It wasn't long ago that the Texas Rangers seemed to have the American League West division locked up.
I'll admit, I was as guilty as anyone in assuming Texas was well on its way to a second straight AL West crown.
It still might happen. It just won't be as easy as I once thought.
Ever since Anaheim first baseman Mark Trumbo hit a game-winning walkoff home run against the Rangers on Aug. 18, the two teams have gone in opposite directions. Trumbo's season-saving blast pulled the Angels within six games of the Rangers.
Baseball is a contagious game of momentum and streaks. Since Trumbo's homer, the Angels have won six straight games. Texas has lost three in a row and five of its last six.
What could have been an eight-game lead turned into six on Aug. 18. Now, it's only two games. Funny how one swing of the bat can swing the momentum of a division race so quickly.
Naturally, the Rangers and Angels have a three-game series this weekend in Arlington. It's a massive showdown that could alter the landscape of the AL West race in the coming weeks. No splits in a three-game series. To date, this is easily the Rangers' most significant series of the season.
Texas has been playing uninspiring baseball of late. After taking one game from the Red Sox in Arlington, Texas lost three in a row by the following scores: 11-5, 13-2, 6-0. It's been rough. The starting pitching seems gassed. The bats have been kept quiet.
Thursday night detailed much of the Rangers' struggles lately. Texas bats couldn't muster any runs off Andrew Miller. All due respect to the guy, that's just not good. Miller's 6-1 record is only a reflection of his run support and nothing more. He has nearly as many walks (32) as strikeouts (39), to go along with an ERA of 4.42 this season. This is far from an elite pitcher, and the Rangers were shut out against the guy.
Hopefully, the bats wake up because this weekend's opposing pitchers are a step or two above what Miller has to offer. Dan Haren is pitching tonight, and Angels manager Mike Scioscia recently confirmed that Ervin Santana (Saturday) and Jered Weaver (Sunday) will pitch on three days rest due to the magnitude of the series. Sanatana and Weaver have never pitched on three days rest in their MLB careers.
That should tell you everything you need to know about the importance of this series. The Rangers will trot out Derek Holland tonight, C.J. Wilson on Saturday and Colby Lewis on Sunday.
The Rangers need standout performances from most or all of them, or else this division race is going to get more interesting than it needs to be.
Friday, August 26, 2011
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
Rangers in prime position to separate themselves in AL West
It's been a long time since I've posted a Rangers-related entry on the Gametime in Arlington blog, so I had to come on today and end the drought. It's been a heck of a last month. Moving from the house I've rented from the past three years to my own apartment. Trips to Florida, Denver and Dallas. Work picking up again with college football season around the corner. Everything, it seems.
But the Rangers remain in first place, and all is well with the baseball world. Texas picked up a significant 8-4 victory over Anaheim last night to take a five-game lead in the AL West. There are three more games against the Angels this week, then three more in Arlington next weekend. If Texas can beat the Angels a few more times, it could really provide separation as we enter the home stretch.
During my aforementioned trip to Dallas, I had the chance to attend a Rangers game with high school buddies Derek Johnson and Stephen Slater. It was a really fun time, except Texas was shut out, 3-0. And by Brett Cecil of all people. The game was dreadful. In fact, Derek labeled it the worst game he had ever seen at Rangers Ballpark. I would have to agree. Thankfully, the company was fun, and I had the opportunity to catch up with some of my oldest friends.
The Rangers remain in great position for their second consecutive postseason berth.
I was looking at Texas' record this season, by month, just for kicks. The results:
April: 15-11
May: 13-15
June: 14-13
July: 18-9
August: 9-4
Clearly, the Rangers are playing their best baseball right now. It's even more impressive when you factor in Adrian Beltre, my first-half team MVP, being sidelined until September with an injured groin.
The starting rotation has been stout all season with our three lefties, C.J. Wilson, Matt Harrison and Derek Holland, coupled with Colby Lewis and Alexi Ogando.
