Starting a comeback?

Colby Lewis, shown here on card number 83 of the 2004 Topps Total set, pitched the Rangers back into the World Series tonight. It was great to see him go 7.2 innings while giving up just two runs.

Also nice to see Darren O'Day and Neftali Feliz come in for the final 1.1 innings and shut the Giants down. I was beginning to think that the bullpen was shot. Fine job guys.

Also nice to see the bats start to wake up. Not sure the slump is completely over but there is definitely light at the end of the tunnel. Special kudos to Mitch Moreland for his home run. Ironic that he and Josh Hamilton were the only two left-handed batters in the lineup and were the two to go deep. That is a very good sign.

Ok guys, go out there tomorrow and make Tommy Hunter a winner and it's a whole new Series. Go Rangers! It's time.

Gonna take a miracle.

Think they have any left?

Go Rangers! It's time.

C.J.'s sig.

Wow! Last night was ugly. Hope you're on your toes tonight Christopher John.

Go Rangers! It's time.

Pre-World Series reflections.

In 1985 the Rangers were still reeling from the stupidity of trading away Jim Sundberg after the 1983 season. 1984 had been a catching disaster with three players splitting time behind the dish. In an effort to solidify things the Rangers traded for Don Slaught, shown here on card number 159 of the 1985 O-Pee-Chee set. The same trade would take Jim Sundberg to Kansas City where he would take over from Don as the number one catcher for the Royals. In October Sunny would be in the World Series with the Royals and help them win it all.

In October of 1985 I turned nine years old. We didn't have cable in our home but my Dad set up the rabbit ears to watch the World Series. An old Cardinals fan, he wanted the Redbirds to win. My Grandfather was pulling heavily for KC, mainly do to the Sundberg factor. Over 500 miles of phone line the debate raged after every game. I was enthralled. I knew about baseball and considered myself a Rangers fan. I had even been to a game or two. Standings? What were those? I had little idea of what the World Series was until 1985.

Following the '85 Series I reflected on the excitement and hoopla. Right then and there I decided that it would be awesome for the Rangers to play in the Series. Maybe even win it. No luck in 1986. In 1987 I rooted for the Cardinals. By 1988 I was in the habit of choosing a surrogate team during the postseason. That didn't mean I gave up on the Rangers though. I followed the boxscores and trades. My Grandfather and I discussed the team whenever we could. In between I daydreamed of seeing a Rangers team take the field in the Fall Classic.

Through high school I listened to WBAP on the skip after dark in the summer and prayed for Rangers wins. There were never enough it seemed and the long-awaited late season surge never materialized. 1994 seemed to be the year though. The Rangers were on top in the A.L. West and had a powerful lineup. There were stormclouds though. Just as the team was scheduled to play in Kansas City, the players went on strike. I cried. How could they? Stupid unions. Stupid owners. Stupid players. That was it. If the players and owners didn't care about the game and the fans, I wasn't going to follow them anymore.

Through the rest of the nineties I would hear sporadically about baseball. Mostly who was in the World Series. My Grandfather would occasionally talk to me about the Rangers and their chances. I half listened and missed a lot. I missed 1996, 1998, and 1999. The long-awaited postseason appearances. No World Series though. I can't even really remember my Grandfather talking to me about those years.

Along about 2000 or 2001 I returned to the game. Gradually, haphazardly. The Rangers were going downhill fast but my Grandfather was still there, waiting to discuss the team and next year. Through much of the decade the team stayed in the cellar, or close. By 2005 I was fully back and dreaming again of a Texas World Series appearance. It seemed so far away though. By now I was looking at the game from an adult perspective and understood how hopeless it looked. Back to picking surrogate teams in October.

My Grandfather passed away during the summer of 2007 and in the midst of another dismal Rangers' season. I talked to him less than a week before he died and he was still talking of how Texas could improve and how it might be different in 2008. Well it wasn't, but the end of 2009 inspired true hope. I could almost hear Pop's voice, "Perhaps with a couple of good moves..."

Perhaps happened and now here I am, waiting for game one of the 2010 World Series to start. This year there is no surrogate team, no daydreams of glory. This year they're here. 25 years after I became aware of the World Series I am trying to pass on the awe and wonder to my six year old son. Thankfully the team that helped me introduce him to the game of baseball is also available to help with this as well.

Go Rangers! It's time.

Wondering...

