The Rangers’ Offense Shows Its Strength

April 27, 2016November 11, 2016Posted in texas rangersLeave a comment

A particularly dangerous situation (PDS). That was the warning given by the National Weather Service Tuesday afternoon. The threat of severe weather lurked in the night sky at Globe Life Park Tuesday.

The severe weather held off, but the particularly dangerous situation was in full effect for the Yankees’ right hander Luis Severino. The Rangers scored one run in the first off a Prince Fielder single that allowed Nomar Mazara to score. Then, in the third, the flood gates opened and the runs poured in.

Ian Desmond walked with the bases loaded allowing Mazara to score again, Moreland hit a two-run single to center, a wild pitch allowed Desmond to score, then Andrus drove in Moreland on a single to center. Nicholas’ at bat would be the final of the inning after he was robbed by a diving catch in right field by Carlos Beltran.

Nine of the 10 runs scored by the Rangers on Tuesday night came with two outs and five of them came in the third. The Rangers’ offensive performance finally aligned with a superb pitching performance. And as you would expect, it was a sight to see.

A.J. Griffin went eight innings and allowed 1 run on 4 hits with 5 strikeouts through 98 pitches. Griffin’s eight inning performance was the longest outing of the year for a Rangers’ pitcher.

Griffin is “making a case for himself” said Jeff Banister.

Darvish still has at least four more weeks before his return, which leaves Griffin with as many as five more starts. The Rangers should have a good enough idea by that point of whether or not he is worth a spot in the rotation at the expense of, say, Holland or Perez.

The bats were back in Arlington on Tuesday night. Andrus went 3 for 4 with an RBI and a run, Desmond was 2 for 3 with a homerun, 2 RBI and 3 runs, and Rougned Odor recorded his third homerun of the year.

On his 21st birthday, Nomar Mazara was able to record 2 hits and 2 runs and continued to show advanced maturity for his young age.

“Every time I go to my apartment, I think about the past few weeks,” Mazara said. “It’s been the best three weeks I ever had in my life.”

The Rangers look to start a new streak on the winning side of things. A win tonight, to take the series, would be a great turnaround from the four game losing streak.

The matchup is NYY: Sabathia (1-1, 5.28 ERA) vs TEX: Perez (0-2, 4.50). Maybe Martin Perez can turn around his season tonight in a similar fashion to the Rangers’ Tuesday night beat down of the Yankees. His spot in the rotation may depend on it.

David Murphy Retirement

Rangers Lose Fourth Straight

April 26, 2016November 11, 2016Posted in texas rangersLeave a comment

By Noah Shelton @SheltonOKC

The Rangers served up another offensive dud Monday night in Arlington, losing 3-1 to that team from the Bronx. Coming off the sweep of the Astros, the Rangers are yet to win. The loss gives the Rangers its fourth straight.

Yankees’ pitcher Nathan Eovaldi had a no hitter brewing after 6 innings of work, and with the Rangers’ recent batting performances it seemed as if we were going to see the rare pitching feat accomplished. Just as the excitement was beginning to make its way around Globe Life Park Nomar Mazara shot a grounder through third base and shortstop, and the no-hitter bid was over in the seventh.

With Cole Hamels out with a groin injury, Cesar Ramos was called up from Triple-A Round Rock to start in his first major league game since May of 2014. The expectations going into Monday night did not involve a low scoring pitchers’ game, neither starter had recent success under their belts. Then, one inning into the game, each pitcher had retired the sides in just nine pitches.

Ramos worked his way through a bases loaded situation in the second, and it looked as if the Yankees’ struggles with runners in scoring position was going to continue Monday night. The Yankees found a way, however, from two solo homeruns and a RBI double from Mark Teixeira with a man on first.

Cesar Ramos’ performance was worthy of a win Monday night against the Yankees. It was impressive to see a high caliber performance from a guy who probably didn’t expect to be pitching against the Yankees on Monday going into the weekend. The Rangers have dipped into the reserves early this year and we are yet to see any disappointments.

“It’s amazing,” Andrus said when asked about the Rangers’ depth. “Having the depth is a huge help for us, and knowing we’re going to have guys to help us stay on top”

It looks as if the bullpen and offensive production have switched success rates. Just a week ago, the bullpen was looking shaky at times when trying to close out large leads. Now, the bullpen is pitching lights out, however, no run support is being given. Everything seems to be reversed lately. Ian Desmond went 3-4 on Sunday with a homerun which just adds to the craziness.

