Texas Rangers Blog Fan Site and Schedule with MLB News » michael-young

Discovering the Positives in 2011 Texas Rangers…

CrypeTeretriz — Sun, 01 Jan 2012 11:32:00 +0000

Many fans remember that the Texas Rangers lost to the St. Louis Cardinals in the World Series despite being only one strike away from winning. After losing the World Series in 2010, I took it well because it was the Rangers first time to play in the Fall Classic. However, after losing the St. Louis, there was a feeling of disappointment. This was a series they could have, and should have, won. And they lost.

Michael Young
Wikimedia Commons

However, it would be wrong to forget about what the Rangers accomplished in 2011.

Mike Napoli

When the season started, everyone wanted to see where Carl Crawford would end up. Crawford was the number one man on everyone’s free agent list and even Texas wanted them. Crawford finished with a .254 average, the lowest of his career. Over the last six seasons, Crawford eclipsed .300 in five of them but fell apart in Boston. In the last five years, Mike Napoli never broke .300. In his first year in Texas, traded from Toronto after leaving the Angels, Napoli finished 2011 with a .319 average for the year. He also hit 30 home runs and 75 RBIs, also career highs.

Pitcher’s Rotation

The Texas Rangers lost their ace pitcher Cliff Lee at the end of 2010 and I wondered what they were going to do to fix that in 2011. Texas didn’t need to do much since Lee was nothing more than a late season addition when they were hunting for the pennant. They came into 2011 with the same ace they started with in 2010, C.J. Wilson. With Colby Lewis, Matt Hamilton, Derek Holland and Alexi Ogando, the Rangers starting rotation finished the season with a 74-40 record and a 3.65 ERA. All the starters won at least 13 games each, with Wilson and Holland leading the way with 16 each.

Michael Young

The most impressive stories in Texas in 2011 involved Michael Young. When the season started, Young asked for a trade because the Rangers signed Adrian Beltre to replace him at third and then brought in Napoli to share the DH position with Young. The Rangers refused to trade him and he responded by hitting a career-high .338. He also knocked in 11 home runs and 106 RBIs. Young ignored the controversy and just played hard, proving to be the heart and soul of the Rangers.

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: texasrangers.com

Note: This article was written by a Yahoo! contributor. Sign up here to start publishing your own sports content.

That’s all for today guys, i’ll be back to blog you tomorrow.

What Yu Darvis Could Mean to the Texas Rangers…

Arramiinson — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 11:01:00 +0000

Now that the Texas Rangers have the right to negotiate with Japanese phenom Yu Darvish, the only thing left to do is wait and see if they actually sign the player. Darvish would surely move to the front of the rotation if he comes to Texas and the Rangers would have an ace to replace departed C.J. Wilson.

But what does this mean to the long-term prospects of the Texas Rangers organization.

It took the Rangers many years to climb out of the financial hole that signing Alex Rodriguez put them in, so it is obvious why Texas is not courting super free agents like Albert Pujols. The Rangers hope they can sign Darvish to a reasonable contract, preferably for five years or less. The pitcher is 25 and comes to America with a 1.44 ERA and 276 strikeouts in his last season in Japan. He won’t be cheap.

What happens if Texas signs him and he turns into another Daisuke Matsuzaka? Matsuzaka was decent for two seasons but then the overwork in games took its toll on the player and he has not been the same since, recently undergoing Tommy John surgery. Texas would have to limit innings for Darvish to ease him into the American style of play. Luckily, they have Alexi Ogando and Scott Feldman in the bullpen to offer long inning relief if needed.

Of course, there is the chance Ogando resists the move to the bullpen. This would mean that Texas might need to trade someone, either Ogando or one of the other starters like Colby Lewis. It makes more sense to trade Lewis because of his age but his postseason work has been consistently the best on the staff.

Next up, Darvish’s contract will push the Rangers’ payroll and with Mike Napoli, Ian Kinsler, Michael Young and David Murphy all coming up for arbitration, things could get shaky. If the contract with Darvish is too high, Texas might lose some of their hitting talent.

There are good and bad signs that shine about this deal. As a Rangers’ fan, I just have to cross my fingers and hope it all works out in the end.

Source: MLB.COM

Note: This article was written by a Yahoo! contributor. Sign up here to start publishing your own sports content.

That’s all for today guys, i’ll be back to blog you tomorrow.

Michael Young and C.J. Wilson Earn Texas…

bactrim-sideeffects — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 10:50:00 +0000

The Texas Rangers announced their seasonal awards and named Michael Young(notes) the 2011 Player of the Year and C.J. Wilson(notes) the Pitcher of the Year. Both are deserving choices but also remain interesting because of behind-the-scenes drama.

Starting with C.J. Wilson, no one deserved the award more than him in 2011. The entire pitching rotation was great this year, finishing with one of the lowest ERA totals in decades. However, Wilson tied for the lead in wins (16, shared with Derek Holland(notes)), had the lowest ERA of the starters (2.94) and the most strikeouts (206).

Of course, this brings up the sore subject with Rangers’ fans that Wilson is on his way out of the organization. Wilson is a homegrown talent, brought up through the minors before earning the job as the Texas closer. He then moved into the starting rotation before finally earning his role as the Rangers’ ace pitcher. Now, he is on his way out to a big free agent money deal.

It makes me wonder if this is the same future we will see for Neftali Feliz(notes).

