Monday morning Rangers stuff
by Adam J. Morris on May 11, 2009 9:16 AM CDT
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PrintAnthony Andro's game story has some quotes from Ron Washington about how pleased he is with the starting pitching and the team's performance on this road trip, and includes Vicente Padilla channeling his inner Nuke LaLoosh:
"I have been throwing my pitches and they have been swinging at them," Padilla said. "The most important thing is for the team to win. If I pitch good, that’s fine, but the most important thing is to get the win. I was keeping the balls low and my fastball was moving a lot."
Evan Grant notes that the team ERA has dropped to 4.90 on the season, and talks about how the good pitching is leading to guys feeding off of each other.
Chris Davis switched to a heavier bat yesterday, and was 2-4 with a homer and a double. Davis said he made a similar switch last season when he was struggling, in an effort to slow himself down and keep his hands back.
Inside Corner has the copy from a John Blake press release on Josh Hamilton's rehab assignment up. Sounds like he should be activated on Tuesday.
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your first place Rangers
Nice as it is, remember how the Rangers have a history of tanking pretty quickly after the All Star Break? Won’t the test of the pudding be then after the ASB? I hope they can keep it up.
I soloed in the Mile High Club!
The Rangers have a history of tanking at the beginning of the season too
By 2028, Mark Teixeira will be in the HOF.
-The Outlaw
Rangers
very true…This has been a nice turn of events.
I soloed in the Mile High Club!
sometimes we pull off tanking in both the beginning and post AS break
mormons stole me and held me against my will with Oklahoma beer and 12+ hour work days.
They have a very
tough schedule after the ASB and through August. Hopefully they can build a lead in the ALWest and play .500 ball through that part of their schedule.
Elvis Andrus - 2009 AL Rookie of the Year
Yeah, but we have only a few games in the hot August sun @ home.
The road trips may work to our advantage there.
She say she are the manager.
by rockin_rangers on May 11, 2009 10:01 AM CDT up reply actions
no
the test of the pudding will be whether we make the playoffs or not, period. then, if we can win a playoff game. then if we can win a series. and so on.
I don’t care about the history of this team, I care about how we are rewriting that history right now
"Hang-Dai, Wu...Hang-Fu$&ing-Dai"
by Walter Sobchak on May 11, 2009 2:14 PM CDT up reply actions
runs allowed
Since the 12-3 pasting the Royals put on the Rangers on 4/10, they have given up 4.1 runs/gm with an team era of 3.89.
Elvis Andrus - 2009 AL Rookie of the Year
Regarding Davis, the obvious question then,
is why did he switch back to the lighter bat?
G G G E-flat_______ F F F D__________....
Was wondering the same thing
Maybe the lighter bat feels better to him, he just needs a short stint with the long bat to force his timing.
I almost wrote that
but was afraid to get branded a Davis apostate, since I too often question The Great Beasticon for his devoted followers liking.
I was never as much on the Davis bandwagon as some here
but the panic lately is entirely too far in the other direction. I think he hits 30 HRs and strikes out 190 times a year with a lower than ideal OBP around .330. I’ll take it and be perfectly ok that he’s not Pujols. I’m very surprised at his plus defense this year, though. Didn’t quite expect him to be that good.
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The whole "send him to AAA and bring up Smoak" thing is very silly
but there is a big difference between the .330 OBP guy you’d (and I’d) be happy with and the guy who has been up there so far this year. Hopefully this bat switch will help his timing.
Oddly enough
his wOBA is .329, not far off league avg. I’d expect that to get up to .350-.360 (which is where I’m ok with him) over the next several weeks, he’s having a good week and seems to be improving.
G G G E-flat_______ F F F D__________....
No matter what advanced stat you pull out
that shows a power guy is about average, you will still get complaints when they make outs 70+% of their plate appearances. This team has way too many folks with sub 300 OBPs, and that explains a lot of the boom or bust nature of our offense.
4/10/09 - Josh Hamilton's last walk.
"You know a pitching prospect isn't any good if John Daniels doesn't trade him away but keeps him insteaad." - http://crops.mlblogs.com/
"You probably can throw Neftali Feliz on that group of overblown Rangers pitching prospect failures." - http://crops.mlblogs.com/
Agreed
but that just means if you have a Davis you should aggressively try to compliment him with a higher on base guy or two. I don’t buy that all the Rangers are aggressive because of Jaramillo, any more than I buy that the pitching staff is suddenly more talented because of Maddux. A coach can only do so much.
