Texas Reaches Agreement With All-Star Reliever

Pending a physical, Texas today agreed on a one-year contract (with a vesting option) for 2010 All-Star relief pitcher Arthur Rhodes. The 41-year old pitcher had a great 2010, pitching in 69 games with the Reds, posting a 2.29 ERA, a 8.2 K/9 rate and a 2.78 K/BB ratio.

The 19-year veteran actually qualified as a Type A free agent but the Reds decided against offering him arbitration. Because of this Texas will not lose a first round draft pick and Cincinnati will receive no compensation for losing the lefty.

The signing of Rhodes should take a lot of pressure off Darren Oliver, Texas' most reliable bullpen lefty last season. Rhodes' presence could also mean Derek Holland will get another serious shot at making the rotation.

Since 2008, Rhodes has a 2.32 ERA and has been one of the most consistent relief pitchers in baseball. Rhodes, a Texas native, will be pitching for his 8th team in as many years.

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."

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.

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.

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."

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."

Hamilton Stays Hot, Rangers Outlast Angels

Sometimes all you need is a little hustle.

Down 3-0, with 2 outs in the 5th, Michael Young legged out an infield single, just beating out a throw from Angels shortstop Erick Aybar, keeping the inning alive. It proved to be the key base hit of the game.

"I just think it's the right way to play," Young said. "You hit the ball on the ground, and you run as fast as you can. I hit it off the plate, so I knew there was a chance, but they have a great infield, so I knew it was going to be bang-bang. We definitely caught a break there on a hit that's not the way you draw it up."

Said Angels starter John Lackey, "He's a guy I've faced probably 100 times. It's always a tough at-bat. He's a professional hitter. He gives you a tough at-bat, plays the game the right way. He's a guy I'd pay to see. Erick did everything he could on that play. Young just beat it."

"Michael Young, this guy's a baseball player in every aspect," Angels manager Mike Scioscia said. "That's how he plays the game. You expect that from him. We just didn't close it out."

Josh Hamilton followed Young with a hard single (one of three hits on the nights) into center field setting up a huge, cluth homerun by Andruw Jones, tying the game.



"I was looking for something over the plate, and he threw one down but over the middle," Jones said. "Everybody came through for us tonight. After I got that big hit, everybody seemed to relax, and we got things rolling."

Hank Blalock followed with a base hit. A visibly uncomfortable Lackey then walked Marlon Byrd and David Murphy before uncorking a wild pitch, scoring Blalock from third. A Jarrod Saltalamacchia single scored Byrd and Murphy, capping the scoring and giving Texas a margin the Angels could never make up.

Spot starter Dustin Nippert went just 3 2/3 innings but was back up by a very impressive 2 inning performance by Derek Holland.

Jason Jennings came in with one on and two outs in the bottom of the 6th hit Mike Napoli and walked Erick Aybar, loading the bases for Chone Figgins. After walking Figgins, allowing a run to score, Jennings pulled things together and got a big strikeout of Bobby Abreu.

"I'm not going to be at my best every night, but at least I was able to make a pitch when I had to," Jennings said. "Right there, if he hits a ball in the gap, they take the lead, so I had to keep the ball out of the middle of the plate. But I got a couple of fastballs inside on him to take it to two strikes and then got him on a slider."

Darren O'Day also struggled but was picked up by C.J., who pitched 1 2/3 innings of scoreless baseball.

Frank Francisco came in to putch the 9th, allowing a homerun to Juan Rivera before shutting the door on the Angels offense, pulling Texas back into a tie with Anaheim for the AL West.

"The wolf-pack mentality was really awesome tonight," Wilson said. "We knew that Dustin had a limited pitch count, so everybody was on high alert. But we came up big because everybody did their job. It was great to get out of those jams."

Rangers Sweep Rays, Keep Pace With Angels

The Tampa Bay Rays came to town riding a bit of a hot streak. But Texas, riding a bit of a streak of their own after having taken 2 of 3 against AL West rivals the Anahiem Angels, took it to the defending American League champs, sweeping the 3-game series to keep pace with the Angels.

"We're a confident team," third baseman Michael Young said. "[The Rays] are a very good team and whoever wants to go to the World Series from the American League has to go through the Rays. They are a talented club and we know they are going to be in the AL mix the whole way. The one thing we did well in this series is we pitched well."

In game 1 of the series, rookie Tommy Hunter gave Texas a big boost, going 5 1/3 innings while allowing only 1 earned run. The win, the first in his MLB career, came on his 23rd birthday.

