Powering up!

Today we have former Ranger Hank Blalock featured on card ST-HB of the 2005 Fleer Showcase Swingtime set. The card includes a piece of one of Hank's jerseys and is numbered 56/610. Other than picturing a power hitter, it has little to do with today's post. That's what happens when I'm about out of game-used or autographed cards of the current roster.

Last night the Rangers played game three of four in Oakland. The A's are always tough at home and since Sonny Gray was on the mound I figured it was going to be a rough night for Texas. It was for most of the game.

Opposing Gray was the recently unpredictable Derek Holland. Dutch is becoming more and more like the Mother Goose rhymes girl with a curl in the middle of her forehead. When she was good she was very very good; but when she was bad she was horrid. Holland was good through two, allowing no A's runs. However, he fell apart in the third as the A's put up three. Two more Oakland runs in the fourth convinced Jeff Banister to pull the plug before it got worse. Five runs, four earned, in 3.2 innings counts as horrid. In came the bullpen. That's been a portent of doom for Texas this year, but not last night. Martin Perez hurled 2.1 scoreless innings. Matt Bush, Jake Diekman, and Sam Dyson all followed with a scoreless inning each.

Meantime the Rangers offense took on the task of coming back from a 5-0 hole with Sonny Gray still on the hill. Sonny kept the Texas bats quiet until the sixth inning when a five run outburst drove him from the game. Interestingly, the Rangers scored those five runs on just twenty pitches. Part of the comeback consisted of home runs by Rougned Odor and Robinson Chirinos. Robinson's was a solo shot while Rougie's was a two-run blast. The uprising tied the game.

In the seventh inning Chirinos hit his second home run of the game to give the Rangers a 6-5 lead, the first lead they had all night. Not to be outdone, Odor hammered his second shot of the game in the eighth to take the tally to 7-5. That's where it sat when the Rangers recorded the 27th out to end the game and take the win.

All in all it was a wild night. Nothing like a pitching melt down and a dramatic comeback against to make for a good night in the end. While Holland is concerning, it was very nice to see the bullpen manage 5.1 innings of scoreless ball. It is also great to see Odor and Chirinos powering up. Now to get the rest of the offense on board this afternoon to back Colby Lewis as he finishes out the series.

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.

Random day.

Lots of random today, starting off with this random Rangers game-used 2005 Leaf Cornerstones card #CM6. The card is numbered 25/50 and supposedly features swatches from the uniforms of then Rangers Mark Teixeira and Hank Blalock. I have to admit, I do like the tri-color piece for Tex.

The Rangers have seven players who filed for arbitration. Normally Texas does not get to the hearing process with any of their players but there are one or two I might be tempted to try it with this go round. The list of Rangers filing includes Shawn Tolleson, Jurickson Profar, Jake Diekman, Tanner Scheppers, Tom Wilhelmsen, Mitch Moreland, and Robinson Chirinos.

How Profar can expect his salary to do anything other than go down is a mystery to me. Tolleson, Moreland, Diekman, and Chirinos probably deserve raises. Scheppers was pretty bad last season. Not sure how Wilhelmsen stacks up. Regardless, the Rangers will likely try hard to reach agreements with all these players before the arbitration. The last player they went to arbitration with was Lee Stevens in 2000.

Texas pitchers and catchers report on February 18th. The whole squad is due in Surprise on February 24th. Baseball is just around the proverbial corner. Wahoo! Strat-O-Matic is a great game but it doesn't really replace the real deal during the long winter months. I am ready for some baseball.

Speaking of getting ready, Spiff Jr and I are dusting off the sharpies and getting ready for Rangers FanFest 2015 on January 23rd. So far I haven't seen a listing of the players appearing but, if the past two years are any indication, it should be a great list of guys. This will be our third year going out to the ballpark for the FanFest and it's becoming a tradition. If you are planning on attending and want to meet up, let me know.

Closer than the FanFest, tomorrow actually, is the eighth anniversary of Texas Rangers Cards. I started this blog on January 15, 2008. Eight years later I'm still learning and having a great time. I enjoy every comment and all the support the readers of the blog have given over the years. Hope you will continue to hang around and I look forward to sharing more Rangers cards with you.

Unusual shopping trip.