G G G E-flat_______ F F F D__________....
These guys won't keep hitting with an OBP under.300
If Blalock, Salty, Davis, and Hamilton keep their OBPs under .300 later in the year, then the team will probably do something about them being in the lineup everyday.
By 2028, Mark Teixeira will be in the HOF.
-The Outlaw
why not?
there were signs of that…
"Hang-Dai, Wu...Hang-Fu$&ing-Dai"
by Walter Sobchak on May 11, 2009 2:16 PM CDT up reply actions
I was wondering the
other day if maybe CD’s shoes were too tight. (ie. Kevin Mench) :)
Elvis Andrus - 2009 AL Rookie of the Year
Is there REALLY anything there
about a trade to get Danks? But im not sure i give up Smoak for Danks. I konw we already have great offense but everyone in baseball thinks Smoak is really something special.
Elvis has "shook up" Arlington!!
I am surprised that
trade proposal didn’t get saved for TR’s mailbag.
Elvis Andrus - 2009 AL Rookie of the Year
In a good or bad way.
Wonderboy, what is the secret of your power? Wonderboy, won't you take me far away from the mucky-muck now. -- Tenacious D
There is nothing to it. It's my personal agenda.
I just can’t see another pitcher in the majors that’s a better fit for the Rangers. They missed out on Santana, because Santana didn’t want to play here. He would’ve been an even better get, of course. They missed out on Greinke, because Moore didn’t want to wait on the prospects from a prospect package to develop but instead wanted to build around what they already had on the ML team.
So, I think there isn’t a better fit. Chicago has an old OFer in Dye and an old DH in Thome and not much on the farm to offer as a replacement.
Wonderboy, what is the secret of your power? Wonderboy, won't you take me far away from the mucky-muck now. -- Tenacious D
I'd love to get Danks back...
and if it were Smoak for Danks, would I do it? Shit, I’d have to think LONG and hard about it. But if you have to add significant pitching prospect(s) to that deal, call it a day no matter what.
"Hang-Dai, Wu...Hang-Fu$&ing-Dai"
by Walter Sobchak on May 11, 2009 2:19 PM CDT up reply actions
Those lines don't sound
like something that came from Padilla’s mouth. I bet he actually spouted off some crazy wheels-off shit and his translator just did him a favor.
Haha, I can hear him now, in some kind of messed-up Spanish
and his translator trying frantically to work around what he was saying, and then simply settling with standard baseball talk.
She say she are the manager.
by rockin_rangers on May 11, 2009 10:03 AM CDT up reply actions
like the movie, Mr. Baseball
[a reporter asks Jack what he thinks about Japan after being there for less than an hour]
Jack Elliot: Well, the airport’s nice. I guess. And there’s lots of little people walking and talking very fast.
Toshi Yamashita, Jack’s Interpreter: [in Japanese] Architecture beautiful. Society on cutting edge of progress.
by Royal Swine on May 11, 2009 11:56 AM CDT up reply actions
I think he's been brainwashed
come to think of it, Millwood, too. Only they started with Millwood at the end of Spring Training, and waited a couple of weeks for Padilla, Feldman and Matt Harrison’s brainwashing. Now that it’s all working to perfection, I can imagine we’ll start to see McCarthy spew out amazing pitching lines…
maybe that’s what Maddux does. Brainwash magic.
"Hang-Dai, Wu...Hang-Fu$&ing-Dai"
by Walter Sobchak on May 11, 2009 2:21 PM CDT up reply actions
Law on Smoak (audio)
Hits on a few topics…
Law just never disappoints. It’s like an oxygen blast of sane baseball analysis.
http://sports.espn.go.com/stations/player?id=4143497
"[Font} doesn't turn 19 until the end of May and his heater can already hit 99 on the gun. That's baseball porn." - Jason Parks
care to sum it up?
can’t listen to anything now, but I can get away sneaking reading these things..
"Hang-Dai, Wu...Hang-Fu$&ing-Dai"
by Walter Sobchak on May 11, 2009 2:21 PM CDT up reply actions
Reviewed a pre-season list of guys to watch in the minors....
Justin Smoak is the first name he brought up. Joked about starting a “free Justin Smoak” campaign. Impressed by everything Smoak does, but most impressed by the low strike-out rate, and points to that as a stat that suggests he can hit for power AND average in the Bigs.
