^I'll add one more - Martinez appears to have figured it out. He has pitched pretty well and deserves a better record (with a bit of run support from the offense). I think he can be part of the rotation next season.
Beltre injured yesterday so that may answer Gallo position question for last 29 games, Rangers need to shut down Adrian for year and put Joey at third to finish out this season. I like Astros move for Verlander, will give them jolt at just needed time.
The bigger question FW is have we seen the last of AB in the field (for good; not just this season)? How many times have we seen him miss two significant stretches in a season because of hamstring issues? He will not like it, but DH is about all he should be until he hangs them up. Gallo is now the Ranger's 3B unless he reverts to prior year Gallo, and then Robertson will be the guy. The Astros probably paid to much for Verlander when this season as a whole is viewed. However if he can win one or two "must" win games (which will be post season games due to Houston's lead in the West) it will be worth it.
Viper, I fear you're correct. But that's not all bad - AB can still hit, and Gallo can handle 3B (his natural position). Maybe the Rangers could move AB to 1B - that would cut down on his exposure to hammy issues. And I don't see JD bringing Napoli back next year; if that is the case, then the Rangers would have a hole at 1B and a hole at DH - AB could certainly fill one of those holes.
HHD, only issue with AB at 1B would be stretching to catch. Otherwise your idea would work. I think Gallo's offense will actually improve once he is permanently at 3B.
^Hope you're right. As we have discussed earlier in the thread, it's not realistic to expect Gallo to be a .300 hitter. He has made great progress in recognizing the strike zone and laying off pitches outside the zone - look how many walks he has taken. If he can get to .260-.270 with 40+ HR and 110+ RBI, we should all be absolutely delighted. Part of that equation will require that he learn how to cut down his swing a bit with two strikes and be happy to put the ball in play - then he'll get some singles to go with all the doubles and homers.
I would take Gallo at .240 if he was a 40/100 HR/RBI guy and had 75 plus walks, hitting percentage is less important than on base and slugging when it comes to guys like him.
Perez gets his 11th win of year and Rangers are back at .500 at 68-68. After giving up two in the ninth and three in the tenth to blow a game for Griffin yesterday, today the bullpen with a four run lead has another ninth innning meltdown giving up three runs but with bases loaded gets the third out. 26 games left this year to see if they can shake out a fourth starter and find someone who can close games.
Rangers blow a golden opportunity to get three games over .500 and pull to within 1 game of second wild card yesterday in Atlanta as they can only manage a split of double header. Elvis Andrus continues his tremendous year and along with Mike Trout and Jose Altuve is one of three 20 HR/20 Stolen Base players in MLB this year. Cole Hamels has had three straight poor to bad starts which hasn't helped this late playoff push. That sweep in Oakland to worst team in AL is just crushing any realistic hopes for a playoff berth.
FW is right about the Oakland series. IMHO Hamels has mentally checked-out which is very disappointing from the one who is supposed to be the staff ace. The organization's pitching philosophy is maddening because there doesn't seem to be one.
^Viper, you've nailed a key point. If I were the GM, I'd be looking to institute a major shake-up in the organizational approach to development of pitchers - starting at the rookie level and working all the way up to the Rangers.
Nice start to the weekend series with the Yankees last night - scored ten unanswered runs to win 11-5, and did it with timely hitting. Only one homer early - big moon shot by Mazara. Perez gutted it out to get to the bullpen, and the bullpen finished it off without allowing NY to score. A sweep this weekend would really help - and some losses by Minnesota, too.
OK, fellow Ranger zealots - I am officially waving the white flag. It was a valiant fight, but the clock has run out after a disastrous home series with Seattle. There simply is not enough time to catch up and claim the second Wild Card spot. The horrible start to the season, with the blown saves, proved to be the undoing. Here's to JD and his efforts to make the necessary changes and improvements for the 2018 season.
I am in complete agreement with HHD's sentiments above. I have held out hope even as late as last Saturday when the Rangers carried a 1-0 lead into the 8th against the Yankees that they would put something together to make a final run but there is no evidence that this team is capable of being anything more than a .500 team at end, which is all they have been all year long. They have Hamels, Perez, and Cashner and this off season must find two more starters and must shore up the bullpen. They have a lineup of good young and youngish players but they have to get the pitching situation straightened out if they plan to challenge Houston next year.
^FWHORN, I'll add one name to the rotation - if needed. I'd be willing to go with Martinez as #5. I'm not sure there is a lot of change needed in the bullpen, but good health would help a bunch. I don't know if they will bring Gomez back, and I'm pretty sure Napoli is one-and-done. And somewhere along the line, the Rangers need to find the key to plate discipline for Odor - a .200 average won't cut it; he needs to cut his swing down with two strikes and be happy to put the ball in play. Gallo seems to be catching onto that concept. And if Beltre can stay healthy for the 2018 season (and that's asking a lot!), then Gallo can settle in at 1B for good. Calhoun in LF? If you can stand DeShields in CF, it would make sense. Guess we can look forward to the off-season to see what moves JD will make.
