Rangers Set To Add Another Promising But Suspect Arm

Sports Radio 1310 The Ticket is reporting that the Texas Rangers are closing in on a deal with right-handed pitcher Rich Harden.

Harden was 9-9 with a 4.09 ERA in 26 games for the Cubs in 2009. The Cubs did not offer Harden salary arbitration, making him a free agent. Harden made $7 million last season in Chicago.



The Rangers have offered the pitcher a one-year deal for about $7.5 million in the hopes that they can catch lightning in a bottle with a player who, when healthy, is as dominant a pitcher as there is in the game. This however, is certainly not a given as Harden has escaped injury in just one of his seven seasons in the majors.

Harden, has a 50-29 record with a 3.39 ERA in 127 starts but has pitched more than 150 innings just once in his career.

Texas Deals Staff Ace Kevin Millwood To Baltimore For What Amounts To A Bag Of Balls And Some Sunflower Seeds

Ownership uncertainty has resulted in yet another casuality from Texas' suprise 2009 season. The Texas Rangers have reportedly agreed to trade veteran starting pitcher Kevin Millwood and $3 million to the Baltimore Orioles for reliever Chris Ray. The deal is contingent on both clubs seeing medical records of the players involved.

The trade gives the Rangers more financial flexibility -- $8 million when you factor in the close to $1 million that Ray would probably make -- to sign another veteran starting pitcher. The club has high interest in Rich Harden, who is coming off an injury and would be willing to take a one-year deal to show that he's healthy.

The Rangers are also looking for a right-handed bat, a catcher, a utility infielder and relievers to bolster the bullpen. And they came to the winter meetings with about $5 million to spend, so this deal gives them a better chance to fill more holes on a team that club officials expect to be contenders in the American League West in 2010.



Millwood, who turns 35 later this month, earned that vested option after pitching more than 180 innings in 2009. He was 13-10 with a 3.67 ERA in 198 2/3 innings pitched. He did have lower back and gluteus muscle soreness in September but returned to finish the season.

The Rangers signed Millwood to a five-year, $60 million deal before the 2006 season to front their rotation. He won 48 games in four seasons with Texas with a 4.82 ERA, but pitched over 200 innings just once. Millwood had his most wins with Texas in 2006 with 16, and his best ERA came last season at 3.67 (to go along with 13 wins).

Ray was a former closer for the Orioles before surgery to repair ligament damage in his right elbow set him back. He was 0-4 with a 7.27 ERA in 46 appearances in 2009. Ray, 27, has 49 career saves for the Orioles. Ray's best season was 2006, when he sported a 2.73 ERA and had 33 saves.

Pudge Declines Arbitration, Signs Deal With Washington

Ivan Rodriguez and the Washington Nationals have reached a preliminary deal on a $6 million, two-year contract. The deal agreement is subject to catcher passing a physical.

Rodriguez, 38, will fill a major need for the Nationals, backing up catcher Jesus Flores, who is recovering from a serious right shoulder injury. If Flores is not ready for the regular season, Rodriguez will be able to play regularly.

A 14-time All-Star and the 1999 AL MVP, Rodriguez split last season between Houston and Texas. He hit a combined .249 with 10 homers and 47 RBIs.

The Rangers ownership issue has cost the team their first important player of the offseason. More are sure to follow.

Rangers Add An Arm; Feliz To Rotation?

Yesterday afternoon, the Texas Rangers acquired Clay Rapada, a left-handed reliever from Detroit, for cash considerations or a player to be named later.

Rapada is a sidearm pitcher who Texas is hoping will compete for a spot in the bullpen at spring training.

The move appears to be the Rangers' attempt to bolster the relief corps to the point that they could consider moving stud fireballer Neftali Feliz into the starting rotation.



Rapada, 28, appeared in just three games for the Tigers last season and is 3-0 with a 4.94 ERA in 27 1/3 major league innings. He has 21 strikeouts and 18 walks. Last season for Triple-A Toledo, he had a 2.20 ERA against left-handed batters with 23 strikeouts and six walks in 16 1/3 innings. That makes him a candidate for the situational lefty spot in the bullpen, a spot held down by Eddie Guardado. Guardado is expected to retire.

"Rapada's had quality success against left-handed hitters, mostly in the minor leagues," said Rangers GM Jon Daniels, who said Rapada switched from a more conventional pitching motion to a sidearm delivery when he was with the Cubs a few years ago. "Like a lot of guys, he scuffled early on in his career in the big leagues. He'll come in and compete for a spot."

To make roon for Rapada on the 40-man roster, Willie Eyre was outrighted to Triple-A Oklahoma City.

Rapada is also an affordable option for the cash-poor Rangers, as he's not arbitration-eligible and would make less than $500,000 if he's on the Opening Day roster.

Steve Buechele Named New Roughriders Skipper

Former Texas Rangers’ third baseman Steve Buechele has been named the new manager at Class AA Frisco Roughriders.

"This is something I really enjoy doing," Buechele said. "I had as much fun going to the ballpark this year as I did as a player. Being home with the family was great but the opportunity to manage opened my eyes to what people told me -- that I would end up being back in the game and enjoying it. I did."



In 2009, Buechele made his managing debut with Class A Bakersfield, leading the Blaze to a playoff berth. He replaces Mike Micucci, who will be the club’s roving field coordinator.

Drafted by the Texas Rangers in the 5th round of the 1982 amateur draft, Buechele played eight of his eleven seasons in the majors with the Rangers and was widely considered a gold glove caliber third baseman.

Financial Limitations Loom As Rangers Talk Trade

It has been reported that the Rangers have recently been contacted by the Baltimore Orioles concerning the availability of right-handed starter Kevin Millwood.

The talks between the clubs are not yet considered serious, and Millwood is one of several options that the Orioles are pursuing.

Texas, thanks in part to the development of Scott Feldman, Tommy Hunter, Derek Holland and Neftali Feliz, finds itself in the rare position of being able being able to consider trading starting pitching.



One rumor has Texas considering a trade of Millwood in an effort to clear money off the payroll to sign free agent slugger Jermaine Dye.

However, with the team ownership issue still an albatross around the neck of the franchise, most believe the Rangers would only consider moving Millwood to eliminate or reduce their $12 million commitment to him in 2010.

Millwood went 13-10 with a 3.67 ERA in 31 starts last season.

Rangers Hot & Cold, Recall Chris Davis From Triple-A

After splitting a 4-game series at home with the Minnesota Twins (a series many feel Texas should have swept) and dropping two of three in Tampa, Texas is making a move to improve an area of their team which, up until the last 5 or 6 games, has been a huge improvement over last season: their defense.

The much-maligned Chris Davis has been called back up from Triple-A Oklahoma City and will be in the starting lineup tonight in New York against the Yankees.

Hank Blalock had been the regular first baseman since Davis was sent down on July 5th, but is mired in a prolonged slump has seen his average dip to .238 for the year and .190 over his last 30 games. Blalock has only had just 3 walks against 43 strikeouts over the last 38 games.

"This is a situation where the organization has made a decision," Blalock said. "They think we have a better chance to win with other guys in the lineup; as a player, I have to deal with it."



During his time with Oklahoma City, Davis hit .327 (54-165) with six home runs, 12 doubles, and 30 RBIs in 44 games. He also had a .418 on-base percentage, a .521 slugging percentage and was hitting a robust .356 with runners in scoring position.

"He's staying inside the ball and using all fields," Washington said. "He's not trying to hit the ball out of the ballpark. And we all know how impeccable his defense is. We felt he was ready to come back."

Davis has made a couple of small adjustments to his batting stance. He's opened up his stance towards the pitcher. Davis said the changes have helped keep his head steady during the at-bats which has helped with his pitch recognition.

"I don't think it was anything drastic," Davis said. "But I'm seeing pitches better, and I'm laying off pitches out of the strike zone. Before, I was just setting up myself for failure."

To make room for Davis, Andruw Jones has been pout on the 15-day disable list for a strained hamstring. Jones reaggravated the injury Sunday in Tampa and is hitting just .189 in his past 59 games.

"We felt it was better to have some time off now, and get him ready for the stretch run," general manager Jon Daniels.

Ivan Rodriguez could end up with Jones at-bats as the everyday DH. Since being traded from Houston, Pudge is hitting .667 (4-for-6) with 2 doubles, 3 RBI and a walk.

Rangers Reaquire 14-Time All-Star

Ivan "Pudge" Rodriguez is returning to Arlington.

Several media outlets are reporting that the Rangers have reached an agreement with the Houston Astros to bring the future Hall of Famer back to Texas for one more run.

The move is important for Texas because their regular catcher, Jarrod Saltalamacchia was recently placed on the 15-day disabled list with a sore arm and numbness in his throwing hand.

"We're excited to have Pudge," club president Nolan Ryan said. "We're looking forward to having him, and he's excited about coming back. He brings experience, he's a veteran player and he's been in the postseason. He brings a lot."



It is believed that Texas will be sending two mid-level prospects (expected to be Class A pitcher Matt Nevarez and Double-A infielder Jose Vallejo) to Houston in exchange for the 14-time All-Star. It was confirmed that Texas first spoke to Pudge to ensure he understands his role with the Rangers will be to act as a back-up for Taylor Teagarden before going ahead with the deal.