Also pointed out Gordon Beckham… might be best MIF for White Sox by middle of the season.
Talked about Greinke…. Didn’t see THIS coming; thought he’d be good, but what’s different this year is that Greinke is throwing harder. Pitch F/X doesn’t agree. Well, maybe if you compare him to the beginning of 2008.
Wonderboy, what is the secret of your power? Wonderboy, won't you take me far away from the mucky-muck now. -- Tenacious D
thank you sir
"Hang-Dai, Wu...Hang-Fu$&ing-Dai"
by Walter Sobchak on May 11, 2009 2:50 PM CDT up reply actions
Sickels with videos of Borbon, Mad Dog, and Ballard.
Wonderboy, what is the secret of your power? Wonderboy, won't you take me far away from the mucky-muck now. -- Tenacious D
It's amazing how little is written about the Rangers when they play well compared to when they play poorly.
Wonderboy, what is the secret of your power? Wonderboy, won't you take me far away from the mucky-muck now. -- Tenacious D
Do you really
expect Galloway or Reeves to write anything positive when it comes to the Rangers? or JJT? It’s pretty much beat writers when the Rangers are winning.
"Hustle doesn't cost a dime and it looks good." - Pete Rose as Channeled by Marcus Lemon
Galloway
wouldn’t want to admit that he could be wrong about the Rangers
by kevinkinsler on May 11, 2009 10:09 AM CDT up reply actions
I was being facetious.
Wonderboy, what is the secret of your power? Wonderboy, won't you take me far away from the mucky-muck now. -- Tenacious D
Sure, but you know
that if the Rangers go on a 5 game losing streak Galloway will suddenly be opining on the team again.
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it's the whole
‘misery loves company’ thing
Man, I love winning! You know? It's like better than losing!
Has anyone read stuff on baseballevolution.com.
I don’t think I’ve seen links to it from this site.
They have a nice preview of the Rangers season (including an 84-78 projection) by Karl Wright (Might that be blackknight from the Newberg Forum?). I found this statement to be very interesting:
It’s widely suspected that Daniels has plans to deal Cruz before season’s end, perhaps as early as May, in order to get Hamilton to his permanent spot in right.
I don’t know if ‘widely suspected’ is really accurate, but I’ve certainly come to believe that Cruz is among the most tradable guys, meaning he would bring back a decent return and the Rangers would be able to live without his bat. Blalock is at the top of the list of most tradable players, followed by a tie between Salty and Cruz. Personally, I’d like to keep Cruz and move him to left.
Also, there is a really great summary article of the San Francisco Giants pitching prospects, which might be of interest as the trade season approaches. I’ve already zeroed in on Henry Sosa, Clayton Tanner, Jose Casilla, and Luis Angel Mateo as guys I hope JD targets in any Blalock discussions.
Wonderboy, what is the secret of your power? Wonderboy, won't you take me far away from the mucky-muck now. -- Tenacious D
I've never understood
why having Hamilton in Left and Cruz in Right is so outrageous for some folks to conceive of.
It’s not like we have some great new COF on the farm, ready to break through. We have quite a few 4th OFs, and maybe a CF, but I don’t see the big COFs anytime soon.
4/10/09 - Josh Hamilton's last walk.
"You know a pitching prospect isn't any good if John Daniels doesn't trade him away but keeps him insteaad." - http://crops.mlblogs.com/
"You probably can throw Neftali Feliz on that group of overblown Rangers pitching prospect failures." - http://crops.mlblogs.com/
Hamilton in left and Cruz in right would work too, from my perspective.
If there is reason to think that Hamilton is the better defender (ie better range), it makes more sense to have him in LF rather than Cruz. Since Hamilton is playing CF now, I think he must be considered a better defender.
Wonderboy, what is the secret of your power? Wonderboy, won't you take me far away from the mucky-muck now. -- Tenacious D
Cruz in RF, Hambone in LF
seems the natural fit to me, but I’m not convinced that we have a legit CF to put between them.
Doctor please. Some more of these.
Well,
the jury is out on Borbon. However, I like the odds of him becoming an average CF (when combining offense and defense) more than I like the odds of Murphy or Boggs being a good Corner OF. Murphy and Boggs just look like 4th OFs.
4/10/09 - Josh Hamilton's last walk.
