Huh
by Adam J. Morris on May 10, 2008 10:41 PM CDT
51 comments
I'm still trying to process the events of the past week or two.
The Rangers are in third place in the A.L. West, 4 games back of Oakland and Anaheim. If Seattle loses tonight (and they are currently down 7-1), the Rangers will be 4 games up on the M's. They'll be as close to first place as last place.
After starting the season 5-4, the Rangers went on a 2-12 run that looked like it would cost Ron Washington his job. After losing 7 in a row on the road, they came back home and split two games against Minnesota in a shaky fashion.
Then Vicente Padilla pitched a shutout in the Sunday rubber game against the Twins, and it was as if something clicked into place. Starting with that shutout, the Rangers have gone 10-3, and look like a completely different team than the one we saw most of April. And a lot more like the team we saw in the second half of last season.
I have no idea what is going on here. I don't want to get too excited, because this team could go on another 2-12 streak and have the buzzards circling again. I just don't trust this team just yet.
But I do like what I've been seeing the past couple of weeks.
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i think the starting pitching
has been mostly smoke and mirrors.
if this team was healthier with mccarthy in and millwood 100%, id feel a lot better.
obviously ive enjoyed the streak a lot though.
Gerald Laird is my hero.
by DSheppard on May 10, 2008 10:44 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs
+3
I agree with that, at least for the back end of the rotation.
Ponson is pitching well right now, but I seriously doubt that will last beyond another few starts. I’ve gone from being skeptical about Feldman to being genuinely impressed, but it’s really too early to tell if he’s the real deal or a flash in the pan. Gabbard seems to be a bit of a glass flower, if you add his history to the freak things (like catching a cleat, or having an ape jump him) that have happened to him lately.
So with all that in consideration… yeah, I’m enjoying the ride, but I’m also cautiously anticipating the end of it sooner or later.
I just hope this streak lasts long enough for us to steamroll the Mariners this coming week.
A Lonestar in California - 2.0
David Murphy rocks, so Ellsbury can just go get himself a taco or something.
by lonestarJon on May 11, 2008 3:01 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
+1 about Feldman
He’s been obviously great to watch lately, but Kam Loe was too at certain points, and…... well….. you know the rest. Hope the Feld is the real deal.
There is no such thing as global warming. David Murphy was cold, so he turned the sun up.
by SarasotaRanger on May 11, 2008 9:08 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
I give
a lot of credit to Ron Washington.
Say your sorry to Ron Washington
by miles on May 10, 2008 10:50 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs
Yeah
Have you seen Ron’s ERA? And average with RISP? That’s some beastly stuff. Ron’s a one-man baseball team!
Seriously, I think a lot of this has to do with the infusion of youth. Brandon Boggs has come up and hit like a fiend, and Salty’s arrival seemed to light a fire under Gerald Laird. Scott Feldman has pitched out of his mind to shore up the rotation, German Duran has contributed some big hits, and AJ Murray even threw in a start. Some of these replacements are overperforming right now, but they are still the main reason why this team has played better. Hamilton, Bradley and Murphy have been pretty steady, the holes around them just finally got filled in.
This hot streak has nothing to do with Ron Washington, it has more to do with the spares like Jennings, Fukumori, Nippert and Broussard being dumped from the roster (at least temparilly in the case of most of those guys), and the team being allowed to play their better players for a change. That, and the bad luck that was dogpiling on this team during mid-April couldn’t last forever.
A Lonestar in California - 2.0
David Murphy rocks, so Ellsbury can just go get himself a taco or something.
by lonestarJon on May 11, 2008 3:12 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
Has NOTHING to do with Ron Washington?
Wow… I wouldn’t go that far. Is Wash a good manager? I still dont think so, although that could be subject to change. Has he had something to do with this turnaround? Invariably, yes. I don’t think he’s sitting at home and letting someone else draw up the lineup cards or reading the newspaper on the john while someone else is speaking to the team before or after the game.
