Ouch!

Well, the Rangers lost 3-1 to the Houston Astros last night. It was the first Houston win in seven tries at Arlington this season. Fortunately Texas had a cushion in their lead over Seattle in the American League West.

To add injury to loss, the Rangers saw Yu Darvish leave the game in the after five innings. He experienced tightness in his right shoulder. A preliminary exam didn't reveal any damage to the shoulder and Yu said he felt like he could play catch today. There will undoubtedly be a follow-up exam though so nothing is certain yet.

In the eighth inning another potential disaster struck. Adrian Beltre, shown here on card GMR-AB of the 2014 Gypsy Queen Relics set, called for a trainer after running from first to second. He ended up being taken out of the game with tightness in his left hamstring. He will be reevaluated today, which was supposed to be his regular day off anyway.

Jeff Banister was non-committal on the injuries, saying he was waiting to see how the follow-up evaluations went before making any comment. Hopefully his comment will be that both players are fine and just needed a little extra loosening up. The Rangers really need both Beltre and Darvish at this point in the season. For Rangers fans still suffering nightmares from 2014, the potential injuries are triggering concerns.

Squeaker.

So, former Ranger Alexi Ogando doesn't have anything to do with last night's win over Houston. However, I don't have any game-used or autograph cards of the key players from last night. Alexi was part of one of the best Ranger bullpens ever. There is a connection there as the win last night was in large part due to the bullpen.

Cole Hamels took the hill last night looking for his tenth straight win. Pitching in and out of trouble, Hamels lasted 6.2 innings and allowed just one Astros run - a long ball in his last inning of work. A lot of Cole's success was attributable to nice defensive work behind him.

Meanwhile, the Texas bats were largely ineffective against 'Stros starter Doug Fister. Rougned Odor was an exception to the rule though. In the second inning Rougie parked a ball in the right field stands to score two runs. That would be it for the Rangers.

Hamels left the game after hitting a batter in the foot in the seventh, it was his third hit batsman of the game and a career high for him. None of the hit batters appeared to be intentional. Sam Dyson came in and finished out the seventh with no runs. Dyson started off the eighth before giving way to Jake Diekman with one out. Diekman fanned both batters he faced to send the game into the ninth still 2-1. Shawn Tolleson gave up one hit in the ninth but otherwise shut Houston down to pick up his fifth save of the season as Texas came out on top by a hair.

Great to see the guys secure the series win and string together three wins in a row for the first time this season. Also extremely encouraging to see the bullpen back to clicking after their early struggles and hold the lead in a squeaker. This pen was projected to be one of the best in baseball this year and, if Texas is going to go anywhere, they are going to need to live up to their potential.

Mixed results.

Well, the Rangers got some mixed results from their first road trip of the 2016 season.

Starting off with the good, the club went to Anaheim with a 1-2 record. They split the four game series with the Halos and left with a 3-4 tally. I'll take a .500 road record.

Texas prospect Nomar Mazara made his Major League debut last night as the team faced nemesis Jered Weaver. The Rangers lost the game 3-1 but Mazara went 3-for-4 with a home run. All three of Nomar's hits were off Weaver. Not too shabby for a young man who was supposed to spend most of the season at Triple A.

As to what derailed that plan, that's on the not good news side of things. During warmups on Saturday Shin-Soo Choo, shown here 2014 Gypsy Queen Blue Border card number 58 (numbered 227/499), was running sprints in the outfield. He strained a muscle in his right calf. That's going to put him out for four to six weeks. Texas will really miss Choo but at least they appear to have enough depth in the outfield to mostly cover for him for awhile.

If the Choo incident wasn't enough, Robinson Chirinos fouled a ball off his right forearm during Saturday's game. He had to leave the game right after the at bat. Examination revealed a fractured bone. That's going to put Chirinos on the shelf for ten to twelve weeks at a minimum. Not a good situation for the Rangers, who are very thin behind the plate this year. New Ranger Bryan Holaday now becomes the starting catcher for Texas and Brett Nicholas got the call up from Triple A to back Holaday. The other options for Texas are Chris Gimenez and Michael McKerny who were both in Spring Training with the club. Unfortunately both are down right now with injuries and unavailable.

Hopefully this is all the bad news for Texas for awhile. I don't mind saying it brings up all too recent memories of the beginning of the 2014 season and we all know how that turned out. For now though, things seem to be stabilized and the team looks to be able to carry on and pick up some wins. Tonight they start a series in Seattle and it would be good to see them take two of three to head back home at .500.

Almost there.

Cole Hamels started against the Astros last night as the Lone Star showdown kicked off. He looked a bit rough, giving up a home run in the first inning as Houston took the lead. Cole was able to settle down though and ended up making it through seven, giving up a total of three Astros runs. The bullpen took over in the eighth and kept Houston off the board for the final two frames.

