Saturday a.m. things
by Adam J. Morris on Jul 12, 2008 10:05 AM CDT
58 comments
For one night, anyway, Luis Mendoza showed why the Rangers added him to the 40 man this offseason, rather than letting him walk as a 6 year free agent, why they kept him ahead of Armando Galarraga, and why they have stuck with him in the rotation despite some disastrous outings.
Mendoza was outstanding last night. And the next time someone says they've seen nothing to suggest that he can be a successful major league starter, point them to last night's game.
This isn't to say that he's going to be great, or even good, from here on out. He may not be able to stick in a rotation, and may end up in the pen, or in the minors, for much of his career.
But if he does, it is because he can't bring what he had last night on a regular basis, or because he can't command his stuff, not because he doesn't have the ability.
Richard Durrett has praise for Mendoza's performance, along with the outfield arms the Rangers are running out there, with Brandon Boggs and Marlon Byrd both having big assists last night.
If Joselo Diaz plays, he'll be the 46th different player to appear for the Rangers this season. Diaz replaced Scott Feldman, who may be heading to the bullpen...the Rangers feel his ceiling for the year is about 135 innings, and more than that would impact his performance next year.
Milton Bradley sat for the third straight day, but Ron Washington continues to say that Bradley will be able to play in the All Star Game. Maybe they are resting him to make sure he'll be healthy on Tuesday.
Jean-Jacques Taylor says the Rangers need to do a better job developing their own pitchers. Jim Reeves says the Rangers need to be more like the Brewers.
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good call yesterday on Mendoza
I never saw that coming, and you did, so here’s your props.
Warner Madrigal makes Ezequiel Astacio look downright handsome.
by tricer on Jul 12, 2008 10:17 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
Very cool
“I heard a commotion in the clubhouse,” Servais told Daniels, “and I go out and the entire Bakersfield team is gathered around the TV, cheering on Harrison.”
by jparks77 on Jul 12, 2008 10:17 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs
it's gotta be pretty encouraging
for the lower level minor leaguers to see how many of our rooks have succeeded in the majors this year…
"No, Donny, these men are nihilists, there's nothing to be afraid of."
by Walter Sobchak on Jul 12, 2008 10:36 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
That little passage
was goosebumpy.
"...my balls are really like a veiny flesh color" blueballlefty on Jun 4, 2008 7:44 PM EDT
"you gonna lose your horse. seriously." FX2
"If you ain't got no money, ain't nobody calls you honey," Bo Diddley
by Rodney on Jul 12, 2008 2:26 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
Mendoza
I saw him quite a bit in frisco, while he never amazed me with his stuff he always managed to keep the riders in the game and exhibited good control. i think the guy can be a solid #5 rotation guy if he can keep his command on a regular basis.
"I'm against picketing, but I don't know how to show it." - Mitch Hedberg
by rentz on Jul 12, 2008 10:25 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs
the only problem I have with that
is that I think IF (and it’s a big if) we get McCarthy back healthy, and Hurley doesn’t have any setbacks, I’d much rather have Millwood, Padilla, McCarthy, Hurley, and Harrison. And maybe I’m wrong about that, maybe Harrison isn’t ready yet. But he proved himself pretty well in his first major league start against the division leaders. And he’s had such a consistent run through the minor leagues – 3.69, 4.09, 3.23, 3.10, 3.72, 3.39, 3.33, 3.55 – that I can’t help but think he could surprise us with a 4.00 ERA the rest of the way this year.
"No, Donny, these men are nihilists, there's nothing to be afraid of."
by Walter Sobchak on Jul 12, 2008 10:44 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
just like everyone of our other pitchers
they can be a solid #5 guy
Kinsler is the best player on the rangers(done), BENOIT SUCKS(done), bring up Harrison(done),new: Put Nippert in rotation, Mendoza to the pen, get Feliz to AAA by the end of the year, trade cat
by nice hands on Jul 12, 2008 12:03 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
perhaps
except this one they got for pretty much nothing and probably never expected much out of him. i think of mendoza as being like loe, but better
"I'm against picketing, but I don't know how to show it." - Mitch Hedberg
by rentz on Jul 12, 2008 12:09 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
just about everyone is better than loe
if we ever actually get a good young pitcher, they will be traded for some scrub
Kinsler is the best player on the rangers(done), BENOIT SUCKS(done), bring up Harrison(done),new: Put Nippert in rotation, Mendoza to the pen, get Feliz to AAA by the end of the year, trade cat
by nice hands on Jul 12, 2008 10:43 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
I would say
Jean Jacques needs to stick to talking about what he knows, but so far I haven’t been able to determine what precisely that is. I’m pretty sure its not football or baseball.
by JayK on Jul 12, 2008 10:51 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs
Cheeseburgers?
"My keyboard is a Yankees fan" - Whipsmart
by lonestarJon on Jul 12, 2008 10:58 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
He's alright when it comes to
the Cowboys or the NFL. When he has problems is when he starts talking about everything else (hockey, basketball, baseball, etc.)