There is no such thing as global warming. David Murphy was cold, so he turned the sun up.
by SarasotaRanger on May 11, 2008 9:35 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
It's funny...
how when the team is losing and playing shitty that it’s Ron’s fault. However when they are playing well and winning he has nothing to do with it because he’s just “one-man”.
Come on LSJ your hatred for Ron aside, the reasonable logic is somewhere in the middle. Yes he has made some bad moves (lineups, playing time, etc.) but this just shows how the losing streak wasn’t his fault. I seriously doubt he has changed how he manages in the last 2 weeks. It helps a lot when the defense has been pretty good, the pitching has been great, and you don’t have Jennings pitching every 5th day and Broussard in the lineup all the time.
When the players perform well they win. When they don’t they lose. The manager often has very little to do with either.
"The only good is knowledge and the only evil is ignorance."-Socrates
by slc ranger on May 11, 2008 11:11 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
+1 MM
"I hope it's a special dumb person hell so that I don’t have to meet up with you after I die."
- The D-tron
by Chase Irwin on May 11, 2008 1:26 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
As you pointed out...
Ron was responsible for over-playing those crappy players, like Broussard and Byrd. That means he did in fact have something to do with the losing streak.
I’ll give you the fact that the clubhouse now appears to be able to function independently from him, but he’s still not a good manager. He still makes mistakes with his bullpen, bunts too much, and I still don’t like the way he doesn’t defend his players on the field. I’ve made this point before, whether we are winning or losing, he is a shitty manager. It’s just that when we are losing, we have an excuse to fire him.
A Lonestar in California - 2.0
David Murphy rocks, so Ellsbury can just go get himself a taco or something.
by lonestarJon on May 11, 2008 4:17 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
One of the things this team
has in common with the second half team last year that played so much better, is that once again the starting lineup that came out of spring training has been radically altered due to injuries, people being replaced, etc.. And once again they are playing with backups and callups and winning. I’m not sure what to make of that.
Last year’s team didn’t begin to win until Texeira had left, Blalock went on the DL, and Lofton and Gagne departed. Then with what appeared to be a pieced together lot, they played decent baseball most of the rest of the way. I’m not sure what conclusions you can draw from that, or if it is only coincidence, but there is that same flavor to both teams. Except we have a much better outfield this year. What a difference!
Also odd is how C.J. appears to be the shakiest of the bullpen through this recent stretch. German is nasty.
by walrus52 on May 10, 2008 10:55 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs
Similiar Thoughts
I’m beginning to wonder if this team is better without Blalock in the line-up. That seems like an absurd thing to say, but it sure seems that way.
In hindsight, the 25-man roster coming out of spring training was horrible…Melhuse, Broussard, I’d even add Byrd. Fukimori and Nippert also turned out to be bad. The current 25-man roster seems to be balanced. The team appears to have a little more emotion now, maybe something to do with Boggs and Duran?
by T Coleman on May 10, 2008 11:30 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
I definitely think we're better with Blalock than Duran.
It’s nice seeing Duran get at-bats, but Blalock was playing better. There are plenty of changes that have proven to be for the better to this point, though.
by philkid3 on May 10, 2008 11:33 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
The solution is to move Blalock to first .
That would fill the black hole at first, allow Metcalf and Vasquez to share third and make Cat expendable. We need to see more of Vasquez, but not too much The infield defense is shaky and Metcalf would improve it.
by '81 rangers fan on May 11, 2008 10:39 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
What makes you
think Blalock could play 1B?
Brandon Boggs 2008 Texas Rangers ROY
by RangerMad on May 11, 2008 12:40 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
It's hard for defense to be a large factor at first base.
I have very little doubt he could make the move. If for some weird reason he couldn’t actually play first base adequately, then you just undo the move.
But yeah, that actually makes sense. I support that thought.
by philkid3 on May 11, 2008 1:18 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
wrong
Texas started playing well last year when Micheal Young started hitting his usual .300, when Cat started hitting his usual .300, when Tex started hitting for power, when Millwood started pitching like the top of the rotation pitcher he is. This team started winning last year in early June. A month and a half before the firesale began.
