Rangers-Red Sox Preview

By MIKE LIPKA

STATS Editor

(AP) — Despite nearly sweeping a four-game series to open their home schedule, the Boston Red Sox are dealing with another controversy during a tumultuous April.

The Texas Rangers, on the other hand, just keep rolling – even on the road.

The reigning AL champions try for their first 4-0 start away from home in 20 years Tuesday night, but they’ll have to go through Red Sox ace Jon Lester in the opener of a two-game set.

Before the team’s annual 11 a.m. Patriots’ Day game Monday, Red Sox manager Bobby Valentine apologized for comments he made on local television in which he questioned whether Kevin Youkilis was “as physically or emotionally into the game” as he used to be.

Dustin Pedroia and other teammates defended Youkilis, who said he was “more confused than anything.” The veteran is off to a slow start, batting .200, and his status for Tuesday is unclear after he missed Monday’s 1-0 loss to Tampa Bay with a minor groin injury.

“I don’t know if he accepted my apology,” Valentine said. “It was sincere.”

Texas manager Ron Washington would probably struggle to find anything negative to say about his players right now. The Rangers (8-2) have the AL’s best record after winning four straight overall, including a three-game sweep at Minnesota.

The 3-0 start on the road is their best since 1999, and they haven’t won their first four away from home since 1992.

The schedule is about to get a lot tougher, though. After this brief stop in Boston, the Rangers play three straight series against the three teams that joined them in the AL playoffs last year.

“They’re chasing us,” second baseman Ian Kinsler told the Rangers’ official website. “It shouldn’t matter to us. We’re not chasing them. Obviously, they are some of the best teams in the American League, but we feel like it’s got to come through us.”

The Red Sox will try to cool off Josh Hamilton, who went 6 for 13 with two doubles and two homers at Target Field. He’s a career .333 hitter at Fenway Park with 11 extra-base hits and 16 RBIs in 16 games.

“He’s locked in. He’s doing everything,” Washington said of Hamilton. “He’s using all the fields. He’s not missing mistakes. He’s playing tremendous defense.”

Before being blanked by James Shields and Fernando Rodney on Monday, Boston (4-6) also was in an offensive groove, totaling 31 runs while winning its first three against the Rays.

The Red Sox – especially Adrian Gonzalez – may be eager to face Texas scheduled starter Colby Lewis, who was 1-2 with an 8.22 ERA in three starts in last season’s series. He lasted 3 1-3 innings in a 12-7 loss at Fenway on Sept. 3.

Lewis (1-0, 1.42 ERA) didn’t have any answers for Gonzalez, who was 6 for 7 with a double, two homers and a walk in the matchup.

The right-hander has been sharp in his first two 2012 outings, striking out 15 in 12 2-3 innings, but so has Lester (0-1, 2.40).

The left-hander makes his home debut after a pair of frustrating results on the road. He allowed four runs and nine hits in 15 innings at Detroit and Toronto, but got a combined one run of support as the Red Sox lost both games.

Lester is 3-1 with a 3.48 ERA in eight career starts versus Texas, although he’s had trouble with Nelson Cruz (6 for 12) and Mike Napoli (5 for 9).

The Rangers have won three of their last four series at Fenway, going 8-5 there since 2009.

Updated April 16, 2012

The Texas Rangers begin a two-game series at Boston on April 17^th and the Rangers appear to be the team headed in the right direction for the moment. Texas leads the American League (and the AL West) with an 8-2 record while the Red Sox sit in last place in the AL East with a record of 4-6, but only two games out of first.

The Rangers are clicking on all cylinders heading into the matchup while the Red Sox are dealing with internal issues stemming from manager Bobby Valentine’s comments regarding Kevin Youkilis. Now the Red Sox players and Valentine are saying that apologies have been made and they’ve put it behind them but you still can’t help but wonder if that’s all true. Apparently Valentine has forgotten that he is no longer a commentator and can’t just openly criticize a player that way. It definitely affects team chemistry.

So what exactly can Rangers’ fans look forward to? You can surely expect some great pitching battles but I believe the Texas offense will be the deciding factor when all is said and done.

Game One, Tuesday, Colby Lewis (TEX) vs. Jon Lester (BOS)

Colby Lewis is 2-3 lifetime against the Red Sox and was absolutely disastrous against them last season posting a 1-2 record with an 8.22 ERA. In fact, in his worse start against Boston, he only lasted 3 1/3 innings allowing four runs on seven hits. He’s 1-0 with a 1.42 ERA so far in two starts this season and is a notably better pitcher on the road. He appears to be in a better groove this season and I expect him to go at least seven innings.

