Saturday a.m. things

by Adam J. Morris on May 24, 2008 8:25 AM CDT

Back to .500. 4 games back of Anaheim, 1 1/2 games back of Oakland, 6 1/2 games up on the poor Mariners.

The Rangers set a team record with 9 doubles yesterday, which helped make up for a bad Kason Gabbard outing. When a finesse lefty can't throw strikes -- Gabbard threw 90 pitches in less than 3 innings yesterday, only 48 of them for strikes -- then he's pretty much doomed. And the TwinsIndians didn't chase those pitches just off the strike zone that Gabbard needs opposing hitters to go after to be successful.

The Rangers performance of late has covered up the fact that the bullpen and the back of the rotation has not been good. Gabbard is going to stay in the rotation because there aren't a lot of better options right now, but his performance going forward is something to watch, because if Matt Harrison or Eric Hurley shows they are ready to move into the rotation, he could find his spot in jeopardy.

Frank Catalanotto is still not ready to play, and as I mentioned last night, I think the Rangers should go ahead and d.l. him to bring up a fresh arm this weekend, then send the extra pitcher back when Hank Blalock is ready to be activated. Chris Shelton has a 121 OPS+, and given how lefty-heavy this team is right now, I don't see how getting rid of a productive righty bat makes sense.

Kevin Millwood will throw a simulated game today, and if all goes perfectly there, he'll be activated for next Friday's game. Otherwise, he'll go on a medical rehab assignment.

And Kevin Sherrington re-visits the Josh Hamilton for Edinson Volquez trade. He thinks it was an okay deal for Texas.

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The headline "Volquez for Hamilton? Texas Rangers got this one right"

is awesome. Almost as good as the one on DMN’s front page today that said “This just In: The North Wins Civil War!”

"Does this effectively hide my thunder?"

by Bob Loblaw on May 24, 2008 8:34 AM CDT 0 recs

Sherrington article

I read it earlier this morning, and I found myself impressed that he went to hardballtimes and was using stats such as win shares.

"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

by rentz on May 24, 2008 8:37 AM CDT 0 recs

As was I.

...it's the weekend, so why the hell not?

by Rodney on May 24, 2008 2:01 PM CDT up 0 recs

Our standards

for our non-beat writers are dangerously low.

by FirebatM3 on May 24, 2008 2:18 PM CDT up 0 recs

Well...

when it comes to rangers / baseball coverage the columnists tend to fail miserably. so i suppose i’m easily impressed when they do something right.

"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

by rentz on May 24, 2008 2:27 PM CDT up 0 recs

Can Volquez keep it up?

Sherrington touches on this at the end of his piece, but do you guys think his numbers are sustainable?

If he mantains his ERA+ at 329, he will have pitched by far the best single season ever (according to this statistic). I imagine we’ll see his numbers come back to earth, but to where?

by Rigaudeau on May 24, 2008 8:51 AM CDT 0 recs

No

His DIPS ERA is a little over 3.00, and his HR rate is likely to go up some, given his FB percentage.

by Adam J. Morris on May 24, 2008 9:07 AM CDT up 0 recs

hmm

So where would you project his numbers to be at the end of the season?

by Rigaudeau on May 24, 2008 9:18 AM CDT up 0 recs

But..

it’s not like a DIPS ERA around 3.00 is bad news.

Will batters adjust when they see him a second time? Isn’t he just a fastball/change-up guy or are batters respecting his curveball this year?

by Rigaudeau on May 24, 2008 9:34 AM CDT up 0 recs

Nobody said he would be bad,

just that he isn’t likely to maintain this high a level of success. Josh Hamilton is much more likely to maintain his level of success. He may not win the triple crown, but he will hit a lot of homers and drive in a lot of runs and play good defense. Volquez is a good pitcher and will have some good stretches, but he is not going to be able to maintain these kind of numbers and is likely to struggle at times just like other good, young pitchers.

by brentash on May 24, 2008 11:34 AM CDT up 0 recs

+1

and to add onto his HR rate, he plays in a park that has had alot of HR’s hit in it the past. See : Eric Milton

by hinduplaya on May 24, 2008 9:27 AM CDT up 0 recs

Can Hamilton keep it up?

I think he’s much more likely than Volquez to maintain a stellar pace, but we need to realize that he’ll have some slow times as well. But I don’t think you could have asked for this trade to work out any better.