“We have faced a stretch of pitchers that match up fairly well against us.” Bannister said in reaction to the 3-1 loss to the Yankees. “I think that our offense is obviously a potent offense…I felt confident about the at-bats (tonight).”

The offense is struggling and the defense is flourishing. Once the Rangers’ performances align correctly, we should be in for a treat.

A Positive Moment in Monday Night’s Loss

Brett Nicholas hits the first homerun of his career off of one of the hardest relief pitchers in the league, Dellin Betances.

A Day With Baseball Is Better Than a Day Without

April 24, 2016November 11, 2016Posted in texas rangersTagged Rangers, White SoxLeave a comment

By Noah Shelton @SheltonOKC

There isn’t much that beats an early afternoon baseball game.

The Rangers and the Chicago White Sox were at it again for game two of the three game series Saturday. The Rangers, coming off a shutout loss on Friday night showed signs of tying the series in south Chicago Saturday afternoon. Rangers’ fans were especially optimistic heading into extra innings thanks to a homerun saving third-out catch by Nomar Mazara in the bottom of the ninth.

The right batters were on deck for the Rangers and Phil Klein struck out the side in order to close the 10th inning. But, after another inning similar to Friday night’s production, the Rangers would falter and White Sox’s reliever Matt Albers would advance his scoreless streak to 32 innings.

Nick Martinez entered in the 11th and would get into trouble facing a bases loaded situation after allowing two walks and a hit batter. The winning run for the White Sox came after the fifth batter of the inning, Jose Abreu, singled to left through a five player Ranger infield and allowed Austin Jackson to score.

There were some good moments Saturday afternoon: Colby Lewis allowed one run through 6 innings, Ian Desmond homered to center increasing his outlook on the year, and the Rangers rallied in the ninth after a sacrifice fly by Elvis Andrus allowed Desmond to add a game-high third run to his increasingly productive stat sheet.

Yes, the Rangers received its second straight loss, but it was great to see some Saturday afternoon baseball in early spring. There’s nothing like mowing the lawn and plopping down on the couch with a beer to enjoy some American pastime greatness while a cool afternoon breeze creeps through the house.

Batting Streaks to Think About Tonight @ White Sox

April 22, 2016April 22, 2016Posted in Texas Rangers BaseballLeave a comment

By Noah Shelton @SheltonOKC

Rangers

Prince Fielder – 4 game hitting streak
Delino DeShields – 2 game no-hit streak
Ian Desmond – Biggest batting night of the near for Desmond was last night (1 HR, 2 Hits, 3 RBI and 2 Runs). It will be interesting to see how Desmond responds to such a productive night.
Adrian Beltre – 4 Game hitting streak. 2 game multi-hit streak. Beltre has hit safely in 13 of the 16 games played this season.
Elvis Andrus – 8 game hitting streak. Still waiting on first homerun of the season.
Mitch Moreland – 5 game hitting streak. Tied with Beltre for most doubles for the team this season.

Jose Quintana is 2-2 all-time against the Rangers.

White Sox

Alex Avila – No RBI yet this season.
Todd Frazier – 3 game hitting streak.
Melky Cabrera – No strikeouts in 6 games.

Martin Perez is 2-0 all-time against the White Sox, including a 9 inning shutout performance in 2014.

Rangers Take the Series vs Houston

April 21, 2016April 21, 2016Posted in Texas Rangers BaseballLeave a comment

By Noah Shelton @SheltonOKC

One mistake from Astros’ right-hander Doug Fister, in the form of a Rougned Odor two run bomb to right field, was all that was needed from the Rangers’ batters Wednesday night in Arlington.

Cole Hamels added to his 10 game winning streak and showed his clutch ability to get out of innings with runners in scoring position. The game started off weird for Hamels; he hit the first two batters of the ballgame. Hamels struggled with his control early in the game, but as soon as you thought the Rangers were doomed to give up a few runs, Hamels would find a way to escape. Hamels pitched 6 2/3 innings and allowed 1 run on 5 hits with 7 strikeouts.

“We’ve had some really good team wins and that’s good for us to build off of, especially against the tight teams that are in this division.”