Michael Young was an even bigger deal. When the season started, Texas did everything in their power to make Young feel like he was no longer wanted. They brought in Adrian Beltre(notes), moving Young to the DH position, the umpteenth time they changed his position over his career. Then they signed Mike Napoli(notes) to share the DH role with Young, making it look like Young no longer had a place on the team.

Michael Young asked to be traded, Texas refused when they found no suitable teams to work with, and it looked like the relationship was strained beyond repair.

However, Michael Young responded with a career-high .338 batting average, with 213 hits, 11 homers and 106 RBIs. He made his seventh trip to the All-Star game as well. The Rangers responded by giving him the Player of the Year honor for the fifth time, tying Juan Gonzalez’s team record.

While I love what Mike Napoli did for the team this year and believe Derek Holland is the new face of this pitching staff, both of these players deserve these honors.

The awards will be handed out at the Dr. Pepper Awards Show in the Arlington Convention Center on January 12, 2012.

Author Shawn S. Lealos 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 dreams of the year they finally win the big one.

Source: MLB.COM

Note: This article was written by a Yahoo! contributor. Sign up here to start publishing your own sports content.

Thanks for visiting our blog =).

Looking at the MVP Candidates for the Texas…

mallorca reisen — Mon, 21 Nov 2011 19:18:00 +0000

The American League MVP was won by Josh Hamilton(notes) of the Texas Rangers in 2010. Hamilton hit .359 while adding 32 homeruns and 100 RBI’s to help carry the Rangers to their first pennant in team history. Hamilton had a solid season in 2011, but nothing like 2010. However, in 2011 the Rangers had many players have phenomenal seasons. Most likely the Rangers will not have anyone in the top five when the MVP is announced today. However, these are the players who were the MVP’s of the Rangers in 2011.

Michael Young(notes)

Michael Young will most likely be the Rangers’ player with the most votes today and much of that is due to the hype that Ron Washington started when he referred to him as “MVP.” Young had a great season, hitting .338 with 11 homeruns and 106 RBI’s. He was phenomenal at the plate, hitting at different spots in the lineup and carrying the offense for periods when Josh Hamilton, Nelson Cruz(notes), Adrian Beltre(notes) and Mike Napoli(notes) were on the disabled list. However, it is hard to win an MVP as a one dimensional player these days and at this point in his career that is what Young is. Yes, it was great that he was able to fill in for Beltre at third base when Beltre was on the disabled list and he also played at first and second, but he was still mainly a DH. When Young was on the field, his defense struggled and while the MVP talk may get him into the top 10 in voting this year, it probably stole votes from guys like Ian Kinsler(notes) who should have been considered much more.

Ian Kinsler

Ian Kinsler is one of those players that you really cannot appreciate without watching him play on a regular basis. His defense is top notch and the only reason he did not win a Gold Glove in 2011 was that Dustin Pedroia(notes) was phenomenal as well. Kinsler, however was not just a force defensively, but added 32 homeruns from the leadoff position and 30 stolen bases while compiling a .355 OBP. He walked at a rate of 1.25 to every strikeout and was excellent from the leadoff position. Yes, someone who hits .255 is not going to win an MVP award, but Kinsler was a complete player in 2011 and contributed as much as anyone to the success of the Rangers.

Adrian Beltre

Adrian Beltre was well on his way to being in consideration for the MVP when he went down with his hamstring injury and ultimately lost six weeks of the season. Beltre won the Gold Glove and Silver Slugger at third base in 2011 and hit .296 with 32 homeruns and 105 RBI’s. His homerun and RBI totals would have been significantly higher if he had not lost six weeks of the season and his play at third base was the best in the league. Just like Kinsler, Beltre was unbelievable at the plate and in the field.

Mike Napoli

If a pitcher like Justin Verlander(notes) can be considered for MVP, then a catcher who only played 113 games should be able to be considered as well. Napoli was huge for the Rangers in 2011 and while he did not play in as many games as guys like Young or Kinsler, what he did in the games he was involved in more than made up for it. Napoli hit .320 with 30 homeruns and had a ridiculous 1.046 OPS. After the all-star break Napoli hit .383 with 18 homeruns and 42 RBI’s. However, in my opinion what was most important about Napoli was what he did behind the plate in 2011. In 2011, Napoli had a 42-15 record when catching, which translates to a .737 winning percentage. He was essential to the success of the Rangers’ young pitchers. If you consider that Verlander was involved in 34 games this season and Napoli was involved in 113, then Napoli should be in consideration as well. Unfortunately, that will not be the case.

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. Follow him on Twitter @TexasWinColumn.

Note: This article was written by a Yahoo! contributor. Sign up here to start publishing your own sports content.

If anybody needs tickets to games, remember to click the tickets link at the top.

Rangers Beltre Wins 2011 Rawlings Gold Glove Award

Hahabigmama — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 08:59:59 +0000

ARLINGTON (November 1, 2011) –Texas Rangers third baseman Adrian Beltre has been selected the winner of the 2011 Rawlings Gold Glove Award at his position, as announced late this evening by the Rawlings Sporting Goods Company. It is his third career Rawlings Gold Glove Award.

The Rawlings Gold Gloves are presented for defensive excellence in voting conducted by American League managers and coaches. Staff members may not vote for players on their own teams.

