Better late than never.

Going into the ninth inning last night in Denver, the Rangers were trailing the Rockies 3-1. Texas starter Cole Hamels gave up two runs in six innings and Keone Kela allowed Colorado to add a run in the eighth. Meanwhile, the Rangers lone tally came on an Adrian Beltre homer in the seventh.

The Rockies brought in their closer, Carlos Estevez, to pitch the ninth and send the Rockies faithful home happy. The Rangers had other plans. Adrian Beltre singled to lead off the inning. Rougned Odor hit into a fielder's choice that resulted in Beltre being out at second. Jurickson Profar walked to move Odor to second. That brought Elvis Andrus, shown here on card BDPP86 of the 2007 Bowman Draft Picks and Prospects Gold set, to the plate with runners on first and second.

Elvis faked a bunt while Profar and Odor pulled off a double steal. That re-set the table with runners at second and third. Andrus shot a single to center. Odor scored easily and Profar turned on the afterburners to add a second run. Just like that the game was tied with Elvis on first base. That was the end of Estevez. In came Boone Logan to try to keep the game tied. The first batter he faced was Mitch Moreland. Moreland hammered a screamer into the right field corner for a clean double. That scored Andrus from first and gave the Rangers a 4-3 lead. Mitch got thrown out trying to stretch the hit into a triple and Nomar Mazara struck out to end the inning but the damage was done.

In came Jake Diekman for the Rangers. A strikeout and a double play later Texas was celebrating a 4-3 victory. Waiting until the ninth inning and rallying against a closer is never a good option but a late rally is better than none at all.

Sweep!

Apparently the Rangers have found their mojo again. Their win yesterday completed a four game sweep of the defending champion Kansas City Royals. Very nice to see the boys back to playing like they were earlier in the season. Maybe the rough patch is in the past.

The Rangers pitching showed much improvement in the series as Cole Hamels and Nick Martinez turned in very impressive performances. Newly acquired starter Lucas Harrell got the nod yesterday. He did well but wasn't overpowering.

Of note, the offense showed up as well. Perhaps the most obvious was Mitch Moreland, shown here on card 97 of the 2011 Bowman Gold set. Mitch hammered four home runs during the sweep. Perhaps the most impressive was his walk-off shot in the bottom of the ninth on Saturday to give the Rangers a 2-1 win. Encouraging to see the offense pick up the pace. Very nice to see Moreland coming through in Prince Fielder's absence. Even nicer to see the division lead get up to five games as a result of the sweep.

The trading deadline hits in just a few hours. So far the Rangers have made just one move, the trade that landed Harrell and reliever Dario Alvarez from the Braves in exchange for minor league infielder Travis Demeritte. There are rumors swirling though. Some link Texas to Brewers catcher Jonathan Lucroy and others to an assortment of pitchers. I'm a little torn on the idea of any real big moves. Colby Lewis should be back from the disabled list this month and the rest of the rotation seems to be picking up the pace. I think the club might already have the guns it needs to get to the postseason and make a run. That brings up the idea of trading tomorrow for today. This is a young club and the Rangers have a pretty decent farm system. There's no reason not to try to extend the playoff window as far as possible into the future. If there are too many trades from the system, then the window gets narrower. That's the everlasting debate though and Jon Daniels has so far shown he has the ability to keep the balance.

Finding the long-lost W's in KC.

With Shin-Soo Choo and Prince Fielder, shown here on card 136 of the 2014 Bowman set, headed to the Disabled List late last week things looked kind of bleak for the Rangers. I figured the chances were slim of having a win to write about today. Instead the boys won two of three in Kansas City to snap their losing skid and take the series against the Royals. That's some very welcome good news for Rangers fans.

Cole Hamels won the game on Saturday to break the losing streak. Yesterday afternoon A.J. Griffin took the hill to try to get Texas a series win. Griffin lasted five innings and gave up one run. He didn't get a decision. As a matter of fact, when A.J. left the game he was on the hook for the loss.