"You know a pitching prospect isn't any good if John Daniels doesn't trade him away but keeps him insteaad." - http://crops.mlblogs.com/
"You probably can throw Neftali Feliz on that group of overblown Rangers pitching prospect failures." - http://crops.mlblogs.com/
With all the pitching...
the Giants have combined with their desperate need for a bat they would seem to be an ideal team for the Rangers to deal with.
How about something like Cruz or Davis + Vallejo for Cain? Would the Giants do that? How much would they give up for a few months rental of Blalock? Could the Rangers get either Tanner or Sosa for him?
"The only good is knowledge and the only evil is ignorance."-Socrates
I've been thinking along those lines.
I would have a trade with the Giants as the most likely during this trade season. I was wondering if Cruz, Blalock, and a pitching prospect would be enough for Cain. There are other pitchers I’d rather trade for than Cain, but I would be happy to have him, and I think he’s probably the most likely trade target for under-25 pitchers.
I’d be really happy to see Blalock sent there for either one of Sosa or Tanner.
Wonderboy, what is the secret of your power? Wonderboy, won't you take me far away from the mucky-muck now. -- Tenacious D
Why does everyone want Cain so badly?
I understand the match with SF there, but Cain just doesn’t seem like the top of the rotation guy we’re looking for.
By 2028, Mark Teixeira will be in the HOF.
-The Outlaw
I personally like Cain's stuff...
as tricer says he walks a few too many batters, but he also strikes out almost a batter per 9 innings. I think he would be one of the few quality young pitchers available for the right price.
And if you think SF is a nice fit, but don’t think Cain is a top of the rotation guy then who would you target? They aren’t trading Linecum. While I don’t think Cain is an ace I do think he would be a very good #2 starter. If the Rangers had him, Millwood, and signed Sheets and had a rotation next year of Sheets, Millwood, Cain, and 2 of McCarthy, Feldman, Harrison, Holland, or Feliz I would think they could easily contend in the West.
I would hate to give up CD or Cruz. I really think they are going to be quality power hitters in this league, but I think with the depth the Rangers have they could afford to make such a move.
"The only good is knowledge and the only evil is ignorance."-Socrates
His k/rate isn't close to 9 K/9
In 2005, it was an 8.45 K/9, but since then he’s been more of a 7 K/9 guy. Mixed in with the walks, you have a nice pitcher but not one who is a stud.
Who would I target? Don’t know. Its much easier shooting down trade proposals :D . I would like to add Sheets this season and see what he is able to do over the next year and a half. Other than that, I don’t see a clearly good trade scenario that works out for the Rangers nor do I think that they really need to make a trade right now. I’d rather stick with CD and Cruz. Maybe they do well enough to where some team is willing to buy high on them and blow us away with a trade proposal. Until then though, I’d say they should more or less stand pat.
By 2028, Mark Teixeira will be in the HOF.
-The Outlaw
Josh Johnson
is the guy I’d love to see in a Ranger uniform.
Srikeout pitcher (7.74 k/9) with incredible command (1.08 bb/9) and very strong groundball ratio (2.16 gb/fb). He’s the real deal, although there are injury problems in his past.
Doctor please. Some more of these.
forgot to mention
that he’s 25 and has 2 arb seasons left. The fact that his “expensive” arb seasons are around the corner would be the only reason Florida might conceivably have him on the block.
Doctor please. Some more of these.
I don't know what to think about Matt Cain.
I keep mentioning him because I believe it’s the most realistic 25-and-under trade target out there. Two years ago he looked like he was on his way to being what Greinke has become.
But, even though he still has good stuff, his performance has trended in the opposite direction. Fewer ground balls, fewer strike outs, more walks…..
I much prefer Josh Johnson to Matt Cain. Most folks think Danks is untouchable; I think Josh Johnson is in the same boat along with Billingsley, Kershaw, Lincecum, King Felix, Gallardo. If their respective teams think they will compete the next few years, they have to keep these fellas because they have no one else to step in.
If JD wanted to not overspend on a under-25 TORP, Cain is the guy to get, it seems to me. If he doesn’t mind overspending (offering a mind-blowing, can’t let it pass package; a Teixeira deal), I would be happy to have it be one of Danks or Josh Johnson.
Wonderboy, what is the secret of your power? Wonderboy, won't you take me far away from the mucky-muck now. -- Tenacious D
Marlins and the 2 Joshes
I think there is precedent for thinking the Marlins might trade away Johnson, it would be similar to what they did with Beckett, who was dealt with two arb seasons left IIRC.