While the hurlers were doing their stuff, the Texas offense managed one run in the second on an Rougned Odor double. A two run shot by Mitch Moreland in the sixth helped the Rangers keep pace. That left it at three all headed into the bottom of the eighth. Prince Fielder, shown here on card 172 of the 2014 Gypsy Queen set, settled the issue with a two run long ball to put the Rangers up 5-3. That held up through the top of the ninth to give Texas the win.

With the victory last night the Rangers pull up to half a game back in the division race. They also kept one game ahead of the Twins for the second wild card and three games back from the Yankees for the first wild card and both of those teams also won. Things are tight and getting down to the wire.

Going into tonight's game, Texas is sending Derek Holland to the mound in an attempt to knock Houston out of first place. Dutch is carrying a 3-2 record and a 3.13 ERA since his return from the disabled list. It would be nice to see him come up big against Houston. If the Rangers can survive the pressure cooker they are in right now then a post season series should be nothing new.

Roster and Radio news.

The Rangers activated nine players from the 60-day Disabled List on Monday. That they had so many players to activate is a reminder of how rough the 2014 season was.

Prince Fielder, Matt Harrison, Yu Darvish, Martin Perez, Alexi Ogando (shown here on card 96 of the 2012 Gypsy Queen set), Tanner Scheppers, Mitch Moreland, Jurickson Profar, and Shin-Soo Choo all came back to the active 40-man roster. That fills the roster for now.

Of course there will be more changes. The Rule Five draft is coming up and Texas will want to protect four or five minor leaguers. Somebody's gonna have to move off the 40-man for that to happen.

Fielder, Choo, Darvish, and Moreland are all expected to be ready for Spring Training. Profar might be as well but he'll have to fight to keep from starting the 2015 season in the minors. Martin Perez is still recovering from Tommy John surgery and probably won't make an appearance until mid-season. Ogando and Scheppers are real question marks. Both had a lot of promise but have suffered injuries recently and may or may not be able to regain their previous forms. It's doubtful Matt Harrison will ever pitch again in the Majors.

The loss of Harrison and the possible loss of Colby Lewis to free agency have the Rangers looking for starting pitching this off-season. Could be Moreland finds himself on the trading block if the club thinks Fielder is looking good. I would be sorry to see Mitch go. However, if the team was able to get a decent starter for him, and Prince came back online, it would be a good move.

The Rangers also announced recently that they will be switching their radio broadcast carrier starting with the 2015 season. A new contract gives the games to CBS radio at 105.3 FM here in the metroplex. I have no idea if this change is related to the fact that the south-western part of the metroplex could not receive the signal from ESPN 103.3 FM but I wouldn't be surprised. Complaints were rampant from fans who could drive to the ballpark in less than an hour but couldn't tune in to hear the games. I didn't air my grievances to the Rangers but I was in the frustrated fans camp. Hopefully this new station addresses the problem.

Harrison's back again.

Well, the bad news has begun for the Rangers in Spring Training. Matt Harrison, shown here on a 2012 Gypsy Queen card he signed through the mail for me last year, has been shut down from all baseball activity. Harrison came into camp at 100% after missing almost the entire season last year with two back surgeries. He had some neck stiffness that curtailed his activities yesterday. Today he came in with stiffness in his back in the same area he suffered a herniated disk last year. He's on his way back to Texas to have an MRI and examination by the same doctor who operated on him. Best case scenario is that he won't be ready for Opening Day. Worst case is another surgery and another missed season. That could spell the end of his career.

Of course, losing Harrison out of the starting rotation does spell trouble for the Rangers as well. With Derek Holland already gone, Harrison was seen as a must for Texas to stay competitive. Now the starting rotation is looking like Yu Darvish, Martin Perez, Alexi Ogando, and two question marks. Colby Lewis, Robbie Ross, Tommy Hanson, and Nick Tepesch are the primary contenders to fill the bottom two spots in the rotation. It's not exactly a situation formulated to elicit confidence. Any further injuries or setbacks and it's going to get real ugly.

One possible solution floating around is to sign Nelson Cruz. Nellie can't pitch but he can hit. Right now Mitch Moreland is the Rangers Designated Hitter after being displaced at first base by Prince Fielder. Perhaps he, or Cruz in a pinch, could be traded for some pitching help. It's an interesting thought but I doubt the Rangers could trade just one bat and pick up a middle of the rotation hurler. The next week or two could be very interesting.

Best Seasons: Neftali Feliz - 2010.

Time for number 26 in T.R. Sullivan's list of the top 50 seasons in Rangers history. Up today is Neftali Feliz with his 2010 campaign.

Feliz, shown here on card 189 of the 2012 Topps Gypsy Queen set, was a rookie in 2010 and was slated to work out of the bullpen with the idea of eventually working him up to starting. Frank Francisco was supposed to be the closer coming out of Spring Training. Feliz was to have time in middle relief to ease into facing Big League hitters.

It didn't take long for that scenario to fall apart as Francisco melted down several times in the early going then went on the disabled list. Suddenly the young rookie Feliz found himself in the closer role in early April. 