Hamels said postgame.

The only scores of the game were from homeruns: a two run homer from Rougned Odor in the second and a solo homer from the Astros in the sixth. The Rangers had plenty of opportunities to score, but just could not seal the deal with runners in scoring position.

You could call the theme of the game weird. A weird double play situation arose in the top of the 2^nd due to bad Astros’ base running during a bases loaded no out mess for the Rangers. Then, an absolutely ridiculous error on a pop-up by Astros’ first baseman Tyler White allowed Prince Fielder to reach first base. Heck, Ian Desmond even recorded his first-ever outfield assist.

Wednesday night’s game was a thrilling pitching duel and the Rangers’ bullpen finally showed reason for the high expectations coming into the season. Relief pitchers Sam Dyson and Jake Diekman sat the Astros down during crucial parts of the game when a run scored could have ended the Rangers’ chances. Shawn Tolleson entered in the ninth with the Rangers up 2-1, and the former Baylor bear earned his fifth save of the season.

The series against the Astros has not disappointed the expectations of the fans. The rivalry between the two teams has been primed for this season. But for now, the Silver Boot belongs to the Rangers.

Rougned Odor Gets Bath Postgame

An Entertaining Start to the Series vs Houston

April 20, 2016April 20, 2016Posted in Texas Rangers BaseballTagged Adrian Beltre, Derek Holland, Elvis Andrus, houston astros, Ian Desmond, texas rangersLeave a comment

By Noah Shelton @SheltonOKC

There wasn’t much swing and miss happening through the Rangers’ batting order in Tuesday night’s 7-5 win over the division rival Houston Astros. Houston’s pitching only came away with two strikeouts, the lowest total for both Rangers’ batters and Astros’ pitchers this year.

It was a grind-it-out type of game for Rangers’ starting pitcher Derek Holland who finished with his second win of the season through three starts. Holland’s control was sporadic throughout the early phases of his five inning, 105 pitch outing. Often, frustration visibly engulfed Holland while continually going deep in the count and upping his pitch numbers.

“I was not executing the pitches the way that I would of liked. Obviously, I fell behind a lot, which cost me to come out of the game earlier than I wanted to.”

Holland said post game.

In the third inning, after a visit to the mound by pitching coach Doug Brocail, and some words of encouragement from short stop Elvis Andrus, Holland got stronger and accuracy became less of a problem.

With Holland’s pitch count soaring over 100, the fifth inning would be his last of the night after allowing 2 runs on 5 hits with 5 strikeouts. It was a Holland type of game, but the Rangers’ lineup produced the offensive support needed to earn him the win.

There were many positive takeaways from the rivalry game against Houston. Left fielder, Ian Desmond finally overcame his start-of-the-season slump by recording 2 hits and earning his first RBI of the season. Desmond also showed some improvement on the defensive side with a couple great catches in the outfield.

“It was great to put together a good game for the team and this city.”

Desmond said post game.

Maybe the moment of the game, came in the bottom of the sixth after Andrus watched his expected home run bounce off the top of the left field wall. The ball came off the bat nicely, and while leisurely jogging to first base Elvis had to suddenly turn on the jets to arrive at second after the ball dropped in the outfield. Andrus would later score, but the fun happened after the young short stop returned to the dugout. Veteran third baseman, Adrian Beltre, met Andrus with a fatherly staredown of disappointment and a few words to make sure Andrus never makes the mistake of assuming a ball is going to the stands again.

“When you hit a ball that is decent, but you’re not sure that its gone, why would you act like you know for sure the ball is gone, like an idiot?”

Beltre said post game.

Beltre’s tough love is entertainment at its finest. It’s enjoyable watching his antics throughout a game. His love for baseball always shows.

The series against Houston is off to a great start. Hopefully, it only gets better with Cole Hamels on the mound tonight. Despite what some may say, rivalry is in the air when Houston is in Arlington. After Monday night’s battle, Rangers’ fans should be excited about the many games the two teams still have yet to play this season.

Rangers Scorecard in Win vs Astros

Rangers vs Astros Preview From Arlington

April 19, 2016April 19, 2016Posted in Texas Rangers BaseballLeave a comment

By Noah Shelton @SheltonOKC

Arlington – The Rangers and Astros are in full rivalry mode. Last year’s AL West title race was tight between the two Texas teams, but eventually the Rangers emerged as best in the West.