Doctor please. Some more of these.
You might be right. White Sox and Marlins are both interesting management situations for the next few years.
Marlins might be able to expand their payroll in 2012, but until then will need to live frugally. Right now, they have only one player under contract for high dollars: Hanley Ramirez. That’s quite a bit different situation than they had when they traded Beckett after the 2005 season. That season their payroll was >$60M, and they didn’t make the playoffs. They’re probably lean enough now to not have to move payroll. On the other hand, if they wanna peak in 2011-2012, may as well get prospects for Josh now.
I would think anyone on this board that wants the Rangers to trade for Halladay woul doubly want Josh. Josh’s numbers look a lot like Halladay’s.
Pitcher, K/9, BB/9, HR/9, LD%, GB%, FB%
Josh Johnson, 7.74, 1.08, 0.36, 18.2%, 55.9%, 25.9%
Roy Halladay, 7.62, 1.21, 0.87, 21.2%, 54.5%, 24.4%
Josh has changed his GB% dramatically. I believe it is as real and permanent of a change as those that Greinke and Danks have made.
The White Sox have $25M coming off the books, if they buyout Dye. Best hitters on the market are Nick Johnson, Matt Holliday, and Jason Bay. The FA TORP are Lackey, Harden, Bedard, and Sheets. It will be interesting to see if they ink a long-term deal for a pitcher or a hitter. I’m sure one or the other will happen, if they hope to be competitive.
Wonderboy, what is the secret of your power? Wonderboy, won't you take me far away from the mucky-muck now. -- Tenacious D
because he is about to get expensive, and he plays for the Marlins
Those were the reasons that were speculated above.
Doctor please. Some more of these.
I think
they keep some of their guys around, especially if he’s pitching like that. And I think there’s a chance their budget increases a bit as they get closer to having a new stadium.
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you're right
but of all the ace type pitchers, he is the one that might make it to the trade market. As you know, it’s most likely that no pitchers of that caliber are available. But with it being the Marlins, and with them having both Nolasco and Volstad to anchor the rotation, I’d guess there is some possibility that he could be available.
The next tough question, is what would Florida want in return, and that’s tough because they have established young players or elite prospects at nearly every position. Using the Beckett trade as a template, they’d probably expect an elite near prospect (Smoak) and a highly ranked pitcher (Main), plus a couple nice complimentary pieces.
One other thing that’s kinda off topic, looking at the Boston system at the time that trade went down, they had 2 pitching prospects ranked higher than Anibel Sanchez – Papelbon and Lester. Think how differently things would look for both those franchises if the Marlins had gotten one of those two instead of Sanchez.
Doctor please. Some more of these.
Last paragraph
interesting thought. And add to that how different the career of Papelbon might have been. You have a good point that with Nolasco and Volstad around they might be willing to deal Johnson, or vice versa. But If I were them I’d hang on to all 3 while still smarting from the aforementioned Sanchez injury. They have some vivid recent reminders of the ephemeral nature of pitching depth.
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Pitching
I am enjoying this run the Rangers have been on, but I have two questions. Can the pitching stay this good? The pitching staff didn’t ever looks this good last year, but they did have their moments…is this just a moment? Also, can our offense endure the long season? I know we scored an insane amount of runs last year, but it seemed that the guys faded down the stretch. I hope the answer is yes and yes, I like this team a lot.
Who'd of thunk it?
2009 Bullpen AL Bullpen Usage
1. KC 85IP (32G)
2. Detroit 85.2IP (30G)
3. Texas 87IP (31G)
4. LAAA 88IP (30G)
5. Minnesota 89IP (32G)
6. TB 93.1IP (33G)
7. Chicago 97IP (30G)
8. Cleveland 99.1IP (32G)
9. NY 101.1IP (31G)
10. Toronto 103.1IP (34G)
11. Seattle 103.1IP (32G)
12. Boston 104IP (32G)
13. Baltimore 109.1IP (32G)
14. Oakland 115IP (29G)
"A good start would be not giving up 900 runs again." -Jon Daniels
by Randy Richardson on May 11, 2009 11:37 AM CDT reply actions
Very nice.
"Back on the scene, with a gangsta lean" RW
"you gonna lose your horse. seriously." FX2
Yes we can! November 04, 2008
#3! Awesome!
