You know, I'm not really even all that worked up about the blown call that cost the Rangers the game last night. At this point, the Rangers are out of the race, and while I'd like to see the Rangers finish ahead of the Angels, I'm also cognizant of the fact that the better the Rangers perform down the stretch, the more likely it is that Buckles will be back next season.
So while I want the team to win, I'm not as busted up about a loss last night as I would have been a couple of months ago.
Joaquin Arias is getting called up to the majors, according to the S-T, although reading between the lines, it sounds like he may not necessarily be a Ranger for all that much longer:
"We have one of the best shortstops in the game [Michael Young] for this year and hopefully for an extended future," Daniels said. "By no means is this an audition. I want to be real clear: We have our shortstop."
But Arias, whom Baseball America named the Rangers' No. 4 prospect last winter, could be somebody's big league shortstop in the not-too-distant future. Noted for his sparkling but unpolished defensive skills in the past, he has significantly cut his errors total this year. Arias has 20 errors, compared with 29 in 2005 and 40 in 2004.
Daniels said the Rangers would probably not look at moving Arias to a different position at this point because "a lot of his value is at shortstop." Moving Young is not a consideration, either.
Evan Grant says that, despite the continuing struggles of Edinson Volquez, the team is encouraged by Josh Rupe's performance. Rupe is now sporting a 2.78 ERA, after having a 2.79 ERA for the Rangers in a brief stint in 2005, and although his strikeout rate could be better, you have to be a little fired up with how Rupe is performing.
In other items, Scott Feldman's appeal will be heard on September 15, and the Rangers have recalled John Rheinecker and purchased the contract of Miguel Ojeda, with Brad Wilkerson moving to the 60 day d.l.