Went Christmas shopping on Monday with Mrs Spiff and the kiddos. Of course, I managed to work in a trip to Duane's Sportscards as well. Made the day much more enjoyable for me and Spiff Jr. The long-suffering Mrs Spiff caught a nap in the car while the girls watched a movie (thank heaven for in-car DVD systems).

I managed to fill in a bit more on my 1967 Topps Senators set and picked up a few Rangers cards I needed as well. The big attraction though was the retirement sale for one of the dealers (there are four in the shop). The guy had almost all his stock at 75% off and was trying to clear out his autographs and game-used cards at four for $10. One of the cards I decided to pick up was this 2011 Donruss Elite Extra Edition card of Jordan Akins. It's hard to see but the card is numbered 321/1184. Akins was a third round pick for Texas in 2010. He spent four seasons in the Texas system without making it out of Single A and his playing career is already over. It's a Rangers auto though, and one I didn't have, so I'll count it as a success.

After visiting the card shop, we had one more stop to make before moving on with our shopping trip. I contacted the Rangers a few days before about buying FanFest tickets at the box office. It's cheaper that way than paying the fees to purchase online and I knew we would be in the area. They told me the box office would be open. It wasn't. The gentleman sitting near the gate waiting for tours to arrive told me to walk down to the center field gate and go through the doors behind the baseballs out front. I did and found myself in lobby of the Rangers corporate offices. Fully expecting to be re-directed, I explained to the security guard at the desk why I was there. He asked me to sign in, directed me to a bank of elevators, and told me to go to the fourth floor.

Up I went. As I stepped out of the elevator I saw I was in a type of waiting room. Leather couches, television tuned to ESPN. The woman at the desk in front of the elevators told me she would call someone to sell me the tickets. As I waited, I looked around. On a nearby table sat the Silver Boot trophy. Opposite were the two American League Championship trophies. People with credentials walked through from time to time and phones rang in the background. Apparently, in my quest to buy two FanFest tickets, I ended up very near the nerve center for the Texas Rangers. I was able to get the tickets without any problems and the experience of seeing the trophies and being inside the front office definitely made my day. After all, it's not something that happens every time one does Christmas shopping.

So long, Yogi.

Hall of Famer Yogi Berra passed away this past Tuesday at the age of 90. Yes, Berra was a Yankee but, he was still a good guy. As a kid I remember being fascinated by his and Satchel Paige's remarks. He played a role in hooking me on baseball. He's probably also the reason I latched on to Pudge Rodriguez, shown here on card BB-11 of the 2002 Donruss Elite Back 2 Back Jacks set.

2002 Donruss Elite Back 2 Back Jacks #BB-11

2002 Donruss Elite Back 2 Back Jacks #BB-11

Always displaying a positive attitude, Yogi was there for some big moments. D-Day, Don Larson's perfect game, ten World Series championships. He played alongside Joe DiMaggio, Mickey Mantle, Whitey Ford, Phil Rizzuto, and many other Yankee greats. In his first year of managing, he took the Yankees to the World Series. In typical Yankee fashion, they fired him immediately afterwords. He still came back years later and endured another firing before writing the team out of his appointment book. It took a lot to get to Berra though and he eventually forgave the team and returned to the fold.

The Yankees' loss was the Mets and Astros gain. They latched on to Yogi as if he had been part of their clubs. He led the Mets to an improbable World Series title. They didn't fire him immediately afterwords.

The world is a poorer place without Yogi Berra and we will never see his like again.

Huge surprise from Scott.

Last week was hectic, to say the least. You probably figured that from the lack of posts during that time period. I meant to post but it seemed I never had time. Between lawn care, baseball practice, a kiddo's birthday party, dinner guests, and schedule changes at work due to classes; things got jammed up.

In the middle of all the confusion I found a bubble mailer sitting on the dining room table one day about mid-week. Mrs Spiff told me it came that day and asked what I was expecting. Nothing. No pending trades or recent purchases.

The return address indicated the mailer was from Scott over at Bob Walk the Plank. Inside were several cards and a note from Scott saying he thought I might like them. The pictured 2008 SPx Winning Materials Hank Blalock card was one of the cards in the mailer. It's numbered 122/150 and features a dark blue uniform piece. Also included in the mailer were a second game-used card and three certified Rangers autographs. Wow! Thought I might like them? Of course I do. It was an awesome surprise package and I appreciate it more than I can say.

