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November 2009
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Recently in Rangers CategoryFrom the Texas Rangers Media Relations Department: Arlington, Texas - Texas Rangers General Manager Jon Daniels formally announced today that the club has named Clint Hurdle as the team's new hitting coach. The hiring fills the only vacancy on the Rangers' 2010 coaching staff. "Clint adds another experienced, successful coach to our major league staff," said Daniels. "He's demonstrated an ability to communic...
ESPNDallas.com is reporting that Rusty Greer has interviewed for the Texas Rangers hitting coach position. The former Rangers fan favorite is currently serving as the Assistant Head Coach at Texas Wesleyan University under former teammate Mike Jeffcoat. What does everyone else think about Greer being a possible replacement for Rudy Jaramillo? Greer was a .300 hitter in nine seasons with the Rangers, but does that mean immediate succes...
It's been four years since Mark McGwire elected to "not talk about the past." Since then, the former slugger has been quiet and almost in hiding. Making very few public appearances and electing to not do interviews. It's all about to change! Today, Tony La Russa announced that McGwire will replace Hal McRae as hitting coach for the St. Louis Cardinals. "I don't know how many years I have left to manage, and I wanted to take th...
"Marlon got us going and everybody just started to swing the bat after that," manager Ron Washington told T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com. "Once again you see how important Marlon is and why we want...
It took a few more games than he would have probably liked, but Rangers outfielder Josh Hamilton returned to the lineup tonight against the Tampa Bay Rays. The three year veteran has missed 19 games with a pinched nerve in his back. "I'm very happy to be back out there," Hamilton told the Associated Press. "Obviously, it has been frustrating. At the same time, it ain't like I got hurt from not being in shape, or by swinging the bat, o...
Whether it's the incentive to reach the clause in his contract, or the fact that he hasn't pitched since September 12th, Kevin Millwood is dealing tonight. At this point, 10:39 pm Monday night, Millwood has pitched 5 shutout innings, and the Rangers lead 6-0. That gives Millwood more than 180 innings pitched for the season, which kicks in an incentive that will pay him $12 million next year. There had been speculation that the cash-str...
I have always had the dream of being a GM for a professional sports franchise. What true sports fan hasn't? That said, I would have made a pretty good move this last spring. In March, I urged in a blog that the Rangers should try to puruse Pedro Martinez. At the time I suggested Texas take a chance on the future Hall of Famer and then trade him for prospect...
Last spring, Ranger fans were quick to want Texas to lock-up outfielder Josh Hamilton to a long term contract. Jon Daniels once again took heat for his job as GM. Did he and the Rangers know something we didn't? Hamilton is batting only .270 in 87 games with 10 homeruns. His constant in and out of the lineup has more than likely irritated skipper Ron Washington. Did management see that he was breaking down? Did they think his...
Tomorrow starts a crucial nine game home stand that the Rangers need to take advantage of. With the Angels coming into town for three next week, Texas can even still think about the A.L. West crown. The first opponent on their home stand is the Seattle Mariners. Quietly they are four ga...
Just received this press release from the Texas Rangers: The Texas Rangers announced today that the club has recalled right-handed pitcher Willie Eyre from Triple-A Oklahoma City. Eyre (#55) will be in uniform and available for tonight's series opener in Baltimore. Additionally, right-handed pitcher Thomas Diamond has been acquired by Chicago-NL on a waiver claim from Texas. FoxSport's Ken Rosenthal wants to buy the Texas Rangers. That is if he had enough money. With their success this season and youth, it's no surprise to see more and more national media outlets jumping on the bandwagon. "Hate to jinx the Rangers, whose history is rather tortured. But it will be difficult for the next rich ... The Texas Rangers are waiting for some good news today. Sure they remain in the playoff hunt, but losing third baseman Michael Young with a hamstring injury is a tough loss. He has an MRI scheduled for later today after he strained his left hamstring running out a grounder in the third inning of the nightcap of a doubleheader. "I'm optimistic," Young said. "I'll be really aggressive with my treatment and try to get back on the...
