The Rupe injury, of course, is the big news today. Jan Hubbard talks about the Josh Rupe situation in the S-T today, although the only new info is that the Rangers expect to know something late this afternoon about the results of the MRI.
GMJ has been shut down for a couple of days, after he was unable to take b.p. yesterday, and it seems more and more likely he's not going to be ready to go to start the season. With him and Laynce Nix both being unable to play in the field right now, Adrian Brown and Erubiel Durazo would seem to be more likely to both start the season on the 25 man roster.
Hubbard also looks at the second base competition, with Ian Kinsler seemingly having won the position, although Buck doesn't want to go on the record as saying so:
"I've got too much respect for the way Mark DeRosa has played for us and what he has meant to us to say right now," Showalter said.
I don't really get it, but hey...as long as Kinsler is the starting second baseman, that's all that matters.
Hubbard also takes a bit of a shot at Juan Dominguez:
Juan Dominguez was slow to take the field for his pitching turn Sunday against the Mariners, but he later told coaches that it was because he had not tied his shoes. Sounds a little like, "The dog ate my homework." But the Rangers continue to be patient with Dominguez. "We got that problem taken care of," Buck Showalter said. "It's called Velcro."
Yep, that's the Rangers...oh so patient with Dominguez...
Evan Grant reports that Kevin Millwood's spring game debut went well yesterday, as he went three plus innings in a "B" game against Seattle, and he expects to pitch in his first "A" game on Saturday. Grant also reports that Wes Littleton and Armando Galarraga have been sent to the minor league camp, although since neither was considered to have much of a chance to make the team, that's no big surprise.
Jennifer Floyd Engel is the latest in the DFW media to recite the "Francisco Cordero must be healthy for the Rangers to compete" mantra...as I've said before, I think he's important, but there are other guys I'd put higher on the priority list...
I think the Rangers can win without Cordero more easily than they could without, say, Michael Young, Brad Wilkerson, Mark Teixeira, or Kevin Millwood...
Gerry Fraley notes that Mark Teixeira, who historically has gotten off to slow starts, is 0 for 12 for the WBC after going hitless last night, and has had significantly less game time than he normally would have had up to this point in the spring due to his WBC involvement.
This has to make you at least a little concerned about Teixeira being cold at the beginning of the year...the Rangers have a fair number of question marks in the lineup as it is, and can't afford to have Teixeira struggling early in the season if they want to get off to a strong start.
Fraley also has a piece on Chris Young, and his transition to pitching for the Padres...