"I'm feeling great, feeling good. It's nice to be back to the place that I started," said Rodriguez, who waived his no-trade clause. "It's nice to be back there. It's also sad. I think Houston is a great team and a good group of guys. The fans are great, but business is business. You've got to prepare for anything. Especially being a veteran player, those things can happen.

"I'm going to move forward. It's a good trade. It will be nice to go there. ... I'm looking forward to going there and to do my best to try to help them win."

Rodriguez, a 13-time Gold Glove winner, former AL MVP, and the all-time leader in games played for a catcher, spent the first 12 seasons of his career with the Rangers. A career .299 hitter, Pudge is hitting .251 this year with 8 homeruns and 34 RBI in 93 games.

Rangers Fail To Reach Agreement With Top Draft Pick

As the midnight deadline to sign top draft picks came and went last night, it passed with the Texas Rangers unable to reach a contract agreement with top pick Matthew Purke.

Texas reportedly offered Purke a $4 million package. Purke's representatives were said to be asking for $6 million.

"It's disappointing," Rangers general manager Jon Daniels said. "We drafted a player we intended to sign, and for all the right reasons. We couldn't make it work."

Purke will now attend Texas Christian University and is not eligle to be re-drafted for two years. The Rangers will recieve the 15th pick in next years First Year Player Draft to compensate for losing this years pick.



"We'd prefer to get [Purke] in a Rangers uniform," Daniels said. "You'd like to add a premium talent, but this was one we couldn't afford to add."

When Purke was initially drafted by Texas and the idea of playing for his home state team (Purke attended Klein High School in Klein, Tx) was thought to appeal greatly to the young pitcher. Purke even went so far as to say he would be an "easy sign." He proved to be anything but.

"The biggest issue was money. The communication was good. Both sides were clear as to what they wanted to do, it just didn't match up. I don't have any issues with how they handled it," Daniels said. "Every player and every family has to make a decision on how they value themselves and what they want to do with their careers. Matthew made a decision and we have no choice but to respect it."

Making The Case For Closer By Committee

Over the last 20 years or so, due partially to the creation of the bullpen specialist (i.e. Ray King), the role of the closer has become more clearly defined, perhaps overly so. This, coupled with starting pitchers throwing fewer and fewer innings, had placed more emphasis on having one, shutdown guy to call upon in the 9th to record those final three outs.

Texas has had a few of those guys; closers with the stamina and enough of a rubber arm to be called an 'ace'. Jeff Russell and John Wetteland were both All-Star closers for the Rangers in the late 80's and 90's, posting several 30+ save seasons. Frank Francisco was to be that guy for the Rangers this season.

After C.J. Wilson was lost for the season during the second half of the 2008 season, Frankie stepped in and was nothing short of dominant. His high quality of play carried over into this season, at one point running out an 18 inning scoreless streak.



But then Frankie's elbow started bothering him and he went on the DL for a 15 days. C.J. Wilson held down the fort while he was away, slipping effortlessly back into his role as the 8th inning set-up man when Francisco returned. Then Frankie went back on the DL for a tired arm. Wilson again came in and did the job until Francisco made his way back. But when Texas' oft-injured closer went on the DL for the 3rd time this season, this last time with walking pneumonia, I began to ponder the idea of the Rangers going to a closer-by-committee bullpen.

Let me first start by saying that I understand that most true blue, dominant championship caliber teams have that one go-to guy for the 9th inning, whether it's Mariano Rivera in New York, Francisco Rodriguez during his years with the Angels, or Dennis Eckersley during his Hall of Fame-like run with the Oakland A's in the 90's.

But there have also been instances where closer-by-committee has worked very well. In 1990, the Cincinnati Reds duo of Rob Dibble and Randy Myers combined for 12 winds and 42 saves, rolling all the way to a World Championship. Jesse Orosco and Roger McDowell combined for 22 wins and 43 saves in helping the New York Mets to the 1986 World Championship. Why couldn't it work here in Texas?

With roughly six weeks to go in the season, the combo of C.J. Wilson and Frank Francisco have a pitching line of 6-7, 31 saves, 3.26 ERA, 98 Ks in 85 2/3 innings, which projects out to 10 wins and 44 saves over the course of a complete season. The fact that both pitchers are power arms only adds to their probability for continued success.



Another set of stats makes the strognest case of all for having the duo split the closers role.

Take a look at opponents OPS (On-Base Percentage + Slugging Percentage) against Frank Francisco and how dramatically the numbers swing in the Rangers favor based on the number of days rest the reliever is able to get in between appearances:

0 days rest: .905 OPS
1 days rest: .682 OPS
2 days rest: .276 OPS

These are truly shocking numbers and give a very clear picture of just how much more effective the Rangers bullpen is when working with the two-headed monster of Wilson and Francisco, rather than going with the hard/fast rule of Francisco as the lone closer.

Whether Texas begins to lean in this direction remains to be seen. I'm unaware of how Francisco might react to splitting closing chores with Wilson but my feeling is that Texas' bullpen is a very tight unit and have enough veteran leadership out there to make it work.

Time will tell if the Rangers give in to the numbers.

Texas Takes Lead In Wild Card Race

Should we go ahead and finally admit that this Rangers team isn't like virtually every other Rangers team we've seen since they moved to town from Washington back in 1972?

After watching Frankie Francisco undergo a complete and fantastic meltdown in the first game of the Red Sox series, most longtime Rangers fans has to take a step back, let out an all-too-familar sigh and think, "There it is. There's the catostrophic moment. The season just ended."

I did. I admit it.

But whether it's the quality of the veteran leadership on this team, or maybe the beautiful ignorance of youth, or perhaps it's just the fact that for damn near the first time in the history of this franchise it's actually got some pitching, these Texas Rangers are not going away.

Texas controlled the series from the start, taking an early 2-0 lead in game one when Michael Young connected for his 20th homerun of the season.

But after the normally reliable (and often dominant) Frankie Francisco fell apart on the mound to the tune of six earned runs in 2/3 of an inning, it was hard to think anything but the worst.



But much like they've done all season long, the Rangers regrouped, came back out on Saturday night and, thanks in part to a big nights by a returning Ian Kinsler (2-for-3 with a solo homerun and a walk) and the ever-maturing Derek Holland (6 2/3 innings, 2 earned runs), dropped the Red Sox 7-2.

Rookies Julio Borbon and Neftali Feliz added tot he big night by turning in huge performances as well.

Borbon, hitting leadoff, went 4-for-5 with 2 RBI and 4 stolen bases. Texas stole 8 bases on the night, keeping constant pressure on Boston's defense.

Neftali Feliz pitched two innings of lights-out baseball, striking out three en route to his first career save.



The win set up a huge final game on Sunday to determine who would take the lead in the AL Wild Card race.

Texas got another gutsy performance from Dustin Nippert who is really beginning to make believers out of a good many of the naysayers.

C.J. Wilson was an adventure in the 8th, allowing two baserunners before striking out the side and giving way to Frankie Francisco.

Itching to get back out on the mound after Friday nights debacle, Frankie came up huge for the Rangers, needing just 10 pitches to retire the side in order. The performance had to be a huge phycological boost not only for the closer, but for his teammates as well.

"I believe if I can go out there and spot my fastball where I want it, I can get any hitter out," said Francisco. "I just approached them the same way: Just try to hit my spots, and I did."



With the series win, Texas moved 1/2 game ahead of Boston in the Wild Card Standings and, with 6 weeks to play in the season, and with the way things seem to be coming together for the team, one has to figure that Texas will be in the hunt up until the end.

Rangers Roll On, Take 2 Of 3 In Cleveland

In game 1 of the series, Texas looked like a team feeling the effect of a tough emotional series with the Angels. The offense was terrible, swinging wildly at pitches way out of the strike zone. Even when they managed some sort of contact with the ball, it was far from solid. Texas made Indians starter Aaron Laffey look like an ace, doing everything in their power to ensure the loss.

Dustin Nippert, making his first start since officially being named to the rotation, looked fine save for one bad inning. In the 3rd, it all came undone for Nippert as he allowed a couple of bloop base hits to snowball, surrendering five runs before the inning was done.

"That third inning was a disaster," Nippert said afterward. "I have no idea what happened."

To his credit, Nippert hung tough, remaining in the game, eating up six innings while spelling the bullpen. In the process, he struck out a career high 10 batters and at times looked dominant.



Omar Vizquel and Josh Hamilton were the lone bright spots for the Rangers offense. Each player had two base hits on the night but it was nowhere near enough to overcome the entire lineup hitting 0-for-4 with men in scoring position.

"We were just a flat team coming off an off-day," outfielder Marlon Byrd said. "We have an offense that can come back and score runs and negate that one inning, but tonight we didn't do it. Tomorrow we just have to come out focused and score early."

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Game two got off to a much better start as the emerging Tommy Hunter came out and set the tone on the mound for the night. After getting into a 1st inning jam, Hunter managed to get a double play to get out of the inning. He proceeded to toss another 6 2/3 innings of scoreless baseball, striking out five while not walking a single hitter.