The Rangers start a crucial four game series with the Toronto Blue Jays tonight. Texas is now three games back in the wild card, and need to find some wins against a team that is frankly struggling. WFAA's Dale Hansen will go 1-on-1 with manager Ron Washington tonight during the 6 P.M. sportscast. Be sure to tune in and watch as Washington fills us in on the latest with the Rangers. Updated: Here is the starting lineup tonigh...
After going 3-3 in their last six games, the Texas Rangers start a crucial four game series with the Toronto Blue Jays tomorrow in Arlington. Tom Dakers, who runs Bluebird Banter (a prominent Blue Jays Blog), was kind enough to answer a few questions from Toronto's view. Would Jays fans rather see the Rangers or the Red Sox take the Wild Card? As I drove home from work last night, I was listening to FoxSports Gametime talk about how the Rangers' bullpen is one of the best in the business. On my drive in today, I listened to ESPN's Freddy Coleman tell me the Rangers would win the wild card card Michael Young extend his hit streak to 17 games today. It is the third longest streak in his career. He now has 167 hits on the season, well on his way to having another 200 plus season. If he should get to 200 again, he would become only the 14th player all-time to have six seasons with 200 or more, only Ichiro Suzuki have more on the active list. More importantly, Texas is up 3-2 in the top of the 8th inning.
It's not just Ranger fans dropping whatever t...
In his last two starts, Scott Feldman has only allowed eight hits over 12 innings, striking out 13 in the process. The man behind the plate, future Hall of Fame catcher Pudge
Did anyone else see what I saw last night? Pedro Strop has good enough stuff to be the Rangers' closer one day. In his first major league appearance, the 24 year old went one inning, allowing no hits, and striking out one on 13 pitches. The most impressive thing about his performance was, he battled Joe Mauer, Justin Morneau, and Jason Kubel.
This weekend, marks the last Texas Rangers series at the Metrodome in Minneapolis. Texas is 106-125 all-time against the Twins in the dome. Minnesota tax-payers are picking up the tab for a new open air stadium(Target Field) that is currently being built. The Minnesota Vikings will continue to call the Metrodome home, but no one knows for how long. Growing up in Iowa, I made many trips to the Metrodome. It was one of the closest plac...
Marlon Byrd is still not in the lineup. The center fielder is recovering from kidney stones. He is available to pinch hit if needed. Here is the lineup against the Twins tonight. 1.) Ian Kinsler, 2b I like tha...
Pretty productive week in New York ... The Texas Rangerst just put the finishing touches on a 7-2 in at Yankee Stadium, giving them two wins in the best-of-three series. Chris Davis hit a 3-run home run, while Ian Kinsler had one of those, and a solo shot too. Dustin Nippert started the game, had 7 walks (his most in 4 years), but allowed just two runs in 3 2/3 innings - not saying that's great, but considering he gave up 7 walks and 4...
It has been almost two months since the Rangers sent Chris Davis to the minors. After today's performance, it looks like he has everything figured out. AJ Burnett had a no-hitter going in the 4th inning when he got into trouble. With two outs, he walked Josh Hamilton first, then Nelson Cruz. Then he threw a first-pitch fastball to Ian Kinsler, and all of the sudden it was 3-1 Rangers. It was a good example of how a baseball game that is just cruising along can turn on a dime. Kinsler just struck out ... Rangers still lead 3-2 midway through the 6th. ...Jason Jennings is gone. The Rangers have designated the 31 year old for assignment, making room for 24 year old Pedro Strop on the roster. Strop has gone a combined 6-6 with five saves and a 5.06 ERA (36 ER/64.0 IP) in 47 relief appearances for Frisco (AA) and Oklahoma City this season. Jennings was 2-4 with an ERA around 4.15 in 44 appearances. Strop was signed by Texas as a free agent on Sept. 25, 2008 after being released by Color...
How bad has Jason Jennings been lately? So bad that the Rangers are replacing him with a guy whose ERA in triple A was 7.38. By all accounts, Jennings is a great guy. He was rookie of the year in 2002 for the Rockies. But the secret is out. Jamey Newberg of "The Newberg Report" is one who has been saying for the last couple weeks that what you do with Jennings is avoid swining at the sliders out of the strikezone, and then murder pitch...