In the top of the sixth Mitch Moreland singled in Adrian Beltre to tie up the game and get Griffin off the hook. Alex Claudio came in and worked a scoreless inning in relief. In the top of the seventh inning recent (re)call-up Delino DeShields Jr hammered a solo shot home run to lead off the inning and put the Rangers on top. With Keone Kela, Jake Diekman, and Sam Dyson each working a scoreless inning, that was all she wrote for Kansas City. Final: 2-1 Texas.

Couple of things were very heartening about yesterday's game. First and foremost, the pitching. Griffin didn't get as deep as one might like but he also only gave up one run. Four different relievers managed to keep the Royals off the board after that. That's the kind of thing we didn't see much of during the losing streak and it's the sort of performances that the club needs to get going again. Second positive was Delino DeShields. After struggling and getting sent down to Triple A early in the season, Delino had to wait his turn to be called back up to the big club. Now we get to see if his time in Round Rock benefited DeShields enough for him to keep his spot on the roster. Yesterday was a good sign from the young center fielder.

Random autograph.

Well, with little to say positive about the Rangers past few games, I decided it is probably better to say nothing at all. Instead I went with a totally random Rangers autographed card.

Looking at this 2007 Bowman Heritage Signs of Greatness card I had to ask the obvious question, why does Johnny Whittleman have an arm growing out of his neck? Not the most flattering photo Bowman could have used. The next question is, who is Johnny Whittleman? Whittleman was the Rangers second round draft pick in 2005 and played mostly third base with a few appearances at first thrown in.

Johnny did all right his first season at Rookie ball in 2005 but his batting average tanked below the Mendoza Line during winter ball in 2006. Texas kept him in the system though but Whittleman had trouble getting his average up over .250. He managed to do so a few times but couldn't sustain the success and never broke the .300 mark. He never got above Double A with Texas and left the franchise after the 2010 season.

Starting in 2011, Johnny spent two seasons in the Kansas City Royals system without making it above Triple A. There is no record of him past the 2012 season. I guess in spite of the signs, Whittleman was unable to deliver on the greatness.

Random GU and Recent Signing.

Only one return this past week from my through the mail requests. Former Rangers backstop Mike Stanley signed and returned two cards to fill two holes in team sets I am working on getting signed. I really appreciate Mr. Stanley taking the time to sign and return the cards, I just haven't had the time to get them scanned in for this post.

Since I haven't scanned the latest through the mail returns, I decided to post a game-used card today. Been awhile since a certified autograph or game-used card made an appearance. The random selection from the game-used box today is this 2005 Bowman Sterling card of former Ranger Hank Blalock. The card is number BS-HB in the set and features a bit of one of Hank's bats embedded in it.

Speaking of bats, the Rangers brought a new bat on board on Monday. The club inked former Washington National Ian Desmond to a one-year deal. Desmond has played almost exclusively at short stop during his Major League career but he agreed to move to left field prior to signing with Texas. The signing is projected to give the Rangers a bit more power in the lower half of the batting order. Jon Daniels said he expects Desmond to play left field for the entire season, not just until may when Josh Hamilton is supposed to be back. That presents an interesting situation. It is possible that Desmond will play the first part of the year in left field, then occasionally be spelled by Hamilton and in turn, spell Elvis Andrus at short after Hamilton returns from the disabled list. Unless the Rangers are concerned Josh might not be back at all this season. Either way, the signing gives Texas some depth and options. Should be very interesting to see how it works out.

Odd and ends.

Sorry about the lack of posts this past week. Had some things come up that needed to be taken care of and that created a time squeeze. Back to business now though and keeping up with the World Series and the Rangers off season. Here's a random Rangers game-used card of Hank Blalock from the 2006 Bowman Sterling set for today.

