Loe up, Hunter down, Padilla scratched, Nippert to start

by Adam J. Morris on Aug 16, 2008 5:16 PM CDT

T.R. Sullivan reports that Tommy Hunter has been optioned to AAA, and Kam Loe has been called up to give the Rangers another long man.

Sullivan also reports that Vicente Padilla has been scratched from Sunday's start, and Dustin Nippert will make that start, instead.

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DL

With the way our bullpen has been depleted of late wouldn’t it make more sense to just go ahead and retroactively place Padilla on the DL and either keep Hunter up or call Littleton up? We need the arms.

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 Aug 16, 2008 5:20 PM CDT reply actions

Concur...

I can’t understand why Wes isn’t up right now. He can go a couple or even 3 innings if needed and has done pretty well lately at OKC. Just put Padilla on the DL.

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

by slc ranger on Aug 16, 2008 5:51 PM CDT up reply actions

9 lives getting the start....

Well, looks like he is getting his chance…

People forget how highly touted Nippert was before TJ. He really does have a chance of being a real solid SP for the future.

by laxtonto on Aug 16, 2008 5:25 PM CDT reply actions

totally agree. I made this suggestion in another thread and people seemed to suggest I was crazy. The guy has a higher ceiling than almost everyone else we’ve been trotting out there (not to say he will reach it). It’s not unusual for highly touted pitchers to take a few years to adjust before settling in…not everyone starts like Lincecum and Liriano.

by aggiecurt05 on Aug 16, 2008 5:29 PM CDT up reply actions

I would be absolutely stoaked

if Nippert continues to figure it out. He could be at worse an excellent #3, but more importantly he is a strike out pitcher thathelps fills a massive void in out rotation.

by laxtonto on Aug 16, 2008 5:34 PM CDT up reply actions

Nip Nip

Scrotum!

"...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 Aug 16, 2008 5:56 PM CDT up reply actions

I think

that if he learns how to lowers his pitches per inning, he could be a very servicable starter for us. It just seems like most of the times he goes out there, he needs 80-90 pitches to get through 4 innings….

"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 MayurP on Aug 16, 2008 6:01 PM CDT up reply actions

you are crazy

career AAA #s: 4.66era/4.42whip
last good minor lg season, 2005 AA
career Majors era 7
last good major league season, never
no movement on his fastball the harder he throws, everthing up in the zone

No way you can say he is a real solid starting pitcher; that is quite absurd. If he is our 5th starter next season this team is in trouble.

If the rangers continue to work with him during the off season, and his has an excellent spring training he could be a capable long man or MR next year if he can fix his problems. If he sucks during spring training, hell be DFA’d.

by Goyogringo on Aug 16, 2008 8:58 PM CDT up reply actions

last good major league season, never

lol

by Smoakin in the Boys Room on Aug 16, 2008 10:01 PM CDT up reply actions

Hunter

I sure hope they recall Hunter in the next 20 days in order to save his option.

Nolan Ryan should be the Rangers president, GM, manager and pitching coach.

by RangerMad on Aug 16, 2008 5:32 PM CDT reply actions

Tommy

I was surprised he was sent down for that very reason. I told Jeff I didn’t expect him back this season because of the option issue. I think most teams have about 17 regular season games left, so if he doesn’t get called up I wonder if he is assigned to Bakersfield to end the season (which looks to be the only team who won’t make playoffs)

http://www.mvn.com/milb-rangers

For old times sake...C'mon Kelly! :-)

by Beverly23 on Aug 17, 2008 9:15 AM CDT up reply actions

I wouldn't be surprised

if he’s back up and Padilla’s on the DL before his next start. Considering how quickly Hunter has moved up, I’m not sure options will be a real big issue with him anyway. If he’s not a big league regular in 2011 something will have gone very wrong.

Time you enjoy wasting was not wasted.

by t ball on Aug 17, 2008 9:31 AM CDT up reply actions

The Nippert Experiment

begins. Call me crazy, but I sort of like this rotation:
Millwood
Padilla
Feldman
Nippert
Harrison (I’m a big Harrison fan, as y’all know)

I said it yesterday and I’ll say it again, the Rangers are about to go on an absolute tear, not a playoff tear, but a tear nonetheless. I’ll stand my prediction from the beginning of the season, we finish 85-77 and in 2nd place.

"You can't reason with your heart; it has its own laws, and thumps about things which the intellect scorns." - from A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court, by Mark Twain

by dstar442005 on Aug 16, 2008 5:41 PM CDT reply actions

That rotation sucks...

So yes, you’re crazy.

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

by slc ranger on Aug 16, 2008 5:53 PM CDT up reply actions

I meant

for THIS season.

"You can't reason with your heart; it has its own laws, and thumps about things which the intellect scorns." - from A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court, by Mark Twain

by dstar442005 on Aug 16, 2008 10:50 PM CDT up reply actions

No

bacon?

Time you enjoy wasting was not wasted.

by t ball on Aug 16, 2008 7:07 PM CDT up reply actions

Are you Jewish?

Nah, I ain’t Jewish, I just don’t dig on swine, that’s all.

Why not?

Pigs are filthy animals. I don’t eat filthy animals.

Bacon tastes gooood. Pork chops taste gooood.

Hey, sewer rat may taste like pumpkin pie, but I’d never know ‘cause I wouldn’t eat the filthy motherfucker. Pigs sleep and root in shit. That’s a filthy animal. I ain’t eat nothin’ that ain’t got enough sense enough to disregard its own feces.

How about a dog? Dogs eats its own feces.

I don’t eat dog either.

Yeah, but do you consider a dog to be a filthy animal?

I wouldn’t go so far as to call a dog filthy but they’re definitely dirty. But, a dog’s got personality. Personality goes a long way.

Ah, so by that rationale, if a pig had a better personality, he would cease to be a filthy animal. Is that true?

Well we’d have to be talkin’ about one charming motherfuckin’ pig. I mean he’d have to be ten times more charmin’ than that Arnold on Green Acres, you know what I’m sayin’?

by robert_d_wilfong on Aug 17, 2008 3:56 PM CDT up reply actions

Assuming

that’s a quote from something…

Time you enjoy wasting was not wasted.

by t ball on Aug 17, 2008 8:24 PM CDT up reply actions

Nippert will do good

he’ll be the opposite of Mendoza, pretty bad in the pen but good in the rotation. If you can throw 96 mph and throw your curve for strikes than you can be AT LEAST a #4.

Maybe in ST, he can work adding some deception to his delivery because he shows the ball to hitter too early, if not that then try to add some movement to his fastball. If he can do both then i think he’ll be great and JD will have pulled a reverse Galarraga deal.

Feliz and Hurley. The 1-2 punch of the future

by Steal Home on Aug 17, 2008 1:42 AM CDT reply actions