Coming out of spring training you could never have thrown out this lineup as it is right now. Duran and Boggs had zero games above AA. As bad as Broussard was there was nothing in his past to indicate he would be that bad.
Just like last year the club has been a decent team but when you commit the amount of erros that we did to start this and last year its hard to win. When you can’t hit with runners in scoring position its hard to win.
by bigsteve on May 11, 2008 10:28 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
easy
bad luck and bad defense early on.
"I thought that was bull," Washington said. "What is he 6-13? That's just frustration. He overreacted." - Wash on Sexson
by Longhorn on May 10, 2008 10:57 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs
Concur
"The only good is knowledge and the only evil is ignorance."-Socrates
by slc ranger on May 11, 2008 11:13 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
Jennings
has not picked up a ball since being shut down. GOOD.
by VEGASbB77 on May 10, 2008 11:20 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs
I, too, don't trust the team.
I think the losing will start again and we’ll regress towards our mean. I don’t think we’re as bad as we looked before this run, nor are we as good as we’ve been on this run, but I think the season has so far balanced out to about what I expected, perhaps a little bit worse.
But I’m not watching this awesome run the last two weeks thinking we’ve turned the corner and we’re ready to compete. I’m loving every minute of it because it’s been great to watch winning and it’s been great to see aweome pitching. It’s been fun rooting for the Rangers and being rewarded for a couple of weeks.
That’s probably not going to continue on this current pace, and we may well go back to being extremely bad, but that doesn’t mean I’m not thoroughly enjoying it.
by philkid3 on May 10, 2008 11:32 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs
WooHoo!
This has been fun to watch. The starting pitching will regress, but could still be solid. The bullpen has been great – Frankie and Wright have been particularly good and it seems that Benoit has righted himself. Wilson – I’d like to see more Ks, but otherwise he’s been good.
The offense – the Rangers need to seperate Hamilton and Murphy by more than one batter. Bradley is going to stop seeing any good pitches against LHP. Even against RHP, they should push Murphy back at least one spot to not make it so easy for a lefty to come in and face Hamilton, walk Bradley, and pitch to Murphy. There’s no obvious choice to bat fifth. Maybe they should consider swapping Kinsler and Murphy – they are still close together but even with a good lefty, teams are unlikely to intentionally walk Young to face Hamilton.
by Randy Richardson on May 10, 2008 11:35 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs
Benoit's velocity...
concerns me.
Fx2’s velocity excites me. He was just flat out dominat last night.
"The only good is knowledge and the only evil is ignorance."-Socrates
by slc ranger on May 11, 2008 11:14 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
Benoit's velocity
Fx2 will eventually take Benoit’s spot I think.
¡yo soy Horsedooty!
I soloed in the mile high club.
by Sr Horsedooty on May 11, 2008 11:23 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
Missed last night's game
could you tell me what Benoit was sitting at with his FB / Slider?
This is disturbing to hear and reminds me of his offseason delinquency.
As for FX2, if he had 5 K’s in 2.1 IP, I assume he is back to 94-97?
"I hope it's a special dumb person hell so that I don’t have to meet up with you after I die."
- The D-tron
by Chase Irwin on May 11, 2008 1:37 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
Jack...
FB was 89-91. I think he hit 93 once. His slider I believe was low to mid 80’s.
Fx2 was 94-97 but did hit 98 once I believe.
"The only good is knowledge and the only evil is ignorance."-Socrates
by slc ranger on May 11, 2008 1:54 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
10 of every 14
Would be unrealistic. But just for kicks, if they go 9 for every 14 the rest of the way, what would the season record be?
"He uses statistics as a drunken man uses lamp-posts... for support rather than illumination." - Andrew Lang (1844-1912)
by Ed Coffin on May 11, 2008 12:28 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs
And we can all turn on the game tomorrow...
