The Texas Rangers Gift to the American League

Adrian Beltre is one of the few Rangers who can still intimidate the opposition

Texas is a big, brash, bold, braggadocios state. Apparently they are benevolent now as well. At least when it comes to the American League wild card race.

The Texas Rangers and Tampa Bay Rays began a series Monday evening in Florida.  The two teams entered play tied for the two wild card positions. However, the two are headed in two different directions. The Rays have won four of five after they took the first game of the series 6-2. Texas has dropped seven straight and 10 of 11.

The Rangers represented the American League in the World Series in 2010 and 2011, and made it to the wild card game last year, where they lost to the Baltimore Orioles. Texas got off to a good start in 2013 and led the AL West by seven games after 41 contests. Since then the Rangers have been a .500 team over their last 108 games (54-54). and entered Monday's play 6.5 games behind the first place Oakland A's.

Texas' poor play has enabled the Yankees, KC Royals, Orioles, and Cleveland Indians to all remain in the hunt for a wild card spot. There have been a number of reasons for the Rangers' demise. Injuries - Matt Harrison was lost for the year after just two starts, endured two back surgeries within nine days of each other in May and recently underwent surgery for Thoracic Outlet Syndrome. (Debilitating compression is relieved through removal of a rib and surrounding tissue.) The left-hander won 18 games in 2012.

Colby Lewis missed the entire season after undergoing elbow surgery in July, 2012. Then last month he had a hip resurfacing procedure to avoid complete hip replacement. Neftali Feliz was recently activated after he completed rehab from last season's Tommy John surgery. He's still not at full strength and has to be used cautiously. Swing man Alexi Ogando has been on the disabled list three times with shoulder inflammation and bicep tendinitis. #2 starter Derek Holland is healthy as far as anyone can tell, but has been awful in September with three losses and an ERA above 8.

Inept offense - The lineuptook a big hit when Josh Hamilton left for LA as a free agent after last season's 43 home runs and 128 RBI. He's struggled mightily with the Angels (.734 OPS, 20 HR, 68 RBI), but those numbers may have been different had he stayed in Arlington. Free agent acquisition Lance Berkman has played just 71 games due to injuries.

Nelson Cruz had 27 HR and 76 RBI when he was suspended for the remainder of the season for violation of the league's substance abuse policy.  Though he has 40 stolen bases, Elvis Andrus took a step back offensively (.652 OPS). Ian Kinsler started the year like a house afire - .919 OPS 5 HR 16 RBI in April - but he's hit just .256 since then with 6 HR and has been caught eight times in 19 stolen base attempts.

The Rangers were also counting on rookie Jurickson Profar to make a major contribution, but the top prospect has only produced a slash line .237/.310/.330 and has been thrown out on four of six stolen base attempts.

The combination of all the above have spelled disaster for Texas and it will come as no shock if the Rangers continue to slide right out of a playoff spot and into an early vacation.

Pfen Pfail

Just about everyone has had it happen to them at least once. Dress shirt on, pen in the pocket. The next thing you know you've got a giant ink stain on your shirt. Thursday afternoon's performance by the Yankees bullpen was the baseball equivalent of said scenario.

The Yankees had a legitimate shot to pull off an unthinkable four game series sweep of the Texas Rangers, but the Yankees relievers couldn't get it done. The Yankees had rallied from a 4-0 deficit to put five on the board in the bottom of the 6th against Rangers' starter Derek Holland, but Texas quickly wrested control back in the top of the 7th.

Yankees starter Ivan Nova had departed after 5.2 innings and four earned runs allowed, unable to build off of his 10 strikeout win against the Toronto Blue Jays five days ago. Boone Logan took his first loss in five decisions after he allowed an inherited runner to score and gave up the lead on an RBI double by David Murphy.