"Well, the Dallas Mavericks got beat by the New Orleans Hornets last night ending their season. Word is that someone on the team is dating Jessica Simpson." - Jay Leno
LSB facebook group ---->>> http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=33345329288
by hinduplaya on Jul 12, 2008 11:58 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
Mendoza
I was sitting in section 33 last night and to be perfectly honest, before the game started I thought our baseball asses were gonna be handed to us last night. Mendoza threw pretty good pitches last night. In fact, he was awesome. I was wrong in my early assessment concerning Mendoza and Wash and Daniels. They either know what they are doing or they are incredibly lucky. Luck seems to follow those who are prepared.
¡yo soy Horsedooty!
I soloed in the Mile High Club!
by horsedooty on Jul 12, 2008 11:00 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs
I'm no baseball expert
and I get lost sometimes between the higher-level baseball discussion on here (although I think LSB has helped to make me a muchmore informed fan of the game), but I also did not fully understand why nearly everyone was so consistently down on Mendoza. I know he had a few pretty crappy starts, but he showed he has good stuff out of the pen, and I saw him in OKC a couple of times and he looked f-ing dominant.
"Does this effectively hide my thunder?"
by Bob Loblaw on Jul 12, 2008 11:08 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs
watched the A's game last night
yeah I’m not so sure Beane lost on the Harden trade afterall.
by SteveP on Jul 12, 2008 11:11 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs
To think....
If Bradleys blooper would have fell in the other night…..
we would be sitting at 4 1/2 games out. Oh well.
Mendoza was excellent last night, but he kinda reminds me of Beniot for these reasons.
Both have great stuff, but both are either really on or really bad. Beniot throws harder, but Mendoza has more movement. The problem is that you can never trust a player like this because they are not consistant.
Everyone is going to have a bad night (Lackey the other day), but when you have a guy in your rotation that every other start gets raked it puts tons of pressure on your bullpen and other starters. If we had a strong staff around him they could probably absorb it, but we don’t.
Hopefully mendoza can learn to control his sinker enough to where he can be a consistant starter that will get you 6 innings of 3 run ball. Thats all we need with this offense.
by clinton33 on Jul 12, 2008 11:26 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs
If you have a guy in your rotation that every other start gets raked...
...he’s not going to be in your rotation for long.
by Adam J. Morris on Jul 12, 2008 11:28 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
Joe?
Joe Morgan? Is that you?
(j/k, j/k… but that’s an awful lot of “consistents”)
"My keyboard is a Yankees fan" - Whipsmart
by lonestarJon on Jul 12, 2008 11:29 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
benoit is completely different from mendoza
hitters knew what mendoza was gonna throw and they had no shot at hitting it
Kinsler is the best player on the rangers(done), BENOIT SUCKS(done), bring up Harrison(done),new: Put Nippert in rotation, Mendoza to the pen, get Feliz to AAA by the end of the year, trade cat
by nice hands on Jul 12, 2008 12:06 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
Kinsler MVP of First half...
...per Jayson Stark
http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/columns/story?columnist=stark_jayson&id=3483646
Replace Jim Knox
by benjihana on Jul 12, 2008 12:09 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs
Brandon McCarthy
Starting for the AZ rookie league team today.
by shroomer on Jul 12, 2008 12:34 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs
not a good start, but it's good to see him out there atleast
any chance you will know his velo throughout the game?
"I really think JD is probably going to be one of the best things ever to happen to the Rangers." - Longhorn, May 27th, 2007
by Longhorn on Jul 12, 2008 12:50 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
good 2nd inning though
with 2K’s in that frame.
"I really think JD is probably going to be one of the best things ever to happen to the Rangers." - Longhorn, May 27th, 2007
by Longhorn on Jul 12, 2008 1:05 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
link to boxscore??
"Well, the Dallas Mavericks got beat by the New Orleans Hornets last night ending their season. Word is that someone on the team is dating Jessica Simpson." - Jay Leno
LSB facebook group ---->>> http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=33345329288
by hinduplaya on Jul 12, 2008 1:09 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
that's it he's done
2IP 2H 1ER 0BB 2K 0HR
"I really think JD is probably going to be one of the best things ever to happen to the Rangers." - Longhorn, May 27th, 2007
by Longhorn on Jul 12, 2008 1:13 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
my quickie math shows the avg age
of the 8 batters he faced to be around 18 yrs old. Two 17 yr olds got the hits off him. I’m guessing he went around 30/35 pitches.
by shroomer on Jul 12, 2008 1:15 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
Mendoza
I don’t know if the gun was off at the stadium or what but I saw him touch 95 a couple times. Didn’t know he could get throw that hard.
"Mr. Hicks, you watch, I'm going to be a leader on this team." Kinsler
by sprite on Jul 12, 2008 12:35 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs
OT: Question
How does Brad Wilkerson still have a job – as a RF?
""If they'd have told me you can make the team but you've got to shine the shoes, I'd have been there shining shoes." -Bradley
by ab03 on Jul 12, 2008 1:04 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs
He has "Good Face" that is how.