What's really picked up lately is the results from the bullpen. Not surprising when Mike Adams and Koji Uehara were added at the trade deadline. General manager Jon Daniels is not afraid to add to the big-league club, especially when it's in contention. We saw it last year with Cliff Lee, and while this year didn't land as big a name, it still proved Daniels is far from gun shy when attempting to improve the club during a pennant race.
I read yesterday that since the Rangers acquired Adams (July 31) and Uehara (July 30), the bullpen ERA is around 1.80. Closer Neftali Feliz has struggled this season, by his standards, and before Adams and Uehara came to Texas, there was legitimate concern about the back end of the bullpen. Not anymore. Feliz has settled down a bit, while Adams and Uehara have provided stability that was not seen from the back end of the bullpen in the first half of the season.
You have to give up promising talent to get promising talent in return, so sure, Daniels rolled the dice when he traded away a few pitching prospects (none of them were in the system's top 3-5, mind you). But look at the result: In a span of two weeks, the team's biggest weakness has turned into arguably its biggest strength. The bullpen is deep and talented.
Adams' K/BB ratio on the season: 56/12, with a 1.12 ERA.
Uehara: 71/9, with a 1.84 ERA.
Yeah, I can live with that.
Let's hope the bats stay alive and the Rangers continue to provide separation in the AL West the rest of the week. These next two series against the Angels should paint a pretty clear picture of the race for the division title.
But the Rangers remain in first place, and all is well with the baseball world. Texas picked up a significant 8-4 victory over Anaheim last night to take a five-game lead in the AL West. There are three more games against the Angels this week, then three more in Arlington next weekend. If Texas can beat the Angels a few more times, it could really provide separation as we enter the home stretch.
During my aforementioned trip to Dallas, I had the chance to attend a Rangers game with high school buddies Derek Johnson and Stephen Slater. It was a really fun time, except Texas was shut out, 3-0. And by Brett Cecil of all people. The game was dreadful. In fact, Derek labeled it the worst game he had ever seen at Rangers Ballpark. I would have to agree. Thankfully, the company was fun, and I had the opportunity to catch up with some of my oldest friends.
The Rangers remain in great position for their second consecutive postseason berth.
I was looking at Texas' record this season, by month, just for kicks. The results:
April: 15-11
May: 13-15
June: 14-13
July: 18-9
August: 9-4
Clearly, the Rangers are playing their best baseball right now. It's even more impressive when you factor in Adrian Beltre, my first-half team MVP, being sidelined until September with an injured groin.
The starting rotation has been stout all season with our three lefties, C.J. Wilson, Matt Harrison and Derek Holland, coupled with Colby Lewis and Alexi Ogando.
What's really picked up lately is the results from the bullpen. Not surprising when Mike Adams and Koji Uehara were added at the trade deadline. General manager Jon Daniels is not afraid to add to the big-league club, especially when it's in contention. We saw it last year with Cliff Lee, and while this year didn't land as big a name, it still proved Daniels is far from gun shy when attempting to improve the club during a pennant race.
I read yesterday that since the Rangers acquired Adams (July 31) and Uehara (July 30), the bullpen ERA is around 1.80. Closer Neftali Feliz has struggled this season, by his standards, and before Adams and Uehara came to Texas, there was legitimate concern about the back end of the bullpen. Not anymore. Feliz has settled down a bit, while Adams and Uehara have provided stability that was not seen from the back end of the bullpen in the first half of the season.
You have to give up promising talent to get promising talent in return, so sure, Daniels rolled the dice when he traded away a few pitching prospects (none of them were in the system's top 3-5, mind you). But look at the result: In a span of two weeks, the team's biggest weakness has turned into arguably its biggest strength. The bullpen is deep and talented.
Adams' K/BB ratio on the season: 56/12, with a 1.12 ERA.
Uehara: 71/9, with a 1.84 ERA.
Yeah, I can live with that.
Let's hope the bats stay alive and the Rangers continue to provide separation in the AL West the rest of the week. These next two series against the Angels should paint a pretty clear picture of the race for the division title.
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