She say she are the manager.
by rockin_rangers on May 11, 2009 11:47 AM CDT up reply actions
I am surprised
nobosd is saying that the SPs will be worn out by August and won’t be able to handle the heat.
Elvis Andrus - 2009 AL Rookie of the Year
None of the pitchers have thrown excessive numbers of pitches
That’s what has been so nice about this run.
And lets be realistic, by mid June, we’ll have BMac and Padilla on the DL, so there will be 2 fresh arms in the rotation; Feldman will still be throwing 5 innings / game, so he’ll be “fresh,” Harrison will have his share of rough starts, saving his arm strength, and Millwood will be pitching for that vested option.
I just choose to continue to set my self up for failure
when it comes to our pitching, I’m pretty sure that is a rationale course of action.
So much of what we think is good pitching is actually good defense (cribbed from the Great Bill James)
so I tend to think this pitching staff is somewhat legit.
"Dying ain't hard. It's living that's hard."
by Josey Wales on May 11, 2009 12:51 PM CDT up reply actions
in this case though
failure might actually be improvement if injuries or complete suckitude comes around…Holland steps into a rotation spot, and there’s an improvement; however, we lose bullpen prowess
"Hang-Dai, Wu...Hang-Fu$&ing-Dai"
by Walter Sobchak on May 11, 2009 2:31 PM CDT up reply actions
Well, one advantage is...
if the starters DO wear out in August and we have to go to the bullpen more, the bullpen won’t already be worn out from being overused in April, May and June.
August is a pretty heavy
road month… just by glancing at my shiny Ranger’s calendar. May actually be a good thing.
This is good, and troubling all at the same time:
Hamilton, the first player in the Triple-A team’s clubhouse this morning
"Back on the scene, with a gangsta lean" RW
"you gonna lose your horse. seriously." FX2
Yes we can! November 04, 2008
Well I don't think
he was staying at the team hotel so he couldn’ t ride the team bus.
Elvis Andrus - 2009 AL Rookie of the Year
Really good roadie last week.
The team is now 13-7 since Young’s walk-off gamewinner (and Washington job saver)v. KC three weeks ago. Within those 20 games, the Rangers went 9-3 on the road.
Their pythag record agrees with how they’ve been playing and it’s difficult to pick nits. I haven’t figured out their rotation Game Scores of 50+ but that list seems to grow nearly every day.
The bully not getting a lot of work is huge.
I do think elevating Holland to the rotation (thus replacing McCarthy) is the next obvious step to improving this thing. It’s going to be another embarrassing pill to swallow for JD but it’s best for the team.
"Dying ain't hard. It's living that's hard."
It isn't obvious to me who Holland replaces
Obviously BMac is the one most recently coming off a bad start. But I think most guys in the rotation right now have some bad starts hiding in there waiting to come out at times. I think Holland will be in there at some point, but it’s too early to tell if it’ll be to replace a struggling guy or as an injury replacement.
What I think is great about the past three weeks is that the offense is actually not clicking very well. Kinsler has cooled off, Hammy and Young (our hottest hitter) have been injured. Davis still K’s with the best of them. Hank has great days and bad days. Yet the team is winning games. Even when the pitching comes down to earth (and will it ever), the offense should score a good deal more runs than they have been, so I’m somewhat encouraged.
Game scores since 4/19
Millwood: 54, 55, 45, 53 (avg 51.8)
Padilla: 36, 48, 48, 82, 72 (avg 57.2)
Harrison: 25, 50, 58, 84 (avg 54.3)
McCarthy: 50, 34, 60, 24 (avg 42.0)
Feldman: 57, 54, 59 (avg 56.7)
Overall average in the last 20 games: 52.4
Texas is 10-3 in the 13 games with a game score of at least 50 since 4/19. Millwood lost two of those three (to Toronto and two nights ago to Chicago), with the other being Feldman’s game against Chicago.
by Outworlder47 on May 11, 2009 1:22 PM CDT up reply actions
If only game scores were worth a shit.
"Back on the scene, with a gangsta lean" RW
"you gonna lose your horse. seriously." FX2
Yes we can! November 04, 2008
BMac was pitching pretty good til the ump squeezed him into throwing right down the middle to get strikes
i dont blame BMac for giving up those runs last start.
mormons stole me and held me against my will with Oklahoma beer and 12+ hour work days.