Joba Chamberlain continued to struggle since his return from the disabled list on August 1. He came on after Logan and struck out Geovany Soto for the second out of the inning, but then allowed a back breaking 2-run single to Chris Gentry for a 7-5 Texas lead. The Yankees got one back in the  bottom of the inning, but Texas put the game away with three more runs charged to Chamberlain and Clay Rapada for a 10-6 final.

While it would have been nice to pull off a four game sweep against one of the toughest lineups in all of baseball, the Yankees have to be happy having taken three out of four. Especially with David Phelps and Freddy Garcia having started two of the four games.

Notes

The Yankees five run 6th was highlighted by Andruw Jones' game tying 2-run home run. The Yankees then took the lead when Casey McGehee reached on error and came home on Russell Martin's RBI single.

The Captain Steers The Ship

A year ago Derek Jeter had to have heard what people - media, fans, the supposed know- it-all's and probably even opponents - were saying when he was mired in a first half slump. But anyone who has ever watched the Yankees should know that you should never count out Derek Jeter or his competitive spirit. Jeter continued his remarkable first half of the season with a four hit performance in the Yankees series opening 7-4 win over the Texas Rangers Monday night.

CC Sabathia was the benefactor of Jeter's hits and a 3-run blast from Alex Rodriguez to pick up his second straight win. The left-hander was at his best from the second through fifth innings as the Yankees built a 7-1 lead. He allowed a solo home run to Josh Hamilton in the 6th and a 2-run single to Craig Gentry in the 7th before he tossed a scoreless 8th inning. Mariano Rivera retired the Rangers in order in the 9th for his 4th save.

Jeter got the Yankees going in the top of the first with single off of Derek Holland, who has yet to beat the Yankees in six career starts. The Yankees loaded the bases on a single by Robinson Cano and a walk to A-Rod. Holland struck out Mark Teixeira for the second out of the inning, but Curtis Granderson came through with a clutch 2-run base knock.

With the lead cut in half, the Yankees took control in the 5th when Chris Stewart drew a lead off walk and Jeter singled. Nick Swisher's sac fly increased the Yankees lead to 3-1 before A-Rod followed a walk to Cano with his 3rd home run of the season. The long blast to center nearly doubled the third baseman's RBI total (4 to 7).

Notes

Despite a plus-4.00 ERA, Sabathia is now 11-3 vs. Texas in 17 career starts.

The night was Jeter's second 4-hit game and eighth multi-hit game of the season.

Baseball Digest | Mr. Holland's Opus

It’s one thing to be told or to know that you need to pitch the game of your life, it’s another to actually go out and do it. The Texas Rangers entered Sunday night’s Game 4 contest with the St. Louis Cardinals down two games to one and were relying on Derek Holland to have his big moment in the spotlight.

Holland has shown glimpses of star potential in his three year Major League career- he threw three complete game shutouts in July- but had come up small in the playoffs thus far. His last two starts came in the ALCS vs. Detroit and lasted only a combined 7.1 innings with seven earned runs allowed. So there was no reason for Texas fans, or Ron Washington for that matter, to have a lot of confidence in their 25-yr old left-hander.

Read the rest of this free article at BaseballDigest.com.

Baseball Digest | Tigers Need Max Effort From Scherzer In Game 2

Max Scherzer has been here before, in fact less than a week ago. Detroit Tigers’ ace Justin Verlander pitched one inning in Game 1 of the ALDS before rain suspended play and the Tigers lost to the New York Yankees when play resumed the following day. Down 1-0 in games, the Tigers turned the ball over to Scherzer, the “other” hard throwing right-hander in their rotation, for Game 2. The 27-yr old responded with 5.1 innings of no-hit ball as the Tigers evened the series at a game apiece.

Scherzer will take the hill in Game 2 with his team again down a game after rains affected the opener of the American League Championship Series on Saturday. The Texas Rangers edged Detroit 3-2 after a pair of rain delays limited the game’s starters, Verlander (4) and C.J. Wilson (4.2), to less than five innings.