"Tonight, Tommy Hunter was tough," manager Ron Washington said. "He had everything going for him. I don't think you expect him to throw 7 2/3 [innings of] scoreless ball every night, but you expect him to keep us in the game. He has shown the repertoire to keep hitters off-balance, and as long as he keeps it over the plate, he has a chance to keep us close."

"It's just fun going out there and winning," Hunter said. "It's fun going out there and being a part of something and know you had something to do with it."



Josh Hamilton continued his hot hitting by drilling a 2-run double in the gap in the top of the 3rd, giving Hunter all he would need to pick up his 5th career win.

C.J. Wilson came in to record the final five outs but all anyone, including Indians manager Eric Wedge, wanted to talk about was Tommy Hunter's performance.

"I thought he was real good. I was very impressed by him," Wedge said. "He threw his fastball where he wanted to. He worked both sides, he was down. He really worked his breaking ball early and mixed in his changeup as it wore on. We had a lot of quick outs and that was because of his command. Another thing that stuck out to me was his poise out there. He seemed very relaxed."

"It's the same thing he's done for us since he got up here," catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia said. "He battled for six or seven innings. We went with a lot of curveballs, but that's what was working. He got ahead of a lot of hitters and stayed ahead."

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Cleveland picked up a run early in the final game of the series but, much like he's done all season long, Scott Feldman simply regrouped and battled back to give the Rangers six innings of six strikeout, one run baseball.

"Their pitching the last couple days has been very good," Indians manager Eric Wedge said. "I was really impressed with their pitching this entire series. They've always hit, but the difference this year is their pitching. It has to start with the starting pitching. We were able to shut them down and score a couple runs the first night, and that's exactly what they did to us these last two days."

Neftali Feliz came in and unleashed his 100mph fastball on an Indians offense that had been hitting close to .300 since the All-Star break before Texas came into town. Feliz pitched two innings of shutout ball, striking out five of the six batter he faced.

"I go out there, pitch six innings and get five or six strikeouts," Feldman said. "He matches me in two innings. Pretty impressive."



Josh Hamilton continues to make huge strides in his attempt to shake off what had become a season-long slump. Hamilton went 4-for-4 on the day with a couple of doubles and two RBI. He is now 9 for his last 10.

"This was a good series," said Hamilton. "[The Indians] have been playing well. Hopefully we can go back with some fire under our tails against Boston."

Frank Francisco pitched a scoreless 9th to notch his 16th save of the season.

Texas will have Friday off as they head home for a 3-game series with Boston, followed by a big 4-game home series with the Minnesota Twins.

Rangers Dominance Of Angels Continues

The Anaheim Angels have beaten up on pretty much everyone they're run across this season but, for whatever reason, cannot seem to buy a win against the division rival Texas Rangers.

Texas rolled into Anaheim losers of 3 of their last 4, down a #2 starter (after Padilla's dismissal), and knee deep in the Josh Hamilton relapse news. Throw in the fact that the offense seemed to have once again left the building and things looked good for an Anaheim team that has been white hot over the last month.

But the longer this year goes on, the more it seems that this team is not going to fade like so many other talent-laden Rangers teams of past seasons.

The Texas offense exploded in game one of the series, pounding perpetual Rangers punching bag and Angels starter Joe Saunders for five runs in just 1 2/3 innings, highlighted by a big 3-run, 1st inning homerun by the suddenly hot Josh Hamilton.

The homer was his first since July 17th against the Twins.

"I was joking with [Andruw Jones] on the bench saying it has been awhile and I needed to hit one," Hamilton said. "So yes it feels like it has been awhile."

Hank Blalock followed Hamilton with his 22nd homerun of the year.

Omar Vizquel went 4-for-6 on the night, driving in 3 runs while hitting a solo homerun in the 5th.

"I was happy I finally got a home run," Vizquel said. "I didn't want to leave this year without hitting one. It's been awhile. It's always good to hit one so you know you can hit one out at the big league level."



Scott Feldman picked up his 11th win of the year, going six innings while allowing 4 runs.

Game two of the series had all the makings of a pitching duel and neither Kevin Millwood, nor Angels starter Jered Weaver did anything to prove otherwise.

Millwood, making his first start since missing two starts because of a muscle strain, pitched well in his return, going six solid innings, allowing just two runs and leaving the game tied 2-2.

As good as Millwood was, Weaver was just a little bit better as he dominated Texas for 7 1/3 innings, striking out 11 while allowing just two runs, both coming off a 2-run blast by Hank Blalock, his 23rd homerun of the season.



After Eddie Guardado surrendered a solo homerun to Erick Aybar in the 7th, the Angels bullpen combo of Kevin Jepsen and the much maligned Brian Fuentes came in to shut the door on the Rangers, protecting the 3-2 win.

In typical classy fashion, Guardado says to put this one on him.

"Fastball up," Guardado said. "What else? Behind in the count to a non-home run hitter. What else could go wrong? No, I just got a fastball up. No matter who it is, home run hitter or not, you make a mistake against a good team like that and that's what happens."

Texas rolled rookie Derek Holland out for the final game of the series. Two starts prior, Holland had dazzled, throwing strikes, maintaining his control, and coming just one out from his first career complete game. On Sunday, Holland not only nabbed that but tacked on a shutout for good measure, pitching all nine innings while striking out 8 Angels batters.

"He came at us," Angels manager Mike Scioscia said. "It wasn't any secret. He threw a lot of first-pitch fastballs and did as good a job of getting two-pitch outs as we've seen in a long time. He was ahead in the count all day long. That's partially due to us trying to work pitches early, and he was coming right after us.

"He pitched a terrific game."



Holland didn't allow a hit for the first 5 2/3 innings he pitched and walked just one batter all game long.

"It was just a big game and I wanted to win," Holland said. "I needed it. It was huge to get my confidence back up. I had my team working behind me and I just went out and attacked the strike zone."

Angels starter John Lackey seemed up to task of going toe to toe with Holland as he retired 10 of the first 12 batters he face. But with 2 outs in the 4th, 2-run error in right field by Bobby Abreu got Texas on the board. Lackey, a very emotional player who at times allows those emotions to get the best of him, kept his wheels on, pitching 6 2/3 innings, striking out eight. But with Holland pitching lights out, a typically 'good' performance by Lackey was not going to be enough.

"[Derek] was throwing first-pitch strikes all game," catcher Taylor Teagarden said. "He was commanding his fastball and getting ahead of hitters to get to his offspeed pitches. He had command of his offspeed pitches down in the zone and on both sides of the plate. He was ahead of just about every hitter."

Josh Hamilton Still Battling Demons

Several pictures have surfaced from back in January of this year which show Rangers All-Star slugger, Josh Hamilton, in a less-than-positive light. First published on Deadspin.com, the photos depict an inebriated Hamilton in a bar with several women, none of whom are his wife.

Hamilton held a press conference today to own up to the incident.

"I'm embarrassed about it. For the Rangers, I'm embarrassed about it. For my wife, my kids," Hamilton said. "Unfortunately, it happened. It just reinforces to me that if I'm out there getting ready for a season and taking my focus off the most important thing in my recovery, which is my relationship with Christ, it's amazing how those things creep back in."



"Honestly, I hate that this happened," he said. "But it is what it is. You deal with it. I realized that, obviously, I'm not perfect, in this ongoing struggle, battle, that is very real. A lot of people don't understand how real it is."

"I wasn’t mentally fit or spiritually fit…. It just crossed my mind ‘Can I have a drink?’ Obviously, I can’t. One drink leads to two and two drink leads to 10 or 12. When I was in AA, one saying I heard was one drink is too many and 1,000 is never enough. Alcohol just doesn’t mix well with me."

Hamilton informed the team of the incident the day after it happened. The Rangers have said there will be no punishment of Hamilton.

"As soon as it happened, I called my support system -- my wife, the Rangers, MLB and told them what had happened," he said Saturday. "I was absolutely open and honest about it."

"My first reaction in January was concern," said Ranger GM Jon Daniels. "Here’s a guy who’s obviously dealt with substance abuse at a pretty significant level. But immediately he came forward and was honest. He was remorseful, he was accountable."



Hamilton was drafted first overall in the 1999 draft by the Tampa Bay Devil Rays but spent much of his time as part of their organization in and out of rehab facilities and/or on suspension by Major League Baseball. Hamilton's January incident was the first drink he'd taken since Oct. 6, 2005.

One would have to believe that what happened in January most certainly could end up costing Hamilton some money as it now re-introduces doubt in his ability to control his addictions. In March, Texas began negotiations with Hamilton on a long-term extention. The All-Star has 4 years of arbitration left before he will be eligible for free agency but the Rangers were looking to lock him up with what many experts speculated was a six-year contract. The offer, which would have paid him significantly more money than he would make during his arbitration years, would also allow Texas to control Hamilton's rights for the first two years of his free agency. While figures of the offer were never released, most believe they were somewhere similar to what Texas agreed on with Ian Kinsler (4 years, $22 million). Hamilton and his agent turned down the offer saying, "My agent and I were disappointed with their offer."

With Hamilton now back in the news due to a relapse (even if it was an isolated incident) you'd have to think, with Josh's past, the fact that he's clearly not out of the woods with regards to his addictions, and his season-long struggles at the plate, Texas may be even less willing to offer up a huge contract extention, choosing instead to ride out the arbitration process.