Beltre is the first Ranger to earn a Gold Glove since Michael Young won his lone career honor as a shortstop in 2008. Beltre becomes just the second Texas player ever to win a Gold Glove Award at third base, joining Rangers Hall of Famer Buddy Bell, who took the honors in six consecutive seasons from 1979-84. He is just the 11th different player to win a Gold Glove Award with Texas, joining Bell and current first base coach Gary Pettis as the only players to take the honors in their first season with the Rangers.

Beltre has now won the American League Gold Glove at third base in three of the last five years (also 2007 and 2008 with Seattle), and ends the two-year reign of Tampa Bay’s Evan Longoria at the position. Beltre is the 16th third baseman (both leagues) to win the award at least three times in a career, one of seven players to do it in the American League.

Beltre ranked second among A.L. qualifiers with a .965 (11 E/208 TC) fielding percentage, the fourth-best figure of his career, as he posted the second-lowest error total in his career (10 errors in 2004). He ranked third in the league with 2.86 total chances per 9 innings and did not commit an error in his final 41 regular season games.

Texas has now had a Gold Glove winner in two of the last five seasons (2007-11), this after a Rangers player was on the Gold Glove Team for 16 consecutive years from 1992-2006. Ian Kinsler was a finalist in this year’s Gold Glove balloting, but the Rangers have still never had a second baseman win the award.

RANGERS TO WIN GOLD GLOVE AWARD (11)

No. Player/Position Year(s)

10 Ivan Rodriguez, C 1992-93-94-95-96-97-98-99-2000-01

6 Jim Sundberg, C 1976-77-78-79-80-81

6 Buddy Bell, 3B 1979-80-81-82-83-84

4 Kenny Rogers, P 2000-02-04-05

2 Alex Rodriguez, SS 2002-03

2 Mark Teixeira, 1B 2005-06

1 Juan Beniquez, OF 1977

1 Gary Pettis, OF 1990

1 Rafael Palmeiro, 1B 1999

1 Michael Young, SS 2008

1 Adrian Beltre, 3B 2011

Running low on time today, i’ll be back tomorrow hopefully with some more news.

Gone but not forgotten: The 2011 Texas Rangers in…

nonElormmex — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 03:00:03 +0000

Credit: AP Photo / Eric Gay

Texas Rangers’ Josh Hamilton is congratulated by Esteban German (6) after Hamilton hit a two-run home run during the 10th inning of Game 6 of baseball’s World Series against the St. Louis Cardinals Thursday, Oct. 27, 2011, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)

by TED MADDEN

WFAA

Posted on November 1, 2011 at 4:50 PM

Updated
yesterday at 5:08 PM

ARLINGTON – The 2011 Rangers were special, because they were a true team.

And when they went down, they did it as a team.

It starts at the top, and on this team, there were several players at the top. Who’s the MVP?

Was it Michael Young?

He set career highs with his .338 batting average and 106 RBI, and he played in 159 games on a team where injuries kept sending others to the disabled list.

Was it one of the sluggers?

Mike Napoli, Ian Kinsler, and Adrian Beltre all hit at least 30 home runs; Nelson Cruz had 29 and Josh Hamilton 25. All of them except Kinsler missed significant time due to injury. Does Beltre’s attitude, along with his defense at third base, gives him an MVP-edge, or did Napoli’s handling of the pitching staff make him more valuable?

Which brings us to the pitching: Who was the best one on the staff?

Lacking a true ace, the Rangers produced five starters who won at least 13 games, a franchise first and a rare feat in Major League Baseball.

What we’re left with is no clear MVP, and a clubhouse full of guys who can all take ownership in the success of the team.

And then there was Game 6.

Who’s to blame? Much like the MVP discussion, there are plenty of guys who played a role.

Neftali Feliz blew a save. Cruz misplayed a fly ball into a game-tying triple. Michael Young made two errors. Darren Oliver failed to protect a 2-run lead. Ron Washington made some questionable decisions. Alexi Ogando walked both batters he faced. Ranger hitters left countless runners on base.

For all the wrong the Rangers did in Game 6, they were playing a team that did a lot of things right, and that’s what will ultimately be remembered. This wasn’t as much a choke job by the Rangers as it was a magical game and a magical run by the Cardinals.

That doesn’t help the hurt. This one cut deep, and it’s impossible to imagine how long it will affect the players and coaches who were directly involved, and who were so close to winning the championship.

But the players are in place. The manager is the right guy. And the formula is the best one in sports: play as a team.

E-mail tmadden@wfaa.com

Comment Below!.

Rangers close on first World Series

Rineenuriounc — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 17:00:37 +0000

updated 8:00 AM EST, Tue October 25, 2011

Mike Napoli hits a two-run double to put the Rangers 4-2 up in game five of baseball’s World Series.

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

The Texas Rangers are one win away from a first World Series triumph
The Rangers won game five 4-2 against St. Louis Cardinals on Monday
Mark Napoli hit a two-run double to hand the Rangers the win

(CNN) — The Texas Rangers moved to within one win of the first World Series triumph in the franchise’s 40-year history on Monday, after beating the St. Louis Cardinals 4-2 in game five of Major League Baseball’s (MLB) Championship series.

The Rangers, beaten in last year’s World Series by the San Francisco Giants, now lead the best-of-seven series 3-2 after a second successive win at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington, Texas.

