Texas Rangers 2016 Thread

Opening day in Arlington today and King Felix one hits the Rangers but that one hit is sandwiched around a couple of errors and three walks and the resulting 3 runs stand up as Cole Hamels pitches seven strong and the Rangers get an opening day win 3-2 over Seattle. Tolleson with his first save of the year. Hamels is a true ace and if Holland, Colby and Perez can be strong with Yu coming sometime this summer, this Ranger pitching staff is solid as all get out. Great time to be a Ranger fanatic.

 

A win is a win. Hamels made two mistakes early, but the Rangers did not give up. At least we have baseball again!

 

Heard on the radio that this is the 8th year in a row that King Felix has been Seattle's Opening Day Starter. Last Ranger pitcher to start on consecutive opening days?



Kevin Millwood.

 

So much for the undefeated season, Rangers get drubbed 10-2 by Seattle on night where bullpen falls apart in the seventh and eighth innings surrendering 8 runs over the course of those two innings. Rubber game this afternoon as Rangers look to win the opening series of season.

 

tough way to start season
follow the ball

 

Tolleson falls apart in the ninth and gets his first blown save of year as Rangers lose the rubber game with Seattle and the first series of year. 159 more of these to go.

 

AJ Griffin makes his first start in a couple of seasons and pitches 6 to get win as Rangers beat Angels 7-3 and move to 2-3 on season. Bumpy start for bullpen has cost Rangers two games early on. One good note all five starts were "quality" starts by the starting rotation.

 

Martin Perez gets his second quality start of the season today but again gets no help from the offense. Rangers get a split in Anaheim and sit at 3-4 through first week of season. Highlights of first week are Cole Hamels starting the year 2-0 and Nomar Mazara was called up up today and promptly went 3 for 4 with a solo shot in place of Choo who is out 4-6 weeks. Chirinos is out 10 weeks so the injury bug is hitting hard early on. My first visit to Ballpark will be next Saturday to season rangers host Orioles who are 5-0 to start the year. Up next for Rangers is three game set in Seattle before they head home for that series with Orioles.

 

10 games in and Rangers sit at 5-5. They take Seattle series even with loss today in 10 innings. Mazara has made a huge debut and is hitting over .400 and had two great plays in outfield yesterday in place of Choo, we may be seeing the RF for Rangers for next decade getting his start now and not two years from now. The starting rotation has 7 quality starts in ten which if they can keep that up for most of year will mean a rested bullpen. Sadly the bullpen has 4 of 5 losses including three losses given up in the other teams last at bat.

Rangers come home for four with the Orioles then the first series with the Astros. The season is a series of 16 ten game stretches and going 5-5 or better in each stretch will mean important baseball in September and hopefully October.

 

Tough loss to stomach today. Big weekend series with Orioles coming up.

 

Indeed a disappointing start to the season, but I don't see a lot to worry about - the bullpen will come around. I am concerned about Desmond - he needs to break out of his slump and start making solid contact, and soon!

 

HHD the existence of Desmond has been a head scratcher from day 1. I realize he is a Bannister favorite and understand the theory of signing him, but that is looking like a wasted $8 million.

 

Yeah, you look at an organization working to install plate discipline, working the count and making pitchers throw strikes. They you give up your first round pick to sign a guy who free swings like a drunken cowboy in a movie barfight.

 

Big Saturday for Rangers as they extend Beltre for two more years at 18 mil a season. He is 38 so they may have overpaid a little but he is still one of best third baseman in MLB and his bat is still stout and with contract only two years the risk is less than the 3 year deal he wanted. On balance I am ok with that contract.

Got out to my first game last night to see Colby struggle with that big hitting Oriole line up giving up 3 HR's including a 460 foot moon shot to Adam Jones, he gave up 10 hits and 4 runs over six innings but he grinded out those six and kept Texas in the game, then the Rangers bats came alive and put a six spot up in the seventh and Rangers get 8-4 win. Mazara is still hitting over 400 7 games in (he had three hits last night) and frankly unless he tanks he is an every day outfielder for this team for years to come. Interesting to see if they move him to left and have an outfield of Choo, Deshields, and Mazara in June. Darvish threw 30 pitches Friday from the mound and may have minor league assignment in May so he looks like he will be back before June.

 

Rangers complete the sweep of the Astros tonight and continue a dominance of their fellow Texas team that started last summer and for now seems to be continuing strong (10 straight wins in Arlington over Houston). The bullpen has found itself as Tolleson got all three saves in this series and Diekman, Dyson and Kela are a great set up contingent. The starters continue to reel off quality starts and the Rangers bats are waking up too. All in all a very promising start to the season 16 games in. Three game set in Chicago up next at Comisky.

 

So far so good. The biggest improvement seems to be fewer mental mistakes than last year.

 

Tuned in last night to watch Desmond swing on the first pitches of last year's Cy Young Award winner.
I guess since the results were a homer and a double, maybe I was inappropriate to second-guess this major leaguer's plate discipline. Desmond has an amazing arm in the outfield as well.