Of course, I would be low on cool Pirates stuff right now. I've been pondering how to respond and haven't yet come up with anything that seems to be close to appropriate. One thing I can do is say a public and very heartfelt thank you to Scott. You really made my week man and I can't say thanks enough.

Spring Training in full swing.

Well, so far Spring Training seems to be going well for the Rangers. The worst news to this point is that Jurickson Profar will be undergoing shoulder surgery and missing another season. The surgery is related to the same injury that caused Profar to miss last season. Looks like Roughned Odor will not have as tough a time as expected in nailing down the second base job.

The other news out of Surprise is related to how Matt Harrison is progressing and the fact that all players are now in camp. Of course, Yu Darvish is getting mobbed by the Japanese media again this year.

Michael Young, shown here his 2006 Upper Deck Artifacts AL Artifacts #AL-MY card, is also in camp. This time as an instructor rather than player. Ivan Rodriguez should also be putting on an appearance at some point to work with the catchers. A few other former Rangers will probably be in and out as well.

So far so good, it seems. I still have my fingers crossed but can't help hoping for a bounce-back season and possibly a contending team. Anything with the majority of the team healthy would be a welcome improvement though.

2006 Upper Deck Artifacts AL Artifacts #AL-MY

I got nothing.

Since I have nothing to write about I am just going to post this 2001 Upper Deck Ultimate Copper game used jersey card of Ivan Rodriguez. Hopefully it will help you pass one more day of the off-season. After all, each day that passes is one less that we have to do without baseball.

This particular card is numbered 24/24. What makes it interesting to me are the two visible lines in the fabric where some kind of stitching was pulled loose. Not sure if that was a seam or if a piece of trim used to run along those lines. Either way it's a different look from the normal uniform swatches on these types of cards.

Young moves to the front office.

Michael Young has officially returned to the Texas Rangers. Young helped interview managerial candidates earlier this year and has been assisting in various roles. Yesterday the team announced his appointment as a special assistance to General Manager Jon Daniels. This is a real job and Young is probably going to be helping with player instruction as well as other assignments.

Good to see Michael back in the Texas fold. Apparently he was able to think things over after being traded and decided to patch it up with Daniels. Smart move on both sides.

Posting this 2005 Studio Master Strokes game-used card of Michael Young today to celebrate the news of his official entry into the front office side of baseball. This card is numbered 186/250 and was part of the lot recently sent to me by Matthew over at Bob Walk the Plank.

Also in the news is former Ranger Alfonso Soriano's announcement of his retirement as a player after 16 seasons. Soriano never really impressed me but he was a pretty good player for the better part of his career. Problem was, he knew he was good. Perhaps the biggest thank-you Rangers fans owe Soriano was that he replaced Alex Rodriguez on the team.

2014 in review - Starting Rotation.

If I reviewed all 40 pitchers who took the hill for the Rangers in 2014, this series would easily reach into the 2015 season. Three of the 40 were position players J.P. Arencibia, Mitch Moreland, and Chris Gimenez. I'm going to skip their short outings. 

Needless to say, the pitching staff was a mess and the turnover was unreal. Injuries were the main culprit but the team did move a few arms in other ways. Jason Frasor, Joakim Soria, and Justin Germano were traded. Hector Noesi and Jerome Williams moved on to other teams via waivers. Daniel McCutchen, Joe Saunders, and Phil Irwin were outright released.

I'm not going to review those guys no longer with the club. By my count that takes us down to 29 pitchers who appeared in 2014 and are still with the team in some form or other. I'm going to break the pitching staff up between starters and relievers but be warned, there was a lot of crossover.

The Rangers had ten pitchers who started games in the majority of their appearances in 2014. I'm going to cover those ten under the category of starters. A few other guys made spot starts but spent most of their time coming out of the bullpen. They'll be covered under relievers.

Yu Darvish was the ace of the rotation for 2014 even before the 2013 season ended. He came into the 2014 season in the same role in spite of missing his Opening Day start due to neck stiffness. Darvish made 22 starts for the club and posted a 10-7 record, the only winning pitcher to make a significant number of starts. It wasn't the most starts on the team though and was a drop from the previous two seasons. That drop was attributable to two trips to the DL during the course of the season including one that ended the year. Yu's innings pitched dropped as well to 144.1. His ERA tallied to 3.06 and his WHIP to 1.261. He was selected to the All-Star game but didn't play due to injury.