Read the remainder of this free article, including updates on Delmon Young and Magglio Ordonez, at BaseballDigest.com.

Baseball Digest | Texas Will Go As Far As Their Arms Will Take Them

When the media and baseball experts talk about the Texas Rangers, they tend to focus on the Rangers’ deep lineup. And who can blame them? With Josh Hamilton, Adrian Beltre, Ian Kinsler, Nelson Cruz, Michael Young, Mike Napoli, and Elvis Andrus, the Rangers can put a big number up on the scoreboard. But if the Rangers are to win their first World Series it will because of their starting pitching and bullpen.

There were a lot of people who didn’t think Texas would get back to the championship after losing Cliff Lee to free agency. But C.J. Wilson, Colby Lewis, Matt Harrison, and Derek Holland all remained steady, and Alexi Ogando gave the team a big boost in the first half with his promotion to the starting rotation. Texas is now just four victories away from returning to the World Series, which they lost in five games to the San Francisco Giants last season.

Read the rest of this free article at BaseballDigest.com.

AL Playoff Rotations Forming

The Yankees' Joe Girardi knows he has CC Sabathia to start Game 1 of the ALDS against either the Detroit Tigers or Texas Rangers (or by some miracle the Los Angeles Angels) and Ivan Nova to go in either Game 2 or 3. But the rest is up in the air.

Perhaps Freddy Garcia solidified a spot on Saturday afternoon with six shutout innings in a win against the struggling Boston Red Sox. So who starts Game 4? Bartolo Colon? A.J. Burnett? CC Sabathia on 3 days rest?

Colon has allowed five or more earned runs in four of his last seven starts. He's been particularly bad in his last two starts; he allowed six earned runs in four innings against Tampa Bay (after eight days off) and followed that up with a seven run (five earned) outburst in three innings against Toronto.

Burnett's been miserable the entire second half with a couple of sprinkles of decent thrown in. In a word: non-trustworthy.

So that means CC Sabathia on three days rest for Game 4; something the big guy hasn't had a problem with in the past. There's no question that Sabathia hasn't been as sharp in the second half as was in the first. Some blame coming back from not one, but two rain delays in the same game, while others point to the use of a six man rotation. Whatever the reason, the Yankees will need Sabathia to be on top of his game if they are to make any kind of a run this post-season. Which means he'll likely be the Game 4 starter with Nova, on regular rest, starting the "if necessary" Game 5.


Detroit's Jim Leyland has made it easy. He has steadfastly said that his ace and the sure winner of the AL Cy Young, Justin Verlander, will not be brought back on three days rest. That means Verlander in Games 1 and 5, Doug Fister in Game 2, Max Scherzer in Game 3, and Rick Porcello in Game 4.


The Texas Rangers will use C.J. Wilson to start things off, but then Ron Washington has some decisions to make. It's likely he'll call on left-handers in the first three games with Derek Holland and Matt Harrison pitching Games 2 and 3 (possibly in the reverse order). If Washington doesn't want to go with Wilson on three day's rest, he'll choose from right-handers Colby Lewis and Alexi Ogando. Lewis is the likely choice with the way Ogando has struggled in the second half. Washington could also mix things up by starting Lewis in Game 2 since his numbers are much better on the road than at home. Ogando, meanwhile, will move to the pen where he was outstanding in 2010.


If Boston holds on to the wild card, they are two games ahead of Tampa Bay after Saturday's play, Josh Beckett goes in Games 1 and 5, followed by Jon Lester. John Lackey is likely to be the number three starter with Erik Bedard in Game 4. Tim Wakefield will step in if any of the starters have a physical issue.

Terry Francona has to be worried about the normally reliable Lester, who is 0-3 in his last three starts with 18 earned runs allowed in just 13.2 innings pitched. In years past Beckett would have gone on three days rest in Game 4, but with his back issues that is not a scenario Boston can/should use.