...knowing that Broussard won’t be manning first base with his pitchfork and jelly arm. Nor will he be going 0 for 4 at the plate.
That, right there, is a beautiful thing. Small victories, people!
Rangers > Nationals...for now
by RangerMoto on May 11, 2008 12:36 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs
such is life
with a .500 team.
they do this stuff every year.
by SteveP on May 11, 2008 1:50 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs
you got it
over the course of the season there are going to be good and bad runs – I have a feeling the extremes (2 for 12) and (10 wins out of 14) will migrate to 4 W – 3L homestands and 2W – 4L road trips or whatever.
the team still has a enough holes that this most recent winning trend is not sustainable over a 3 month stretch.
still – it’s better than April
by simplesimon on May 11, 2008 10:45 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
I'm gonna need a couple of more wins before
I truly believe in this team. Regardless, this streak has been great thus far.
by Agreen07 on May 11, 2008 4:00 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs
Just enjoy it while it lasts.
This is a .500 team, and they’ll have their ups and downs especially as the young players grow (or don’t). Having said that, it’s still entirely possible that they could either win the division—or lose 95 games. This team is no more predictable than it was in March.
...and curse Sir Walter Raleigh, he was such a stupid git.
by t ball on May 11, 2008 7:37 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs
This
Is a .500 team? You say that like it’s a bad thing.
by brettgardner on May 11, 2008 9:21 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
Well,
it’s not for where the team is right now in the process. But sometimes this message board feels like an emotional weathervane. If Feldman falters for a fortnight I expect many here to once again call for him to be sent away. If the team loses 3 or 4 in a row Washington will be a topic again. It’s very easy to lose sight of the marathon that is the baseball season.
This has looked like a playoff team the last few days, but I always try to level out my roller coasters.
...and curse Sir Walter Raleigh, he was such a stupid git.
by t ball on May 11, 2008 10:41 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
I for one...
have learned my lesson with Feldman. I hope others have as well. I won’t be calling for him to be sent away anytime soon. He has earned a real shot at the rotation. Even if he has a few bad starts.
"The only good is knowledge and the only evil is ignorance."-Socrates
by slc ranger on May 11, 2008 11:17 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
I have lots of crow to eat as well
I am convinced that Failedman the Swan (as BGL terms him) might have something with the new (old?) delivery.
"I hope it's a special dumb person hell so that I don’t have to meet up with you after I die."
- The D-tron
by Chase Irwin on May 11, 2008 1:42 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
Yep...
I think there’s no doubt the new delivery has helped his velocity and break on his sinker a lot.
"The only good is knowledge and the only evil is ignorance."-Socrates
by slc ranger on May 11, 2008 1:56 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
This team reminds me of my golf swing.
After an awful front 9 where my swing is disjointed and I feel like I can’t put it together, I figure it out on hole number 11 and put together a nice streak of pars. After a solid back 9, I feel like I can come back and shoot a great round next time, but I know that glitch in my swing will show up inevitably, and I’ll stink again.
There is no such thing as global warming. David Murphy was cold, so he turned the sun up.
by SarasotaRanger on May 11, 2008 9:10 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs
keep your right knee dead still until contact
keep the back of your head in plane with your spine
don’t let your right elbow fly
the left wrist is like concrete throughout the swing
weight shifts from right heel to left toe as you swing
cock your right hip back an inch or two just before you swing to square up to the target better
grip should be no firmer than what’s needed to fight gravity
V’s point to your left shoulder
can you see the back of your right hand?
the ball gets in the way of the swing
take the club away down the line
don’t take the club back past parallel
don’t “break the glass” in your swing plane
There, that oughta screw up your golf swing for a while. heh
by shroomer on May 11, 2008 10:26 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
Grip
I’ll hold it loose in the pre-swing, then during the swing I subconsciously hold it firmly as if my life depended on it. Ugh—golf.
"I hope it's a special dumb person hell so that I don’t have to meet up with you after I die."
- The D-tron
by Chase Irwin on May 11, 2008 1:47 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
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