this year by the more patient and potent lineups.
by Randy Richardson on Apr 9, 2008 3:38 PM CDT up reply actions
What makes
you think he won't adjust accordingly?
"Why do you think you're baseball jesus?" AirJordan to LonestarJon
does he have pitches that he can adjust with?
that was the question that people raised on the podcast without answering
personally, I'm not so convinced that he has a strike pitch and can keep going to it to get ahead in the count. it's not like we haven't seen him struggle before in that respect. his control isn't a foregone conclusion
we'll see.
scap load or die
Agree with both your thoughts
But Jennings isn't the comp that comes to mind. I was thinking of Burres.
I hope Gabbard's game, which I still haven't witnessed, isn't like Burres. That kid was wild. A more selective lineup would've ignored pitches the Rangers swung on yesterday.
I will grant that the swinging strikeout by Murphy with the bases loaded...that did look like a strike he K'd on.
Go Strangers.
by hightowersmith on Apr 9, 2008 4:44 PM CDT up reply actions
Anyone
interested in Dan Johnson? He got DFA by Oakland.
"Why do you think you're baseball jesus?" AirJordan to LonestarJon
I would be
If I where JD, I'd DFA Broussard, and pick up Johnson, ASAP. Johnson may not be a tour de force offensively, but at least he's better than Broussard - and he's younger, and has more upside.
But, that won't happen, because Ron Washington is in love with Broussard.
by LSJ on Apr 9, 2008 7:17 PM CDT up reply actions
Dude
Why does his age matter when we have Davis charging up the minors? Broussard is a perfect stopgap which is what he is. Now if we were looking for a long term 1B and I had to choose between Broussard and Johnson I may think about it but for this year and this year only Benny B is a perfect fit. Your disdain for Broussard is pretty dumb if I may say so
Johnson
He is really a better player than Broussard, and you also have to consider something else: let's suppose Chris Davis isn't deemed ready next season by the Rangers? I think that's a very real possibility, considering Davis' strikeout ratio, and the fact that the Rangers don't even consider Salty reader this season.
if that does happen, I'd much rather have them bringing back Johnson than Broussard.
by LSJ on Apr 9, 2008 7:33 PM CDT up reply actions
if you say so
because his stats sure don't bear out that he is a better player. Younger sure but I don't know where you get he is better. Like I said for the situation we are in I would much rather have Broussard than Johnson
Robinson Tejeda
Robinson Tejeda has cleared waivers. He has been assigned outright to Triple-A Oklahoma where the Rangers will continue to work on converting him into a reliever.
"Why do you think you're baseball jesus?" AirJordan to LonestarJon
good to hear
i was really hoping he'd clear, i think he could become a really solid reliever
"When we're mad we'll use our words. Then the rest of the world will play nice with us. And the only boom-booms will be in our pants." - Ralph Wiggum
yeah
but you are starting to sound like miles now :)
"When we're mad we'll use our words. Then the rest of the world will play nice with us. And the only boom-booms will be in our pants." - Ralph Wiggum
He'll never be as good as Joaquin Benoit
But I think he could become another Frank Francisco.
by LSJ on Apr 9, 2008 7:18 PM CDT up reply actions
Why not
Hes not old and trying to learn how to become a reliever. He's got good stuff just needs to harness it. Benoit didn't turn into a stud overnight. It took him a long time. Now that we have him in OKC I would hope he stays there pretty much the rest of the season and focus solely on relief and come to camp next year as a NRI and see what hes got.
Benoit at least always had some sembelance of control
Something Tejeda lacks. I'm not saying Tejeda won't succeed in the bulpen, but he I doubt he'll ever become a 8th inning/closer type, like Benoit has.
by LSJ on Apr 9, 2008 7:36 PM CDT up reply actions
really?