Hamilton is loved and respected by his teammates and is said to be a positive guy in the clubhouse. In the Saturday press conference, Hamilton said he would be addressing his teammates soon regarding what happened in January.



"What I do off the field affects my teammates and the name of this organization. They know who I am and what I want to accomplish.

"I don't feel like I'm a hypocrite. I feel like I'm human. I got away from the one thing that keeps me straightened out and going in the right direction."

*ALERT* Vicente Padilla Designated For Assignment

Two days after hitting Oakland catcher Kurt Suzuki, followed by being shown on camera laughing after teammate Michael Young was hit the following inning in retaliation, Vicente Padilla has been designated for assignment.

"We're putting together a club and an organization that's pulling on the same end of the rope," Rangers General Manager Jon Daniels said. "It wasn't a fit for us anymore."

Texas now has 10 days to trade, release or send down the veteran starter. If a trade takes place, the Rangers would almost surely be forced to absorb a portion of his contract in exchange for some sort of prospect. More likely, Texas will have to release Padilla and eat the remainder of his contract.



This is just latest in what has seemingly been an ongoing series of unresolved issues between the pitcher and the Rangers. Things came to a head back in June when Padilla was pushed through waivers a day after hitting Yankees first baseman and former Ranger player Mark Teixeira twice in the same game. It was widely assumed that Padilla had pitched his last game with Texas then, but an apparent reconciliation bought the embattled starter some time.

After this latest flare up, it is apparent that Padilla's time is now up, at least with the Texas Rangers.

"When we have a disciplinary issue with a player, we talk to him," Daniels said. "It had gotten to the point where the club was better off without him."

Dustin Nippert will take Padilla's place in the rotation.

Oakland Drops Final Game But Take Series With Rangers

Texas got a nice effort out of Tommy Hunter today as he bared down and willed a win out of the suddenly luckless Rangers.

Hunter gave Texas seven innings of 2-run ball, allowing just five hitters to reach base.

"It's what I'm supposed to do," Hunter said. "The bullpen had been used up quite a bit and needed to be refreshed going into the Anaheim series. It was nice to give them a break. The big thing was getting a win before a big series. I was glad I could do my job."

"We needed that from Tommy," third baseman Michael Young said. "That was a big performance. They scored two right away, but Tommy locked it up after that. For a young guy, Tommy is poised. He stayed after it and kept competing."

Despite a throwing error by Jarrod Saltalamacchia which assisted in giving Oakland the early 2-0 lead, Hunter was able to work through the early struggles and retire 13 of the next 14 hitters he faced.

"He limited us to those few hits," Oakland manager Bob Geren said. "I thought we got a couple good swings on him early. We had those early chances, but after that he started settling in pretty well."

Hank Blalock provided some early offense, hitting his 21st homerun of the season. In the 3rd inning, Michael Young added another homerun, his 18th, as well as an RBI single, extending his hitting streak to 13 games. RBI base hits by David Murphy, Andruw Jones and Marlon Byrd capped the scoring for Texas.

After a scoreless inning by Frank Francisco, C.J. Wilson came in and made things interesting, walking one and allowing a couple of base hits before closing the A's out for the win.



While the victory sends Texas to Anaheim on a positive, it's a far cry from where they had to believe they'd be before the 4-game set in Oakland began. But poor pitching and lackluster hitting cost the Rangers a chance to cut into the Angels lead in the West, as well as Boston's lead in Wild Card race.

Texas is going to have to get better outing out of guys like Derek Holland and Vicente Padilla if they are to stay close in either race. The offense is what it is, inconsistent. The Rangers simply cannot afford to rely of them for steady run support because it hasn't been there all season and it's not just going to magically appear. The pitching has carried this thing all season long and if they are to make a push in August and September, it will be on the shoulders of the pitching staff, not the offense. This makes it all the more important that players like Vicente Padilla not go out and allow six runs in 5 2/3 innings. It also means that guys like Derek Holland, despite his age, have to step up and give the Rangers more than 4 1/3 innings of work.

Make no mistake about it, Texas gave Oakland three wins. The A's ran up the white flag a few weeks ago when they traded away Matt Holiday and Orlando Cabrera. True blue playoff caliber teams don't drop three in a row to teams like Oakland.

Feliz Impressive In Debut But Texas Falls Late

Believe it or not, this actually got worse after C.J. Wilson's 3-run, 9th inning meltdown which gave Oakland the 3-2 victory.

Following Rajai Davis' 2-run, walkoff triple, Nelson Cruz came up lame in right field and had to be asisted off the field. He apparently sprained his ankle and will probably miss at least the next few games. If it looks no better by then, Cruz make find his way to the 15-day disable list.

"The ball hit off the wall and I was trying to block it," Cruz said. "Then I tried to turn and the foot got stuck in the metal part of the wall. My ankle turned."

Cruz's injury could not come at a worse moment for an offense that has been struggling to find itself since the beginning of the season.

Dustin Nippert, again making a last second spot start, pitched very well for the Rangers, going five innings while striking out five and allowing just one hit. He left with a 1-0 lead.

Rookie sensation Neftali Feliz made his major league debut in the 6th inning, striking out the first four batters he faced, throwing a fastball that topped out at 101 mph. Overall, Feliz pitched two innings of hitless baseball.

"Pretty impressive debut," manager Ron Washington said. "Not so much the strikeouts but the way he filled up the strike zone with strikes."

"When I first got up there, I felt a little nervous," Feliz said. "But once I threw the first pitch, I knew what I was doing and felt comfortable."

The bullpen continued to post shutout inning up till the 9th, when C.J. Wilson came in and imploded, allowing four hits, including the game-winner by Rajai Davis.

"Sometimes you get beat by the long ball, sometimes you get beat by the short ones," Wilson said. "Absolute luck, that's all it is. All of them were lucky hits, dude. They didn't hit any of those balls hard."



Oakland rookie starting pitcher Brett Anderson dominated the Rangers for 7 2/3 innings, striking out 8 while allowing just two runs.

"Brett was great," A's manager Bob Geren said. "There's a lot of home run hitters on that team, and I thought he tied them down well. ... He was pretty pinpoint with his control, really. He commanded both sides of the plate. He had the perfect game plan, and he executed it."

Michael Wuertz picked Anderson up, pitching 1 1/3 innings of scoreless ball, nabbing his 6th victory of the year.

"That was a tough one right there," Rangers manager Ron Washington said. "We had them right where we wanted them to be, and we had the right guy in the game."

Top Prospect Makes His Way To Arlington

The Neftali Feliz Era has begun. Well, sorta....

Feliz was called up from AAA Oklahoma City and will work out of the bullpen for the foreseeable future. Overall, the young flame thrower was 4-6 with a 3.49 ERA in 77 1/3 innings at Oklahoma City but, after beginning the season as a starter, was moved to the bullpen where he was more effective, going 1-1 with 20 strikeouts, three walks and a 2.16 ERA in 12 relief appearances.

Red Hawks pitching coach Terry Clark said Neftali was very excited when he heard the news of his call-up.

"He was emotional,” Clark said. "First time, going to the big leagues, and he cried a little bit. He’s really happy, and I’m really happy for him.”

With the starting pitching incurring a rash of injuries the past month or so, having a fresh power arm in the bullpen could be just what the Dr. ordered.



"We think he has the ability to help us or we wouldn’t have brought him up," general manager Jon Daniels said. "We’re not expecting him to come in and save the day. He’s here to make a contribution. He’s improved in the areas we’ve asked him to work on. He deserves the opportunity."

It is doubtful Feliz will see any time this season as a starter as the Rangers believe he will be most effective in a relief role at this stage of his career. Feliz has an electric fastball but has struggled at times with his control when employing his secondary pitches.

To make room for Feliz on the 40-man roster, starter Matt Harrison was moved from the 15-day to the 60-day disabled list. Harrison is out the rest of the season after being diagnosed with thoracic outlet syndrome.

Feliz's call-up is just the latest in what has been a major pitching youth movement this season for the Rangers. Derek Holland has been both a starter and a reliever since his call-up in May and Tommy Hunter has been very impressive thus far in his role as a starter.

Rangers Split Final Two Against Mariners

Turns out Tommy Hunter is mortal. After a series of dominant starts, Hunter came back down to earth on Saturday, reminding all of us that despite his hot pitching over the last month, he's still a rookie.

Hunter hit the mound without his best fastball and was knocked around for five runs on seven hits while walking three in five innings. He also hit a batter and threw a wild pitch.

"Tommy just didn't have his location tonight," manager Ron Washington said. "They made him throw some pitches."

"I had a changeup and a curve, but I didn't have a fastball tonight," said Hunter. "I didn't locate my fastball. That's the first thing you do in baseball as a pitcher."

Warner Madrigal offered little in the way of relief, allowing another run on four hits and a walk in just 1 1/3 innings.



Mariners legend Ken Griffey Jr. turned back the clock for the night hammering the Rangers to the tune of 3-for-5 with a single, a double & a 3-run homer, the 622nd of his career. Tommy Hunter became the 400th different pitcher to allow a homerun to Griffey since his debut back in 1989.