The last 10 innings from the Texas Rangers have not been the caliber of a playoff team, but it's hardly time to jump off the deep end. The Rangers still have series against Oakland twice, Baltimore, Minnesota, and Toronto. All four teams are below .500. With the no contest last night, the Yankees have opened a lot of eyes around Major League Baseball. They are the team to beat this season. They should be, their payroll is right around...
Feldman went seven strong innings striking out a career high 11 batters for his 13th win of the season, as the Rangers won 4-0. It was Feldman's 9th road win this season, which is tied for first in the Major League Baseball. Since joining the starting rotation in late April, he is tied for the most wins in baseball ...
I'm sitting here watching the Rangers game and Michael Young has extended his hit streak to 10 games. It's the 19th time in his career that he has had a 10 game hitting streak or longer. It made me immediately think, is Michael Young a Hall of Famer? Not at this point, but it could be a possibility. With three hits already tonight (one a HR), Michael Young now has 1647 hits in his career. It's probably safe to say, he will be right...
With future president George W. Bush in attendance, Nolan Ryan struck out his 5000th batter 20 years ago on this day. The unlucky individual, the greatest lead-off hitter of all-time. Sorry Ricky!
As I sit here watching the Rangers lead after three innings over the Twins, I'm wondering if we really appreciate Marlon Byrd. Byrd has two home runs in this game and just made a diving catch that was quite possibly one of the best I have ever seen. At 31-years old, Byrd is batting .286 with 15 home runs and 65 RBI. Not bad for a player the Rangers are only paying a little over three million a year. The Rangers have reinstated Nelson Cruz from the 15-day D.L. Cruz has made three appearances in Oklahoma City, going 0-10 with a stolen base. To make a spot for the slugger, Texas optioned Guillermo Moscoso to Triple-A Oklahoma City. Cruz's return could be just what the Rangers need for a spark. Texas has lost two straight games to the Twins where they had a substantial lead after five innings. It's all over twitter that Ivan Rodriguez is coming back to the Texas Rangers. Will try to confirm soon, but in the RACE TO BE FIRST, I wanted to get this on the blog page. I'll update soon. ...Rangers fans who kept wondering what might have happened if Edinson Volquez were still wearing a Rangers uniform can move on now. Volquez was traded to Cincinnati for Josh Hamilton and today, he underwent Tommy John surgery. Doctors repaired a torn ulnar collateral ligament and torn flexor mass in his right elbow. He is not expect back for 12 months and more realistically, isn't expected to be back to full form until the 2011...
It's 12:30 am Dallas time, and the LA Angles just got done scoring two runs in the 9th to tie their game with Minnesota. It's 5-5 going into the 10th. This is a hot team. The Angels have won 19 of their last 25 games, and while the Rangers have won four straight games, they have lost ground over the last week. Tonight's game isn't over yet, but another Angel win would push the Rangers farther back in the standings. ...It's not a good night when you win a game, but still lose ground in the standings. Texas won its third straight game last night to move back to 10 games over .500, but the LA Angeles were busy sweeping a double header to move 3 games in front of the Rangers. Still, this recent mini-winning streak improves the Rangers July record to 10-6 (this after going 11-15 in June). As the trade deadline nears, what should the Rangers do? Should t...
The Rangers pitching has improved this season, but it's hard figure out just how much. But a quick comparison to last year will show you the difference. The bull pen era last season was last in the American League at 5.15. Their era after 91 games this season is 3.91, that's 6th in the league. It shows a dramatic difference and one of the reasons the team is near the top of the American League West. Their bull pen has been eve...
Rangers 2nd baseman Ian Kinsler joined a select group of players Sunday night when he hit a leadoff and a walk-off home run. It's happened only three times in the last 40-years so that tells you how rare of a night it was. Coming in the bottom of the 12th made it even more special. No Rangers player had done it before. Darin Erstad did it for the Angels on June 25, 2000 and Reed Johnson pulled it off for the Blue Jays on June 15, 2003....