Minor league walk rates:
Benoit 3.60
Tejeda 4.02
Benoits two attempts in the majors as primarily a starter 6.17 and 4.37
Tejedas three stints in the majors as primarily a starter 5.36, 3.91 and 5.66
It took three years for Benoit to emerge as a setup man after going strictly to the bullpen. I think Tejeda could turn ito something pretty good in three years time
Tejeda
Also has a 4.80 career ERA as a starter, and a 6.48 career ERA out of the bullpen. There are sample size issues there, but Tejeda has not taken very well to the bullpen in the past, which is in fact the reverse of Joaquin Benoit, who has a 6.06 ERA as a starter, and a 3.49 ERA as a releiver.
So we'll see how things work out, but so far, Tejeda has not shown to be well-suited for bullpen work - that's not to say he won't make the transition, but he might have a harder time with it than Benoit.
by LSJ on Apr 9, 2008 8:16 PM CDT up reply actions
They are very similar
2005 was obviously Benoits breakthrough year as a reliever. He has been strictly one since then. In 2005 the only games he started was during a stretch from July 20th through August 30th. I can't remember but I would imagine that was due to an injury to a starter.
Starter - 45.1 IP/ 30 ER/ 21 BB/ 36 K/ 5.96 ERA
Relief - 41.2 IP/ 6 ER/ 17 BB/ 42 K/ 1.30 ERA
Now in 2004 is when the Rangers made the actual decision to put him in the pen permanently. He started that year as a starter. Actually the 5th starter but got a couple relief appearances in before starting full time from April until mid July. Heres his stats during that time frame
Starter - 67 IP/ 50 ER/ 18 BB/ 59 K/ 6.72 ERA
Relief - 6.2 IP/ 6 ER/ 3 BB/ 7 K/ 8.18 ERA
Thats when they had had enough and decided he needed to go to the bullpen fulltime. He made 2 spot starts at the end of the year and heres his splits during this timespan
Starter - 8.1 IP/ 3 ER/ 4 BB/ 11 K/ 3.25 ERA
Relief - 21 IP/ 6 ER/ 6 BB/ 18 K/ 2.57 ERA
This two and a half month period is when he planted himself as a reliever. But his first couple tries as a reliever weren't so hot.
2002 - 18.1 IP/ 5 ER/ 10 BB/ 10 K/ 2.46 ERA
2003 - 22.1 IP/ 13 ER/ 8 BB/ 13 K/ 5.25 ERA
The 2002 numbers were improved by a 7 inning 1 run performance which is basically a start but you get the idea. He was wild and I think he was affected by being asked to do something he wasn't accustomed to doing. Im not saying with certainty Tejeda will ever come close to Benoit as a reliever but the similarities are there and with Tejedas age if he can focus on being a reliever I think he could be a very productive member of this staff for years to come.
Well I certainly hope so
Hopefully, he learns to throw strikes and attack the zone with his fastball in AAA this season - if he can do that, then you'll be correct.
by LSJ on Apr 9, 2008 9:53 PM CDT up reply actions
So you think we're gonna wake up tomorrow, and Robbie T is gonna be Jack Benny II?
That's stupid.
Tejeda has absolutely no control over his stuff, as electric as it may be - he has to learn to throw strikes before he's ever going to even approach becoming as good a Joaquin Benoit. That's my point - I'm not saying he can't ever develop into a setup man/closer, just that based on Tejeda's makeup, it's not very likely. He's more likely to be a fireballing mid-reliever/7th inning man - and there's nothing wrong with that.
I just think perhaps we're overestimating Tejeda a bit, declaring him Joaquin #2 already.
Listen Baseball Jesus
Nobody is saying that Tejeda is already Benoit. The comparison between Tejeda and Benoit only offers a possible projection for the role Tejeda might be able to occupy going forward. It really isn't a complicated notion to grasp.