Getting ready for the Wold Series to kick off tomorrow night. Sure hope to see more celebrations like the one on card number 5 of the 2010 Topps set. Probably be more folks in the stands though.

Seeing this card makes me wonder. Omar Vizquel signed with the White Sox this past off-season. Said he wanted a higher profile team in a more cosmopolitan city. I wonder if he is rethinking that move.

I don't see the White Sox as higher profile than the Rangers right now. Perhaps Chicago is more cosmopolitan than Dallas-Fort Worth though. More art museums, shows, and such. Plenty to do when you're idle in late October. Better than playing ballgames in the cold I suppose.

Go Rangers! It's time.

Minor League Monday - Don Werner, 1987 ProCards.

Quick return to the regular posting schedule as we wait for the World Series to kick off in a couple of days.

Today we see Don Werner on card number 137 of the 1987 ProCards set. By the time Don appeared on this card his Major League playing days were long past. He last suited up for MLB action in 1982. Not one to quit though, Don would hang around in the minors until 1988. Even then he wasn't done. While managing in Rookie ball in 1997 Don would put himself in a game as a pitcher. That would finally be the end of his playing career.

In 1987 Werner would play in 54 games for the Oklahoma City Eighty-Niners. He would post a .204 batting average in 158 plate appearances. Not too bad for a backup catcher.

One reason I wanted to post Don's card today is because he was a catcher. Not that I mind discussing Don's career but I did want to talk for a minute about another catcher, Ivan Rodriguez. As you may know from previous posts, I am a Pudge fan. In fact, he is one of the very few players that I was willing to buy or trade for cards of even when he wasn't in a Rangers uniform. I say was because I have decided to break up the I-Rod collection. For some time I haven't been interested in picking up his cards and I finally realized that I no longer follow his career. What I like about him is who he was when he was with Texas. There's just no point in continuing the player collection. The Rangers cards will be added to the Rangers collection and I will trade or sell off most of the remainder.

Tough decision but, like Don Werner's MLB days in 1987, the time to make it is long past.

ALCS thoughts and a contest winner.

So the Rangers are the American League Champions for 2010 and are headed to the World Series. Both are firsts in franchise history. I have finally come back to earth and have a few random thoughts on the ALCS and Texas heading to the World Series.

Glad that Josh Hamilton (shown on card number 2376 of the 2008 UD Documentary set) and Michael Young found their bats for the ALCS. I was a bit concerned at the lack of production from the two during the ALDS.

Nice to see Hamilton win the ALCS MVP. Several of the other guys made a good case but Josh was on fire at the plate. Case in point - three intentional walks last night.

Awesome that Vlad Guerrero knocked a two run double after an intentional walk to Hamilton to get to him. I figured the Yankees were playing with fire there and would get burned eventually.

Super sweet that Alex Rodriguez struck out looking to end the final game. Couldn't have been better. Especially since some kid froze him up.

Speaking of kids, wonder if Alex still thinks the Rangers are a bunch of "kids?" As in, "If they had told me that it would be me and 24 kids I never would have signed." Michael Young and Colby Lewis were among those kids.

Colby Lewis. Great story. Great performances. Nice to see him back and doing well. Even better to see a pitcher not named Cliff Lee come up big. I like Cliff but there needs to be depth to the rotation.

Love "old, slow" catchers. Thanks Bengie.

The running game. Priceless. Keep moving in the Series guys. Just remember, the team you're up against next likely knows how to play the running game.

This is one Rangers Strat-O-Matic team set I can't wait to get. Should be a great play.

Ok, enough random thoughts for now. Time to get the contest winner announced. As you may have read on Monday, I was looking for a correct prediction as to the Rangers' last batter in the ALCS. There were five entries, none correct. Elvis Andrus was the last Ranger to the plate last night.

Steve Scott had guessed Bengie Molina. Bengie was two outs before Elvis so that was close. Not as close as Night Owl's Mitch Moreland entry though. Mitch was the out before Elvis. Of course, if Elvis had gotten on then Michael Young would have come to the plate. If Michael had made the final out then Play at the Plate's entry would have been correct. Cubsfan731 guessed Jeff Francoeur. Frenchie didn't even play last night but the entry included the pitcher involved being Mariano Rivera. The Yankees final pitcher was Mo. About the only entry with no connection to the final out was Cincykid's guess of Cliff Lee pinch-hitting for Josh Hamilton.

