Thursday a.m. things
by Adam J. Morris
on Aug 28, 2008 9:51 AM CDT
Even if it is over a team as pitiful as the Royals, a sweep is a sweep, particularly on the road, and I'm going to enjoy it.
Matt Harrison was solid. Frankie Francisco was impressive. And Jarrod Saltalamacchia made a hustling, heads-up play on a 2 out error that was the difference in the game. I like that.
Frankie says that, as the closer, he just wants to trust his stuff and go after hitters. I think that's a good plan.
Vicente Padilla has been scratched as the Ranger starter tomorrow, and Dustin Nippert will take his place. Evan Grant wonders why Padilla isn't on the d.l., and why Padilla has been healthy enough, over the past two months, to start against the weaker teams, but has injury issues whenever a good team is the opponent.
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Local cameramen might want to watch out...
…after speculation like that from Grant. Padzilla might go all “Gambler” on one of them.
Physician: Primum non nocere
Batter: First, make no out
by Chad Crudup on Aug 28, 2008 9:56 AM CDT 0 recs
Salty
pretty mixed bag with the passed ball and dropped throw. But kudos for the heads up play, and Salty was vary complimentary to Harrison after the game. Harrison has the game to be a solid cog in the rotation next year if he keeps this up. His K/BB ratio is better than Hurley’s through their minor league career’s and he keeps the ball in the park. It would be nice if he, Feldman, and McCarthy all stayed healthy all next year.
O Freunde, nicht diese Töne!
Sondern laßt uns angenehmere anstimmen,
und freudenvollere.
by t ball on Aug 28, 2008 10:01 AM CDT 0 recs
I agree on Harrison...
…I am more confident in his ability going forward than I am in Hurley.
Physician: Primum non nocere
Batter: First, make no out
by Chad Crudup on
Aug 28, 2008 10:03 AM CDT
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+1
Hopefully we can higher a REAL pitching coach this winter that can teach Hurley how to get groundball outs
by awillis111 on
Aug 28, 2008 10:11 AM CDT
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Yeah the flyballs...
…are the main concern for me with EH.
Physician: Primum non nocere
Batter: First, make no out
by Chad Crudup on
Aug 28, 2008 10:15 AM CDT
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is that an indictment on Hurley...
or more of an endorsement on Harrison?
I think Hurley next year could be a near-4.00 ERA pitcher from what I’ve seen so far. If Harrison’s better than that, we could have a very good year. Something tells me we won’t be looking anywhere near that good though…and I know that my optimism wreaks in that ERA prediction…I am highly aware of that.
"So you have no frame of reference here, Donny. You're like a child who wanders into the middle of a movie and wants to know... "
by Walter Sobchak on
Aug 28, 2008 11:18 AM CDT
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For me it's a little of both but mostly...
…just a case of being more impressed with Harrison in the majors thus far.
Physician: Primum non nocere
Batter: First, make no out
by Chad Crudup on
Aug 28, 2008 11:35 AM CDT
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+1
If Hurley can developa a good pitch that induces GB outs, I think he will outpace Harrison
by awillis111 on
Aug 28, 2008 11:47 AM CDT
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salty-laird ops gap... closing quickly
of course, the defensive gap remains. but none the less, salty is finally hitting a little when he gets in there which is good to see.
the preceding post is not nearly as negative or insulting as you think it is
by DSheppard on Aug 28, 2008 10:03 AM CDT 0 recs
Speaking of OPS gaps...
…Interesting that Brandon Boggs, who most people probably think has had a poor offensive rookie season, woke up this morning with OBP and SLG percentages better than those of FotF. And of course a lot fewer GIDPs.
Physician: Primum non nocere
Batter: First, make no out
by Chad Crudup on
Aug 28, 2008 10:06 AM CDT
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Boggs has three HR's
in the last week and his OPS is over .750. Why doesn’t he play 5 times a week?
It’s crap like this that makes everybody question “The Plan.”
"Dying ain't hard. It's living that's hard."
by Josey Wales on
Aug 28, 2008 10:14 AM CDT
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That easy...
They are showcasing Cruz, hoping for a trade before Sunday night….Other than that we just have a glut of OF’ers again
by awillis111 on
Aug 28, 2008 10:31 AM CDT
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This is really bizarre.
Here are Boggs’ numbers over the last seven days:
.214/.267/.643/.910
Seems pretty normal, right? But what about his BABIP? Get ready for this…
It’s .143.
by jwiscarson on
Aug 28, 2008 10:17 AM CDT
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season
His BABIP for the season is .306 which I think is a little low. He is a player that you can’t just look at his BA and make a judgement on.