After a truly epic Game 1 win and a blow-out last night, the Kansas City Royals are up 2-0 as the series heads to New York for Game 3 tomorrow. The Mets have got some ball to play if they want to get back into things. They've shown in the past they can though so the Royals better not let up.

Meanwhile in Texas, the Rangers off-season continues. The club is saying Adrian Beltre's thumb surgery went well and he should be ready for Spring Training. That's extremely good news. The Rangers also activated the still rehabbing Jurickson Profar and sent him to Arizona to play Fall Ball. He's apparently doing well. Prince Fielder was named the Sporting News Comeback Player of the Year for his 2015 campaign. Glad he won that, he worked hard to get back from his neck surgery.

On the other side of the ledger, the team assigned catcher Carlos Corporan to Triple A. He declined the assignment and is now a free agent. That reduces the team's depth behind the plate and leaves Robinson Chirinos as the clear front-runner for the starting job. It appears unlikely the club will pick anyone up via free agency since front line catching is at a premium in the Majors right now.

Colby Comes Through.

The Rangers were coming off a defeat last night as they faced off with the Tigers in Detroit. On Thursday night they got one-hit by Detroit starter Alfredo Simon. Last night the Tigers sent Justin Verlander to the hill to try for a second straight win.

Verlander did well, holding the Rangers to two runs (just one earned) on four hits over seven innings. The Tigers bullpen allowed just one hit and no runs over the remaining two innings.

Those two runs were all Colby Lewis, shown here on card 31 of the 2000 Bowman set, needed. Lewis has been a work horse for Texas this season and he didn't disappoint last night. Colby shut Detroit out as he scattered six hits over seven innings to out-duel Verlander. Keone Kela and Shawn Tolleson continued the shutout for the last two innings to ensure Lewis' 14th win of the season.

The win marks a career high for Colby and moves him into a three way tie for top in the American League this season. Nice to see things coming together for him after all he's been through since he was the prospect pictured on today's card. Extra nice to see his success coming in a Rangers uniform.

Finally winning at home.

So glad to have a reason to post a Rangers card on a Saturday. Not that I dislike posting Senators cards, I actually really enjoy the exercise. No, a post of a Rangers card on a Saturday means there's good news in the Rangers Republic.

Texas won their third straight last night as they topped the Giants 6-3. What's remarkable is not that they beat San Francisco, the first two wins came against the Yankees, or the length of the win streak. What's remarkable is that they won three in a row at home. The team with the worst home record in baseball might be waking up.

All of the Ranger runs scored in the first two innings as Texas jumped all over Giants' starter Madison Bumgarner (more on him later). Adrian Beltre, shown here on card 132 of the 2013 Bowman set, and Elvis Andrus both had two run homers to provide the bulk of the Rangers offense. Roughned Odor also went 3-for-3 in the game and scored a run. Meanwhile on the mound, Nick Martinez returned to his June form as he went 6.1 innings while striking out four and allowing just two runs. Newbie Jake Diekman took over from Martinez and made his Ranger debut with 1.2 innings of scoreless work. Jake handed off to Shawn Tolleson who allowed a Brandon Crawford home run before getting the game closed out. Very nice to see they club firing on all cylinders.

Tonight the team debuts new hurler Cole Hamels. A win to start off his time in Texas would be very nice indeed.

*** Do not read below this point if you are a Giants fan.***

By now my antipathy towards the Giants should be pretty well known to all. They rate right around the Yankees in my book and are doing their dead-level best to oust New York from the cellar. My dislike has little to nothing to do with the 2010 World Series (the Cards are still my NL team, even after 2011) and much to do with the behaviour of their management and players. Yesterday was another strike. I don't like to talk down on other teams but I have to say something here.