After the first rainout since May of 2013, the longest streak in the league, Derek Holland will take the mound against former Rangers’ teammate Scott Feldman. Holland had a decent showing last week against the Mariners, but the defense was arguably his savior. And we all know of Holland’s inconsistencies. It’s nearly impossible to predict a game that involves the Dutch Oven. If the Rangers are down early tonight, history tells us Holland will struggle.

The good news, Carlos Correa is the only batter for the Astros to have any significant success against Holland on 4 hits in 5 at-bats with 2 home runs. If a save situation arises tonight, feel confident. The Astros as a whole are only batting .162 against the inconsistent Rangers’ closer Shawn Tolleson.

The Astros have not performed well when Feldman is pitching in recent history. The team has lost 4 consecutive games under the former Ranger. Adding to this negative, the Astros are off to a disappointing start to the season at 5-8. However, the team arrives in Arlington after seeing a glimmer of success by taking two of three games in a series against Detroit (7-4) to end a seven game home stand.

The Rangers seem to have the advantage going into tonight. The bats have been doing damage on the ground even without much aid from the deep ball. The Rangers are also holding onto a 7-0 home winning streak against the Astros, dating back to last season. Expect a great atmosphere tonight. Rivalry is in the air.

Rangers’ batting streaks to think about during the game:

Elvis Andrus is on a 5 game hitting streak.
Delino DeShield is on a 5 game hitting streak.
Mitch Moreland is on 3 game hitting and RBI streak.
Rougned Odor is on a 3 game hitting streak.
Nomar Mazara is on a 3 game hitting and RBI streak. Hasn’t struck out in 4 games.

Things to Think About During Tonight’s Game Against the Orioles (4/14)

April 17, 2016April 17, 2016Posted in Texas Rangers BaseballLeave a comment

By Noah Shelton @SheltonOKC

The Rangers are back in Arlington tonight to start off a four game series against the red-hot Baltimore Orioles. The Rangers have played 10 straight games and will have played 14 straight before granted its first off day.

Cole Hamels is returning to the mound after a 2-0 start to the season with a 2.08 ERA. After 13 innings of work Hamels has struck-out 12 and allowed 8 hits. Hamels should be confident tonight looking to add to his 9-0 regular season win streak that dates back to August 23rd of last season.

Tonight has the potential for a pitching duel. Tillman is 1-0 after two starts this season and holds onto a 1.29 ERA. Tillman has faced 25 batters after 7 innings, struck-out 10 and has allowed 4 hits.

Both teams arrive in Arlington after long flights that followed losses yesterday. The Rangers coming from Seattle and the Orioles from Boston. Expect to see a little fatigue out there tonight. We have already caught a glimpse of this last night after the Rangers sloppily put up a season high 3 errors.

Rangers against Tillman

Adrian Beltre is batting .500 in 12 plate appearances with 6 hits and 0 strike-outs.
Ian Desmond has struck out 4 times in 14 plate appearances.
Active Roster has .333 BA and .410 OBP against Tillman after 63 plate appearances.
4-2 against Rangers with last match up in 2014

Texas Batters

Mitch Moreland has reached a league leading 15 strikeouts on the season in 34 plate appearances.
Andrus with 5 hits over last two games.
Beltre on 6 game hitting streak, hasn’t struck out in 5 games, 6 RBI over last two games.
Ian Desmond has logged only 1 hit over last 23 AB including 13 strikeouts and 0 RBI through 10 games started.
Nomar Mazara is 1-8 over last 2 games.
Ryan Rua has 5 hits in last 2 games.

Significant Team Stats

Both teams tied for second in AL for runs scored at 42
Baltimore is tied for first in the AL for HRs
Baltimore is 3rd in runs allowed in AL while Texas is 13th out of 15 teams.
Texas is tied for the lead in the AL for most Errors with 7 in 10 games.
Baltimore has AL best record at 7-1.