Mariners starter Felix Hernandez, much like Tommy Hunter, didn't have his best stuff on the night, but Texas was never able to really take advantage. Despite a big night from Nelson Cruz, who went 3-for-4 while hitting his 25th homer of the season, Texas went just 1-for-7 with runners in scoring position, never putting any real pressure on Hernandez.

"We had Hernandez on the ropes," Washington said. "It might have been different if we got a few hits early. Hernandez didn't have his [best stuff] either."

"That's what I thought after I saw him in the first inning," Cruz said. "He didn't have much control, and we didn't take advantage. We gotta get walks and make things happen."

Hernandez, despite picking up the win, was also very aware he dodged a bullet.

"I don't know how I allowed just two runs," Hernandez said. "That is hard to believe. I am disappointed with my performance today. I don't know, I just felt terrible. I was all over the place."

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On an evening when Texas made several pre-game roster moves (Ian Kinsler and Jason Grilli to the 15-day DL, called up top pitching prospect Neftali Feliz) it was a move made by manager Ron Washington that may have been the biggest of the night. Washington, suddenly short of arms, was forced to roll Scott Feldman out on only 3 days rest. Not only was Feldman pitching on short rest, he was also coming off his worst start of the season in which he was unable to get out of the 3rd inning.

But on Saturday night, Feldman was back to his old self, giving Texas seven innings of work, picking up his 10th win of the year.

"Feldman did a good job bouncing back," manager Ron Washington said. "[His sinker] was working pretty well. He's a ground-ball pitcher. If batters aren't squaring it up, that's how you know he's pitching well.

"He wasn't getting enough ground balls [in his last outing]. If you take the ball 16, 17, 18 times, that happens. He went out there and he gave us an opportunity to get to our two best pitchers."

"I thought Feldman was awfully tough," said Mariners manager Don Wakamatsu. "I have seen this kid and he gets better every year. I think you have to tip your hat. He just didn't throw anything over the center of the plate and kept our hitters off balance."



David Murphy homered in the bottom of the 1st, giving Feldman and early lead to work with. Michael Young added another solo homer in the 6tha dn is now hitting .417 since the All-Star break. Feldman's catcher, Jarrod Saltalamacchia tacked on a 2-run blast in the 7th to cap the scoring and pput Texas up for good.

Texas is now 36-12 this season when they hit multiple homeruns.

The four runs proved to be more than enough for Frank Francisco who, making his first appearance since his latest stint on the DL, dominated the 8th inning, not allowing a baserunner while striking out two batters.

"He looked outstanding," Washington said. "One-two-three inning. He used his pitches. We're happy to have him back."

C.J. Wilson pitched the 9th, also striking out two batters on his way to his 13th save this season.

Rangers Hold Off Mariners To Pick Up Rain Delayed Victory

Texas didn't manage any blockbuster trade deadline deals, despite some last day rumblings that a trade with Toronto for Roy Halladay remained a possibility. The Rangers opted (or were forced, depending on whether or not you believe the team is brooke) to stand pat, rolling with the players whom have kept this season alive with excitement.

While Texas may not have made any big trade deals, they did get a pitcher back as starter Vicente Padilla returned for the first time since coming down with swine flu while home visiting in Nicaragua. Padilla gave the team a definite boost, pitching tough for six innings, allowing 3 earned runs. While he didn't have his best stuff, and his legs were still not quite all the way under him, Padilla gutted it out and gave the bullpen a needed rest.

"His velocity was down a notch, but he was able to keep the ball down and compete," catcher Taylor Teagarden said. "I was happy with what I saw."



Teagarden got the scoring going for his pitcher in the bottom of the 2nd, hitting a long fly ball that scored the first run of the night for Texas. Teagarden struck again in the bottom of the 5th, drilling a solo homerun to tie the game at 2-2. After Omar Vizquel and Michael Young reached base, Marlon Byrd stepped to the plate and hit a 3-run blast, giving Texas all the runs they would need on the night.

After a 2 hour and 18 minute rain delay, Texas closed the Mariners out, with C.J. Wilson getting the final four outs while picking up his 12th save of the year.

Holland Dominates Mariners As Texas Gets Back On Winning Track

Perhaps some fans had began to wonder exactly why Derek Holland has been the Texas Rangers' top pitching prospect the last few years, as he's struggled to find his footing for a fair portion of his rookie year. But last night, against the Seattle Mariners, Holland gave everyone a glimpse into what Rangers fans hope is the not-so-distant future. The young rookie pitched 8 2/3 scoreless innings (his relief would allow a run to score which was credited to Holland), allowing just two hits the entire night. In the process, he struck out ten batters, walking just one and completely shut down a Mariners that had taken it to Texas just before the All-Star break.

"I think we got a real good look at Derek Holland, as his future gets better," manager Ron Washington said. "He used all his pitches. When you have his fastball and secondary pitches like that, it's hard to sit on pitches."

For the first time all season, Jarrod Saltalamacchia sat with Holland in the dugout between innings, going over hitter tendencies and keeping him focused.

"We had talked about going out there and not going with fastballs," Saltalamacchia said. "We went with off-speed early. He did a great job tonight. I don't think anyone was comfortable tonight in the box."



Upon his exit in the 9th, just one out away from a complete game, Holland was given a standing ovation.

"Hearing the crowd was an awesome feeling," Holland said. "I had chills down my spine."

Holland's offense took a lot of pressure off his back early getting him an early lead, thanks to a big 3-run inning in the bottom of the 2nd courtesy of homeruns by Hank Blalock and Saltalamacchia.

"We had great offense with Hank [Blalock] getting us started," Holland said. "They started it off for me in the second."

Texas struck again the 3rd and then again in the 5th with solo homeruns by Michael Young who had 3 hits on the night and is now hitting .326 on the season.

Marlon Byrd capped the scoring in the 7th, blasting a 2-run homer, his 10th of the year.

The win not only kept Texas 3 back of the Angels in the West but also pulled them to 1 1/2 games back of the Boston Red Sox in the AL Wild Card Race.

Tigers Run It Up Against Feldman, Rangers

Every team is gonna have nights like the one the Rangers had Wednesday night against the Detroit Tigers. Scott Feldman who, up until this start, has been one of the better pitchers in the American League was shelled for 6 runs on 10 hits, lasting just 2 1/3 innings.

"It was just an all-around awful job," Feldman said. "Bad command cost me the most. I was not executing my pitches. It was just a frustrating night."

Feldman never did seem to find the 'feel' of his cutter, a pitch that has netted him so many soft outs throughout most of this season. The lack of touch resulted in several pitches outside of the strike zone, forcing Feldman to pull back and throw his fastball down the middle which is fine so long as his other pitches are working. When they aren't, a 90 mph fastball is little more than batting practice for MLB-caliber hitters.

"It wasn't our night tonight," Rangers manager Ron Washington said. "They came out swinging the bats and never stopped. If you play enough games, you're going to have one like this. Tonight their bats were on. They got hits, all kinds of hits: doubles, chinks, broken bats. There was nothing we could do."



Despite 2 homeruns by Andruw Jones, the offense never really got on track, managing just 8 hits on the night while striking out a season high 18 times. Tigers starter Justin Verlander was dominant for most of the game, putting in seven innings of work en route to his 12th win of the season. Even when Verlander struggled, he was always able to work his way out of the jams.

"That's what he does," Byrd said. "He comes out throwing 90-92 [mph], then he gets into trouble and he's throwing 96-100. There is a reason why he leads the world in strikeouts. When he has guys out there with runners in scoring position, he steps up his game. You have to do that as well."

Despite scoring 3 in the bottom of the 5th, Texas never got close, allowing the Tigers to score at least one run in the first 7 innings of the game, ultimately dropping the final game of the series, 13-5.

"You gotta tip your cap to their whole team," Rangers third baseman Michael Young said. "Verlander threw a great game, they had, what, 19 hits. You just gotta file it away and move on."

Rangers Hammer Tigers, Take Control Of Series

Two nights ago, Vicente Padilla, still recovering from swine flu, informed the team he still didn't have his legs under him and should make other arrangements in case he was unable to go. The Rangers did just that, sending Doug Mathis to the mound for the spot start. Mathis, who has yet to allow a run in 20 innings of relief this season, managed four innings of work, allowing three runs (all in the top of the 2nd).

"Obviously I wanted to go a little longer," Mathis said. "I thought I threw the ball very well but that one inning got away from me. When I came out of the game, I wanted us to either be in good shape or having the lead. That's what happened."

In the bottom of the 2nd, Mathis' offense responded for him, scoring four runs off RBI doubles by both Elvis Andrus and Michael, and a 2-run triple by Ian Kinsler.



Josh Hamilton added an RBI on a bloop single and, with the way he's been struggling, you've gotta hope seeing something like like that drop in for him might mean the beginning of the end of his run of bad luck.

Doug Mathis was replaced by Jason Grilli, who entered the game in the 5th, retiring all six batters he faced over two innings of work. Grilli was not only pumped up having his father there in the stands watching him pitch but also because he pitched for the Tigers from '05-'08.

"I've spent some time over there," Grilli said after the Rangers' 7-3 victory. "It's bragging rights, playing against your friends. It's friendly competition. I've had great experiences over there."