Derek Holland was supposed to be the number two punch behind Darvish in 2014. He fell on some stairs while playing with his dog during the off-season. The resulting knee injury required surgery and Dutch spent the majority of the year on the Disabled List and in rehab assignments. He did return late in the season and made five starts and one relief appearance (on the last day of the season). His 1.46 ERA and 1.054 WHIP over the 37 innings he pitched were a glimpse of what was lost by his injury.

Matt Harrison was slated to be number two in the rotation once Holland injured his knee. Matt lost most of the 2013 season due to back surgery and hopes were high that he would return to his pre-surgery form. He made just four starts and tossed only 17.1 innings before experiencing more back pain. That's probably what caused his 4.15 ERA and 1.846 WHIP. Harry underwent a second back surgery (spinal fusion) and missed most of the season for the second year in a row.

Martin Perez was looking for a breakout season in 2014. Instead he made eight starts and pitched 51.1 innings while compiling a 4.38 ERA and an 1.344 WHIP. His season ended with Tommy John surgery. He is expected to start throwing again in November.

Colby Lewis, shown above on card 163 of the 2002 Absolute Memorabila set (576/1000), was a question mark headed into Spring Training. He was recovering from hip replacement and flexor tendon surgery. His chances of a full return were not good. Partially due to Holland's injury, Lewis made the team. To much amazement, Colby pitched the whole season without any time lost to the DL. He made a team high 29 starts and his 170.1 innings pitched were also a team high. Lewis' 5.18 ERA and 1.521 were high and accounted for his 10-14 record. At least he was there and pitching though. That's much more than a lot of other guys covered in this review.

Nick Martinez was supposed to get a look in Spring Training and maybe a few spot starts to ease him into things. Instead he made 24 starts in 29 appearances and pitched a total of 140.1 innings. Early struggles led to his 4.55 ERA and 1.461 WHIP but he showed much improvement in the latter part of the season.

Nick Tepesch got some starts in 2013 with mixed success. He was viewed as a possible fifth starter or maybe a swing man. The decimated pitching staff dictated otherwise and Tepesch made 22 starts in 23 appearances with 126 innings pitched. He was a bit up and down as shown by his 4.36 ERA and 1.365 WHIP. Like Martinez, Nick showed improvement late in the season and ended the year on an upswing.

Miles Mikolas was a mid-season arrival and made ten starts for the Rangers. He threw 57.1 innings in the process. While Miles had a few bright moments, he struggled overall while getting tagged with a 6.44 ERA and an 1.430 WHIP.

Lisalverto Bonilla came up in September and made two appearances out of the bullpen before making three starts to finish out the season. He created excitement in the 20.2 innings he pitched by winning his first three starts – the first time in Rangers history that's happened. On his way to that record Bonilla put together a respectable 3.05 ERA and an 1.210 WHIP.

Tanner Scheppers was supposed to make the move from the bullpen to the rotation in 2014. Things looked good in Spring Training. Tanner even made the Opening Day start when Yu Darvish wasn't ready due to a sore neck. The transition didn't work out well and Scheppers ended the season on the 60-day DL after making four starts in eight appearances. He got hammered to the tune of a 9.00 ERA and an 1.783 WHIP and lasted just 23 innings before his season ended.

As you can see, the starting rotation was a real mess in 2014. Nothing seemed to work out the way it was supposed to. Barring a major problem, Yu Darvish and Derek Holland will be back at the top of the rotation in 2015. If Darvish can stay on track and Dutch continues his late-season record, they will be a formidable 1-2 punch. Things could get a little sketchy after that. Martin Perez is not expected back until at least June of 2015 and Matt Harrison may never pitch again. Colby Lewis is wanting to return to the Rangers and approached General Manager Jon Daniels about a contract before the 2014 season even ended. That's a good sign but Colby is probably a steady number four at this point in his career. If Texas can re-sign him reasonably they should do so. It's likely that Nick Martinez, Nick Tepesch, and Lisalverto Bonilla will duke it out for the remaining spots in the rotation. Miles Mikolas might make a case but he's got some catching up to do to get back in the mix. Scheppers is probably headed back to the bullpen or the minors in 2015. There's always the possibility that somebody might make the move from the bullpen to starting rotation or another young gun might come out of the minors. Based on the word from the front office, a big name free agent signing is unlikely so the Texas will likely be riding with what they got. How the rotation works out for 2015 will be key to the Rangers chances for a bounce-back season.