Starter Madison Bumgarner had a rough first couple of innings before settling down and shutting Texas down. That seemed to put him in a foul mood and he took further umbrage at a hard slide into second by Roughned Odor in the fourth inning. Why he would take personal offense at that is beyond me. Delino DeShields popped up to end the fourth. As DeShields trotted down the first base line waiting for the ball to be caught, he flipped his bat. No looks at Bumgarner, no lip, just a bat flip. Probably frustrated he popped out. Bumgarner didn't think so and began barking at him. Adrian Beltre popped out of the Texas dugout to defend the rookie from the unwarranted tongue lashing. Bumgarner and Beltre exchanged words and the benches cleared. There was no brawl and no ejections but the tension was high. There was no need for it.

One might chalk this up to Bumgarner having a bad day. Except he did the same thing against the Dodgers a few weeks back for the same reason. That seems to indicate there's a problem. When asked about his tantrum yesterday Bumgarner said, "I think it's pretty self-explanatory, don't you?" Yes, it is. The guy needs to get off his high horse and play ball. He's going to incite a serious brawl if he keep it up and guys could get hurt. Bumgarner's a phenomenal pitcher. He also appears to be a prima donna. Unfortunately, judging by other cases, that attitude is unlikely to be shed in San Francisco.

Rangers out to stop losing streak.

Well, the Rangers have been being hammered the past few days and are now four games behind first place Houston. Texas is 4-6 in their last ten games and is riding a four game losing streak. They are only a half a game ahead of the third place Anaheim Angels.

Tonight Colby Lewis takes the mound to try and salvage a win from the current series with the suddenly hot Oakland A's. Colby's had success in the past against Oakland so he might be able to cool them off a bit. The Rangers need a stopper to end this losing streak before it becomes crippling. Of course, the A's are sending Ranger killer Sonny Gray to the mound with his 1.95 ERA and 8-3 record. That means Texas had better bring their A game or it's going to be sweep time.

In order to help Lewis and the guys out, I am posting this 2002 Bowman Heritage  Jersey card of Ranger great Ivan Rodriguez. If Pudge can't bring a team some good luck and hard nose playing then I don't know what can. Against Sonny Gray you need all the luck and hard play you can get.

Beltre collects another Silver Slugger.

Adrian Beltre, shown here on 2012 Bowman card 95, was awarded his fourth Silver Slugger award yesterday. It puts him the company of Matt Williams, Mike Schmidt, and Wade Boggs as the only third basemen to win the award four or more times.

It is particularly nice to see Beltre win a Silver Slugger this year. Of course, the whole season was a real downer so it helps a little with that. It's also great that he could pull it off with little to no support or protection in the lineup. Imagine what he could have done if he had a decently big bat behind him. A batting title perhaps?

Well, it's early November and Christmas is still a long ways off it seems. It'll be here before you know it though and that's why I'm starting to think about my end of year team giveaway packages. Same as last year, I have no Rangers, Royals, or A's available. I also don't have any Pirates, Dodgers, or Angels right now. Pretty much all of the rest of the teams are available. Would really like to see somebody claim the Giants, Orioles, and Cardinals in particular. If you're interested in free cards of your team, just let me know. Drop me an email or leave a comment with your name, address, and team preference. I'll try to make sure there's no doubles in the lot but it will be a pretty varied lot as far as years and brands. Same as last year, if you want to sign up a friend or fellow collector that is fine but only for teams they really want. No having me send Yankees to a Red Sox man.

2014 in review - Bullpen and Manager.

Going into Spring Training, the relief corps was the big question mark for the Rangers 2014 season. The bullpen turned out to be almost a complete disaster. The fact that this portion of the review covers 19 pitchers is a bad sign. It's worse when you consider that the club traded or released at least four relievers throughout the season and I'm not reviewing them. Like the rest of the team, there were one or two bright spots to help mark the way to 2015. This review is in no particular order.

Injuries and struggles marred Alexi Ogando's season. Alexi, shown here on card 69 of the 2012 Bowman set, was looking for a bounce back year. Instead he ended the year with a horrendous 6.84 ERA and an equally ugly 1.920 WHIP. After 25 innings in 27 appearances Ogando ended the season on the 60-day Disabled List.