Key matchup: Lewis vs. Adrian Gonzalez who is 6-7 lifetime against him posting an .857 batting average with two home runs and no strikeouts.

He owns: Dustin Pedroia who is 3-14 with a .214 average.

Jon Lester is 3-1 with a 3.48 ERA against the Rangers over the past ten years. This season he is 0-1 with a 2.40 ERA but has also had the misfortune of losing pitcher’s duels with Justin Verlander and Ricky Romero.

Key matchup: Lester vs. Nelson Cruz who is hitting .500 (6-for-12) with one home run off of him.

He owns: Ian Kinsler who 3-19 with a .158 average, though two of his three hits have been home runs.

Expect a gritty pitcher’s duel in this game and if it comes down to a battle of bullpens then Texas will be the likely victor.

Game Two, Derek Holland (TEX) vs. Josh Beckett (BOS)

Derek Holland comes into the game with a 1-0 record and a 3.38 ERA. He is 2-1 lifetime against the Red Sox with a 2.95 ERA. Holland is still young and maturing into an eventual ace pitcher. I expect great things out of him this season as well as in this game.

Key matchup: Holland vs. Nick Punto who is hitting .429 against him (3-for-7).

He owns: Kevin Youkilis who is 0-6 against Holland with four strikeouts.

Josh Beckett is 1-1 with a 5.68 ERA so far this season but has managed to keep his WHIP low at 1.11. Beckett is 3-2 lifetime against the Rangers and doesn’t appear to have his stuff together so far this season though it is still early.

Key Matchup: Beckett vs. Josh Hamilton who is 6-for-14 with a .429 average and two home runs in his career versus him.

He owns: Adrian Beltre. Beltre is just 4-for-23 with a .174 average and 10 strikeouts.

I fully expect Derek Holland to dominate this game and to see Texas score at least seven runs in what will be a Rangers’ victory.

Until next time, I’ll see you in the cheap seats!

James Holland is a lifelong fan of baseball and his hometown Texas Rangers. He is also a contributing writer for shutdowninning.com and the senior writer/editor at clawandantlernation.com as well as a member of SABR. You can follow him on Twitter where he waxes poetic about all things baseball @SDIJamesHolland.

Sources:

http://texasrangers.com

http://bostonredsox.com

http://baseball-reference.com

http://baseball-almanac.com

The Texas Rangers finished their second round through the rotation and played even better than the first time through. As a matter of fact, the second round finished the same as the first with the Rangers going 4-1 and their only loss coming due to their closer Joe Nathan.

With that said, the Rangers’ starters, after 10 games, are still undefeated.

Colby Lewis – 1-0, 1.42 ERA, 15 Ks

After pitching a solid game, save an Adam Dunn home run, in his first appearance of the season, Colby Lewis followed up with an even better game. He pitched 6 2/3 innings of shutout ball while only giving up five hits. Lewis relied on mostly his slider and completely took the Seattle Mariners out of the game. Unfortunately, Joe Nathan gave up three runs in the ninth to blow the save and cost Lewis a hard fought win.

Derek Holland – 1-0, 3.38 ERA, 13 Ks

Derek Holland was the Week 1 tough luck pitcher, taking the no-decision thanks to Joe Nathan giving up the win. His second start would be different as he pitched a brilliant game over Seattle. Holland lowered his ERA a full point by throwing 7 1/3 innings of one-run ball, with five hits and eight strikeouts.

Matt Harrison – 2-0, 0.64 ERA, 7 Ks

Matt Harrison, of all pitchers, is the first Rangers’ pitcher to earn two wins on the season as he continues to be the best hurler in the rotation. After pitching a shutout in his first start, Harrison went eight full innings in his second start, giving up seven hits and only allowing one run, while striking out four. Harrison is the MVP starting pitcher at the start of the season.

Yu Darvish – 1-0, 4.76 ERA, 9 Ks

Yu Darvish continues to struggle with his location but he is not giving up the runs to lose. In his second start for Texas, Darvish loaded the bases twice, and both times, Texas worked their way out of the mess. Darvish gave up an unsightly nine hits and four walks in his start over Minnesota but only gave up one earned run. He also struck out four. Reliever Robbie Ross took the win though, and Darvish remains at one.