Mike Napoli hit a decisive two-run double for manager Ron Washington’s Rangers in the bottom of the eighth inning to hand Texas a game-winning lead.

The Cardinals, 10-time winners of baseball’s biggest prize, had the bases loaded in the fifth and seventh innings, but Tony La Russa’s team squandered the opportunities on a night where they left a total of 12 men on base.

“My bullpen has been great for me,” Washington told the Rangers’ official website. “They executed pitches. They’ve been coming in and getting it done.”

we know the stakes right now, but we’ll show up ready to compete and play our game
Michael Young

“We had a meltdown the other day, but other than that, they’ve been great. No matter who we call on, they have been coming in and getting the job done.”

The Rangers’ designated hitter Michael Young admitted the team were excited, but still focused on winning game six at the Cardinals’ Busch Stadium on Wednesday.

“We’re excited about it, but we’ll take the same approach we always have,” said Young said. “We have a really hungry team, but it’s professional in every sense of the word. Because of that, we’ll be ready to roll on for game six.

“We’ll be playing that game to win, like we always do. … Obviously, we know the stakes right now, but we’ll show up ready to compete and play our game.”

The Cardinals task was made all the more difficult by a mix-up during the eighth inning, when La Russa made a telephone call to bullpen coach Derek Lilliquist to issue instructions.

You get a bunch of people and it’s loud and he wanted Motte
Derek Lilliquist

La Russa, 67, had asked for relief pitchers Marc Rzepczynski and Jason Motte to start warming up, but Lilliquist had only summoned Rzepczynski.

A second phone call was then made where La Russa once more asked for Motte to begin his warm up, but Lilliquist misheard once again and summoned 24-year-old Lance Lynn.

La Russa had told reporters two days earlier that Lynn would not be used until at least game six, having thrown 47 pitches in Saturday’s 16-7 loss in game three.

“It’s just like any other park,” said Lilliquist. “You get a bunch of people and it’s loud and he wanted Motte going easy to back [Rzepczynski] up, and I thought I heard Lynn.”

To solve the problem, La Russa had Lynn intentionally walk Texas’ Ian Kinsler, while Motte prepared to take to the mound. Right-hander Lynn is only the third pitcher in the World Series’ 107-year history to enter a game just to intentionally walk a batter.

If the Rangers fail to wrap up the fall classic on Wednesday, the series will conclude with game seven on Thursday.

Feel free to leave your comments below.

Tampa Bay Rays up next: at Texas Rangers

Aalabamas — Thu, 29 Sep 2011 09:48:21 +0000

.up next

at Rangers

What’s new: The Rangers, the AL West champions, are red-hot, having won 14 of their last 16 games. They have plenty of power, with five players boasting at least 25 homers — 2B Ian Kinsler (32), ex-Ray OF Josh Hamilton (25), 3B Adrian Beltre (32), C Mike Napoli (30) and OF Nelson Cruz (29), who has been slumping since returning from a hamstring injury. But Rays manager Joe Maddon says it’s their pitching, specifically their revamped bullpen (see RHPs Mike Adams and Koji Uehara), that makes them such a difficult matchup.

Head to head

Rangers won season series 5-4

(H) May 30: Rangers win 11-5

(H) May 31: Rays win 5-4

(H) June 1: Rangers win 3-0

(A) Aug. 30: Rangers win 2-0

(A) Aug. 31: Rays win 4-1

(A) Sept. 1: Rangers win 7-2

(H) Sept. 5: Rays win 5-1

(H) Sept. 6 Rangers win 8-0

(H) Sept. 7 Rays win 5-4

Memorable games

May 31: Rays win 5-4. After the Rangers took the lead on a wild pitch in the eighth, Rays third baseman Evan Longoria came through with a go-ahead two-run homer with two outs in the bottom half, giving Tampa Bay a dramatic victory.

Aug. 31: Rays win 4-1. RHP James Shields loads the bases in the first but retires 22 of the final 24 Rangers he faces in eight shutout innings.

Sept. 7: Rays win 5-4. Rookie OF Desmond Jennings rips a walkoff homer in the 10th inning to give the Rays their 1,000th franchise win. The Rangers 2B Ian Kinsler forced extra innings with a solo homer in the ninth, spoiling a victory for LHP David Price.

Key hitters

2B Ian Kinsler: The Rangers leadoff man also provides some pop, becoming just the 11th player in major-league history to rack up multiple 30-homer, 30-steal seasons. Kinsler has 32 homers and 30 steals.

UTL Michael Young: Young was in the race for the batting title and finished tied for second at .338, with 11 homers and 106 RBIs for the season.

Key pitchers

LHP C.J. Wilson: The staff ace (and top Tweeter) may not be LHP Cliff Lee, but he has anchored the Rangers staff this season, going 16-7 with a 2.94 ERA. And he’s particularly tough against the Rays, going 4-0 with a 2.25 ERA in 17 career appearances (four starts).

RHP Koji Uehara: Uehara, acquired from the Orioles at the trade deadline, has combined with fellow mid-year acquisition RHP Mike Adams to form a formidable one-two punch for the seventh and eighth innings. Opponents are hitting .048 against Uehara in September.

Closer Neftali Felix: The hard-throwing right-hander has 32 saves and a 2.74 ERA.