Pre-LCS musings.

No playoff games yesterday or today thanks to sweeps and 3-1 wins in the Division Championship Series. The Royals, Orioles, Cardinals, and Giants waiting the kick-off of the ALCS tomorrow and the NLCS the day after.

Since I really don't have any game-used cards relating to the playoffs I decided to go with this 2003 Leaf Hard Hats card of Ivan Rodriguez. It's numbered 18/100. What's really interesting about it is that it has a bit of one of Pudge's batting helmets embedded in it. I don't think I've ever seen another card with a piece of a batting helmet in it. Makes it pretty unique in my opinion and one of my favorite game-used cards.

As far as favorites in the LCS, the NLCS is easy, Cards. I know a lot of Rangers fans hold 2011 against St Louis but I don't. The Rangers beat themselves in that series. Besides, the Cards were my backup team before that and still are. Mostly due to my grandfather being a Redbird fan before the Rangers moved to Texas and my Dad being a big fan of the 1960's St Louis teams. Besides, Brian Sabean, weed, Tim Lincecum, Buster Posey, and It Gets Better have overcome any soft spot Juan Marichal, Orlando Cepeda, Willie Mays, and Will Clark might have created for the Giants. Really hoping to see the Cards win it with a sweep.

The ALCS is a bit harder. Both the Orioles and the Royals have been out of the World Series for a long time. Both have compelling stories. The Orioles have been able to overcome the richest division in baseball and that's worth something. I rooted for the Royals in 1985 though, the first World Series I remember watching. Of course my Dad and Grandfather were pulling for the Cardinals. I was living in Kansas though and the excitement of the home team coupled with Jim Sundberg being on the team won out. Those memories have some sway and I really don't have that kind of connection with the O's. Sorry Baltimore, going to have to root for KC in this one.

However it turns out, the series both have the potential to be great. I would like to see a re-creation of the 1985 I-70 series but any match-up that doesn't include the Giants would work. Of course, if the Giants make it I'll have a clear favorite to win.

Catching up and looking for trades.

So I am sure the vast majority of my readers have been wondering where I've been the past week or so. For those two folks, the Spiff household had company for most of last week and I've been working some odd shifts at work the first part of this week.

Mark the Royals fan and his family came for a visit last week. We had a good time and did some trading. The families went to the Rangers game on the 27th. I couldn't get off work that day but they had a good time and Mark's wife donated her Rangers giveaway fedora to my collection. Spiff Jr was actually able to get a couple of autographs before the game. Jerome Williams is a good one but probably not from a long-term Ranger. Nick Martinez is another matter and I am thinking Spiff Jr will be glad he got the signature when he did.

Last Wednesday Mark, Spiff Jr, and I made the trek over to Duane's Sportscards in Arlington. I filled several more gaps in my Senators team sets and picked up a few Rangers. This 2007 Upper Deck Exquisite autograph card of former Ranger Chris Stewart was one of them. Hard to see in the scan but it's numbered 123/150. Spiff Jr picked up quite a few Rangers cards as well. Mark managed to find some Royals and a few cards from his set wantlists. He pronounced himself impressed with the shop.

Since the trip to the shop I've gotten my want and trade lists updated. Looking to get back to regular posting and maybe even some trades. If you're interested, drop me a line. Mark's got me cleaned out of Royals but I've got a few other cards listed to trade.

Odds and ends.

Worked midnights last night and am supposed to go in this afternoon so this post is pre-scheduled since I figured I might not write well in a sleep deprived state.

Got a pretty much random post to go along with today's random Rangers game-used card. Get to see Hank Blalock on card number BF-L of the 2004 Donruss Elite Back to the Future set. The card features a piece of Hank's bat and is numbered 3/200. Somehow I ended up with lots of Hank Blalock game-used and autographed cards but I think this one is among the nicest looking.