The Rangers start the second half of their season tonight against the Minnesota Twins, and though they're 7-4 so far this month, the team went 11-15 in June. The Rangers are two games back from the Angels for first place in the division, but they're apparently not sure if they have the horses to catch them. But they're interested in a horse that would almost certainly do the job. T.R. Sullivan reports on MLB.com that the Rangers have <...
The process of selecting the Major League All Star team has turned into a popularity contest and doesn't reflect players who are having the best season. The selection of Rangers outfielder Josh Hamilton supports that since he was selected as a starter despite having an injury riddled season. Hamilton remains a great story in baseball and is one of the nicest guys you'll ever want to meet, but his .243 batting average with only 6 home r...
The All-Star Break is upon us and the MLB season is more or less at its halfway point. The Rangers come into the break 48-39 and 1.5 games out of first place in the AL West, after going 3-4 on a West Coast road trip against division rivals the Angels and the Mariners. The team is exceeding nearly everyone's pre-season expectations, but has had a rough stretch recently. I got a text from one of the biggest Rangers fans I...
Though Ian Kinsler lost the fan's vote to be added to the American League All-Star roster, the Rangers will have one more representative joining Josh Hamilton and Michael Young in St. Louis. Outfielder Nelson Cruz has been added to the team, since Angels outfielder Torii Hunter will not play in the game due to injury. Cruz has 20 homer...
The votes have been tallied and Ian Kinsler will not be participating in this year's All-Star game in St. Louis. Detroit's Brandon Inge has beaten out Kinsler for the 33rd and final spot. Kinlser was the leading vote-getter with 4 days left in voting for the starting 2nd baseman spot before he was passed in the final days by Red Sox nation and their choice of Dustin Pedroia. He was also second in player voting behind Aaron Hill. And n...
It sounds great: The Rangers should trade for Blue Jays ace Roy Halladay. Just don't expect it to actually happen. Yes, the Blue Jays are shopping Halladay, just don't expect him to end up in Arlington. Halladay is clearly an elite pitcher. He's 10-2 with a 2.79 ERA this season. He had great numbers last year, too (20-11 and 2.78 ERA). You want to know how good he is? He got a decision in 31 of his 33 starts last seas...
From the Texas Rangers: The Texas Rangers announced prior to tonight's game that the club has reinstated outfielder Josh Hamilton from the 15-day disabled list. To make room on the 25-man roster, the club has optioned first baseman Chris Davis to Triple-A Oklahoma City. Hamilton is in the starting lineup for tonight's series opener in Anaheim. Hamilton was placed on the disabled list June 2, retroactive to June 1, with a righ...
The Rangers just got done sweeping a pretty good team, and now they've won 5 straight games against pretty good teams (including two vs. the LA Angeles last week). It may not seem like a very big deal to sweep Tampa Bay, because even though they made it to the World Series last year, they're still Tampa Bay. They're not Boston or New York. It just doesn't feel like as big a deal. But consider this: the Rays had been as hot as anybody. ...
From the ALS Association: Dallas--On July 4th, the Texas Rangers will commemorate the 70th anniversary of Lou Gehrig's famous "Luckiest Man" farewell speech that he gave as he battled the disease that ultimately took his life. This commemoration is part of The ALS Association's "Covering All the Bases" Hitting Challenge taking place during Major League Baseball's "4ALS Awareness" charitable initiative. Former Texas Ra...
The Texas Rangers seem to have their arrow pointing up again. Now if they can just have similar success against a team that was in the World Series last fall, they might be back on the right track. Granted a walk off home run by Hank Blalock on Wednesday night helped, but taking two out of three against Los Angeles was huge. They still trail the Angels by a game, but the team has won five of their last eight games. Another rea...
Texas Rangers spokesman John Blake said that the team has no comment on the team's financial situation, but that "payroll is made." I called him a few minutes ago after reading Evan Grant's blog. Take a moment to read his entry - Evan did the legwork on this story. Short version, t...
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