Shawn Tolleson made 64 appearances for the Rangers in 2014, all out of the bullpen. He tossed 71.2 innings and ended the season with a 2.71 ERA, and an 1.172 WHIP. Shawn struck out 69 batters while walking 28. He's no closer but provided a little stability for the club in the middle innings.

Neal Cotts was the Rangers bullpen utility man. He served as a long man, lefty specialist, steup man, and spot closer. Neal tossed 66.2 innings in the 73 trips (team high for pitchers) he made out of the bullpen. He wasn't terribly consistent and ended the season with a 4.32 ERA, an 1.335 WHIP, and two saves.

Roman Mendez was a mid-season call-up and logged 33 innings on the mound over 30 relief appearances. He was able to provide some bullpen stability with his 2.18 ERA and 1.121 WHIP. Roman was a nice surprise for the Rangers.

Scott Baker served as long relief and a spot starter when needed. His ability to eat up 80.2 innings aver his 25 appearances (including eight starts) helped off-set his 5.47 ERA and 1.190 WHIP. Not enough to make Scott look like a keeper but enough to make his versatility appreciated.

2014 was a season of frustration for Robbie Ross Jr. He spent time on the disabled list and in the minors as he tried to recover his form and effectiveness. He appeared in 27 games for the Rangers and pitched a total of 80.2 innings. 12 of those 27 appearances were starts. As you can tell by the low number of innings pitched, his 6.20 ERA, and 1.698 WHIP; Ross never was able to get a handle on the season.

Neftali Feliz fought injuries and made a trip to the minors in the course of the season but managed to turn in an impressive campaign. He pitched 31.2 innings over 30 appearances and racked up 13 saves after he moved into the closer role following the departure of Joakim Soria. Nefi put together a 1.99 ERA and an 0.979 WHIP. Seems he was able to find his Rookie of The Year form again.

Aaron Poreda got another shot at the Majors for the first time since 2009. He threw 21.1 innings over 26 games. His 5.91 ERA and 1.734 WHIP were not calculated to amaze.

Phil Klein made his first appearance in the Majors on August 1^st. Between then and the end of the season he tossed 19 innings in 17 appearances. Phil put together a workable 2.84 ERA. His 1.105 WHIP was also serviceable.

Alex Claudio turned in mixed success over 12.1 innings in 15 appearances. His 2.92 ERA and 1.459 both need some improvement but show some promise.

Nathan Adcock struggled through ten innings in seven appearances while turning in a 4.50 ERA and an 1.600 WHIP.

After Adcock, the list of relievers gets into the less than ten innings pitched territory. The list includes Spencer Patton (0.96 ERA in 9.1 innings), Ben Rowen (4.15 ERA in 8.2 innings), Jon Edwards (4.32 ERA in 8.1 innings), Ryan Feierabend (6.14 ERA in 7.1 innings), Michael Kirkman (1.59 ERA in 5.2 innings), Matt West (6.75 ERA in 4 innings), and Seth Rosin (6.75 ERA in 4 innings). Pedro Figueroa (4.00 ERA in 9 innings) is also included on the list. He ended the season on the 60-day DL after undergoing Tommy John surgery.

The 2015 bullpen is going to be a roll of the dice. Neftali Felix is positioned to resume his old role as closer, if he can carry over his 2014 performance. Roman Mendez also likely has a spot and Michael Kirkman drew some attention at the end of 2014. Figueroa won't be in the mix since he'll still be in recovery. The rest of the spots will probably be decided in Spring Training with roster and non-roster players duking it out. There could also be considerable turnover during the season, even if the team finds itself in a bounce-back year.