Grilli was followed by Eddie Guardado and Darren O'Day, both of whom pitched an inning of hitless baseball. Guillermo Moscoso closed the game out with a scoreless 9th inning.

Overall, Texas' relievers were able to retire 15 of the final 16 batters they faced.

"The bullpen did a great job tonight," manager Ron Washington said. "We came back after we spotted them three runs. We were able to put together some runs."

The win moved Texas to 14 games over .500 and have now won six straight home games. They are 2 1/2 games behind the Angels in the West.

Hamilton's Struggles Reach Critical Level

As the year goes on it is starting to look more and more like it may well turn into a lost season for Rangers slugger Josh Hamilton.

Texas' 2-time All-Star is now 2 for his last 32 and is mired in what has been, for the most part, a season-long slump.

Hamilton has responded to the slump by watching more video and taking more batting practice but, for whatever reason, just cannot seem to regain neither the timing nor confidence he showed last season when he led the league in RBI.

"I think I've almost overanalyzed it all to a point," Hamilton said. "I was thinking too much and thinking I needed to get a hit because I hadn't gotten a hit in a while. When you do that, it just makes things worse. It's hard not to do, too, because it's only human. I just need to shut all the head games down by myself."

In last nights game with Detroit, manager Ron Washington dropped Hamilton from his customary 3rd spot in the order to 7th, trying to help take some of the self-inflicted pressure off Josh's shoulders. Hamilton wasn't able to respond, going 0-for-4 on the night.

"We're giving him a chance to gather himself," Washington said. "You'd be frustrated, too, if you had a vision of what you're capable of doing and you can't seem to put it together. We haven't given up on him, and we're not going to allow him to give up on himself."



Since returning from the DL on July 6th, Hamilton is hitting just .198 with one home run, two doubles and four RBI. For the season, he is hitting .223 with seven home runs and 28 RBIs.

Hamilton continues to work hard but seems unable to pinpoint the reasons behind the slump.

"If I knew what was wrong, I wouldn't be struggling," said Hamilton. "I think I went 0-for-22 in the minors one time, but then I proceeded to hit .468 in the playoffs."

The Rangers are hoping that with some time and patience a similar turnaround will take place.

"We need to give [Hamilton] a break," Washington said. "He's trying too hard. His timing isn't there and the only person that can fix that is him."

Easier said than done as, at least from his body language, Hamilton appears to have lost a good deal of confidence.

"He needs to be aggressive," Washington said. "Once he steps in that batter's box, he's all by himself."

Texas' Big Game Hunter Nets A Tiger

Forgive the title...I couldn't resist.

Tommy Hunter's second pitch of the game sailed off the bat of Tigers All-Star Curtis Granderson into the right field seats, giving Detroit the early 1-0 lead. From there, Hunter pitched seven innings of shutout baseball, striking out six.

"Good job by Tommy Hunter," manager Ron Washington said. "We knew he could handle the baseball and manipulate it. He's got four pitches."

The biggest moment of the night came in the top of the 5th when, with the bases loaded, Hunter threw a high fastball by Tigers slugger Miguel Cabrera, ending the top half of the inning in dramatic fashion.

"I think it was a combination of he pitched very well and we didn't swing too well," said Tigers manager Jim Leyland. "We've done this for months, to be honest with you. We've swung at balls and taken strikes."

"I was trying to throw strikes," Hunter said. "I gotta minimize the damage. It was fun. That was fun, puts a smile on your face. It changed the game."

Hunter's assessment was right on the money as in the bottom of the 5th, Nelson Cruz pulled Texas even with a monster 542-foot solo homerun, the 5th longest homerun ever hit at the Ballpark in Arlington.



The Rangers continued their march to victory in the bottom of the 6th, getting a lead-off double by Elvis Andrus who scored on a single by Michael Young. After a David Murphy walk, Hank Blalock drove both men home with a double down the rightfield line, putitng Texas up 4-1.

Detroit pushed another run across in the top of the 8th but was answered in the bottom of the inning via Michael Young's 14th homerun of the year. For the night, Young had three base hits, the 3rd consecutive game he's accomplished that feat.

In the 9th, C.J. Wilson came on to strike out the side, picking up his 11th save of the season.

Tommy Hunter is now 3-1 with an ERA of 2.00. Offenses are hitting just over .200 against him.

The 5-2 win broke a string of seven straight loses to the Tigers.

"We had many opportunities to win against them in Detroit," Washington said. "Those guys don't quit. I remember four or five games in Detroit we would have won. They snatched them from us. Baseball does that."

The win give Texas a 33-19 record at home, 2nd best in team history and also moves them to 2 games behind the Angels in the AL West.

Rangers Win Series In Kansas City

Game two in Kansas City featured a pitcher still finding his way in his first big league season. Game three featured one who may have finally found himself.

On Saturday, Texas sent rookie Derek Holland to the mound and, much like he's done since coming up from AAA earlier in the year, mixed moments of greatness with a little too much inconsistency.

After going just 4 2/3 innings, allowing 4 earned runs on 7 hits, Holland is now 1-5 with an ERA of 6.42 in nine starts.

"I saw fight," manager Ron Washington said. "But he still has to work on his commanding the baseball better. Derek had trouble trying to hit his spots from the beginning. He got through the first three [innings] but he still had trouble controlling the baseball."

The offense wasn't much better, scoring just 3 runs on 11 hits. Texas' 3 & 4 hitters, Josh Hamilton and Andruw Jones, went a combined 0-for-7 with 6 strikeouts. For the game, Texas struck out 13 times.

"When you strike out that many times, you're not putting much pressure on the defense," Washington said.

In the final game of the series, Dustin Nippert again showed that he may be finally reaching the level long expected of a player with his potential. Nippert, forced into the game after Kevin Millwood had to exit at the end of the 2nd inning with a strained left gluteus muscle, came up big for Texas, pitching 4 2/3 innings of one hit, one run relief, giving the stagnant offense just enough time to put a few runs on the board.



"I just go out there to throw strikes and keep us in the game," Nippert said. "Keep it close and help us win the game. Today I was able to keep the ball down and use all my pitches. I was throwing my changeup a lot and mixing speeds."

With the performance, Nippert picked up his 2nd win in 5 days, despite his offense doing everything in their power to prevent that. Luckily for him, the Royals defense proved slightly more inept that the Rangers hitting.

After being shut out for six innings by Kansas City starter and former Rangers reject Sidney Ponson, Texas finally got a bit of a rally started in the 7th inning as Andruw Jones banged a double of the wall in left field. A single by Nelson Cruz put runners on the corners with nobody out. Royals reliever Ron Mahay was replaced by Jamey Wright who promptly induced a groud ball by Jarrod Saltalamacchia to first baseman Billy Butler who threw out Jones trying to score at home. With runners at first and second, Cruz then stole third, but Wright got a big strike out of Elvis Andrus for the second out of the inning.

That brought Ian Kinsler to the plate, who quickly swung at the first pitch he saw, popping the ball up high into the air on the right side of the infield. Luckily for Texas, Royals second baseman Alberto Callaspo had trouble locating the ball, making a last ditch running stab at it, dropping it on the right field grass. The error allowed Nelson Cruz to score and seemed to suck the life out of the Kansas City players. Michael Young and Marlon Byrd both singled home runs making it 3-0.

"It always takes the emotion out of you when you give up three unearned runs in one inning," Royals manager Trey Hillman said. "That happens regardless of how you're going. But it happens even more so when you've only got a couple hits on the board and you're having a miserable time offensively."

Kansas City put a run on the board in the bottom of the 7th but it was quickly given back as Andruw Jones came up in the top of the 8th and hammered a homerun into the left field seats. Texas would add three more runs in the 8th, closing the Royals out with a 2-1 series win.

"It was a strange game," Young said. "The story of the game was Nip and the sun. We got the sun ball and after that we came alive. Give Ponson credit. He threw a really good game. He had a lot of life on his sinker down in the zone. We caught a big break in the seventh and took it over."

Greinke Tough But Feldman Comes Up Big As Rangers Shutout Royals

Scott Feldman has been saying all year that staff ace Kevin Millwood has set the bar pretty high for staying in games and chewing up innings. Feldman has been very effective this year for six innings but high pitch count and/or fatigue has prevented him from getting through the 7th. On Friday night, Feldman finally broke through that wall, deliving a masterful performance over eight innings in route to his 9th win of the season.

"I hope I can build on this and make it more of a regular thing getting us deeper in the game," Feldman said.



As good as Feldman was, allowing no runs while scattering just four hits over his eight innings, Royals ace Zack Greinke pitched quite a game as well. Greinke went seven innings, striking out ten while allowing just three hits. Unfortunately for the Royals, one of those hits was a solo homerun off the bat of Marlon Byrd.

"I know he wished that pitch was in a better spot," Byrd said. "That was something we needed, and Feldman took it from there."

Texas added an insurance run in the top of the 8th when Hank Blalock hit a long double to center field, scoring Marlon Byrd.

C.J. Wilson took over for Feldman in the 9th, closing Kansas City out, nabbing his 10th save of the year. But despite Wilson's dominant 9th, everyone was talking about Feldman's big night.