"Would you mind walking a time or two so I could drive in some runs"? Milton Bradley
by boomer1 on Jul 12, 2008 1:12 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
With 2 games left before the break
How many RBI do you think Hammy will end up with going into the ASG?
"Would you mind walking a time or two so I could drive in some runs"? Milton Bradley
by boomer1 on Jul 12, 2008 1:22 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs
the Boggs throw
I didn’t see the comments on the gameday thread when it happened, but that is the best throw of the season (better than Hamilton’s throw after the dive). The power on that throw is ridiculous. i keep watching it over and over
""If they'd have told me you can make the team but you've got to shine the shoes, I'd have been there shining shoes." -Bradley
by ab03 on Jul 12, 2008 2:00 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs
boggs
the most amazing thing to me is he did that 2 games in a row!
"I'm against picketing, but I don't know how to show it." - Mitch Hedberg
by rentz on Jul 12, 2008 2:08 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
plays at plate
It is amazing how many plays at the plate there have been lately. Three in a week when usually there might be 1 a month.
"An effortless 98" - Scott Gardner after Neftali Feliz's first AA pitch
by RangerMad on Jul 12, 2008 5:42 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
That was pretty sweet
and Salty did a good job collecting it and tagging quickly, too.
Time you enjoy wasting was not wasted.
by t ball on Jul 12, 2008 2:15 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
Boggs throw
before the game while the “best grounds crew in the baseball” was wetting down the infield, Boggs and Bird and Murphy were playing toss. Bird and Murphy were standing approx on the right field foul line and Boggs was over by the Southwest sign very near the warning track. They were throwing to each other like it was nothing and let me tell you it was a very long way.
I soloed in the Mile High Club!
by horsedooty on Jul 12, 2008 3:01 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
I am proud of Reeves....
For not bringing up how Melvin was fired before he could implement this plan in Texas like John Rhadigan did on the Ticket yesterday. I have heard the critique before and I have to wonder if the media guys who regurgitate it remember how barren the Rangers system was at the time and who is to fault for that.
Let me have a diablo sandwich, a Dr. Pepper, and make it fast I'm in a God damned hurry!
by DaheelzCM on Jul 12, 2008 2:26 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs
Ditto
I think Melvin is a better ‘finisher’ than a ‘starter’ in that process. He did an admirable job adding necessary pieces to the talent in place when he got here. The system may have been undermanned when he left, but that was at the end of a contention window, so I’m not going to completely condemn him for that.
Time you enjoy wasting was not wasted.
by t ball on Jul 12, 2008 2:40 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
Mendoza
Last night reminds me of Kam Loes game last year in Pittsburgh. They had their absolute best stuff possible and looked really really good but they will most likely never have that kind of outing again.
Bryan Smith (12:17:17 PM PT): Justin Smoak and Josh Hamilton. The AL West might just have found their Bash Brothers, v. 2.0.
by bigsteve on Jul 12, 2008 2:27 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs
The Rangers
lead the league with 365 walks?
Maybe RonWash isn’t as ignorant as some of the haters here believe….
"...my balls are really like a veiny flesh color" blueballlefty on Jun 4, 2008 7:44 PM EDT
"you gonna lose your horse. seriously." FX2
"If you ain't got no money, ain't nobody calls you honey," Bo Diddley
by Rodney on Jul 12, 2008 3:42 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs
Maybe managers don't have a large impact.
by philkid3 on Jul 12, 2008 5:10 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
+1
Washington’s philosophy is better defense, be more patient at the plate, and don’t give up free bases as a pitcher. That’s nothing revolutionary nor is it something he has much control over.
By 2028, Mark Teixeira will be in the HOF.
-The Outlaw
by Gdawg on Jul 12, 2008 6:33 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
If milton bradley can play
he NEEDS to play tonight.
thankfully weve faced a lot of righties lately, but a lefty of danks quality is going to be tough. he is our best vs lefty hitter and all he has to do is DH. if he can do it, he needs to get out there.
the preceding post is not nearly as negative or insulting as you think it is
by DSheppard on Jul 12, 2008 4:48 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs
He's in the lineup tonight
Murphy is sitting.
by Adam J. Morris on Jul 12, 2008 4:53 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
And Boggs too
thank goodness.
"...my balls are really like a veiny flesh color" blueballlefty on Jun 4, 2008 7:44 PM EDT
"you gonna lose your horse. seriously." FX2
"If you ain't got no money, ain't nobody calls you honey," Bo Diddley
by Rodney on Jul 12, 2008 4:59 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
Thank goodness...
Boggs is in the lineup???
or sitting too?
by tyd3311 on Jul 12, 2008 5:01 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
Oops, not very clear, eh?
Boggs in the LF’er.
"...my balls are really like a veiny flesh color" blueballlefty on Jun 4, 2008 7:44 PM EDT
"you gonna lose your horse. seriously." FX2
"If you ain't got no money, ain't nobody calls you honey," Bo Diddley
by Rodney on Jul 12, 2008 5:04 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
in the lineup i seee
It seems he always does something goood to change the game.
by tyd3311 on Jul 12, 2008 5:04 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs
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