And Bill James says that "within a couple of games" teams can usually
expect to win the same number of games that they receive a Game Score of 50+.
Outworider says the Rangers had 13 games (10-3 record) where they had a Game Score of 50+ and what dya know, they went 13-7 in those games.
That Bill James is crazy, man!!
"Dying ain't hard. It's living that's hard."
x
Outworider says the Rangers had 13 games (10-3 record) where they had a Game Score of 50+ and what dya know, they went 13-7 in those games.
Hmm?
by brettgardner on May 11, 2009 5:08 PM CDT up reply actions
Even if that were true
I don’t see how it would be embarrassing, considering he’s also responsible for Holland.
by brettgardner on May 11, 2009 1:23 PM CDT up reply actions
McCarthy has been mediocre
at the best this entire year save one start v. the White Sox on a rainy night.
You know he’s not going to last into the 7th inning.
Has 31 IP’s in 6 starts (just a shade over 5 IPs / game) and is a wrecking ball to the bully.
Blow-up innings out of nowhere (Oakland, Baltimore) always seem to be a problem with him.
When given leads he can be counted on to cough said lead up.
Three of his last four starts have been awful.
We also know that McCarthy was a decent long relief option on some very good Chicago teams in the past.
To me, it’s beyond obvious who Holland replaces…it’s Brandon McCarthy.
"Dying ain't hard. It's living that's hard."
x
To me, it’s beyond obvious who Holland replaces…it’s Brandon McCarthy.
A week ago it was Harrison.
by FuturePants on May 11, 2009 12:54 PM CDT up reply actions
+1
As soon as anything goes remotely bad, Josey is done with them. If Elvis makes two errors in a game this week, he’s done and still not ready for the show. So yeah, pretty much irrelevant who “HE” thinks is crap and is great.
Elvis has "shook up" Arlington!!
Future Pants,
I was skeptical about Harrison entering the season because he really wasn’t very good last year and Baseball Prospectus forecasted something like a 6.49 ERA as well.
Harrison had a moment of clarity and has been a different pitcher ever since that second inning in Baltimore. My patience with him is extended far more than it is with McCarthy because Harrison has less than 25 starts and a full year in The Show . This is what young pitchers do.
Per McCarthy, he was in The Show 1.5 years before getting to Texas and this is his third year with us.
Why do we see the same shit with McCarthv over and over and over and over?
He’s healthy this year which I guess is a step in the right direction but he’s just not that good and I don’t see why anybody would think he could be any better than a 4th (or more likely) 5th starter in The Show.
"Dying ain't hard. It's living that's hard."
Are you willing to admit
That your claim that McCarthy has been “awful” in 3 of his last 4 starts is complete bullshit?
by brettgardner on May 11, 2009 7:37 PM CDT up reply actions
bgardner...Usually you're just being an asshole
but now you’re being stupid or lazy. What gives?
Brandon McCarthy was indeed, awful, in three of the last four starts he has made for the Rangers.
Let’’s exclude the truncated May 2 outing and give him credit…
In his other 3 starts totalling 15 IPs, McCarthy allowed 14 earned runs, 22 hits and 8 walks. Yes genius, McCarthy was awful in three of his last four starts.
His two starts previous to his last four were largely a big bag of suck if you’d like to discuss as well.
"Dying ain't hard. It's living that's hard."
by Josey Wales on May 11, 2009 10:23 PM CDT up reply actions
In one of those starts
He had a GS of 48. Is a Game Score of 48 awful?
2 of his last 4 starts were poor. His last one ended horribly for him while the Baltimore road start was a poor but not game losing effort. By that, I mean that he wasn’t looking good that day, but was able to work out of jams enough to give the team a decent chance at winning the game (in fact, the Rangers were winning 5-4 when he left the game).
By 2028, Mark Teixeira will be in the HOF.
-The Outlaw
The walks have been a problem
But aggregating the total runs is retarded, considering 7 of those came in his last start.
His other 3 games were 1, 3 and 3. That’s not “awful.”
by brettgardner on May 11, 2009 11:51 PM CDT up reply actions
So "no" on complete bullshit
and do wanna talk about his first two bag o’ suck starts?
To be kind, Brandon McCarthy has been a shitty pitcher this year for the Rangers.
"Dying ain't hard. It's living that's hard."
by Josey Wales on May 11, 2009 11:54 PM CDT up reply actions
What?