"He used his changeup more and had a nice little breaking ball going," catcher Taylor Teagarden said. "I figured Greinke was going to do his usual seven or eight innings and allow zero or one run. At the same time, I was expecting Feldman to do the same."

"For you to outpitch Zack [Greinke], you gotta throw pretty good," Royals catcher Brayan Pena said. "[Feldman] did a great job."

Ron Washington was also quick to praise his starter saying, "Feldman matched the best pitcher in baseball and threw an excellent ballgame."

The shutout was the 6th of the season for Rangers pitchers.

Texas Breaks Out The Brooms, Sweeps Boston Out Of Arlington

Don't look now but your Texas Rangers are starting to play some pretty good baseball.

After struggling against Seattle just prior to the All-Star break, then looking terrible against the Minnesota Twins after the All-Star break, many 'experts' began expounding on the demise of the Rangers.

Then the Boston Red Sox rolled into town.

Playing in front of huge crowds for the last three home games, Texas swept the Sox out of town, taking all three games in a variety of ways.

For game 1, Texas sent their ace, Kevin Millwood to the mound and he didn't disappoint, setting the tone for the entire series. Millwood battled for six innings against the high-powered Boston lineup, allowing just two run. The offense paid him back for his effort, exploding in the bottom of the 6th inning for five runs against former Cy Young Award winner John Smoltz, highlighted by three homeruns off the bats of Michael Young, David Murphy & Jarrod Saltalamacchia.

"Smoltz was throwing a great game," Michael Young said. "For a lot of us, it was the first time seeing him. He still has good life on his fastball and good bite on his breaking ball. He was throwing a great game. We were fortunate we had some guys string together some good at-bats and get a big inning going."



C.J. Wilson also had a big night for Texas, shutting Boston down for the final four outs of the game, striking out two on his way to his 8th save of the season. Wilson's stuff was just flat nasty as he overpowered the vaunted Red Sox lineup.

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In game 2 Texas took on one of the best big game pitchers in baseball, Josh Beckett. And Boston's ace lived up to his press clipping, pitching a complete game and, at one point, retired 14 hitters in a row. Unfortunately for Beckett, Texas may have found themselves a gem in young starter Tommy Hunter.

Hunter was clutch for the Rangers and, after being given an early lead thanks to a 2-run single by Hank Blalock in the bottom of the 1st inning, pitched six innings of one run ball. He also allowed just four hits, keeping Boston off balance the entire night.



"That was great," outfielder Marlon Byrd said. "Beckett was Beckett -- just like he always is. To beat him, you have to have your pitcher go out there and match him, and that's what Tommy did."

Jason Jennings and Darren O'Dat followed Hunter with scoreless innings of their own before giving way to C.J. Wilson who came in and shut the door on Boston, nabbing his 9th save of the year.

"It's a huge win, because they're a great team," Rangers outfielder David Murphy said. "We've played great the last three days, but definitely this series. It just makes a statement that we're here and we're for real. People want to count us out, but we're still playing well. We hit a little skid [losing four straight] and the Angels are playing good. We're not in first place, but we're for real."

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In the final game of the series, Boston sent top prospect Clay Buchholz to the hill while Texas countered with Dustin Nippert. Both starters were late additions as Boston scratched Tim Wakefield due to back issues, while the Rangers were forced to go with Nippert as a replacement for Vicente Padilla. Vicente, along with several other members of the pitching staff have come down with the flu.

Nippert, who has struggled in each of his previous starts, gave the Rangers a gutsy performance, holding Boston to just one run over 5 2/3 innings.

"This shows what character this team has," outfielder Marlon Byrd said. "We went out and played. We didn't care who we were playing -- we just went out and played. The way our pitchers are pitching, if we can play good defense and score a few runs, we're going to win a lot of games."

Not to be outdone, Nippert gave way to Doug Mathis who went the rest of the way, pitching 3 1/3 innings of shutout baseball.

"I just wanted to execute my pitches, make them swing the bats and put the ball in play," Mathis said. "I wasn't worried about going 3 1/3 innings. I was just trying to get guys out, win the ballgame and finish the game."

With Eddie Guardado and Frank Francisco sick and Darrne O'Day and C.J. Wilson unavailable for the game, Mathis' effort was a huge boost to a suddenly short bullpen.

On offense, Texas got a big blast from Ian Kinsler in the 3rd, his 23rd homerun of the season. In the 4th, Texas would find a way to manufacture a few more runs. Nelson Cruz led the inning off with a single followed by another base hit by David Murphy. With both men in socring position, Cruz was able to score on a ground out by catcher Taylor Teagarden. Elvis Andrus then brough Murphy home with a perfectly executed suicide squeeze.



Texas kept constant pressure on Boston's pitchers and defense, stealing six bases, staying very aggressive on the basepaths.

With a 3-1 lead, Texas broke out the gloves, playing great defense behind both Nippert and Mathis. The biggest defensive play of the night was also the funniest as Nelson Cruz and Josh Hamilton both tried to chase down a deep fly ball off the bat of Dustin Pedroia. Cruz got their first and made the catch but ran straight into Josh Hamilton who wrapped him up into a bear hug.

"We're two big boys," Hamilton said. "We were running after the ball, both calling it, and we both couldn't hear each other because of the crowd. At the last second, I looked at him out of the corner of my eye and backed off."

"That was a big play," Washington said. "If that falls, we don't know how it would've ended."

With the sweep, Texas has now taken 5 of 6 against Boston this season and currently sit three games out of first place in the AL West.

Kinsler, Bullpen Come Up Big Against Minnesota

Hopefully, last nights game for Ian Kinsler was a microcosm of how his entire season will go.

Mired in a huge slump, Kinsler led the game off with a solo homerun, giving Texas the early 1-0 advantage.

Derek Holland gave the lead away in the top of the 3rd, allowing a solo homerun to Nick Punto, his first homerun of the entire season. Holland's struggles continued in the 4th inning, as he allowed two more run to cross the plate, thanks in part to a fielding error he committed. He went just 4+ innings and seemingly never regained his composure post-error.

"In the first two innings, he was mixing his pitches very well," manager Ron Washington said. "Then he didn't catch the ground ball. He was erratic after that. When he left, we were in the ballgame."

Down 3-1, the Rangers bullpen stepped up big time, shutting the Twins out the rest of the way, giving the offense a change to scratch and claw their way back. to a 3-3 tie.

"The bullpen came in and they continued to grind tonight," Washington said. "[Doug]Mathis saved us. [Dustin]Nippert saved us. Nippert was on fumes. He was the last guy standing."

The game went extra innings with both teams getting quality pitching from their bullpens. In the bottom of the 12th, Jarrod Saltalamacchia singled and was sacrificed to 2nd base by Elvins Andrus, setting up Ian Kinsler's heroics.



With former Ranger pitcher R.A. Dickey on the mound for Minnesota, Kinsler took a fastball out to left field for a 2-run, walk-off homerun.

"Ultimately the pitch rests in my hand, and I threw the wrong pitch," Dickey said. "That's all there really is to say about this one. I cost us this one, no doubt about it."

"It was a fastball that he tried to get by me," Kinsler said. "He had a good fastball before. He's tough with that knuckleball floating in there. If I was surprised, I wouldn't have hit it over."

With the late-inning win, Texas managed to prevent the Twins from leaving town with a sweep. However, despite the feel good moment, the Rangers continue to struggle at the plate and are now just 1 for their last 20 with runners in scoring position.

Regardless, Ron Washington and Co. are just happy to get themselves a win.

"What a win," said Washington. "They never quit, and tonight was an example of it. It was great. We needed it."

Offensive Struggles Continue As Texas Drops Another Game To Minnesota

Texas is off to a sluggish start here in the 2nd half of the season and is on the verge of finding themselves in 3rd place in the AL West.

The Rangers dropped another game to the Minnesota Twins, going 0-for-7 with runners in scoring position and striking out a ridiculous 10 times.

"I hope this is not the case, but this might be how our offense is this year, and pitching will have to take us to the promised land," outfielder Marlon Byrd said. "Hopefully, our offense will come around, but if not, we'll have to win it with pitching and defense. That's what good teams do in September anyway."

Nelson Cruz accounted for the lone Texas run, hammering his 23rd homer of the season. Cruz added a double and a single but recieved little help from the rest of the offense.



The Rangers have now lost 6 of 7 games, hitting just .192 during that stretch.

"We haven't done as well hitting as we did last year," outfielder Josh Hamilton said. "This would be a good time to pick it up and hit the way we did last year. We'll just see what happens. We just have to keep working hard and hope it comes around soon."

Scott Feldman did what he could to keep the offense close, giving Texas 6 innings, allowing 3 earned runs while striking out five. Feldman continues to give his team quality start after quality start. It's a shame many of his efforts are being wasted due to inconsistency on the part of his offense.

Regardless of the struggles, Texas' manager remains confident.

"We're not going any place," manager Ron Washington said. "We're still in it. We'll come back tomorrow. We know we're better than that. We're not going to drop our heads or make excuses. The name of the game is scoring runs and we're not doing it."