Since everyone was close (except Cincykid) and nobody was correct it seemed right to decide the contest by random drawing. In the interest of fairness and because I appreciate creativity, I included Cincykid in the drawing. Each name was written on a slip of paper and all were dropped into a Rangers cap. After some mixing I had my one-year-old draw the winner. Out came Steve Scott's name.

Congratulations Steve. I'll be sending you an email shortly with the details on your prize. Thanks to all who entered.

Whoop it up!

Texas wins! Wow! American League Champions. Awesome!

Wish you were here to see this Pop. I know this picture shows how you would have reacted.

More thoughts tomorrow. Got celebrating to do right now.

Go Rangers! It's time.

Heading home.

Tom Grieve, shown here on card number 93 of the 1977 Hostess set, will throw out the first pitch of tomorrow night's game.

Nice to see Tom get the honor. Would rather have seen the team finish with a win last night in New York.

Sorry about the short post. Should be back to normal tomorrow, things are slated to slow down a little.

Go Rangers! It's time.

No post post.

Sorry about no posts yesterday and today. Getting swamped by work. Hope to be back tomorrow. Don't forget to enter the contest. Thanks!

Rangers arrive in New York.

So the Rangers won tonight behind another sterling performance by Cliff Lee. Cliff's pitching and Josh Hamilton's first inning home run sunk Andy Pettitte. That and a ninth inning thumping of the Yanks bullpen to seal the deal. Very nice to see Texas come out and jump on the Yankees in New York to take a 2-1 lead in the ALCS.

To mark the occasion I am holding another contest. Mark "Money Man"Teixeira appears in this post on his 2004 Upper Deck Diamond Collection All-Star Lineup card. Tonight he was the last batter in the game as he struck out against Neftali Feliz to end the game.

Instead of picking a lineup all you have to do is pick the final Texas batter of the series. No matter who wins, you will if you can predict the final batter. Go ahead and throw in a prediction of what that Ranger will do in the final at bat. If you have the right batter and wrong result you still win, unless there is a tie. In the event of a tie the entry with the closest to correct result will win the contest. To enter just leave a comment on this post with your prediction. Still have at least two games in the series so get your entry in now. After all, It's time.

To NY with a split.

What an emotional rollercoaster the past two days have been. Some positives and some negatives in the first two games of the NLCS.

In game one C.J. Wilson pitched like I thought he would. The offense jumped on C.C. Sabathia like I hoped they would. Those were good and set the Rangers on a winning course. Then the bullpen pitched like the 1980's staff would. That sealed the Rangers' fate and gave them a 6-5 loss. Much anguish. Even lost sleep last night.

Today was supposed to be all Yankees (at least according to the pundits). Phil Hughes was supposed to do well in Texas and Colby Lewis wasn't supposed to be able to handle the mighty New York lineup. Well, the Rangers' lineup handled Hughes and Lewis (shown here on card number 870 of the 2003 Topps Total set) handled the Yankees. Gave Colby the first ever postseason win in Arlington, his first postseason win, and the first ever win for Texas in the ALCS. Must say I was glad to see this result. I will admit that, after the first game, I almost didn't listen to this one. Glad I did though. Nothing like a 7-2 win over New York to help give the spirits a bounce.

Now, on to New York with the series tied 1-1. Tomorrow is a travel day. Cliff Lee should be pitching on Monday against Andy Pettitte - will be a tight game but Texas has a chance and really needs to win this one. Tommy Hunter is slated for Tuesday against A.J. Burnett - Could go either way, Texas stands a decent chance of taking advantage of this match-up if Hunter has a good start. After game four the starters have not been announced.

Would be nice if starters are needed after game four. Go Rangers! It's time.

Getting ready to roll.

So tonight is the night. In just a few hours the Rangers' first ever American League Championship Series game will kick off. Too bad they have already been swept by the Yankees. At least that's what seems to be the case judging by the plans in New York for a victory parade and the media talking about a repeat of last year's World Series. You know, my Dad says that paper is nice but you gotta play them all. Perhaps he's on to something?

Frankly, Texas does have a big job ahead if they want to win the series, or even a few games. The pitching has to hold up. Both the rotation and the bullpen need to remember that the Yanks put their pinstripes on one leg at a time. They also strike out on three, just like everyone else.