Who’s hot vs. Rays

Michael Young

.292 with nine homers and 60 RBIs in 85 games

Who’s not vs. Rays

Josh Hamilton

.229 with four homers, 22 RBIs in 28 games.

Joe Smith, Times staff writer

.up next

at Rangers

What’s new: The Rangers, the AL West champions, are red-hot, having won 14 of their last 16 games. They have plenty of power, with five players boasting at least 25 homers — 2B Ian Kinsler (32), ex-Ray OF Josh Hamilton (25), 3B Adrian Beltre (32), C Mike Napoli (30) and OF Nelson Cruz (29), who has been slumping since returning from a hamstring injury. But Rays manager Joe Maddon says it’s their pitching, specifically their revamped bullpen (see RHPs Mike Adams and Koji Uehara), that makes them such a difficult matchup.

Head to head

Rangers won season series 5-4

(H) May 30: Rangers win 11-5

(H) May 31: Rays win 5-4

(H) June 1: Rangers win 3-0

(A) Aug. 30: Rangers win 2-0

(A) Aug. 31: Rays win 4-1

(A) Sept. 1: Rangers win 7-2

(H) Sept. 5: Rays win 5-1

(H) Sept. 6 Rangers win 8-0

(H) Sept. 7 Rays win 5-4

Memorable games

May 31: Rays win 5-4. After the Rangers took the lead on a wild pitch in the eighth, Rays third baseman Evan Longoria came through with a go-ahead two-run homer with two outs in the bottom half, giving Tampa Bay a dramatic victory.

Aug. 31: Rays win 4-1. RHP James Shields loads the bases in the first but retires 22 of the final 24 Rangers he faces in eight shutout innings.

Key hitters

2B Ian Kinsler: The Rangers leadoff man also provides some pop, becoming just the 11th player in major-league history to rack up multiple 30-homer, 30-steal seasons. Kinsler has 32 homers and 30 steals.

UTL Michael Young: Young was in the race for the batting title and finished tied for second at .338, with 11 homers and 106 RBIs for the season.

Key pitchers

LHP C.J. Wilson: The staff ace (and top Tweeter) may not be LHP Cliff Lee, but he has anchored the Rangers staff this season, going 16-7 with a 2.94 ERA. And he’s particularly tough against the Rays, going 4-0 with a 2.25 ERA in 17 career appearances (four starts).

Closer Neftali Felix: The hard-throwing right-hander has 32 saves and a 2.74 ERA.

Who’s hot vs. Rays

Michael Young

.292 with nine homers and 60 RBIs in 85 games

Who’s not vs. Rays

Josh Hamilton

.229 with four homers, 22 RBIs in 28 games.

Joe Smith, Times staff writer

If anybody needs tickets to games, remember to click the tickets link at the top.

Kinsler, Hamilton power Texas Rangers past Oakland…

abageAttemn — Thu, 22 Sep 2011 10:28:42 +0000

[unable to retrieve full-text content]OAKLAND, Calif. –Ian Kinsler hit a tying home run leading off the eighth and Josh Hamilton followed with another homer two batters later, lifting Texas to a 3-2 win over the Oakland Athletics on Wednesday night and reducing the Rangers magic number to clinch the AL West to three.Michael Young, Adrian Beltre and Mike Napoli added two hits apiece for Texas, which won its 90th game to match its …

What are your opinions.

Texas Rangers at Mariners: Sept. 17, 2011 game…

uniosmown — Sun, 18 Sep 2011 03:42:22 +0000

UPDATE: Mariners relief pitcher Dan Cortes is done for the season. Cortes fractured his hand in what the team says was an “off-field incident” on Thursday. He’ll need three weeks to heal, then play winter ball.

Colby Lewis had struck out six of his last seven by the time Mike Carp stepped up in the fifth inning, but Carp did his job with a two-run homer to right center. That cuts the Texas lead to 7-6 and puts the M’s right back in a contest they looked out of moments earlier.

5:28 p.m.: Texas scored three more times in the fourth inning for a 7-4 lead. Anthony Vasquez walked leadoff batter David Murphy, ending his day as the M’s called on Jeff Gray.

One out later, Ian Kinsler walked and Elvis Andrus singled to load the bases. Josh Hamilton brought two runs in with a single and then a sac fly by Michael Young scored the other.

Colby Lewis struck out the side in the bottom of the frame. That’s now four whiffs in a row for the M’s. Fan Appreciation Day is heading south in a hurry.

5:01 p.m.: Well, that lead didn’t last very long. Texas tied it 4-4 in the third after Anthony Vasquez decided to throw a little late BP, giving up three home runs to the first four batters he faced. Elvis Andrus left the building first, belting one into the M’s bullpen in left, then Josh Hamilton lined one over the right field wall two pitches later.

Vasquez got a lineout, then saw Adrian Beltre bang one off the second deck in left on the first pitch thrown his way. See? Beltre can have power at Safeco Field — when the pitcher he’s facing tops out at 85 mph.

Onward we go…oh yeah, Brendan Ryan is already out of the game, replaced by Luis Rodriguez at shortstop. That pregame handshake I gave him in handing out the local BBWAA Unsung Hero Award must have been a little too firm. Actually, the M’s just announced it’s a neck spasm. Kept wheeling around to watch all of those home runs, perhaps. Or, perhaps not. In the photo below, you can actually see me administering the Vulcan nerve pinch.

