It's been a while since I've updated the blog — my cousin's wedding in Florida, and the beginning of college football season has kept me busy lately — so I thought today would be a good time to update the blog with random Rangers thoughts.
• First, Texas owns a nine-game lead in the AL West. It's becoming more and more realistic that the Rangers are going to capture their first division crown since 1999. It's amazing to think about.
• The focus now turns to playoff placement. If Texas finishes with a better record than Minnesota, the likely AL Central winner, then the Rangers would draw the Rays in the first round, as opposed to the Yankees. That's probably a more favorable spot. We're 2.5 behind Minnesota with two more road contests this weekend against the Twins. Big games.
• The Rangers made two more moves recently, signing Mark Prior to a minor-league deal, and trading Joaquin Arias for Jeff Francoeur. I don't have a problem with either move. The Prior signing is a low-risk, high-reward type of deal. Prior reportedly won't be a starter anymore and most likely would come back in a reliever role. He's touching 92-93 mph again, and has 20 strikeouts in 10 innings in an independent league.
As for the Francoeur trade...Arias didn't seem to be in the club's future plans anymore. He made a few fielding errors in the series against Tampa Bay and that may have been the final straw. Crazy to think that Arias was a guy included in the Alex Rodriguez trade, along with Alfonso Soriano. We had our choice between Arias and a guy named Robinson Cano. Baseball has to be the most difficult sport to evaluate talent. Who would have known back then?
• The lineup is starting to look normal again with Ian Kinsler and Nelson Cruz off the disabled list. I'm thankful for that.
• Injuries still scare the heck out of me. Cliff Lee has looked mortal lately (27 earned runs in last five starts). He received a cortisone injection for back pain and might be pushed back a few days. I wouldn't take any risks. Furthermore, Josh Hamilton has been relegated to DH duties lately because of a sore right knee. Vlad Guerrero isn't 25 years old anymore, and Kinsler/Cruz have seemed fragile this year. I hope they all hold up.
• C.J. Wilson has been remarkable in the second half of the season. He's 7-0 with a 1.99 earned-run average since the All-Star break. The seven wins are the most of any pitcher during that time. I've heard some Cy Young whispers about C.J., but I don't agree with them, as much as I'd like to. Still too many walks (six in last two games, 77 for season). The 140 strikeouts are nice, but I think it's a bit of a reach right now.
That should wrap up my thoughts for now. With football starting up, it makes it register that the postseason is just around the corner. I'm hoping for the first time in my nine years of being a loyal Rangers fan, I'll get to witness what that's like.
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