 

Kela looks to be out minimum of 3 months as he has surgery on his elbow today.

https://sports.yahoo.com/news/rangers-reliever-keone-kela-3-months-elbow-surgery-190313391--mlb.html

 

After sweeping the Astros, the Rangers promptly lose three straight in Chicago. Cole Hamels goes tomorrow against the Yankees looking to end that streak.

 

Hamels has been scratched due to a left groin injury; supposedly will miss only one game.

 

Rangers losing streak goes to 4 on Monday as they lose to Yankees 3-1 but they bounce back behind a suddenly impressive looking AJ Griffin to take game two and even bigger news is that Darvish continues to throw well in BP and could get his first rehab start in Frisco this coming Sunday. He is on track to get into rotation in late May. Hamels tweaked groin (say that five times fast) is just that, a tweak, and he is set to make his next start on time this weekend against the Angels.

https://sports.yahoo.com/news/yu-darvish-throws-another-bp-session-rangers-205721958--mlb.html

Perez gets his first win of season as Rangers take rubber match from the Yankees 3-2 and win series two games to one. Angels in town this weekend.

 

I see a looming concern for the Rangers - what to do when Choo is ready to return. Nomar Mazzara looks like a keeper - seems difficult to send him back down when he's hitting .375 and making the plays on defense. Wonder if there is a way to move either Fielder or Choo to (a) reduce the payroll and (b) clear a permanent spot for Nomar?

 

If Josh really does comeback the same - who sits/goes down? If they go down the Rangers had better buy a round trip ticket as I put the over/under of the next Josh injury at 15 games.

 

Mazara isnt going anywhere. I suspect that when Choo comes back they slot Mazara in left and let him and Desmond rotate with both used for resting Choo and Deshields also. If Choo struggles at all he becomes the rest day sub for Mazara, Desmond and Deshields. As for Josh he will also be used for spot outfield duty and as DH when Fielder is at first. But as said above Josh will have at least two more injuries this season so he is a part time filler regardless. I think the Rangers look to move Choo after this year as they have their RF for next decade in Mazara.

Better question who loses their spot in rotation when Yu comes back. AJ Griffin is pitching too good to pull him just because he is in the five spot but how do you pull any of Perez, Colby or Dutch either. Obviously someone is moving to long relief and spot duty and that will be one heck of a spot duty/longreliever. The bullpen is finally settling down and though Kela will be missed and Wilhelmson has been a disaster, the Dyson Diekman Tolleson trio is the best set up and closer crew in the west.

Amazing to think that last year at this time the Rangers sat at 8-16 and I thought it would be 2017 before they might be challenge for a playoff spot again. In one year they have changed the whole tenor of this franchise and the future is tremendously bright.

 

ABSOLUTELY! The next concern for JD should be the management of slots for the upcoming AAA/AA prospects who will be ready to move up to the big club. There are some huge contracts on the payroll - Beltre, Elvis, Choo, Fielder, Hamels. Obviously Hamels is here to stay and Beltre is here to play until retirement (and the five-year wait for Cooperstown). Fielder and Choo can be replaced if JD can find a trade partner - and those moves would create slots for prospects to occupy. I wonder about Elvis - f he stays, Profar is blocked. And with Beltre's contract extension, Gallo is blocked. You'd think either Profar or Gallo could be trade bait if someone like Sonny Gray were made available (and the A's are not in a position to pay Gray what it would take to keep him once he reaches free agency). And Yu will be nearing the end of his contract - if the Rangers don't keep him, it would open a slot for one of the minor league pitchers.

Lots of things for JD to consider.

 

My initial thought would be to move Holland, but I would want to see Griffin well into June before doing something with Holland.

 

Rough Sunday for Rangers as Cole Hamels struggles through 5 but does hand off tie game to bullpen which promptly just implodes. Wilhelmson gets loss but it was Diekman in the 8th who really struggled giving up 3 runs. Overall though the Rangers take 2 of 3 from Angels to win series and 4 of 6 on this homestand. Best news of day is that Darvish threw 2 scoreless innings up at Frisco in his first rehab assignment, 32 pitches with 2 K's, one walk and no hits. He is still on pace to come back later this month.

Headed to Toronto for four in Canada and then 3 in Detroit.

 

In other news Hamilton pulled up lame on Saturday night. Further news this week.

 

^I'm not really surprised by Josh. With the early abuse he heaped on his body, it appears that it feels much older than it actually is. Even if he's healthy, he would be a shell of his earlier self with the Rangers. And the outfield is getting along well in his absence. If Josh comes back to the big club, who loses his spot on the 25-man roster to free up a space for Josh?

I'm more concerned to see the move that will be made to clear a spot for Yu.

 

AJ Griffin with another outstanding start last night as he goes six innings and gives up just one run and Rangers win 2-1 over Toronto. Mazara was hero of night with game winning HR and then game saving throw to home that stopped the tying run. On radio up here yesterday the suggestion was that the OF in June will be Mazara in right Desmond in center and Choo in left with DeShields and Rua as backups. They jokingly asked where do you put Josh and the answer was the DL.

I too think the fifth starter question is the more significant question. I lean toward making Holland the long reliever and spot starter right now based on performance to date but we still have four more starts to gauge who will drop off once Yu returns.