Assuming Hamels gets over what ever has been going on with him since the All-Star game (he has either been physically or mentally hurt) which brought about the "I my curve ball for a spell" comment, one pitcher and a good bat will be a good start
There are some reports that the new ownership group of the Marlins may seek to trade Giancarlo Stanton, and that the Rangers are one of four teams named as potential destinations. That trade would certainly add a "good bat!"
I'd like to take this opportunity to thank the Rangers for winning Saturday night, so that the Astros could save clinching the division for Justin Verlander on his first home start.
^Happy to oblige. And congratulations to the Astros and their fans on a terrific season, winning the AL West. Here's hoping the Astros can make a deep run in the postseason.
Since the Rangers wont be in the playoffs I default to anyone but the Yankees or Red Sox mode so go Minnesota, go Houston, go Cleveland, go random NL team if the Yanks or Red Sox are in the series. The move to get Verlander was top notch and the Astros have real chance to do something special for a city that can use the distraction.
Verlander is at the end of his string, but hopefully he will have 2 or 3 good October starts left. Perez did it again last night so his stock inches up a bit.
Rangers sweep Seattle and pull back to .500 at 76-76 just 2 1/2 games back of second wild card because that is just what they do this year, they have been a streaky team and hit a nice one this past five days. But now its on to their graveyard of dreams in Oakland where perhaps the forlorn hope of a 2013 like run dies or maybe the dream lives a few more days. Beltre continues to hit fantastically on just one leg and if we had a team of Beltre's they would win 130 games, that man is incredible to watch. This team is still no better than a .500 team but if they can catch a wild hare this last week there is still a chance however slim.
Minn has 3 @ DET; 3 @ CLE; and 2 home with DET. They are 5-7 against DET and 6-10 against CLE. A chance against Minn, but more worrysome is LAA who are also tied with Minn. They have 3 with the Astro's (like the Rangers), but close out with 3 @ CWS and 2 @ home against SEA. With the Rangers issues with the A's it would appear that LAA has a better shot than the Rangers. The early/mid season hole the Rangers dug for themselves probably was just a foot or two to deep.
Rangers lose again last night in Oakland, that is 7 straight losses in their own personal chamber of horrors that is O.Com. Oakland is worst team in baseball and if the Rangers had gone just 3-4 in those seven games they would be heading into this last week with hope but alas Oakland is the Rangers Kryptonite (Well, Oakland, the lack of a closer, Rougie's terrible awful no good season, the lack of a fourth and fifth even average starter........). Meanwhile thoughts and prayers are with Bannie who left the team to take care of his ailing Mom. When manager leaves like that you know it cant be good news on family front.
Just for good measure the Rangers lose their 8th straight game in Oakland and put a final stake in the heart of any remote playoff hopes and frankly any hopes for a .500 record. I really hate the A's with the fury of a white hot sun.
That is a total mystery FW. With 4 games left with the A's the Rangers are in real danger of falling to last in the division. First to worse is staring them in the face so the off season will be interesting.
Rangers have basically decided to mail it in now as they are not even competitive the first two games with Houston. They will have to sweep last five just to finish at .500. Unlike 2014 when an incredible string of injuries doomed that team from the start, even with the injuries to Beltre and Hamels, this year's team has no similar excuse and needs to take a long look in the mirror. The Rangers have wasted one of the best if not the best year they could ever hope for from Elvis, the bullpen never got its act together and the Rangers never found anything consistent at the four and five spots in the rotation. In fact you could argue that other than Cole Hamels who was injured for a big chunk of the year that no starter (including Darvish while here) had anything remotely resembling a good year. Perez and Cashner will both finish at or below .500 in wins and no starter will get to 200 innings. This off season will require major changes if the Rangers hope to compete with the Astros who are stacked for the next couple of seasons. I have years of experience despising the Angels, and hating the A's and that is on top of a visceral gut dislike of the Yankees and Red Sox. I don't have enough sports anger/hatred to have feelings about Houston one way or the other. I used to go down there a couple of times a year when they were an NL team to catch a game or two of teams that didn't come through Arlington or to watch Clemens pitch. I hope they do well in the playoffs if only because the people of Houston can use the distraction. That said I don't have a huge desire to watch the playoffs this year because of how painful this Rangers season has been to follow and that is unfortunate. Spring training is just a few months away and hope is eternal come February.
I share FW's disappointment over how the season is ending, but this end (W's and L's-not the quitting) was obvious at least at the All Star break due to all of the issues FW lists. The on the field quitting is another issue. The team has quit, but I don't see the Rangers giving money back to the paying fans. The Arlington fans evidently will get in for free tomorrow due to the Groundbreaking, but the rest of us only get to pay to see bad baseball. This season has been a total franchise failure. The crowning event will be the owners either bad mouthing the fans for not supporting the team and/or claiming poverty as a reason for not aggressively seeking the FA's that would be a start to correcting a lot of on the field issues.