Nolan Ryan should be the Rangers president, GM, manager and pitching coach.
by RangerMad on
Aug 28, 2008 10:22 AM CDT
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I agree.
For what it’s worth, I don’t think you should ever judge a player on batting average alone.
My point was really that his OPS is absurd for someone who’s hit .143 on balls in play. He’s hit two homers in 15 PAs over the last week.
by jwiscarson on
Aug 28, 2008 10:25 AM CDT
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Random Question..
How can your BA be lower than your BABIP?
Does a home run not count as a ball “in play”?
by Topgun22 on
Aug 28, 2008 10:24 AM CDT
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No
Walks, Ks and HRs aren’t “in play”. In play means the defense can make a play.
"Oh well, McCain is pretty communist anyway,... we can be 70% communist with McCain,"-Sharky
by DJCahill on
Aug 28, 2008 10:25 AM CDT
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Uh Oh
don’t speak ill of FotF, or Athos will take out your kneecaps.
"Oh well, McCain is pretty communist anyway,... we can be 70% communist with McCain,"-Sharky
by DJCahill on
Aug 28, 2008 10:20 AM CDT
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I will gladly expose my kneecaps...
…in the name of pointing out the ridiculous overvaluing of MY.
Physician: Primum non nocere
Batter: First, make no out
by Chad Crudup on
Aug 28, 2008 10:30 AM CDT
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Well if her's overvalued...
Then it’s all of the MLB that is implicit in that little conspiracy
by awillis111 on
Aug 28, 2008 10:38 AM CDT
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Really? Put him on waivers...
…and see if any teams will claim that contract.
Physician: Primum non nocere
Batter: First, make no out
by Chad Crudup on
Aug 28, 2008 11:36 AM CDT
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FotF
The best part is that people think he’s going to hit enough to play at 3B or LF. Unfortunately, MY should either be at SS or on the bench.
--Brian
by BCanfield on
Aug 28, 2008 10:34 AM CDT
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I predict next years infield as this...
3B Duran
SS Kinsler
2B Young (that’s where he was drafted)
1B Davis
or
3B Young
SS Kinsler
2B Duran
1B Davis
by awillis111 on
Aug 28, 2008 10:42 AM CDT
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Huh?
Kinsler isn’t going to play shortstop.
by Adam J. Morris on
Aug 28, 2008 10:44 AM CDT
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Why not
He certainly has more range and agility than MY. He could hold it down til Andrus is ready then slide back to 2B, and move Duran into a UIF, right?
by awillis111 on
Aug 28, 2008 10:47 AM CDT
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Won't happen.
Plus, don’t you think Arias will move into UIF?
by FuturePants on
Aug 28, 2008 11:00 AM CDT
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Agreed...
…I wonder how he will be after another winter of rest/rehab/training/whatever.
by FuturePants on
Aug 28, 2008 11:24 AM CDT
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Kinsler
I saw him play SS about a half-dozen times when he was at Frisco- he had a lot of trouble with throws to first, both in terms of accuracy and arm strength.
Moving him to 2B was the right decision, and shouldn’t be reversed. Young’s range isn’t great, but I’d take him at SS over Kinsler.
"I dont care to debate with a troll." - Sharky
by RCCook on
Aug 28, 2008 1:53 PM CDT
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but could he?
not arguing that he should…
"So you have no frame of reference here, Donny. You're like a child who wanders into the middle of a movie and wants to know... "
by Walter Sobchak on
Aug 28, 2008 11:40 AM CDT
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Moving more people in the infield
makes less sense to me. I think (if any moves are made) Arias takes over at short (provided his shoulder’s strong enough for the throws), and Mikey takes over at third. I don’t think Michael produces enough in a CIF position, but I also don’t see how we can relegate him to another position, or bench him given the amount of money on his contract.
by jwiscarson on
Aug 28, 2008 12:04 PM CDT
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Sadly, because of his contract
it isnt an option. You will see lots of MY over the next 5 years, and there is a very good chance this year he hits better than he does the 5 years down the road.
That was just an albatross extension at the time, and it was hilarious how many folks were cheering it on.
"Oh well, McCain is pretty communist anyway,... we can be 70% communist with McCain,"-Sharky
by DJCahill on
Aug 28, 2008 10:51 AM CDT
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let's put it this way
I’d rather pay a guy like Mike Young for 5 years at 90 million and have Davis at 1st base than pay Tex for 6 years at 150 million and a question mark at SS…even if Andrus is SUPPOSED to be that good. Call it the fact that it isn’t my money, we’ve finally got internal pitching options coming up, and Mike Young is likeable. As far as defense and hitting go? Tex takes the money there. I just don’t like the guy.