Both pitchers have tremendous raw ability yet lacked the control and consistency to be valid options in the rotation. Benoit was able to harness his wildness and develop into a solid late inning option out of the pen. As bigsteve tried to explain to you, Tejeda could also evolve in this direction. His argument that Tejeda could become Benoit 2.0 is legitimate given the parallels involved.
Question for Baseball Jesus: What make-up issues would prevent Tejeda from becoming anything more than a middle reliever down the road? I realize your advanced knowledge of the game allows you to see into the future but why is Tejeda limited to this role and a similar player with similar inconsistencies as a starter would be able to thrive in a late innings role?
lepricon
I'm not trying to say I know the future
But Tejeda has problems throwing strikes consistently Do you think the Rangers really would have DFA'd him if the really thought he could become the next Joaquin Benoit? They don't, that's why they went and got Dustin Nippert, and felt comfortable exposing Tejeda to waivers.
I'm just having a hard time proclaiming that a guy who just got DFA'd, and cleared waivers, all because of his problems throwing strikes, is likely to be a big part of this team. I'm not saying it won't happen, I'm just saying I don't think it's likely.
It's funny, before Tejeda cleared, we where all ready to accept the fact that he was gone, and now that he's still under our control, we're back to overrating him again. Just remember who we're talking about here - and remember all the other releivers, like Frankie Francisco, and Josh Rupe that he would have to all of a sudden pass over to be as effective and as valuable as you guys are projecting him to be.
And by the way
I don't know what the hell your problem is, because I already admitted to bigsteve that he was correct, that it was indeed possible.
I'm just trying to inject a little reality, and remind everyone exactly how unlikely it is that Tejeda ever = Benoit.
Options
Tejeda didn't have any options left that would have afforded the Rangers the opportunity to send him down to the minors in order to work out of the pen.
Exposing him to the waiver process was a gamble but thankfully he wasn't claimed and he can now spend the season developing in the pen.
The Rangers obviously realized that he wasn't going to be a viable option at the major league level to start the season but that doesn't mean they doubt his talent or the possibility that he could make a contribution down the line.
Not everything is as black and white as you like to paint it.
lepricon
The Baseball Jesus moniker
I'm thinking that one's got some legs on it.
It's gonna stick.
Heh.
Rex Hudler is in demand as a motivational speaker.
by Brian Thomas on Apr 10, 2008 5:09 PM CDT up reply actions
Embrace it
Future Fanpost title suggestion:
This is me, walking on water, you despicable baseball buffoons.
Hoohah!.
Rex Hudler is in demand as a motivational speaker.
by Brian Thomas on Apr 10, 2008 8:09 PM CDT up reply actions
If you can figure out
how to turn water into wine you'll have plenty of disciples and fans.
A working class hero is something to be.
I wouldn't put it past Him
"You are this month's NYTXFAN." - t ball
by inactive lsb user on Apr 10, 2008 11:14 PM CDT up reply actions
AutoBotts
going to start at 1st base tomorrow.
"Why do you think you're baseball jesus?" AirJordan to LonestarJon
we'll see
honestly, I'm a pretty big botts fan and I want him to be the regular DH once bradley starts playing the field but I don't know that he should automatically be playing 1B against all lefties and I don't mind giving BB a chance early in the season. Botts' defense might leave something to be desired.
scap load or die
last time a bad defensive 1b mattered
his name was bill buckner, something tells me we can work in a bad defensive 1b with our bad defensive 2b and our bad defensive SS and let wash work his magic....
is there a reason our IF defense is worse than ever with the best IF defense guy in the business?
.500 or bust!
Bad Vibes Kill Rallies!
"Well, we are one of the cheapest teams in Major League Baseball"
-Tom Hicks 4/8/2008
Sounds like JD
handled this about as best as he could. I'm not expecting much of anything out of Nippert, but he holds on to Cruz and Tejeda. Not bad - it will be interesting to see how Tejeda develops working solely in relief.
by Randy Richardson on Apr 9, 2008 7:59 PM CDT reply actions
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