Neftali Feliz – 1-0, 2.25 ERA, 7 Ks

After the first week, Texas had two starting pitchers shut out their opponents. While Harrison continued to roll, Neftali Feliz struggled. Feliz left in the sixth inning after giving up three runs on five hits. He walked two and struck out three. What was discouraging was letting the first three batters get on in the sixth and allowing one of them to score before Robbie Ross came in and worked out of it. Ross took his second win in as many days and Feliz remains at one.

Author Shawn S. Lealos has a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Oklahoma (2000) and has been a Texas Rangers fan his entire life, watching the Rangers’ Triple-A affiliate play for over 30 years. While Texas has moved their Triple-A team, Shawn still remains a loyal Rangers fan and awaits the year they finally win the big one.

Source: MLB.COM

Other articles by Shawn S. Lealos:

The Texas Rangers got to enjoy their first off day of the season in Boston today. It was Patriot’s Day and the annual running of the Boston Marathon, but unfortunately all that was noteworthy in Beantown was the state of the Red Sox clubhouse.

While the Red Sox are once again experiencing issues that are better suited for a soap opera, the Rangers are playing some of the best baseball around. After sweeping their three game set with the Minnesota Twins, the Rangers now have an 8-2 record which is the best in the American League and only trail the Los Angeles Dodgers who have started the season better than anyone ever would have expected.

The Rangers enter the series with Josh Hamilton absolutely on fire. Hamilton has resembled the hitter that he was in 2010 when he won the AL MVP. If he can maintain anywhere near this production, he could be in line for not only another MVP trophy, but also a huge contract. Hamilton is hitting .390 with four home runs so far this season and has homered in his last two games. If there is a downside to Hamilton’s start it is that he has yet to take a walk this season. So far, he has done an excellent job of not getting beat with breaking stuff away, which killed him in 2011. He has gone after some of those pitches early in counts, but is laying off later in counts or driving the ball the other way. Regardless, his lack of patience could begin to catch up at some point, especially as advance scouts begin to return with more data as the season continues to progress.

While Hamilton along with Ian Kinsler and Michael Young have carried the Rangers offensively this year, the pitching staff has been the Rangers’ backbone. It is ten games into the season and not a single starting pitcher has lost a decision and every starter has lasted at least five innings for their first two times through the rotation. There have been a few issues with the rotation and most of them have been with Yu Darvish, but as a whole there is not much more that could have been asked out of them.

Colby Lewis will be on the mound for the first game in Boston. He enters with a 1-0 record, a 1.42 ERA and 15 strikeouts. It will be a matchup of opening day starters as he will be matched up against John Lester who is 0-1 with a 2.40 ERA.

On Wednesday, Derek Holland will take the mound and will bring in a 1-0 record and 3.38 ERA. He is coming off a start against the Mariners where he went 7 1/3 innings, allowing two runs and striking out eight. Holland will be matched up with Josh Beckett who had one of his worst starts of his career to start the season. He gave up five home runs to the Detroit Tigers and failed to make it out of the fifth inning and then followed that up with one of the most interesting starts of his career on Friday when he pitched eight innings and only struck out one batter.

The Rangers have also had a phenomenal bullpen so far this season and the good news is that Joe Nathan has finally joined the good end of that bullpen. He worked back-to-back scoreless outings in Minnesota over the weekend and looked much sharper in both of them. Alexi Ogando, Mike Adams and Robbie Ross have carried the bullpen and now they can hopefully begin to experience the same consistency from Nathan.

The Rangers will only be in Boston for two days, but hopefully they can continue to play good baseball and turn the baseball world’s attention away from the Red Sox clubhouse for at least a few days.

John Bowman is a lifelong baseball and Texas Rangers fan that loves to ponder the deeper aspects of the game. Some of his first baseball memories involve Arlington Stadium nachos, Charlie Hough’s knuckleball, dirt on Pete Incaviglia’s uniform and the voices of Mark Holtz and Eric Nadel as he fell asleep.

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) Joe Nathan signed his contract with the Texas Rangers way back in November. He reported to spring training with them in February and started the regular season as the closer for the two-time defending American League champions.

The transition from Twins leader to Rangers newcomer wasn’t complete until he arrived in the Twin Cities on Thursday night and checked into a hotel room instead of driving to his home in the Minneapolis suburbs.