That wraps up the players but there was one more area of upheaval for the club, manager. On September 5^th Ron Washington suddenly announced his resignation as manager. After almost eight years at the helm, he was gone over night. Some fools suggested he had been forced out by GM Jon Daniels. A press conference on September 17^th revealed that Wash resigned of his own volition due to marital infidelity. Bench coach Tim Bogar was named as interim manager and led the team to a hot finish as they went 14-8 to complete the season.

Bogar is definitely a candidate for the manager's job on a permanent basis. The club has also interviewed pitching coach Mike Maddux and Triple-A manager Steve Buechele along with five candidates from outside the organization. General Manager Jon Daniels hopes to have a manager named by the end of October. Whoever it turns out to be will have some big shoes to fill.

Sam who?

I'm still a Rangers fan and I'm still following the team. No bandwagon moves here. Still, it's hard to come up with positive things to blog about when the team is a game below .500, in fourth place, and eight games out of first. Sometimes finding a subject for a post can require some real creativity.

Makes things even harder when all the familiar names seem to be hitting the Disabled List and the team is grabbing guys from the minors to try and hold the line. Yesterday Alexi Ogando headed to the DL. Sometimes I listen to a game, hear a name, and think who?

Wondering who was the same reaction I had in 2008 when I got this signed 1997 Bowman card of Sam Marsonek in a trade. I had never heard of Sam Marsonek. Some quick research showed there was a reason.

Sam was the Rangers first round pick in 1996 when they drafted him right out of high school. Fans usually hear about first round picks but I wasn't really following baseball in 1996. Marsonek lasted in the Texas farm system until 1999 without ever getting above Single A. In December of 1999 the Rangers sent Sam to the Yankees in the Chad Curtis trade. He pitched in relief in one game for New York in 2004 and that was it for his Major League career.

A 2x3 mailing.

Having computer issues. Trying to get today's post up has taken most of my posting time so it's going to be short.

Wanted to take a moment to thank Jeff over at 2x3 Heroes for the nice package he sent my way. It was a surprise to find it in my mailbox yesterday and a pleasure to open. Jeff sent me several team bags full of Rangers. I needed quite a few of them, including this 2007 Bowman Heritage #201 of Jarrod Saltalamacchia.

Jeff was also a life saver when he included a couple of team bags of A's cards. I just completed a trade with my A's-loving brother that pretty much sapped my reserve of A's cards. Thanks to Jeff, I am ready for another trade if the chance comes up. Thanks again Jeff, I really appreciate the cards.

Number 163 here we come.

I had the 2013 Texas Rangers dead, buried, and mourned for in my mind. Then over the past week they played at a level not reached this season. That didn't phase me though, I already concluded they were too far gone to be saved.

Yesterday afternoon they proved me wrong. With a little help from the Toronto Blue Jays, the Rangers are headed for game 163 of the 2013 season tonight against the Tampa Bay Rays.

When the final pitch was thrown yesterday you can bet I looked like Cecil Espy on card 502 of the 1990 Bowman set. Well, except for the necklace. And mustache. And hair color. And I wasn't in a ballpark. Ok, I was wearing a Rangers cap and shirt and smiling just as big as he is here.

I am incredibly thrilled to see Texas raised from the dead with a renewed shot at the post-season. I would have danced a jig with Spiff Jr had my back not been out.

Now it's the day after. Game 163 looms large as the final couple of hours before game time tick away. Spiff Jr's got ball practice tonight so I'm going to miss the first part of the game. Hopefully I miss the early Rangers scoring and Martin Perez shutting down the Rays.

Hopefully. Still can't completely shake the nervous thought that the team might not make it past game 163. Not sure I've seen a card that looks like I feel right now.

Finally!

Rangers win! Finally! After seven losses and the likely permanent loss of first in the American League West, the team breaks the losing streak.

Ian Kinsler gave the Rangers their first lead in seven games when he hammered the first pitch of the ball game into the bleachers at Tropicana Field. Texas never looked back.