4:51 p.m.: Big second inning for the Mariners, who scored four times to take a 4-1 lead. The Rangers had opened the scoring in the top of the frame with a Craig Gentry single that brought Mike Napoli home after a leadoff double.

But then Adam Kennedy and Brendan Ryan singled, Michael Saunders walked to load the bases with two out and Ichiro delivered his second single of the game for a 2-1 lead. Kyle Seager then doubled to right field, bringing home two more runs.

3:38 p.m. It’s Fan Appreciation Day at Safeco Field today, which means I’ll be down on the field in a few minutes to present our annual BBWAA chapter awards to Mariners players.

Best Player: Dustin Ackley

Best Pitcher: Felix Hernandez

Unsung Hero: Brendan Ryan

The M’s have made a late scratch, subbing Michael Saunders in for Casper Wells in center field. We’ve been told by a PR spokesman that Wells is “not feeling well.”

The lineups:

Mariners (63-87)
——————————-
51 Ichiro Suzuki (L) RF
15 Kyle Seager (L) 3B
13 Dustin Ackley (L) 2B
20 Mike Carp (L) 1B
4 Adam Kennedy (L) DH
3 Josh Bard (S) C
26 Brendan Ryan SS
12 Trayvon Robinson (S) LF
55 Michael Saunders CF
——————————-
59 Anthony Vasquez LHP

Rangers (86-65)
——————————-
5 Ian Kisler 2B
1 Elvis Andrus SS
32 Josh Hamilton (L) LF
10 Michael Young 1B
29 Adrian Beltre 3B
25 Mike Napoli C
17 Nelson Cruz DH
7 David Murphy (L) RF
23 Craig Gentry CF
——————————-
48 Colby Lewis RHP

Leave any suggestions in the comment box.

Sizemore’s slam helps A’s end Texas hex (AP)

queenbc — Sun, 11 Sep 2011 06:29:33 +0000

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP)—The lengthy dry spell against the Texas Rangers is
finally over for the Oakland Athletics, thanks to Scott Sizemore(notes).

Sizemore’s grand slam in the sixth inning helped the A’s end a nine-game
skid against Texas with an 8-7 victory over the AL West-leading Rangers on
Saturday.

Manager Bob Melvin was tired of losing to the A’s division rival, and he let
the players know how he felt following Friday night’s 13-4 defeat to Texas.

“These guys kind of had our number,” Sizemore said. “Skip (Melvin) let us
know (Friday) night that we had to put that behind us and come out (Saturday).”

With the score tied at 3, Rangers starter Alexi Ogando(notes) (12-8) hit Josh
Willingham(notes) with a pitch leading off the sixth, and David DeJesus(notes) followed with a
single. Texas manager Ron Washington replaced Ogando with left-hander Mike
Gonzalez.

Ryan Sweeney(notes) attempted to bunt, and Gonzalez made a nice play to get a force
at third. After Brandon Allen(notes) was retired on a foul popup, Gonzalez walked Kurt
Suzuki(notes) to load the bases, and Washington again went to his bullpen and brought
in Yoshinori Tateyama(notes).

Sizemore was sent in by Melvin to hit for Eric Sogard(notes), and Sizemore ripped
Tateyama’s high 1-0 fastball into the left field seats for his first career
grand slam and a 7-3 lead.

Cliff Pennington(notes) added an RBI double off Tateyama later in the sixth to give
the A’s a five-run cushion.

Sizemore had his second career pinch homer, but a defensive play he made in
the ninth at third base nearly matched his deep drive with the bases loaded.
Sizemore leaned into the Oakland dugout to catch Ian Kinsler(notes) foul popup leading
off the ninth, with catcher Suzuki grabbing Sizemore by the belt to make sure
his teammate didn’t tumble into the dugout.

Asked to compare the two plays, Sizemore smiled and said, “I’ve got to say
the grand slam. You don’t hit too many pinch hit grand slams.”

Tateyama also allowed a grand slam to Boston’s Carl Crawford(notes) last Saturday
at Boston, the final batter he faced in that game. For the first time in Rangers
history, a pitcher gave up grand slams to consecutive hitters.

According to research provided to the Rangers by Elias Sports Bureau, the
last pitcher to allow grand slams to consecutive batters faced was Greg McCarthy
of Seattle in 1998.

In his last five outings, Tateyama has been knocked around for 12 runs and
11 hits and four homers in four innings.

“The location is not there,” the Japanese right-hander said through a
translator.

Adrian Beltre’s(notes) 299th career homer—a two-run shot in the sixth off starter
Trevor Cahill(notes) (11-13)—pulled Texas within 8-5. Michael Young’s(notes) two-run single
in the seventh off Fautino De Los Santos(notes) made it 8-7.

Beltre, who had three hits to extend his hitting streak to 15 games, was the
final batter for Cahill, who gave up five runs and seven hits over five-plus
innings.

Andrew Bailey(notes) pitched the ninth for his 20th save in 22 chances, but it
wasn’t easy. Josh Hamilton(notes) drew a two-out walk, and Michael Young reached on an
infield single, but Beltre lined out to second baseman Adam Rosales(notes) to end the
game.

Hamilton hit a two-run game-winning homer off Bailey on July 9 and was 3 for
3 for his career against the A’s closer. So Bailey wasn’t going to give the
slugger anything he could knock out of the ballpark.