”This is when it really hits you,” Nathan said from his locker in the visiting clubhouse at Target Field. ”This was such a huge part of my life, this place. It kind of becomes a reality that it’s over here.”

Nathan became a star here. He set records here. He started a family here. He loved it here, and even though he has moved on to a much better team with much higher expectations that gives the 37-year-old a more realistic shot at winning his first World Series, it’s clear he still misses Minnesota.

”When we landed, I definitely had the feeling that I missed this place,” he said. ”I miss being here, miss the guys, miss the fans. But I’m excited about being with this club, excited about being with the Rangers. I look forward to being here for the next three days. I look forward to being around these fans.”

After throwing five times in six days, including a warmup, before the day off on Thursday, Nathan was given one more day of rest in the Rangers’ 4-1 win over the Twins on Friday night.

Nathan was an unheralded reliever with the San Francisco Giants when he was thrown into the trade package that was sent to Minnesota for catcher A.J. Pierzynski in 2003. The deal also netted the Twins Francisco Liriano and Boof Bonser, two starters who projected as much better prospects than that lanky Nathan.

The former college shortstop who didn’t start pitching until he was in the minor leagues turned out to be the real gem in that lopsided transaction. The Twins converted Nathan into a closer, and it didn’t take long for him to turn into one of the most dominant stoppers in the game. He saved 44 games in his first season in Minnesota, made four All-Star teams and set the franchise record with 260 saves in his seven seasons.

He emerged as a pillar in the clubhouse, and his fidgety demeanor and trademark lip-flapping exhale of a deep breath before big pitches on the mound became synonymous with the team’s scrappy success through the last decade.

”He did it for us a long time, took the ball and gave us everything he had,” Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said. ”Great clubhouse guy, great presence in the community. Everything we like to see out of a baseball player, handled himself very well. Plus, he was pretty good when he got the ball in the ninth, too.”

Nathan saved a career-high 47 games in 2009. But his career took a turn the following spring when he tore the ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow and missed the 2010 season while recovering from Tommy John surgery. He returned in 2011, but struggled in the early going and needed to be sent down for another rehab stint before reasserting himself as the team’s closer in the final three months of the season.

He went 11 for 12 in save situations after returning from his rehab assignment, restoring the faith of executives across the league that the 36-year-old still had something left in the tank.

That’s what the Rangers were banking on when they signed him to a two-year, $14.5 million contract in the offseason. They planned to convert Neftali Feliz into a starter and needed a veteran presence on the back end of the bullpen to solidify a group that has won the AL pennant the last two seasons before flaming out in the World Series.

It’s been a bit of a shaky start for Nathan in Texas. He has two saves, but is 0-2 with a 9.00 ERA in four appearances. He gave up three runs in the ninth inning against Seattle on Wednesday and Michael Adams closed out their victory on Thursday. But Rangers manager Ron Washington said he is not concerned with the early struggles.

”We knew he wasn’t going to be perfect,” Washington said with a shrug.

No matter how long he stays with the Rangers, Nathan will always be keeping an eye on the Twins. Before the Twins moved out of the Metrodome, Nathan took some dirt from the mound and put it in a baggie as a keepsake. He did the same thing when Target Field opened. The dirt still has a special place at his home.

”I’m going to keep that,” Nathan said. ”That’s mine. It’s going to be mine forever.”

—

Follow Jon Krawczynski on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/APkrawczynski.

The Texas Rangers completed their first five games of the season on April 10, 2012, and that means that fans had a chance to see the entire Rangers’ rotation in action. With Texas coming out of that opening stretch with a 4-1 record, it seems like the starting rotation did a great job. Since that one loss was at the hands of closer Joe Nathan, the starting staff looks to be on the right track.

Colby Lewis – 1-0, 3.00 ERA, 9 Ks

The Rangers named Lewis the starter for Opening Day 2012 and he looked pretty good in his first start of the season. Lewis pitched six innings and gave up seven hits and two runs. Lewis was perfect until he gave up a two run homer to Adam Dunn in the sixth. That is a little concerning since the long ball is Lewis’ biggest problem area. However, he also struck out nine and looked really good out there for most of the game.

Derek Holland – 0-0, 4.50 ERA, 5 Ks

Derek Holland got the second start of the season but was the hard luck loser when Joe Nathan came in and blew a hold in the ninth to cost Texas the game. In his first start since his shutout performance against the St. Louis Cardinals in the World Series last year, Holland went six innings, giving up three hits and three runs in the game, while striking out five. Paul Konerko was the kryptonite for Holland, scoring three RBIs on a single and a double.