The Outsiders

If Tampa Bay does ease Boston out of the final spot, David Price, James Shields, and Jeremy Hellickson are likely to get the five starts. It all depends, of course, on if the final playoff spot comes down to the final day. If Tampa Bay needs a fourth starter, they'll go to Jeff Niemann. If Niemann's back isn't healthy, than Wade Davis will get the nod.

The easiest thing for any team do is just go out and win three straight and then we don't have to all worry about who is pitching when.

Garcia Gives Yankees Boost

Freddy Garcia..or "The Rock"?

I had a nightdream yesterday. That's a combo daydream and nightmare; basically a horrible vision at night. I saw a Yankees starting rotation of CC Sabathia, Bartolo Colon, Kevin Millwood, Carlos Silva, and Freddy Garcia. It was understandable after Phil Hughes went on the disabled list and Ivan Nova pitched poorly for the second straight time out on Friday.

But lo and behold, Freddy Garcia threw six scoreless innings and the Yankees toppled the Texas Rangers 5-2 on a soggy Saturday afternoon. It was Garcia's first start of the season and just his second appearance (he threw one inning last Sunday vs. Boston). It was also the first time he had not allowed a run in any appearance since 2006.

Mark Teixeira gave Garcia some room to work with in the 1st inning when he launced a Derek Holland pitch into the right field seats with two aboard for a 3-0 Yankees lead. Garcia then had to face just 21 hitters, retiring 18 of them. He gave up a lead off single to Adrian Beltre and walked the hitter that followed, Nelson Cruz. But Garcia got David Murphy to line out to right, Yorvit Torrealba to ground out, and Mitch Moreland to pop out to escape the jam. The only other base runner Garcia allow would be a Murphy single in the 5th.

Holland settled down after the 1st inning and the Rangers finally got to Rafael Soriano to cut the lead to 3-2 in the 8th. But with a man aboard in the home half of the 8th Robinson Cano clanged a Holland pitch off the right field foul pole for a 5-2 lead. Mariano Rivera then came on in the 9th for his 5th save of the season.

The nightdream delayed, at least for today.

Notes

Alex Rodriguez left the game prior to the 7th inning after his back and oblique stiffened up. It's not thought to be serious.

Russell Martin finally got a day off with Gustavo Molina making his first start. He went 0-3.

Pettitte Leads Yankees to Victory

Andy Pettitte reached another milestone in his illustrious Yankees career last night and more importantly, the Yankees bounced back from Tuesday night's debacle to beat the Texas Rangers 9-2.

Pettitte tied Lefty Gomez for third place on the all time franchise win list with 189. Only Whitey Ford (236) and Red Ruffing (231) have more wins than Pettitte, who is quietly having a very good second half. In fact, the Yankees have won 6 of Pettitte's last 8 starts. During that period, he's 3-1, 2.79.

Pettitte's battery mate, Jorge Posada, gave his pitcher an early boost with a long 3-run home run to center field off of Derek Holland to give the Yankees the lead in the 2nd inning.

Leading 4-2 in the 7th, the Yankees broke it open with a five run outburst. Derek Jeter didn't have a multi-hit game, but he delivered a bases loaded 2-run single to put the Yankees up 6-2. Nick Swisher added an RBI double and Mark Teixeira put the game out of a reach with a line drive 2-run single that short hopped the right field wall.

Pettitte ran into trouble in the first, but got former teammate Pudge Rodriguez to bounce into an inning ending 5-4-3 double play with the bases loaded. After that it was pretty much smooth sailing for Pettitte. He gave up a solo home run and an RBI double to David Murphy, but left after 7 innings to a big ovation.

Posada had to leave the game after taking a foul tip off the ring finger of his glove hand. It's been a recurring injury this season and he's listed as day-to-day.

Alex Rodriguez fouled a ball off his foot, but was not going to go for X-Rays as Joe Girardi had originally mentioned in his post-game press conference.