Hamilton Gets Hot, Padilla Implodes

Vicente Padilla likes to come at hitters. It's an admirable quality when his location is on. However, when his off-speed stuff isn't up to par, Padilla has a tendency to rely too heavily on his fastball. Friday night against the Twins, Padilla was rocked for 5 earned runs on 11 hits in 7 innings of work.

"Everything was fine, I only threw two bad pitches," Padilla said.

The two pitches Padilla is referring to resulted in a 2-run triple by Twins centerfielder Carlos Gomez in the 2nd and a 3-run homerun by Jason Kubel in the 3rd.

All five runs were allowed after Josh Hamilton blasted a 2-run homer into the right field seats in the bottom of the 1st. Hamilton added 2 more base hits and another RBI, delivering all the offense Texas would manage for the night.



"The day before the All-Star Game, I had a good batting practice," Hamilton said. "I just had that, 'I belong here' kind of a feeling."

"It is nice to see Ham swinging the bat," manager Ron Washington said.

Despite the offensive display, Hamilton wasn't able to dig Texas out of the hole by himself as the Rangers dropped the first game of the series 5-3.

"That's baseball," Hamilton said. "Sometimes you get it done, sometimes you don't. You keep working and when the situation arises, hopefully you will get the job done."

Rangers Leave Their Mark At All-Star Game

The MLB All-Star is far and away the best of all the All-Star games as it is the only game which most closely represents how the game is truly played. With the NFL, NHL and NBA, defense is done away with in the name of ridiculously high levels of scoring. It's very 3-ring circus and comes off as a waste of the viewers time. But with the MLB game, there remains a sense of intrigue. I think this has everything to do with the fact that the players care more about winning as it now now directly affects home field advantage for the World Series.

The American League won yet again and are now 12-0-1 in the last 13 Midseason Classics.

Tampa Bay Rays star outfielder Carl Crawford was voted the games Most Valuable Player thanks in large part to his leaping catch to pull a potentially game-tying homerun back from going over the left field wall.

A couple of Texas Rangers players had good showings as well, with Michael Young and Josh Hamilton each going 1-for-3. Hamilton added a RBI in the first inning of the game.

"It was a good night," Hamilton said. "It was a little more relaxing than last year. I was able to take it in a little more. But you still can't get on a schedule or in a routine. You're still flying by the seat of your pants. But I was glad we got a win."



Texas' third All-Star, Nelson Cruz did not get in the game but made a big impression the previous night, finishing second to Prince Fielder in the Home Run Derby. Cruz hit several tape measure shots, including one that made it to the 4th tier of the left field seats, measuring over 470 feet. Cruz's shot was the first time a player has reached that part of Busch Stadium.

"Everybody was happy in the Dominican," Cruz said. "The media called me the first thing in the morning. The whole country was paying attention to what was going on. They were all proud and happy with the way that I performed."

Texas will now have a few days of rest before starting the 2nd half of the season Friday night against Minnesota.

Tap The Brakes On Dealing For Halladay

Last week, Toronto Blue Jays GM J.P. Ricciardi admitted to putting some feelers out regarding the possibility of dealing ace starting pitcher Roy Halladay.

Halladay is a career 141-69 and is a bonafied #1 starter. The Blue Jays have let it be known that it will take a massive package of young prospects to pry Halladay away and have sent scouts throughout the majors and minors to gauge exactly what sort of talent is out there for the taking.

Many experts feel as though the Texas Rangers organization are in a position to offer the best package of player possible but there are several factors which prevent me from truly being able to embrace a possible trade.

I understand that the Rangers have played really well this season and find themselves in the thick of the AL West race a year sooner than they'd previously projected. But three seasons ago, Texas set out to build their organization from the ground up, dealing away expensive contracts like Mark Teixeira while stocking their minor league organizations with top-tier prospects. This modus operandi has worked extremely well, as Texas is now ranked as having the very best farm system in all of baseball, spearheaded by the previously mentioned Teixeira trade, a deal which netted them their starting shortstop (Elvis Andrus), starting catcher (Jarrod Saltalamacchia), number five starter (Matt Harrison) and top pitching prospect (Neftali Feliz).

Trading for a player like Halladay, while bold, would effectively cripple the farm system as Texas would surely be forced to deal away quality youth similar to what they added when they traded Teixeira to Atlanta in 2007.



So what would it take to get Roy Halladay? Well, Toronto has said they want young pitching (Neftali Feliz & Kasey Kiker), a power bat (Justin Smoak) and a shortstop (Marcus Lemon) in exchange for their ace.

Feliz just put on a pitching display at the All-Star game when he pitched one inning in the Futures Game, striking out two and averaging almost 97 mph with his fastball.

Kiker is currently pitching for AA Frisco, has shown good command throughout the season and was the starting pitcher in the AA All-Star game, pitching a hitless, scoreless inning.

Justin Smoak was promoted to AAA Oklahoma City last week and appears to be on the fast track to Arlington. He may well be the odds on favorite to be the Rangers starting first baseman as early as next season.

Marcus Lemon was a 4th round pick in the 2006 draft and is a slick-fielding, lightning fast infielder who's already made a successful jump to AA Frisco.

There's also the issue of Roy Halladay having an iron clad no-trade clause and, at least if the rumors are to be believed, would not okay any deal which would ship him to Texas, a place where he is a career 4-3 with a 6.14 ERA in 11 appearances. The Ballpark in Arlington is far and away Halladay's least favorite park in which to pitch, meaning even if they were able to convince him to accept a trade to Texas, it is very unlikely he would even consider signing an extention. Instead, Halladay would likely opt to test free agency after the 2010 season, with Texas getting nothing in return save for a 2010 1st round draft pick from the team that signed him away. Dealing away four (possibly more) top prospects for what would amount to less than a season and a half from Roy Halladay just doesn't add up for me.

Finally, Roy Halladay does nothing for what may well be Texas' biggest issue going into the second half of the season: the offense. The Rangers offense has been very inconsistent for the entire season, one day looking like world beaters only to look lost the next. It appears as though this is simply what they are and if that is the case, no amount of All-Star pitching will make up for all the missed opportunities and silly hitting mistakes this offense seems poised to make over the next 70+ games.

If I'm calling the shots I'm holding my water for now. Hallday is a proven All-Star and would be a welcome addition on any team but mortgaging your future for little more than a rent-a-pitcher (albeit a great one) is simply something Texas cannot afford, especially with Rangers owner Tom Hicks currently wading waist deep in a well-documented financial crisis.

Texas is not and will never be able to spend with teams like the Yankees, Mets and Red Sox, at least not as long as Hicks is the owner. Despite being the 7th largest market in baseball, Texas is currently 22nd in the league in payroll. And while a high payroll doesn't guarantee wins, a low payroll means a team can't afford to make many mistakes and hope to remain viable. The Yankees can afford to trade away their entire minor league for a single player; if things go south they'll just buy more. Texas doesn't have this luxury.

The Rangers have had a great first half of the season and with any luck will find themselves battling it out with the Angels and Mariners in the AL West for the rest of the year. It's simply not the time to be trading away young studs, even if it's for possibly the best pitcher in baseball.

Rangers Make Mistakes On Way To Series Loss To Mariners

The Texas Rangers stumbled to the All-Star break Sunday afternoon, dropping the final two games of a 4-game set in Seattle. Winning just one of four dropped Texas 1 1/2 games behind the Anaheim Angels in AL West.

On Saturday, Kevin Millwood was rolling right along against the Mariners, allowing just one earned run over six innings of work. But in the 7th, perhaps all the battling finally caught up to Millwood, as a lead-off single followed by a 2-run homer by Seattle catcher Rob Johnson proved too much to overcome for the Texas offense.

His counterpart, Jarrod Washburn, looked great against Texas, going seven innings, allowing just one run.

"[Washburn] really did a phenomenal job against a good lineup," Mariners manager Don Wakamatsu said. "He kept them off-balance. He threw several pitches that were right on the black. He didn't throw many pitches in the middle of the plate tonight. He did a phenomenal job."

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Despite 6th inning homeruns from Hank Blalock and Nelson Cruz which pulled Texas into a 3-3 tie with the Mariners, Texas' bullpen couldn't hold down the Seattle offense.

Four consecutive singles (one of which should have been ruled a throwing error on Elvis Andrus) surrendered by Darren O'Day and C.J. Wilson resulted in two runs in the bottom of the 7th, giving Seattle all they would need to hold the Rangers off, taking 3 of 4 in the series.

But it wasn't the bullpen that was the subject of blame after the game. Texas kept Mariners starter Erik Bedard in trouble for much of his 5 2/3 innings, but could never get that one big hit to blow the game open.

"We had Bedard in trouble all night," Ranger manager Ron Washington said. "We just couldn't punch anything across, and finally in the sixth inning, we finally tied the ballgame up. Then it was, 'Who's going to make the mistake first?' And we made one, and they punched a couple of runs across the board."

Regardless of the tough finish, Washington is still fine with how the first half of the season went.

"We've lost games before and bounced back, and we'll bounce back," he said. "Nobody feels good about coming up here and losing three out of four. We had a chance to even the score today. We didn't get it done. The four days we have are days that are on the schedule and there for a reason. I want them to enjoy it and come back Thursday, come back and get back to business."