Terrific win yesterday. The Rangers are now 6-4 on the big post-ASB road trip, and are still just a half-game back of Oakland in the A.L. West.
Evan Grant writes that John Koronka was pitching for his rotation life, with Adam Eaton about to return.
Over at the DMN blog, Evan Grant suggests three moves that the Rangers need to make, acquiring Jeff Conine, Mark Redman, and either Paul Byrd, Jon Lieber, or Jake Westbrook. I would be down with getting one of those last three pitchers, but have little interest in Conine, currently sporting a .255 EQA (although if Mark DeRosa, who is 2 for his last 26, is coming back down to Earth, the Rangers probably do need a lefty-hitting DH).
But acquiring Redman (for Rupe, Diamond or Arias, in Grant's proposal) makes no sense at all to me, at least in conjunction with Eaton coming back and adding Byrd, Lieber or Westbrook. That would mean replacing Koronka in the rotation with Redman, and giving up a decent prospect for the right to do that...
But take a look at the stats. Koronka has a 5.02 ERA with 52 Ks, 38 walks, and 12 homers in 114 2/3 IP. Redman has a 5.02 ERA with 41 Ks, 35 walks, and 12 homers in 95 IP. Redman isn't really an upgrade.
Adam Eaton's side session went well yesterday, so he'll be getting the start on Tuesday against the Yankees. Evan Grant also quotes Jon Daniels as saying that Eric Hurley is joining the Frisco rotation, and that Hurley will apparently be supplanting Omar Poveda, who came up for a one start gig while Thomas Diamond was on the d.l.
On the trade front, Kat O'Brien says that there may not be much movement this year, given the lack of quality options on the market. The Newark Star-Ledger says the Rangers are interested in Luis Gonzalez, but only if they end up trading Kevin Mench. That would make sense...adding Gonzalez just to add him, though, would not.