The offense also needs to show up. Kinsler, Cruz, and Vlad need to keep the heat on. Michael Young and Josh Hamilton need to get it going as well. Both Josh and Michael, shown here on card number 95 of the 2006 Upper Deck Artifacts set, struggled during the ALDS. Both are capable of better though and need to ignite starting this evening.

The final thing the Rangers are going to need is their defense. They can play great defensive ball. It's been a delight to have Andrus and Kinsler up the middle this season and to have the outfield arms that have been patrolling Arlington. Just need to stay calm and keep it up.

The Yankees are beatable. Just play hard, stay focused, and don't let them intimidate. Much like a lot of other bad guys. Beating C.C. Sabathia in game one would go a long way towards dispersing the butterflies and intimidation.

Go Rangers! It's time.

ALCS eve.

So it all starts tomorrow at 1900. The Ballpark in Arlington will be packed out. I plan to listen to the radio broadcast. Going to be nice to hear history as the Rangers start their first ever ALCS.

To start off the series Texas is sending C.J. Wilson to the hill. New York will counter with C.C. Sabathia. Most pundits have already given game one to the Yankees and Sabathia.

Hopefully Wilson will have something to say about that. In spite of his quirkiness, or maybe because of it, C.J. is a pretty good pitcher. Good enough to make this duel of lefties interesting and give the Rangers a shot at taking game one.

Go C.J.! Go Rangers! It's time.

Finally!

They made it! Finally! 49 seasons after the founding of the franchise the Rangers have won a postseason series. They did it the hard way too, three on the road. First time in MLB history that a postseason series has seen the visiting team win every game.

Ok, so Cliff Lee is definitely the hero of last night's game. In fact, he might have paid for himself with his performance last night alone. Elvis Andrus and Vlad Guerrero were key components as well with their great base-running. Ian Kinsler's two run smash in the ninth inning helped convince the Devil Rays that they were done.

Decided to post this team checklist today from the 2010 Upper Deck set instead of an individual card. That's because in spite of the awesome pitching performance from Lee and exciting plays by several position players, advancing to the ALCS was a team accomplishment in the end. The whole team had to show up. Several players have struggled at the plate but on the field and in the clubhouse all seem to be contributing. Case in point: Last night the players started off their celebration with Ginger Ale so that Josh Hamilton and C.J. Wilson could take part. That's classy. That's one of the reasons I like this team.

Congratulations on winning guys. So very glad to see it happen. You all played hard and deserve to enjoy the victory. Just don't forget to get ready to do battle with The Evil Empire. The Yanks will be in town on Friday. I for one am pulling for a fireworks welcome.

Go Rangers! It's time.

One more card package.

So the Rangers are up 2-1 in the 4th in Tampa Bay right now. Hope they can hold on to win this thing and send the Devil Rays home. So far I am liking the way Texas is scoring runs.

Got a package in the mail today to give me cards to sort as I listen to the game tonight. Several weeks ago Eli over at One More Pack! had written and asked for my complete wantlist. I sent it to him and he generously sent me 25 cards - 23 of which filled holes in my collection. In fact this 2003 Topps Opening Day card of Rafael Palmeiro completed that team set.

Very nice to get an awesome card shipment on the same day as perhaps the most important game in Rangers' history. Thanks a bunch Eli! I'll try and get something together for you to return the favor.

Did I miss anything?

Brian Downing looks a little lost on card number 483 of the 1992 Upper Deck set. A bit like he missed something and is trying to figure out what happened.

I know what you feel like Brian. I left the 21st century on Friday for a Civil War reenactment. When I left the Rangers were up two games to none over the Rays and headed home. Seemed like a reasonable assumption that the ALDS would end over the weekend. I looked forward to returning to news that Texas had advanced to the ALCS.

When I got back Sunday evening the ALDS series was evened up at two games apiece and the teams were on their way back to Tampa Bay for the fifth and final game tomorrow. What!?!

I'm still trying to sort out what happened but I know it wasn't good. Hopefully the Rangers can catch lightening in a bottle tomorrow and rough up David Price to win the series. Going to be uphill but the guys had their chances and now it's do or die.

Senators Saturday - Dave Sisler, 1961.

So yesterday was a travel game in the ALDS. This evening the Rangers host the Devil Rays in Arlington. Since this post is pre-scheduled and was written before the series even started I have no idea how it is going as I writing this. Hopefully Texas managed at least one win in Tampa Bay.