Alexi Ogando held the one-run lead until the offense added four more runs in the third. Another in the fifth and one more in the ninth accounted for the 7-1 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays. That brings both teams back into a tie for the American League Wild Card.

Kinsler and Elvis Andrus, shown here on card 153 of the 2012 Bowman set, accounted for six of the seven Rangers RBI with Leonys Martin grabbing the seventh one on his solo shot homer in the ninth inning.

Elvis gets the card of the day though in recognition of his two-run blast in the third - just his third home run of the year. Kind ironic for a hitter known for his speed rather than power to launch one in the notoriously hitter-hostile dome.

Very glad to finally see a win again. Of course Oakland also won and Texas is still 6.5 games out of first. Getting the West title is not going to happen barring a miracle. From that perspective the win is too little too late. What they are playing for now is home-field advantage in the one-game Wild Card playoff. Maybe last night's game will light a spark that carries them through that game and into the Division Series.

Mixed bag.

The past few days have been a mixed bag for the Rangers. No deals at the trade deadline but some rumors of an August deal are still afloat. For now it looks like Texas is going to dance with the ones that brought them.

Sounding like Major League Baseball is lowering the boom in the Biogenesis scandal. Nelson Cruz, shown here on card number 148 of the 2011 Bowman set, is one of the more prominent players likely to see their seasons end under suspension. That's going to hurt. With the offense in scuffle mode, every loss of a big bopper hurts. Engle Beltre is likely to get the nod to replace Cruz but it's not likely Beltre's bat will replace Nellie's.

Two straight walk-off wins and gaining a game on the A's over the past two days. If the guys can hold on this evening they will pick up another game and move to four back of Oakland. Good news with the West Coast road trip starting on August second in Oakland. That would be a good time for the team to get hot and close with the A's. Of course, as Mrs. Spiff asked, isn't it concerning to win too many with walk-offs?

On a related note, the bullpen melt-down last night seems a little concerning as well. Texas has had one of the best pens in the Majors so it could be an isolated incident rather than the beginning of a dive.

Neftali Feliz is due to start his minor league rehab assignment tomorrow. He'll be pitching at Double A to start off. Hopefully things will go smoothly and he'll be back in action before the end of the month. Much as I hate to say it, I'm not sure how much impact Feliz will have. What the team needs is some offense.

Part of the reason for the offensive struggles is that Lance Berkman is still on the Disabled List. Apparently he's really struggling with his rehab and had mentioned retirement. No final word yet but it's a reasonable bet Lance won't be back in a Rangers uniform. Kind of bummer even though there were concerns from the start that Lance might not hold up for the whole season.

Grabbing Garza.

So the Rangers have already made a move in the days leading up to the Trading Deadline. General Manager Jon Daniels sent top prospect Mike Olt and a package of other players including Justin Grimm to the Chicago Cubs in exchange for pitcher Matt Garza. Garza and Olt were the headliners in the deal.

Olt, shown here on Gold card number BDPP65 of the 2011 Bowman Draft Picks and Prospects set, was the Rangers #1 draft pick in 2010 and was consistently rated as one of their top prospects. Garza was the Cubs ace and is a former #1 draft pick himself for the Twins in 2005.

So, is this a good deal for Texas? I'm not sure. Garza has some experience in the American League and a proven track record with an ERA under 4.00 since 2007. That indicates he is unlikely to be the disaster that Ryan Dempster was last year. His performance against the Yankees in his Rangers debut seems to bear this out. He's a rental though, a free agent at the end of the season. As far as re-signing him, I doubt it. Texas does not have a good history of re-signing top of the rotation pitchers. Rangers fans should not expect to see Garza back in Arlington in 2014 unless he is pitching when his team visits.