“Obviously, everyone knows he hit the walk-off against me,” Bailey said.
“I wasn’t trying to stay away from him or walk him, but I knew I had to be
careful.”

Ogando gave up five runs—three earned—and six hits in five-plus innings
in his first for the Rangers since Aug. 31. His previously scheduled start was
skipped to allow him additional rest.

Ogando had gone 7-0 in his first 12 starts but the converted reliever has
struggled with his command and has dropped five of his last seven decisions.

“He kept us in the ball game,” Washington said. “He’s coming back. I felt
like he did what he had to do.”

Willingham led off the second with a line drive single up the middle that
Ogando had to duck to avoid. DeJesus bunted, and catcher Yorvit Torrealba(notes) threw
wildly to first for an error that allowed the runners to advance to second and
third.

Ryan Sweeney followed with a two-run triple into the right field corner, and
Suzuki added a sacrifice fly later in the inning for a 3-0 pad.

The Rangers got a run in the third when Ian Kinsler scored from third on
Cahill’s wild pitch, and Mitch Moreland’s(notes) two-run double in the fourth pulled
Texas even at 3.

NOTES: Rangers OF Nelson Cruz(notes) ran the bases for a second straight day as he
rehabs from a strained left hamstring that put him on the 15-day DL on Aug. 30.
The plan is for Cruz to take Sunday off from running on the field, then
reevaluate his condition early next week. … Hamilton was back in the lineup
after missing Friday night’s game to be with his wife for the birth of their
fourth daughter. … Oakland LHP Josh Outman(notes) gets a spot start on Sunday,
replacing RHP Rich Harden(notes). Outman will be making his ninth start of the season
but his first since July 2. Outman struck out seven Boston hitters in a
four-inning relief stint Aug. 27, but has pitched only 2 1/3 innings in two
appearances since then. … Harden won’t start again until Wednesday night for
extra rest. Rangers ace C.J. Wilson(notes), a 15-game winner, takes the mound for
Texas. … OF Coco Crisp(notes) missed Saturday’s game and has been ruled out for
Sunday due to injuries to his ankle and foot.

What are your opinions.

Oakland A’s snap nine-game losing streak against…

Licasceme — Sun, 11 Sep 2011 05:18:14 +0000

ARLINGTON, Texas — Pinch-hitter Scott Sizemore’s grand slam in the sixth inning helped the Oakland Athletics end a nine-game skid against Texas with an 8-7 victory over the A.L. West-leading Rangers on Saturday.

With the score tied at 3, Rangers starter Alexi Ogando (12-8) hit Josh Willingham with a pitch leading off the sixth, and David DeJesus followed with a single. Texas manager Ron Washington replaced Ogando with left-hander Mike Gonzalez.

Ryan Sweeney attempted to bunt, and Gonzalez made a nice play to get a force at third. After Brandon Allen was retired on a foul pop-up, Gonzalez walked Kurt Suzuki to load the bases, and Washington again went to his bullpen and brought in Yoshinori Tateyama.

Sizemore was sent in by manager Bob Melvin to hit for Eric Sogard, and the pinch-hitter ripped Tateyama’s 1-0 pitch into the left field seats for his first career grand slam and a 7-3 lead.

Cliff Pennington added an RBI double off Tateyama later in the sixth to give the A’s a five-run cushion.

Ogando gave up five runs — three earned — and six hits in five-plus innings.

Adrian Beltre’s 299th career homer — a two-run shot in the sixth off starter Trevor Cahill (11-13) — pulled Texas within 8-5. Michael Young’s two-run single in the seventh off Fautino De Los Santos made it 8-7.

Beltre, who had three hits to extend his hitting streak to 15 games, was the final batter for Cahill, who gave up five runs and

seven hits over five-plus innings.

Andrew Bailey pitched the ninth for his 20th save in 22 chances, but it wasn’t easy. Josh Hamilton drew a two-out walk, and Michael Young reached on an infield single, but Beltre lined out to second baseman Adam Rosales to end the game.

Willingham led off the second with a line drive single up the middle that Ogando had to duck to avoid. DeJesus bunted, and catcher Yorvit Torrealba threw wildly to first for an error that allowed the runners to advance to second and third.

Sweeney followed with a two-run triple into the right field corner, and Suzuki added a sacrifice fly later in the inning for a 3-0 pad.

The Rangers got a run in the third when Ian Kinsler scored from third on Cahill’s wild pitch, and Mitch Moreland’s two-run double in the fourth pulled Texas even at 3.

If anybody needs tickets to games, remember to click the tickets link at the top.

Texas Rangers know stretch run will be tighter…

Stitteejale — Tue, 30 Aug 2011 09:20:28 +0000

By Stephen Hawkins

ASSOCIATED PRESS

ARLINGTON — Texas Rangers manager Ron Washington stood up from his office chair and started wildly shaking his knees back and forth.

While exaggerating how nervous he might be about the AL West race with the Los Angeles Angels, the division-leading manager and his team know things will be much tighter down the stretch this season.

They already are.

“If you’ve got a seven-game lead, of course you’re more comfortable,” Washington said after settling back into his chair. “But that doesn’t mean that panic sets in.”

Texas (76-59) took a three-game lead into its off day Monday, after playing 17 consecutive days with only one other break since Aug. 1. There are 27 regular-season games left, the last three at Los Angeles in four weeks.