Jerry Hairston Jr. continues to produce for the Yankees since his acquisition at the trade deadline. Flling in for Johnny Damon in left field last night, Hairston hit his career high 10th home run.

A.J. Burnett tries to win the rubber game of the series this afternoon (1:05 P.M. ET) when he goes up against Dustin Nippert.

To Burnett's credit, he defused the rumored riff with Posada last night.

"I had a bad start because my mind wasn't right," Burnett said. "I didn't make good decisions. I think every pitcher has a good idea of what he wants to throw and when he wants to throw it and I didn't the last start. That's what it was. I wasn't prepared."

"It gets blown out of proportion," said Burnett, who was solid in his previous three outings, all with Posada behind the plate. "Guys miss signs all the time, and guys cross guys up all the time and guys give up hits on pitches when they'd rather throw something else all the time. It doesn't mean your catcher is bad, it doesn't mean he's doing a bad job, it doesn't mean your relationship with your catcher is bad. I don't know where all that's coming from."

Whether any of it is true or not, the media definitely was the one fueling the rumored hostilities between Burnett and Posada.

Yankees Grab Share of 1st Place

Burnett Tosses Yankees into 1st Place

Filed Under: Yankees

Tags: a.j. burnett • chien-ming wang • Chris Davis • Derek Holland • hideki matsui • Ian Kinsler • Jorge Posada • josh hamilton • Kevin Cash • Mark Teixeira • Michael Young • Yankees 5/27 recap • Yankees vs. Rangers

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NY Yankees	2	1	0	0	0	3	2	0	1		9	15	0
Texas	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	0	0		2	5	1

WP - Burnett (3-2) LP - Holland (1-2)

A.J. Burnett wasn’t happy with his performance last night - he lasted only six innings - but Joe Girardi was ecstatic that his second highest paid starter did more than deliver a whipped cream facial. Burnett threw shutout ball and the Yankees moved into a tie for first place with Boston in the AL East after a 9-2 win over the Texas Rangers.

Burnett wasn’t efficient - he threw 118 pitches - but he was effective enough to limit the Rangers to three hits and struck out seven. The four walks he issued got him into trouble, but he always made the big pitch to get out of a jam. He struck out Chris Davis with two aboard in the 4th and repeated the feat in the 6th.

The Yankees rolled out the home run machine early, taking a 2-0 lead in the 1st inning on Mark Teixeira’s 15th home run of the season, and 11th this month. Up 3-0 in the 6th, the Yankees broke the game open. Hideki Matsui belted a solo home run off of rookie Derek Holland, and Kevin Cash drove home a pair of runs with a double for a 6-0 Yankees’ advantage. An inning later, Godzilla struck again, hitting a 2-run shot off of Warner Madrigal that barely cleared the right field fence.

Joe Veras lost the shutout in the 7th when he gave up a double - one has to wonder if Veras has something on the organization in order to stay in the majors - to Jarrod Saltalamacchia and a 2-run home run to Ian Kinsler. On a more positive note, Chien-Ming Wang finally got back into another game and threw two very effective, scoreless innings. In two appearances, Wang has cut his ERA From 40.50 to 20.45.

Game Notes

Robinson Cano added a solo home run in the 9th inning, his 9th of the year.

Melky Cabrera is expected to be out 5-7 days with a sprained shoulder, but will be re-evaluated by the Yankees team doctor to determine if he might be out longer.

Jorge Posada has caught in back to back extended spring training games and could be activated for Friday’s game in Cleveland.

Dr. James Andrews examined Brian Bruney’s right elbow and found no structural damage. Bruney will work on strengthening the muscles around the elbow.

The Elias Sports Bureau reports that Brett Gardner became only the second major leaguer in the last 50 years, joining Rich Amaral of the ‘98 Seattle Mariners, to get a least 3 hits and 3 stolen bases after coming off the bench in Tuesday night’s game.