"So you have no frame of reference here, Donny. You're like a child who wanders into the middle of a movie and wants to know... "
by Walter Sobchak on
Aug 28, 2008 11:43 AM CDT
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First, do no harm
No, his bat won’t be a traditional 3B bat, but he’ll do less damage on defense over there (we hope) and he is far from the most important cog in the offense. If they continue to have as much bat at the other positions, a slightly below average 3B is not going to hurt much.
O Freunde, nicht diese Töne!
Sondern laßt uns angenehmere anstimmen,
und freudenvollere.
by t ball on
Aug 28, 2008 11:00 AM CDT
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MY is here to stay...
…but what we have to hope is that (eventually) our current manager or some future manager will realize that he needs to be playing a position other than SS and batting in the bottom half of the order.
Physician: Primum non nocere
Batter: First, make no out
by Chad Crudup on
Aug 28, 2008 11:15 AM CDT
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That's one of the reasons...
…I want a strong offensive catcher, to help make up for the aging GIDP machine at 3B. A lot depends upon how Andrus turns out offensively, but one of my concerns is we’ll have a pretty “bleah” offensive left side INF in a couple years.
We need to hire Chuck Norris to kick the ass of any Ranger fan caught booing one of our young pitchers at the RBiA.
by lonestarJon on
Aug 28, 2008 11:20 AM CDT
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well most people may think boggs is a little meh offensively
but I dont think most people on here regard michael young as a high standard for OBP and SLG. not exactly michael young’s fan club this year.
I like boggs though, if he can hit .260 he will be a solid player. otherwise.. good 4th outfielder to hit lefties and help you defensively.
the preceding post is not nearly as negative or insulting as you think it is
by DSheppard on
Aug 28, 2008 10:39 AM CDT
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the kid's a legit rookie
that didn’t play much, if any, AAA ball. Boggs will be fine. the question is, will he get a legitimate chance here to be fine on a regular basis…?
"So you have no frame of reference here, Donny. You're like a child who wanders into the middle of a movie and wants to know... "
by Walter Sobchak on
Aug 28, 2008 11:44 AM CDT
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These last few weeks
Should be fairly fun to watch if Cruz is in RF and Boggs in LF. Defensively, people really better not be tempted to take an extra base or score on a mid-short fly ball. Of course, I love defense, especially “I dare you” defense.
"He uses statistics as a drunken man uses lamp-posts... for support rather than illumination." - Andrew Lang (1844-1912)
by Ed Coffin on
Aug 28, 2008 1:26 PM CDT
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Don't get your hopes up...
…I expect the standard OF will be a combo of Murphy/Nellie/Hambone/Byrd, maybe a little light on Murph, but definitely with plenty of Marlon.
Physician: Primum non nocere
Batter: First, make no out
by Chad Crudup on
Aug 28, 2008 1:31 PM CDT
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One wonders
If EG comes up with these conspiracy theories himself or if maybe some times things are said over a post-game hotel bar brew in confidence. He’s certainly capable of puttig two-and-two together to come up with this notion, but it’s a pretty damning statement. One might think that he wouldn’t actually post it unless there was some fire around that smoke.
by robert_d_wilfong on Aug 28, 2008 10:16 AM CDT 0 recs
Bingo, Wilfong.
That’s a real chickenshit to say about a player and this organization has a history of doing this (see The Gambler).
"Dying ain't hard. It's living that's hard."
by Josey Wales on
Aug 28, 2008 10:34 AM CDT
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TAG on Tuesday
talked about how you can not judge a young hitter on avg alone. He used Boggs and Salty as examples of players who see alot of pitches and have good OBP. He said that these types of young players are easier to project than a rookie who hits .290 with a low OBP. Nothing really new in what he said. Now, in 2008. I wonder when he, and others in baseball, came around to this type of thinking.
Nolan Ryan should be the Rangers president, GM, manager and pitching coach.
by RangerMad on Aug 28, 2008 10:18 AM CDT 0 recs
Padilla/Grant..
I see no reason why Padilla would be “ducking” a start against the Angels:
1) This is not a contract year for him, so even if a bad outing skewed his numbers a little, it’s not an issue.
2) If he wanted to be traded out of here to a contender, this would be his last chance at a showcase start before the deadline.
3) Not sure a really good outing tonight would increase his trade value much, so I doubt it would make it more or less likely he is dealt.
Maybe the guy really is hurt. Sounds like Grant grasping at straws to me.
by Topgun22 on Aug 28, 2008 10:19 AM CDT 0 recs
As for the DL issue..