Looking at card number 239 in the 1961 Topps set. Dave Sisler appears here and is hatless as usual for the Senators from this year. In answer to the question that I also asked, Dave is Hall of Famer George Sisler's son. Washington had drafted Dave from the Tigers in the 1960 expansion draft.

Sisler would appear in 45 games for the Senators in 1961 and would function as the club's first closer. He saved 11 of the 29 games he finished. Dave wasn't an imposing closer though, his ERA was a bloated 4.18 and he lost eight games. He was just the best the Senators could do under the circumstances.

1961 would be Dave Sisler's only season in a Senators' uniform. In November of that year the team sent him to Cincinnati along with some cash for Claude Osteen.

Heading home.

Glad to see the Rangers going home with a two game lead in the ALDS. A few things the Rangers can look forward to other than just the home field advantage:

Fans. The ballpark is going to be packed out. With paying customers. The same ones that have been following the team for years.

Being outside. No dome. No catwalks. Just real grass and sun and wind.

Being home. Several of the players live in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. It's nice to sleep in your own bed rather than a hotel.

It's Texas, not Florida. About sums it up.

Go Rangers! It's time.

ALDS game 2: Rangers - 6, Devil Rays - 0.

So Michael Young finally announced his arrival in the postseason today. Michael's first ever postseason hit was a three run home run in the fifth inning today. What a way to break into the groove. That blast helped sink the Rays but didn't do it all.

Of course Matt Treanor's heads-up base running and Ian Kinsler's homer also helped give starter C.J. Wilson the lead he needed.

Well, C.J. needed at least the run Treanor scored. In 6.1 innings he struck out seven, allowed only two hits, and held Tamp Bay scoreless. This all in spite of wearing the gray road uniforms (like the swatch on this 2006 Flair Showcase Stitches card of Young) rather than the blue ones he prefers (like the one Michael has on in the picture).

Great to see the guys win a couple on the road and come home with a two game lead in the series. Tomorrow's a travel day and then it's game on again. Next match-up is Colby Lewis versus Matt Garza in Arlington. It would be nice to see Texas win their first postseason series ever at home in front of the fans.

*** Concerning the check swing call on Michael Young just before his home run. For all of Joe Maddon's screaming about the call the Rangers didn't need it. The Rays couldn't match the runs Texas already had on the board. Irrelevant. ***

ALDS game 1: Rangers - 5, Devil Rays - 1.

Ok, so I don't have a Rangers card of ace Cliff Lee who mowed down 10 Devil Rays in seven innings while allowing just one run.

I don't have a Rangers card of Bengie Molina who went 3-for-4 with a home run and two RBI.

I also don't have a Rangers card of Jeff Francoeur who hammered a RBI double.

I do have this 2010 Topps Texas Rangers (number TEX6) card of Nelson Cruz who launched a solo homer off of Tampa Bay ace David Price.

I also have one of Vladimir Guerrero, he who drove in a run with his double. But I'll save that one for another day - hopefully I'll need it.

What an awesome day! Gotta say that I am pumped. Having never followed the boys in postseason action I was on a high most of the day. Yeah, "It's time."

Sifting sluggers.

So reader Dave responded to my post yesterday by agreeing with my conclusion as far as the starting rotation. He also stated that it seems that Texas no longer has an impact bat like they did with Juan Gonzalez in the 1990's.

Dave's comment made me wonder if he was right, is there a Juan Gonzalez type bat on the 2010 team? Dave mentioned that he remembered Gonzo just destroying Yankee pitching during a post-season appearance. A quick check revealed that Juan's best post-season was 1996. Thus the reason for Juan's appearance on this shiny 1996 Topps Wrecking Crew card, number WC8.

I decided to compare Gonzalez's 1996 numbers with a few of the big boppers on this 2010 team. Of course Josh Hamilton was at the top of the list. However, Dave had qualified his comment with Josh Hamilton's health being a concern. A healthy Hamilton is obviously a wrecking crew just as much as Gonzalez was. Hamilton out, I decided to narrow the comparison to Vladimir Guerrero and Nelson Cruz. It helps to remember in this comparison that Gonzalez and Guerrero's numbers are the result of a full season of play while Cruz missed a substantial part of the season. Nellie had 198 fewer plate appearances than Guerrero and 147 fewer than Gonzalez.

