6 game losing streak. 3 games out of first. Bleah.
This team is starting to annoy me.
Jennifer Floyd Engel says that the players will have only themselves to blame if they don't make the playoffs, and are playing like it doesn't really matter.
Evan Grant talks about the pending trade deadline and the Rangers attempts to make some moves. Grant says that the Rangers were interested in Danys Baez, but that the Miguel Tejada rumors apparently are more smoke than fire, and that Jake Westbrook doesn't look to be going anywhere, leaving the Rangers with Jon Lieber and Mark Redman as the likely starting pitching possibilities.
The S-T today includes a wire report on pitchers who are available, and lists Dontrelle Willis as being the subject of trade talks, although it doesn't list the Rangers as being one of the team's in on him.
Grant also says that Hank Blalock is going to start sitting against lefties. Given Hank's struggles against lefties, his struggles in the second half of the season, and the way Mark DeRosa has pounded lefties, that makes sense. Grant also reports that Buck says he will not use Gerald Laird and Rod Barajas in the lineup at the same time, and that Marcus Lemon got a $1 million signing bonus from the Rangers.
Kat O'Brien has a piece on Vicente Padilla's hero status in Nicaragua, and one on Carlos Lee's addition to the Rangers.