Um, nonresponsive.
I take that to mean you have conceded the point.
by brettgardner on May 12, 2009 12:04 AM CDT up reply actions
Non-responsive?
How?
BMcCarthy was horrible and awful in the starts I referenced.
"Dying ain't hard. It's living that's hard."
by Josey Wales on May 12, 2009 12:09 AM CDT up reply actions
OK.
He wasn’t, but OK. It doesn’t change my world one bit if you want to believe that.
by brettgardner on May 12, 2009 12:12 AM CDT up reply actions
bg
These were McCarthy’s stats in his last 3 starts -
3 starts, 15 IPs, 14 earned runs, 22 hits and 8 walks.
Awful.
"Dying ain't hard. It's living that's hard."
Josey
As I said, that’s an absolutely retarded way to consider starts, because that’s a total, and it tells you absolutely nothing about the individual starts. He had one awful start that skews those numbers.
If you’re just pulling a bit, I’m not interested.
by brettgardner on May 12, 2009 9:07 AM CDT up reply actions
The start that comes into question on whether or not
it was also awful was his game v. Toronto.
McCarthy did get credit for a Quality Start but he had a Game Score of 48 which is confirmed mediocrity.
He was given two leads that he couldn’t hold down (at a time in the Ranger season when they were still trying to get off the mat and build momentum) and gave up 6 hits and 2 walks in 6 IPs.
That’s not a good outing, BG and yes, McCarthy was awful in three of his last four starts.
"Dying ain't hard. It's living that's hard."
OK
I couldn’t care less about continuing this argument.
Obviously in your world “mediocre” and “awful” are the same thing. Good for you.
by brettgardner on May 12, 2009 9:36 AM CDT up reply actions
Yet you continue the argument.
"Dying ain't hard. It's living that's hard."
This is the trouble with too many young pitchers.
They all need time for development, and it only makes sense to have a full rotation of developing youngsters if the team is out of contention.
McCarthy needs more time. The Rangers have three guys who need more time before really good reads on them can be made: McCarthy, Harrison, and Feldman. I’d hate to see their time cut short by putting Holland in the rotation.
If you really want Holland to replace McCarthy, I think you should start hoping that BMac gets injured.
Wonderboy, what is the secret of your power? Wonderboy, won't you take me far away from the mucky-muck now. -- Tenacious D
Really
if Harrison, Feldman, and BMac are all pitching well through the ASB, the team should try to trade Padilla for whatever they can get then, regardless of the standings. I think heading down the stretch, this team needs Holland in the rotation, and while I’m all for putting him in there for whoever is struggling, if no one is an obvious candidate, they should get rid of one of the two guys with no future in Texas: Padilla and Millwood.
Yeah. I've thought about that a little bit. But, I don't agree quite yet.
Padilla… who knows if the good or the bad Padilla will show up. But, back-to-back one-hitters has me leaning toward keeping him for the stretch run if the Rangers are in it.
I would hang onto Millwood until the offseason to see how things shake out on the FA and trade markets. His value could vary quite a bit.
Wonderboy, what is the secret of your power? Wonderboy, won't you take me far away from the mucky-muck now. -- Tenacious D
x
Three of his last four starts have been awful.
Really? Awful?
by brettgardner on May 11, 2009 1:32 PM CDT up reply actions
McCarthy's looked fine
he crumbled in one inning. He’ll pick it up. This pitching staff is infectious right now.
And he’s healthy. That’s the key. If he weren’t, fine. Get him out of there. Until he completely implodes or hurts himself, I am sorry, you don’t remove B-Mac from the rotation.
"Hang-Dai, Wu...Hang-Fu$&ing-Dai"
by Walter Sobchak on May 11, 2009 2:34 PM CDT up reply actions
We have four other starters going deep into games
The bullpen needs the work to keep from getting rusty. Having McCarthy only go four or five innings a start would be an asset if you look at it that way.
The picture at the top
What is that sticking out of Worsh’s pocket?
Doctor please. Some more of these.
that's his wenis
"Hang-Dai, Wu...Hang-Fu$&ing-Dai"
by Walter Sobchak on May 11, 2009 2:35 PM CDT up reply actions
It's a souvenir thong..
See, Wash knows the hot little place on the South Side….
The Texas Rangers have been synonymous with explosive firepower ever since they emptied 130 rounds into Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow in 1934. - Alyssa Milano
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