Matt Harrison – 1-0, 0.00 ERA, 3 Ks

Matt Harrison pitched the first perfect performance of the year for the Rangers as Texas shutout the White Sox in the third game of their series. Harrison went six innings, gave up four hits and no runs while striking out three and walking two. He finished the game with a 1.00 WHIP and picked up the first Texas shutout win of the season.

Yu Darvish – 1-0, 7.94 ERA, 5 Ks

The biggest game of the opening series of five was when Yu Darvish led the Rangers in his first American start against Ichiro and the Seattle Mariners. Ichiro had a great game against Darvish, going 3-for-5 with two runs scored. Darvish struggled early, giving up five runs in the first two innings. However, he settled down and Seattle never scored another run in the game. Darvish gave up eight hits and five runs while striking out five.

Neftali Feliz – 1-0, 0.00 ERA, 4 Ks

Everyone was excited about Yu Darvish but seemed worried about converted closer Neftali Feliz. In response, Feliz did nothing more than give Texas their second shutout of the season. Feliz pitched longer than any other Rangers’ starter, going seven innings, while only giving up four hits and no runs, while striking out four. Like Harrison, he has a perfect ERA but also has the best WHIP on the team, with 0.86.

Author Shawn S. Lealos has a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Oklahoma (2000) and has been a Texas Rangers fan his entire life, watching the Rangers’ Triple-A affiliate play for over 30 years. While Texas has moved their Triple-A team, Shawn still remains a loyal Rangers fan and awaits the year they finally win the big one.

Source: MLB.COM

Other articles by Shawn S. Lealos:

Well, as a fan of the Texas Rangers I became a huge Mike Napoli fan last season and it wasn’t too far after the All-Star break that I was fine watching C.J. Wilson walk out the door. I guess actually Wilson did have the door opened for him and a car waiting, but I sure didn’t shed a tear when he signed with the Los Angeles Angels in the offseason. Now, I have even more reason to feel that way.

Apparently at some point this offseason Napoli said he was looking forward to hitting homers off of Wilson and Wilson decided to retaliate in a manner that only he could. He turned to Twitter on Saturday night to send out a message that appeared to give Napoli his new cell number, but instead was a prank where he was giving away Napoli’s number. Call me old fashioned if you will, but that does not seem like something that would go over too well in any clubhouse.

I have never been in a big league clubhouse and for certain do not understand the intricacies involved, but I would expect that all ballplayers understand the spotlight they are under and the world where some things just need to stay private. There are some reports that it was an old number of Napoli’s, but regardless that does not seem like the best way to deal with a situation.

Napoli also does not quite understand what Wilson was thinking and said, “If I have a problem with somebody, I’m going to call them. I just think it was uncalled for.”

Napoli added “I don’t even remember saying I want to take him deep, but as every power hitter, you’re always trying to take pitchers deep. So I’ll say it now, I’m going to try and take him deep.”

I have sure heard athletes say worse things than wanting to hit home runs off of a pitcher that will be a divisional rival, but then again maybe Wilson is still a bit bitter as to the way things were handled with him and the Rangers this offseason.

I am definitely biased and I am going to stick by the Rangers and Napoli. Give me a ballplayer who talks about hitting home runs and worries about getting ready for the season any day than someone who can’t pitch in October and is more concerned with racing cars, photography and Twitter pranks.

It may have started in a strange manner, but this rivalry is starting to heat up. It may not ever be the Yankees and Red Sox, but the Rangers and Angels are preparing to have some very interesting games over the next few years. They will meet for a few games this weekend and while the games will not mean anything, it will still be interesting to actually see both of them on the field facing each other. They will meet for the first time in the regular season on May 11^th in Arlington and that day cannot come soon enough.

John Bowman is a lifelong baseball and Texas Rangers fan that loves to ponder the deeper aspects of the game. Some of his first baseball memories involve Arlington Stadium nachos, Charlie Hough’s knuckeball, dirt on Pete Incaviglia’s uniform and the voices of Mark Holtz and Eric Nadel as he fell asleep.

The Texas Rangers entered into Spring Training last season with every intention of Josh Hamilton being the everyday left fielder. Hamilton spent most of the year in left, but was back in center in September and for much of the postseason. This spring Hamilton has been a fixture in left field as Julio Borbon, Craig Gentry and Leonys Martin have been spending most of the time in center. However, the Rangers have not been as fixated on Hamilton staying left this spring as they were last year.