“They’re not going away. They’re a good team. Everybody knows that,” Rangers second baseman Ian Kinsler said.

At the same point last season before the Rangers won their first AL pennant, they had an eight-game division lead. That never got smaller than seven and they clinched the division title with eight games left.

The Rangers found out Monday they will be without slugging right fielder Nelson Cruz for about three weeks because of another hamstring injury. An MRI revealed a grade 1 strain for Cruz, who got hurt running out a double in Sunday night’s 9-5 victory over Los Angeles. The Rangers were expected to add another outfielder before today’s game against Tampa Bay — possibly Cuban outfielder Leonys Martin from Triple-A Round Rock.

In 113 games this season, Cruz is hitting .270 with a team-leading 28 home runs and 84 RBIs.

Before rallying Sunday night against Angels ace Jered Weaver, Texas had lost seven of 10 games. The division gap would have been trimmed to a single game without that comeback. Their losing stretch began with a 2-1 loss at Los Angeles on Aug. 18, when Texas was three outs away from a four-game sweep and a season-high division lead of eight games. But Mark Trumbo hit a game-ending two-run homer.

“We had a hiccup, had some bumps in our starting rotation, had some things out the bullpen that didn’t work. We had some days where we didn’t put the runs on the board,” Washington said. “It happens. Every team in the game is going through it. We just hit it right now.”

At the same time, the Angels had a season-best six-game winning streak. They won seven of eight before their last scheduled game at Rangers Ballpark this season.

The Rangers go to Fenway Park this weekend after wrapping up their 10-game homestand with three against Tampa Bay. Texas plays 15 of its last 27 games on the road.

“We’ve been grinding, battling lately,” Michael Young said. “We’ll gladly take this off day and get ready for the last stretch. We like where we’re at. We’ve been down this road before so we know what it takes to win.”

All-Star third baseman Adrian Beltre was scheduled to begin a rehab assignment with Round Rock on Monday, and could be back before the Rangers go to Boston this weekend.

Running low on time today, i’ll be back tomorrow hopefully with some more news.

Wilson, Rangers Rout A’s 9-1

Accurlcot — Sat, 13 Aug 2011 10:32:16 +0000

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — C.J. Wilson pitched six effective innings to earn his first win in a month and the Texas Rangers beat the Oakland Athletics 9-1 on Friday night.

Wilson, who said this week he hates pitching in Oakland, allowed a run and four hits, struck out seven and walked three. He was 0-2 with a 4.84 ERA in four starts since his last victory, on July 16 at Seattle.

Endy Chavez had three hits, scored twice and drove in a run as the Rangers won for just the third time in their last nine road games. Michael Young added two hits and an RBI.

AL West-leading Texas remained two games ahead of the Los Angeles Angels , who won 5-1 in Toronto.

Brandon McCarthy (5-6) was knocked out of the game when he was struck by Chavez’s line drive in the fourth, sidelined by a bruised right knee.

The ball hit off the outside of his right knee and ricocheted into the visiting bullpen down the right-field line.

Trystan Magnuson replaced McCarthy, who allowed seven runs, five earned, and eight hits in 3 1-3 innings.

The Rangers grabbed control with six runs in the second inning. The first six batters reached against McCarthy, who also was hurt by some shoddy defense.

Young hit a leadoff triple and scored on Nelson Cruz ‘s base hit. Mike Napoli reached on an error by shortstop Cliff Pennington before Mitch Moreland and Yorvit Torrealba had consecutive RBI singles. Chavez, Elvis Andrus and Josh Hamilton also drove in a run in the inning.

After McCarthy left the game in the fourth, Kinsler and Young each singled home a run. Another run scored on an error by right fielder David DeJesus .

Wilson seemed to enjoy the extra attention he received from the 20,288 fans in attendance, who booed his every step before the game. The left-hander said Wednesday that he didn’t like the mound or weather in Oakland, and was critical of the attendance for A’s games.

Wilson retired 17 of his first 21 batters before back-to-back doubles from Josh Willingham and Conor Jackson produced the A’s only run.

Feel free to leave your comments below.

Rangers’ Young reaches 2,000 hits

Kelfaltelry — Mon, 08 Aug 2011 09:58:20 +0000

Michael Young registered his 2,000th Major League Baseball hit as the Texas Rangers claimed a 5-3 victory over Cleveland.

Young on Sunday became the 21st active player to achieve the milestone, which he reached with infield singles in the fifth and seventh innings off Indians starting pitcher Josh Tomlin.

“It’s special, it really is special,” Young said.

“I’m just happy they came here at home in front of the fans. They have been through a lot with me, through good times and bad.”

The Rangers were trailing 3-0 in the seventh when Young hit his 2,000th, receiving a standing ovation from the crowd.

“It would have been nice if No. 2,000 would have been 500 feet to the opposite field,” Young said.

“But at that point, we were losing, and I was just trying to get on base and get something started.”

The Indians also applauded, and Tomlin tipped his cap on the mound in acknowledgement of Young’s accomplishment.

“I really appreciated that,” Young said of Tomlin’s gesture.

“I felt bad for him, I didn’t want him to have to wait a long time.

“He’s trying to win a ballgame for his team, so I gave him the thumbs up and said ‘Let’s go.’

The Rangers scored five runs in the eighth so that Young could enjoy his milestone as part of a victory.

That’s all for today.