Now that he has oficially been scratched, maybe he is put on the DL today retroactively to bring up a reliever (although the bull pen is totally rested right now), or an extra bat.
by Topgun22 on
Aug 28, 2008 10:23 AM CDT
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Why?
When rosters expand on Monday…Jeff Wilson of the Star-Telegram speculates that TT and MadMax will be brought up
by awillis111 on
Aug 28, 2008 10:26 AM CDT
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playoffs
OKC is in the playoffs. When their season is completely ove tthen they will be called up.
Nolan Ryan should be the Rangers president, GM, manager and pitching coach.
by RangerMad on
Aug 28, 2008 10:39 AM CDT
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#2
If any team was interested in trading for him, they would have claimed him first – and reports that I’ve seen say he went unclaimed. Nobody wants Padilla. He’s a head case.
by Randy Richardson on
Aug 28, 2008 10:24 AM CDT
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Not Necessarily
A team would not have claimed him if they thought they could get the Rangers to eat some of his salary in a trade.
by Topgun22 on
Aug 28, 2008 10:26 AM CDT
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Seems to me...
That they are trying to dump salary right now, so I doubt that happens
by awillis111 on
Aug 28, 2008 10:28 AM CDT
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well,
even if a team claims a player, a deal that involves cash can still be worked out. Seems to me that a guy like Padilla went unclaimed because teams feared the Rangers would just let the claiming team have him.
by Randy Richardson on
Aug 28, 2008 10:30 AM CDT
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Actually,
if a team claimed him, the Rangers could say, “take him, he’s yours” and be done with the contract. The claiming team has no leverage to get the Rangers to eat some of the contract.
It’s happened before.
"Oh well, McCain is pretty communist anyway,... we can be 70% communist with McCain,"-Sharky
by DJCahill on
Aug 28, 2008 10:32 AM CDT
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Yeah
Didn’t that bite SDnin the ass a few years back?
by awillis111 on
Aug 28, 2008 10:33 AM CDT
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Exactly....
That’s what I was trying to say in giving a reason why a team wouldn’t claim him, but might still be interested in trading for him.
by Topgun22 on
Aug 28, 2008 11:44 AM CDT
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The only real reason for a team to to put in a claim
is either they really want a player, or really don’t want another team to have him
by Telegraph on
Aug 28, 2008 12:07 PM CDT
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i think the Padilla observation
is valid. If he comes back when we’re facing Boston i’ll say i was wrong, but to me it looks suspicious.
by jcAustin on
Aug 28, 2008 10:59 AM CDT
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Padilla...
But what’s his motivation for “ducking” a start? He’s not playing for a contract.
by Topgun22 on
Aug 28, 2008 11:46 AM CDT
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Exactly.
This organization has a negative hard-on for Padilla. I remember Hicks openly questioning Padilla’s alleged injury last year.
"Dying ain't hard. It's living that's hard."
by Josey Wales on
Aug 28, 2008 11:48 AM CDT
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he doesn't want to get pounded by
a good team? Too much work for a losing cause? Better career numbers? Not saying i’m certain, just that it looks suspicious.
by jcAustin on
Aug 28, 2008 11:52 AM CDT
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But
he pitched against Det and Cle. They are both well above average offensive teams.
by blue glove dooshy on
Aug 28, 2008 12:53 PM CDT
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Bull
He’s dinged. He has no reason to fear Anaheim. Baltimore, Detroit, Philadelphia have massaged him. Tampa Bay is also a nemesis. His Angels splits:
vs.LAA 3.86 1 0 0 0 1 1 0 7.0
The rest, if you’d like to check ’em out:
http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/players/splits?playerId=4096
But I agree that there’s something prejudicial about somebody’s (Hicks ?) view of him.
"He uses statistics as a drunken man uses lamp-posts... for support rather than illumination." - Andrew Lang (1844-1912)
by Ed Coffin on
Aug 28, 2008 1:33 PM CDT
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A closer trusting his stuff and going after hitters... ?
Now there’s an idea…
by N41D on Aug 28, 2008 11:12 AM CDT 0 recs
Pac reinstated
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/spt/stories/082908dnspocowboysjones.1f105ba3.html
Offense doesn't doubt me, but my first and primemost thing is defense and punt return and kickoff return
by zywica on Aug 28, 2008 1:40 PM CDT 0 recs
And
Cowboys deal a 2010 5th rounder for Montrae Holland. I don’t know how good he was for Denver last year, but since the options to replace Kosier look pretty dicey, this may be a good move.
Offense doesn't doubt me, but my first and primemost thing is defense and punt return and kickoff return
by zywica on
Aug 28, 2008 2:38 PM CDT
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