As promised a couple of weeks ago, I have updated my links. I checked all the blogs listed and they appear to still be active. I will be keeping my eye on a couple to make sure they aren't slowly fading out but all still seem to be being updated at least occasionally. I also added three links to the set tours list: 1963 Topps, 1969 Topps, and 1970 Topps. I was a little let down that I was unable to add to the team blogs lists. Hopefully you will find the new additions entertaining.

On a final note, Spiff Jr and I are contemplating a trip to Duane's Sportscards in Arlington sometime next week. Due to a schedule change at work I have four days off between June 2nd and June 5th. Got called for jury duty on the 2nd so that's likely out. We haven't decided between the other days though. If anyone would like to try and meet up for a face-to-face trade or just to visit be sure and drop me a note. I know there's at least a couple of other Duane's customers who occasionally read here and I have yet to meet any other collectors since making the move to the area.

Encouraging performance.

Last night's game against Seattle was encouraging on several fronts. First, it was a win and got the Rangers back to .500. With the current pitching and hitting problems .500 is an achievement.

Robbie Ross made the start and got the W. I can't find a card of him or he would get today's card. Robbie hurled 7.2 scoreless innings to get his first win and lower his season ERA to 1.00. Not too shabby for a guy making the move from the bullpen to the rotation. Ross is a bright spot on the mound for Texas.

Taking over for Ross was Alexi Ogando, shown here on card US190 of the 2011 Topps Gold set. Alexi only pitched a third of an inning but he did not allow the runner he inherited from Ross to cross the plate. Considering some of his early struggles this season, that is a good sign. Perhaps the old Ogando is back. Neal Cotts came in to finish the game off because it was no longer a save situation. He did not allow any runs to score either. A good night from the pitching staff and a combined shutout of the Mariners.

On the offense side of things Prince Fielder hit his first home run of the season in the second inning. It ended up being his only hit of the night but it gave the Rangers a lead they never gave up. Hopefully Fielder's bats will heat up soon. Coming up right behind Fielder, Kevin Kouzmanoff hit his first long ball of the season. Kouzmanoff has been on fire since the Rangers called him up. It would be great if he can keep it up at least until Adrian Beltre returns from the Disabled List next week.

The offense put three more runs on the board in the bottom of the eighth to run the final score to 5-0. Very nice to see the late inning outburst. If they can repeat tonight against Felix Hernandez, and Yu Darvish keeps his momentum going, things could end up looking real good.

Looking for company.

Feeling pretty frustrated by all the injuries the Rangers are facing this year. Looking at this 2003 Upper Deck Ultimate Collection dual game-used jersey card helps a little.

Looking at Hank Blalock I am reminded that an injury, or a series of them, can be career threatening. Hank had his career derailed by repeated injuries. At least most of the players the Rangers are currently missing are expected back.

Former Ranger Mark Teixeira is on the disabled list right now for the Yankees. It's a reminder that the other teams are also struggling with their share of injuries to key players. The Rangers aren't alone in the American League.

The Angels are going to miss Josh Hamilton for 6-8 weeks with thumb surgery. The A's don't have A.J. Griffin, or Craig Gentry. The Blue Jays are doing without J.A. Happ and Jose Reyes. The Orioles are missing Manny Machado. Jeremy Hellickson and Matt Moore aren't pitching for Tampa Bay. Boston is short Will Middlebrooks and Shane Victorino. Detroit is doing without Jose Iglesias. The Yankees are missing Mark Teixeira and I just saw a headline that indicates Jacoby Ellsbury may be following him to the DL.

While the Rangers seem to be among the hardest hit, it does help a little to take a glance around the American League at the other teams losses. I guess misery does love a little company now and then.

Random auto.

Got a short turn around at work today so things are pretty tight time-wise. Since real life is interfering with my blogging you will have to settle for a random game-used or autograph.

A quick trip to the GU/AU box nets this 2007 Upper Deck Spectrum autograph card of former Rangers prospect Jason Botts. As you can see from the front, the card is numbered 155/199.

I've got a couple of Botts' autographs and I like the way they look. I have no idea how you get Jason Botts out of that but it flows well and isn't obviously cramped. Of course Botts never panned out so the demand on his signing hand probably wasn't as heavy as on some other players. At some point I would like to get a through the mail or in person autograph from Jason but this one isn't leaving my collection anytime soon.