The Rangers do not appear anywhere near ready to announce how they plan to handle the situation in center and knowing the Rangers they might go into the regular season without ever formally announcing anything. As of now it appears that Martin will at least begin the year at Triple-A Round Rock as most feel he still needs a little bit more development and that leaves Gentry and Borbon fighting for the spot. However, the door has been left open for David Murphy who has historically struggled against left-handed pitchers. This spring he has been solid against lefties and could force his way into the lineup which would once again move Hamilton to center.

The Rangers are in solid shape no matter which direction they go, but this time they should stick with the decision they make. That is not saying that if something ends up going horribly wrong that they should not adjust and make changes, but that it is time to let some of these guys develop and adjust to the job of being an everyday player.

Murphy could easily start with many teams and if given the opportunity in Texas could turn into a solid everyday player. In 2011, Murphy hit .296 with 11 home runs and 41 RBIs against righties, but only hit .215 against righties with no home runs. He hit .351 in September and showed that when he is hot he can help lead a team. He is showing signs of growth against lefties this spring and if he can continue to improve in that area could justify Hamilton spending the season in center as Martin continues to develop.

At the same time, Borbon also needs time to develop and play on a regular basis. He has all the talent in the world, but does not make the best decisions on the base paths and in the outfield. Those areas of his game are not going to develop if he is not playing on a regular basis, but he may be running out of time for development in Texas. Those areas can be some of the most frustrating things to deal with in the development of a player and the big league level cannot often justify that.

Gentry has often seemed like the perfect role player with speed that can change a game quickly, but in 2011 he showed that he can contribute on a regular basis and not just in certain situations. Injuries are limiting his opportunities to impress the Rangers this spring and unless he has a strong second half to the spring will likely see him back in a role position.

The Rangers are in great hands with Hamilton in left and Borbon and Gentry in center, but also are in just as good of shape with Hamilton in center and Murphy in left. Many feel that Hamilton is more susceptible to injuries when in center, but this is the perfect year to see if he can stay healthy there. No matter what decision the Rangers make, it is time for Hamilton to be a left fielder or a center fielder. Outfield is somewhere that players can easily adjust to different spots, but it is still easier for a ballplayer to show up every day knowing where they will be. No matter where Hamilton is, the Rangers have to players to adequately surround him.

John Bowman is a lifelong baseball and Texas Rangers fan that loves to ponder the deeper aspects of the game. Some of his first baseball memories involve Arlington Stadium nachos, Charlie Hough’s knuckeball, dirt on Pete Incaviglia’s uniform and the voices of Mark Holtz and Eric Nadel as he fell asleep.

Colby Lewis is the Texas Rangers’ opening day pitcher, an honor bestowed on the aces of most teams’ rotations. Of course, there are teams like the Philadelphia Phillies that have multiple aces and teams like the Los Angeles Angels that like to pretend they do, but the Rangers are a different breed.

Honestly, Texas has no ace pitcher on their staff. Lewis, the man given the opening day start, has been solid in postseason but his 2011 regular season was horrendous. He almost didn’t deserve to be in the postseason starting five in 2011. Now, heading into the 2012 season, there is Lewis and newcomer Yu Darvish, who some fans would love to see develop into an ace.

If Darvish becomes an ace for Texas, I think he is one of two players on the roster with that potential. In my eyes, Derek Holland is the best pitcher in the Rangers’ rotation and the man that should be starting on opening day for Texas.

He proved again on Saturday in Las Vegas why he is so great. Holland finished his outing against the Chicago Cubs with two strikeouts and only one hit in four innings pitched. This spring, he is 2-0 with a 2.00 ERA. In nine innings, he has given up seven hits, two runs and struck out seven batters.

After the game on Saturday, he mentioned that, in his earlier starts, he was playing with his pitches, working things out. However, in the Saturday start, he pitched like he would in the regular season and shut down the Cubs.

Holland proved to the world how great he was in 2011 when he came into Game 4 of the World Series and pitched the only gem of any starter on the Rangers’ team. He pitched 8 1/3 innings, gave up two hits and two walks, but allowed no runs in the game. It was an amazing performance by the 25-year old pitcher.

Holland threw four complete game shutouts in the regular season in 2011.