Tonight’s Lineup

Delino DeShields CF
Nomar Mazara RF
Prince Fielder DH
Adrian Beltre 3B
Mitch Moreland 1B
Ian Desmond LF
Rougned Odor 2B
Elvis Andrus SS
Bryan Holaday C

Rangers’ Pitching Performance in Loss to Baltimore by the Numbers

April 16, 2016April 17, 2016Posted in Texas Rangers BaseballLeave a comment

By Noah Shelton @SheltonOKC

Arlington — After a shaky start to the first inning and an error from Ian Desmond, Martin Perez went on to finish the inning strong with three consecutive strikeouts and escaping while only down one.

The game seemed well-in-hand with a 5-1 Ranger lead going into the 7th thanks to a big five run second inning.

Total disaster then ensued in the 7th with the Orioles putting up 9 runs on 7 hits and 4 home runs. The Rangers would never recover.

The final, on a Friday night, grew to an 11-5 Ranger loss as the strong Baltimore batters finally showed us why they are the AL’s best record.

(SP) Martin Perez

Exited game in top of 7th, 0 out, after allowing a 2 run HR. Score 5-3 Rangers.

Innings Pitched: 6
Batters Faced: 23
Pitch Count: 102
Hits: 6
Walks: 2
Strikeouts: 6
Earned Runs: 2
Home Runs Allowed: 1
Season ERA: 3.44 (down from 3.65)
HBiP: .357
GDP: Caused 3 ground balls into double plays
Decision: n/a

Relief Pitching

Tom Wilhelmson
Entered game top 7th, 0 outs, with nobody on base. Score 5-3 Rangers.

Innings Pitched: 2/3
Batters Faced: 7
Pitch Count: 23
Hits: 5
Earned Runs: 5
Home Runs Allowed: 2
Season ERA: 22.50 (up from 3.44)
Decision: Blown Save and Loss
Andrew Faulkner
Entered game top 7th, 2 out, with runner on first base. Score 5-3 Orioles.

Innings Pitched: 1 1/3
Batters Faced: 7
Pitch Count: 3
Hits: 2
Walks: 1
Earned Runs: 3
Home Runs Allowed: 2
Season ERA: 8.31 (up from 3.00)
Decision: n/a
Alex Claudio
Entered game top 9th with the score 11-5 Orioles.

Innings Pitched: 1
Batters Faced: 3
Pitch Count: 9
Hits: 0
Season ERA: 0.00 (Appeared in 2 games this season and faced 11 batters)
Decision: n/a

Rangers’ Pitching Performance vs Baltimore by the Numbers

April 15, 2016April 17, 2016Posted in Texas Rangers BaseballLeave a comment

By Noah Shelton @SheltonOKC

Arlington — It wasn’t Cole Hamels’ best performance, but it was acceptable against the tough batters of the Baltimore Orioles. Hamels didn’t exactly get the defensive support he needed early in the game with Ian Desmond showing his inexperience in the outfield.

Luckily, for the Rangers, the offense and the bullpen stepped-up to get a nice win over the NL’s best record Orioles.

(SP) Cole Hamels

Innings Pitched: 5 1/3 (shortest performance of the year)
Hits: 7 (Most this season)
HR: 1
ER: 3 (Most this season)
Walks: 2
Strikeouts: 4
Batters Faced: 25
Pitch Count: 106 (Highest this Season)
Season ERA: 2.95 (2.08 before game)
Decision: n/a

Relief Pitching

Tom Wilhelmsen

Subbed in 5^th with 1 out and runners on first and third with the score 1-3 Orioles.

IP: 2/3
BF: 1 (grounded into double play)
Pit: 2
Season ERA: 13.50 (down from 16.88)
Decision: Win (1-0)

Keone Kela

Subbed in 7^th with the score 6-3 Rangers.

Innings Pitched: 1
Batters Faced: 4
Hits: 1
Strikeouts: 2
Pitch Count: 17
Season ERA: 5.79 (down from 7.36)
Decision: Hold (3^rd of season)

Sam Dyson

Subbed in 8^th with the score 6-3 Rangers.

Innings Pitched: 1
Batters Faced: 3 (3^rd batter grounded into double play)
Strikeouts: 1
Walks: 1
Pitch Count: 14
Season ERA: 1.69 (down from 2.08)
Decision: Hold (4^th of season)

Shawn Tolleson

Subbed in 9^th with the score 6-3 Rangers.

Innings Pitched: 1
Batters Faced: 4
Hits: 1
Pitch Count: 16
Season ERA: 15.00 (down from 22.50)
Decision: Save (3^rd of season)