Best Seasons: Alfonso Soriano - 2005.

Number 40 on T.R. Sullivan's list of the Top 50 Seasons in Rangers history is Alfonso Soriano's 2005 season. Soriano is shown here on card PT-AS of the 2004 Flair Power Tools set. The card is numbered on the back 47/175. About the only thing I don't like about this card is the jersey piece. Sure looks like a Yankee pinstripe to me.

Soriano made 682 plate appearances for the Rangers in 2005. He compiled a .269 batting average and a .309 on-base percentage. Those aren't very impressive numbers. What gets Alfonso on the list is his 102 runs scored, 104 RBI, 36 home runs, and 30 stolen bases. He also managed to sneak 43 doubles into the mix. Soriano may have got on base less than a third of the time but when he did he caused havoc with the defense. Good thing too since his sub-par defense probably cost the Rangers a few runs.

Soriano got an All-Star trip and a Silver Slugger Award to recognize his achievements in 2005. He is also the only Rangers player to ever go 100-100 and 30-30 in the same season.

1/1.

Well, the Rangers signed reliever Neal Cotts to a one year $2.2 million deal to avoid arbitration. That leaves Mitch Moreland, Neftali Feliz, and Alexi Ogando as the arbitration eligible players left. The Rangers have exchanged figures with them and could sign them before arbitration. That's normally what happens with Texas.

That's about all the Rangers news out there today and I don't have a signed Neal Cotts card to go with it. That got me to flipping through my autographs and game-used but nothing caught my eye. Then I remembered that small section of the box reserved for my 1/1 cards. I don't have many but I realized I hadn't posted one yet.

Picked this 2005 Upper Deck 1/1 of reliever Frank Francisco up off Ebay just before Frankie left Texas. This is the cyan printing plate from the set. Upper Deck encased their plates in a cardboard frame in 2005. While I think 1/1 cards are overrated at times it is neat to own a card that nobody else has a copy of. I've only pulled one 1/1, a Mark Prior printing plate from the 2005 Upper Deck set. Sold it on Ebay, after all, he wasn't a Ranger.

Hello win column!

Apparently somebody responded to my post last night and located Derek Holland. Dutch turned in a nice 7.1 inning performance in Cleveland and allowed just two runs, only one of them earned. The second Indian run scored on a Mike Napoli passed ball.

Unfortunately for Derek, those two runs were enough to tie the game up and give him a no decision. Mike Adams picked up the blown save after he and Nap got crossed up. That sent the game into extras.

In the top of the eleventh Adrian Beltre came to the plate following two walks. The first was unintentional, the second was to Mitch Moreland to get to the pinch-hitting Beltre. Adrian, shown here on card US150 of the 2011 Topps Gold set, hasn't started a game in several days due to some hamstring concerns. The Indians must have been thinking that he would be cold coming off the bench.

Sadly for The Tribe, the intentional walk backfired. Beltre launched a three-run shot to put the Rangers up 5-2. Joe Nathan came in for the bottom of the eleventh. In spite of allowing one runner to reach base, he made the lead stand up. That stops the Rangers losing streak at three.

Couple of things about the game. First, it was great to see the shutdown version of Derek Holland show up. He got a tough break with the no decision but still pitched well deep into the game. In spite of the blown save the bullpen pitched well as well. Mike Adams, Alexi Ogando, and Joe Nathan all lowered their ERA's. Adams should have put the Cleveland fire out sooner than he did but I saw nothing to panic about.

Elvis Andrus was also a bright light tonight. Several outstanding defensive plays and a bunch of routine ones. No errors by him or the rest of the defense. Very nice to see that. Hopefully the defense will hold and the pitching continue to come around. The rest of the division is struggling and this is a good time to put some games between them and Texas.

Missing...

Wow. Seems like this past week every Rangers starter except Yu Darvish has gone missing in action. Tonight was Colby Lewis' turn to lose as the Rangers skid hit three games in a row.

If you happen to see Derek Holland, shown here on 2009 Topps Heritage Chrome #560, Neftali Feliz, or Matt Harrison around please tell them to report to Cleveland to join the team. That way the club can give these batting practice pitchers who have been filling in a break.