On the flip side, Mike Olt was touted at the Rangers future slugger. Of course he was blocked at third base, his natural position, by Adrian Beltre and his long contract. That created a problem so the Rangers had Mike start trying different positions at Triple A. First base and the corner outfield spots were being looked at as possible new positions. Then came a matter for concern. Earlier this season Olt went on the Disabled List with vision problems. There didn't seem to be a firm diagnosis and I was never clear on what was done to clear things up enough for him to return to action. Maybe that's the medical problem Chicago saw that derailed the first attempt at this deal.

So, should Texas have traded the future for now? If the team makes the post-season and wins at least one series the answer would seem to be yes. If they fail to get that far this trade is not going to look good no matter how well Garza pitches. That brings me to my primary concern with the deal, does Texas have the horses to make a run at the A's? At this point I'm not sure they do. Garza may solidify the pitching staff but he's not going to swing a very big bat or replace Nelson Cruz if he ends up suspended. That's what makes me question this deal. Garza fills a hole but there appears to be at least one other big gap left. Big enough to sink the season in spite of the trade. If that happens and Olt develops the way he is projected to this deal will look very poor indeed. Of course if Mike's vision problems return nobody will even remember the trade, even if the team doesn't make the post-season at all.

Kasey has struck out.

The first round of the 2006 draft has officially not turned out well for the Rangers. Today they released their first round pick. Texas took Kasey Kiker, shown here on an autographed 2007 Bowman card, after the Giants took their original choice, Tim Lincecum.

Fortunately for Texas, Kiker didn't develop the drug habit that Lincecum apparently has. Unfortunately he didn't develop as a pitcher either. In the six seasons since he was drafted Kasey never made it past Double A.

In 2011 he pitched for Myrtle Beach in A ball. In 44.2 innings he posted a 7.05 ERA and an ugly 2.172 WHIP. Part of the reason for that was that he struck out just two more batters than he walked all season (54/52).

Well, I feel bad for Kasey but that's just the way things shake out sometimes. At least he stayed with it for six years and tried to get it put together. At 24 he still has a lot of good years left and hopefully he finds success in whatever he attempts next.

Wrapping up the Rays.

Wow! That's about all that can be said about Adrian Beltre's performance yesterday. Beltre, pictured here on card number 34 of the 2011 Bowman Gold set, hammered three home runs to follow up Ian Kinsler's solo shot that led off the game.

Those long balls mark the first time in the history of the Division Series that a player has gone deep three times in one game.

All told, Texas ended up scoring all their runs on solo homers as they beat Tampa Bay 4-3. Starting pitcher Matt Harrison went five innings and gave up two runs to get the win. Derek Holland, Mike Adams, and Alexi Ogando combined out of the bullpen to hold the Devil Rays scoreless for an additional three innings. Neftali Feliz stumbled a bit in the ninth as he coughed up a run but he still got the save.

The win gave the Rangers a 3-1 victory in the ALDS. Now they just have to wait and see who wins the Yankees/Tigers series. New York thumped Detroit last night to send the series to a fifth game tomorrow.

Have to say that I am very glad to see the Rangers win this series. Repeating as a divisional champ is hard. Having any level of success in the playoffs two years in a row is even harder. Hopefully the team is able to keep pushing and is able to make a second World Series appearance.

Well that was a surprise!

Well, I was going to write about Colby Lewis throwing six innings of one-hit ball yesterday to get the win over Tampa Bay. I was going to mention how this appears to be the year of Napoli as Mike continues to dismantle opposing pitching. I was even going to touch on Nap's stolen base. Of course Josh Hamilton, Craig Gentry, Neftali Feliz, and Elvis Andrus were all in for a mention as well.

I was running late though and didn't get the post up before the start of today's game. As I was looking for a card to post, Ian Kinsler hammered the second pitch he saw for a home run to give Texas an early lead. That made me decide to post card number 18 of the 2007 Bowman Chrome set. The shot was Kinsler's first of this year's postseason. Way to go Ian!

Now that Matt Harrison has a lead he just needs to hold it and give the offense some room to add on.