...and curse Sir Walter Raleigh, he was such a stupid git.

by t ball on May 24, 2008 12:52 PM CDT up 0 recs

The only way it could have turned out better

is if Volquez were currently carrying a 7+ ERA at 4.2 innings per start… then we wouldn’t get an update every Volquez start on how he’s doing. At least now that Armando Galarraga has come back to earth, we don’t have to hear about him every fifth day anymore.

by Inkara1 on May 24, 2008 12:58 PM CDT up 0 recs

Volquez

Some people seem to be forgetting that volquez has switched leagues, meaning most if not all of these players have never seen him pitch before. The only team to play volquez twice was the cubs, and in the second game against them, edinson issed 6 BB. With his fastball changeup combo, i can definitely see why he has had such great early success. Given that this is the major leagues, players make adjustments to pitches and pitchers that they’ve seen multiple times.

baseBALLIN!

by kevzta on May 24, 2008 10:10 AM CDT 0 recs

Cleveland

And the Twins didn’t chase those pitches just off the strike zone that Gabbard needs opposing hitters to go after to be successful.

I think you meant to say the Indians.

by brentash on May 24, 2008 10:26 AM CDT 0 recs

Doh!

by Adam J. Morris on May 24, 2008 10:38 AM CDT up 0 recs

Shelton

He might be a righty, but he can’t hit lefties anymore than lefties can hit lefties.

So far this year, of course an extremely small sample size, he’s got a .969 OPS against righties and a .513 OPS against lefties

Career wise, its a little more respectable .855/.793 difference.

Assuming Cat doesn’t go on the DL, the move that makes the most sense is sending Boggs back down, letting Cat and Byrd platoon, and having Shelton on the bench. I don’t like the idea of putting Bradley in the field anymore. He’s too valuable of a hitter to risk injury to so I’d have him at DH from here on.

by chase1971 on May 24, 2008 11:04 AM CDT 0 recs

Ill still take .795 over

vazquez’s career .520 line.

anyway, I kind of like our all CF defensive OF weve been running out there for a while. id give boggs a little time to try to get back on track before putting cat with his defense and still not that great offense back out there as a starter.

of course, there isnt a lot of time and a move is going to have to be made shortly.. we shall see. i hope shelton sticks around.

Gerald Laird is my hero.

by DSheppard on May 24, 2008 12:17 PM CDT up 0 recs

oh and

speaking of pinch hitting for vazquez…

any chance the rangers actually would PH for vazquez with shelton at some point, move blalock to third for the rest of the game and shelton to first? or are they going to be ridiculous about keeping blalock as now a 1b only.

Gerald Laird is my hero.

by DSheppard on May 24, 2008 12:18 PM CDT up 0 recs

The Pitching Numbers

When you break them down, they’re quite troubling:

12th in AL in Team ERA
14th in walks allowed
13th in strikeouts

Innings as starter: 13th
innings pitched by bullpen: 14th

Dead last in runs allowed by a significant margin.

They simply have to get more innings out of the rotation or it’s all going to unravel even more than it already has.

by Black Francis on May 24, 2008 1:04 PM CDT 0 recs

Yep,

they are winning, but looking pretty damn bad doing so. The offense can’t hit like this every game. Theoretically, if the rotation gets healthy it would stabilize the bullpen situation somewhat.

...and curse Sir Walter Raleigh, he was such a stupid git.

by t ball on May 24, 2008 1:15 PM CDT up 0 recs

Yup

When millwood was pitching well before he got injured the rotation was looking a lot better. Outside of ponson, padilla and feldman the rangers really arent getting much out of the starters.

"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

by rentz on May 24, 2008 1:41 PM CDT up 0 recs

Wow

Outside of ponson, padilla and feldman the rangers really arent getting much out of the starters.

Before the season, what would we have thought the chances were of someone saying that this season?

by Adam J. Morris on May 24, 2008 1:45 PM CDT up 0 recs

Zero

i’m as shocked as anyone

"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

by rentz on May 24, 2008 1:49 PM CDT up 0 recs

I believe A.J. Murray would

get called back up before Harrison or Hurley. He did well in his spot start.

Brandon Boggs 2008 Texas Rangers ROY

by RangerMad on May 24, 2008 1:47 PM CDT 0 recs

Best 2 quotes of the season:

From MY, & the Humility is Good Dept:

“Right now, I’m just keeping my head above water, but Josh and Milton are having such good at-bats and good runs behind me that it gives me some breathing room.”

And from RonWash…is he utterly brilliant in his levity, or what?