He responded well to the pressure by compiling a 2.73 ERA and a 0.880 WHIP in 69.1 innings pitched over 70 appearances. Neftali finished a league-leading 59 games and saved 40 of them. He struck out 71 batters and walked just 19 (that includes one intentionally). All in all he was simply dominant.

Feliz went to the All-Star game, the postseason, and the World Series in his rookie year. He also won the American League Rookie of the Year. Pretty fitting recognition for an outstanding performance.

Winning games and losing pitchers.

Well, the Rangers have gotten hot and stayed that way in the past week and a half or so. They have won 10 of their last 11 games and are now tied with the A's for first place in the American League West.

Losing Nelson Cruz to a season-ending PED suspension has not even slowed the train, much less made it derail. Defying some pundits, who predicted a collapse, the team has been winning with contributions from all corners.

Elvis Andrus and Leonys Martin keep the feet flying with their base thefts. Ian Kinsler remains a threat both at the plate and on the base paths. Adrian Beltre, Mitch Moreland,  AJ Pierzynski, and the other vets continue to perform.

Additionally Jurickson Profar has been hitting well and drew a key walk last night to force in a run. Engle Beltre is taking advantage of his time up and short-time call-up Jerry Butler got in on the action last night with two doubles and a walk that set up Profar's RBI walk.

Great to see the team finally getting it going. The defense and pitching have been solid for most of the year and now that the offense seems to have gelled, it's looking like the team might have a shot at October.

General Manager Jon Daniels evidently thinks they do. He pulled off a deal yesterday for White Sox outfielder Alex Rios. Texas will send Leury Garcia and cash to Chicago in exchange. The Sox ended up taking a lot less for Rios than they were initially asking. Rios won't be a superstar but hopefully he'll provide some speed, defense, and a solid right-handed bat. He's slated to start for Texas tonight.

It's looking more and more like Daniels can see into the future. When he made the Matt Garza trade I was skeptical. Most pitchers coming over from the National League see a big dip in their performance and Matt Harrison and Colby Lewis were scheduled to come back in August. Well, Garza's been doing well. On Wednesday it was announced Colby Lewis will be having hip surgery to remove a bone spur. That ends his 2013 season without him ever placing foot on a Big League mound. Matt Harrison, shown here on card 203 of the 2012 Gypsy Queen set, may be on the verge of suffering a similar fate. Yesterday he was pulled early from a rehab start due to numbness in his left (pitching) hand. He's headed to Arlington to be evaluated by a doctor. That doesn't sound good to me. Good thing JD picked up Garza and rookie Martin Perez has been throwing well, the re-enforcements for the pitching staff look like they won't be arriving. Guess it goes to show you can never have enough arms.

Cross Cruz off arbitration list.

According to MLB.com the Rangers now have their arbitration-eligible players list down to one: Mike Napoli.

Nelson Cruz, shown here on 2011 Gypsy Queen card number GQA-NC, signed a two year deal today with Texas. That keeps him from becoming a free agent until after the 2013 season. The deal is worth about $16 million.

This seems like a no-brainer to me. Lock down one of your corner outfielders who also happens to be a real power threat and has decent speed on the base paths. One more piece of the American League Championship team that will stay in place.

Nellie is 30 years old but this deal isn't a ten year Albert Pujols deal. It's for two years and isn't too far off what Cruz might end up with if he went to arbitration both years.

Another concern is Cruz's health, specifically his legs. Seems like Nelson can't go a full season without some sort of hamstring problems. I foresee that continuing but it shouldn't get any worse in the next two years than what the club has already learned to deal with.

Good move by the front office. With Josh Hamilton's contract status on the rocks it will pay off to have Nellie for a year after Josh's potential departure. Never hurts to stagger the possible loss of veteran talent.

Of Colby, Baby, and cards.

Well, the baby is home and everyone has left. At least for now. Great to have family willing to help out. Especially when the kiddo comes ahead of schedule. Sorry about the lack of a post yesterday but I was so tired that I slept through my posting time.

Anyway, my card collecting has not been dormant. In the previous week before the baby came I picked up a blaster box of Gypsy Queen from Wal-Mart. No Rangers but I did pull an auto of Jose Bautista. Managed to turn that into some PayPal on Ebay. With that luck in mind I grabbed a "value pack" of Gypsy Queen from Target yesterday. Again no Rangers. Again an auto, this time of Brett Cecil. Guess I don't mind that luck too much.

Was able to use the minis that I pulled from the blaster to get a few Rangers cards that I needed to fill holes in my collection. One such card was this mini of Colby Lewis, number 285 in the set. Nice card to get with Colby shutting down the Devil Rays today for eight innings in route to a 3-0 win. Good to see that Feliz was able to get the save. Hope he can get his recent stumbles behind him.

So far so good. June first and in first place. Hopefully the rotation can stay strong, the bullpen tighten up, the offense catch fire, and everyone avoid injuries.