In 1996 Juan Gonzalez hammered 47 home runs. Guerrero launched 29 this year and Cruz 22. Gonzalez also knocked in 144 RBI. Guerrero posted 115 and Cruz 78. Gonzo's slugging percentage was .643 as compared to .496 for Guerrero and .576 for Cruz. Clearly advantage to Gonzalez in these areas. It begins to look like Dave might have a point but there are a few other numbers to consider.

Gonzalez hit 33 doubles in 1996. This year Guerrero hit 27 and Cruz 31 (don't forget the plate appearances difference). Gonzalez hit just two triples. Guerrero only got one this year but Cruz managed three. Juan's batting average in 1996 was .314. Vlad posted a .300 mark this year and Cruz came in at .318. Gonzalez's on base percentage was .368 while Guerrero came in at .345 and Cruz at .374. Gonzalez stole just two bases. Guerrero stole four but was caught five times and so negated his numbers. Cruz on the other hand swiped 17 while being snagged just four times. In these sets of numbers the picture begins to change a little. I had expected Guerrero to perhaps equal Gonzalez but Cruz came on surprisingly strong and equals or excels Juan in these areas.

In conclusion I think that Dave is probably right. If Josh Hamilton doesn't get back to normal the Rangers don't have an impact bat like they did in the 1996 playoffs. That doesn't mean they don't have one though. Vlad Guerrero is still dangerous and Nelson Cruz can certainly impact a game. Not in the same ways as Gonzalez did but perhaps just as much.

For starters...

The last time the Rangers were in the playoffs Rick Helling was one of their top starters. Helling is seen here on card number 17 of the 1992 Classic Draft Picks set. In 1999 he was a 28 year old veteran but still the youngest pitcher on the staff.

The top five starters for Texas in 1999 were Helling (35 starts), Aaron Sele (33 starts), John Burkett (25 starts), Mike Morgan (25 starts) and Mark Clark (15 starts). Esteban Loaiza also started 15 games. In that group Sele had the most wins with 18. Helling and Morgan each had 13 and the rest were in single digits. The lowest of ERA of the top five was Sele's 4.79. The highest was Clark's 8.60. Loaiza logged in with 4.56.

In 2010 the top six starters for Texas are C.J. Wilson (33 starts), Colby Lewis (32 starts), Tommy Hunter (22 starts), Cliff Lee (15 starts), Scott Feldman (22 starts), and Rich Harden (18 starts). Wilson leads the group with 15 wins. Lewis and Hunter are also in double digits. The lowest ERA of the group belongs to Wilson at 3.35. The highest is Harden's 5.58 (Rich isn't on the playoff roster). Feldman won't be starting either in the post-season. If you remove his 5.48 ERA the highest in the group becomes Cliff Lee's 3.98.

Am I wrong in thinking that the 2010 staff stands a better chance than the 1999 one of possibly winning a series?

Senators Saturday - Rudy Hernandez, 1961.

So with the Rangers' loss last night I decided to once again hit the Senators up for blog material.

Today we see Rudy Hernandez on card number 229 of the 1961 Topps set. Rudy kind of looks like he is enjoying an inside joke.

I suppose in a way he is. Rudy appeared in 1960 for the Washington Senators. That team then moved to Minnesota following the 1960 season. In December of 1960 the new Senators drafted Rudy from the old Senators (Twins) in the expansion draft.

In 1961 Hernandez would appear in just 7 games for Washington. All of those appearances were in relief. Rudy would toss a total of only 9 innings. He would face 37 batters. Of those 37 he would strike out 4 and walk 3. His final ERA was 3.00 and his WHIP was 1.22.

Rudy also pitched in 42 games in the minor leagues in 1961 and that is where he would spend the rest of his career. Following the 1964 season he would hang up the spikes for good without ever seeing the Big Leagues again.

Josh is back!

So Josh Hamilton, pictured here on card number 483 of the 2008 Upper Deck First Edition set, is finally back in action. Josh started tonight's game against the Angels and played six innings. He went 0-for-3 at the plate but did make a very nice defensive play. The current plan calls for him to play at DH tomorrow and then put in nine innings on Sunday.

Very good to see Josh back in the lineup. Hopefully the last couple of games of the season are enough time for him to get the rust knocked off and be back in form for the post-season. The Rangers really need him to produce during the playoffs to get anywhere.

Now the next step is to get David Muprhy back on his feet and ready for the battle. Got to have all the guns on deck going into the ALDS.