The Texas Rangers have their ace of the future on the staff and his name is Derek Holland. It is just about time they realized this.

Author Shawn S. Lealos has a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Oklahoma (2000) and has been a Texas Rangers fan his entire life, watching the Rangers’ Triple-A affiliate play for over 30 years. While Texas has moved their Triple-A team, Shawn still remains a loyal Rangers fan and awaits the year they finally win the big one.

Source: MLB.COM

It looks like it might be a soap opera for the Texas Rangers throughout all of Spring Training and that is unfortunate because Josh Hamilton and his teammates might just want to start working on making it to their third consecutive World Series. However, the Hamilton relapse story continues to rage on into the preseason.

Josh Hamilton
Wikimedia Commons

When Hamilton arrived at Spring Training, the Player’s Union was not far behind. Everyone from the Rangers to Major League Baseball wants to make sure to give Hamilton the assistance he needs to make it through his battles. In exchange, Hamilton said in an interview with the press this week that, even if the Rangers do not sign him before the season starts, he will still give them the first chance to sign him when he becomes a free agent at the end of the season.

See, Hamilton said he will not personally negotiate an extension once the MLB season begins. It is the same thing Albert Pujols said last year and the reason that the St. Louis Cardinals fans knew they needed to enjoy him while they still had him. Pujols and the Cardinals never reached an agreement and now he plays out west.

However, that is something Hamilton said that Rangers’ fans don’t need to worry about. He even added a new twist to his contract talks. He said that if his agent and the Texas Rangers’ organization want to continue to discuss contract extension specifics once the season starts, he will welcome that as long as he does not have to take part in it.

Hamilton, much like Pujols last season, wants to concentrate only on his game on the field and not the business off of it. It worked for Pujols, who put his contract on the backburner and helped his team win a World Series. However, I don’t think Pujols ever planned to return to St. Louis when they did not give him a new contract to start the season.

Josh Hamilton said he loves it in Texas and I believe him. I think he wants to return as a Rangers’ player in 2013 and think if Texas can make the numbers work, Hamilton won’t be going anywhere.

Author Shawn S. Lealos has a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Oklahoma (2000) and has been a Texas Rangers fan his entire life, watching the Rangers’ Triple-A affiliate play for over 30 years. While Texas has moved their Triple-A team, Shawn still remains a loyal Rangers fan and awaits the year they finally win the big one.

Source: MLB.COM

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The question marks coming into the 2012 MLB season for the Texas Rangers include two of their five pitching rotation spots. Yu Darvish comes over from Japan and hopes to prove he is the new ace pitcher that Texas hopes he can be. Neftali Feliz moves from the closer’s spot into the starting rotation and hopes to prove he can last deep into innings in his first year as a starter in the majors.

Neftali Feliz
Wikimedia Cmmons

From the first week of Spring Training, it looks like a case of so far, so good. Darvish has been highly impressive with his work on the mound and in the clubhouse. Teammates say he is catching on quick and he seems ready to translate his game to America. The first opportunity everyone will get a chance to see Darvish in action comes on March 7 against the San Diego Padres in Peoria.

Feliz starts the next day against the Chicago White Sox. At the moment, it looks like Feliz is sitting in the fifth spot in the rotation but he us competing over the spring with Alexi Ogando for that spot.

The good news is both men are coming along very well and have impressed Rangers’ manager Ron Washington. Washington said he knows of at least three pitches in Darvish’s arsenal, all variations on his fastball. He believes there might be even more the hurler hasn’t shown yet.

Feliz is currently working on developing his arsenal. As a closer, Feliz had one of the best fastballs on the roster. However, as a starter, he will need to work on his breaking ball and changeup. So far in camp, Feliz has impressed with his changeup. He struck out Josh Hamilton on Monday but gave up a homer to David Murphy. While Darvish is a lock, Feliz seems to be a work in progress.

Next up for Feliz and Darvish is another batting practice session on Feb. 29 and then Texas has them both scheduled to pitch in an intrasquad game on March 2. It is almost time to see the 2012 Texas Rangers take the field for the first time this year and it can’t come soon enough.

Author Shawn S. Lealos has a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Oklahoma (2000) and has been a Texas Rangers fan his entire life, watching the Rangers’ Triple-A affiliate play for over 30 years. While Texas has moved their Triple-A team, Shawn still remains a loyal Rangers fan and awaits the year they finally win the big one.

Source: MLB.COM

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