"Their guy was deceptive, Hunter, and we had a hard time picking it up," Rays manager Joe Maddon said. "Everybody came back in and had a different idea of what he was trying to do. We just had a hard time seeing the ball on him."



Hank Blalock continued his recent power surge, hitting a 2-run shot that proved to be the difference in the game.

"He made me pay," Rays starter Scott Kazmir said. "You don't throw that pitch to Blalock, anything that's hanging, anything that's up. I got away with it the first time and the second time he made me pay."

The trio of Jason Jennings, C.J. Wilson and Frank Francisco came in to pitch 3 2/3 innings of scoreless baseball with Frankie picking up his 15th save of the season.

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Game two of the Rays series saw two top pitching prospcets going head-to-head and at least this time, The Rangers Derek Holland came out on top.

Playoff hero David Price took the mound for Tampa Bay and continued his recent struggles, walking 5 and allowing 6 earned runs in 1 1/3 innings. He's now walked 30 batters in his last 38 innings.



Holland got a lot of early offense from the Texas offense and managed to hang on for the ride, going six innings, allowing 4 earned runs and striking out four.

Nelson Cruz and David Murphy combined for 6 hits and Andruw Jones added a big 3-run blast, leading Texas to an easy 12-4 victory.

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In the final game, Scott Feldman continued to do what he's been doing since joining the rotation, going 6 innings, allowing 2 earned runs and picking up yet another victory.

"[Feldman] kept the ball down," Rays manager Joe Maddon said. "He's done good work this year against left-handed hitters. A lot of it looked like a backdoor cutter and then he'd get in on their hands, too. And we had a lot of jammed swings tonight."

Conversely, Rays starter Matt Garza struggled with his location, walking two and hitting another, allowing 5 earned runs over 5 innings of work.

"I went after them with my fastball," Garza said. "It's all it was, lack of command a lot. When you get behind the hitter gets in a more comfortable, confident position and gives them pitches to hit."

Texas scored all 5 of their runs in the first 4 innings of the game, 3 coming via sacrifice flies off the bats of David Murphy, Marlon Byrd and Elvis Andrus.



Ron Washington speaks a lot on the fundamentals of baseball and the Rangers, at least during the month of June, seemingly lost the abilty to play that form of baseball. Runs weren't being manufactured, men weren't being moved tp the next base but with the turn of the calender, they seem to have found their groove again.

"There's a lot of energy about them," said Maddon about the Rangers. "They're playing the game right. So they just outplayed us for three nights.

"It always starts with pitching. You either win because you pitch or you lose because you don't pitch well. And they've just been pitching well."

Rangers Drilled By Padres

Well, I guess we can tap the brakes on the idea that Texas' offense if back in full force...

Coming off a big offensive performance on Friday, Texas showed up with a big bag of nothing Saturday night, managing only three runs on six hits while striking out eleven times as Padres starter Kevin Correia continued his hot pitching.

"The last five starts, he's 4-1 with a 2.40 ERA," San Diego manager Bud Black said, accurate in the numbers for his pitcher. " ... His walks were down, his strikes were up and his pitch count per inning was down.



Derek Holland had yet another up-and-down performance, striking out eight batters in 5 2/3 innings but also allowed seven runs on thirteen hits. He again relied far too much on his fastball which the Padres (statistically the worst offense in baseball) took advantage of, teeing off all game long.

"We hit the ball well tonight," Padres 3rd baseman Kevin Kouzmanoff said. "He was working fastball, so why not look for it?"

"It was a collective effort," Black said. "Contributions all around when you get 16 hits."

Rangers catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia tried to put a positive spin on Holland's performance.

"For [Derek] this is a great experience," Saltalamacchia said. "He went up there and went after hitters. He's learning how to pitch in the big leagues. He's holding his own."

With the loss, Texas now falls out of first place (by 1/2 game) for the first time in 50 days.

Holland Impressive But Rangers Offense Awful Again

Derek Holland had the best outing of his young career, giving Texas seven great innings of one-run baseball, striking out five. San Francisco is arguably the worst offense in baseball but a quality start is a quality start.

"Derek pitched his tail off," Rangers manager Ron Washington said. "That's what we've got to look forward to. He was excellent."



But in the bottom of the 11th, Jason Jennings bounced a wild pitch past Jarrod Saltalamacchia, allowing the Giants to score, pulling out the 2-1 victory. Regardless, Jennings was not to blame for the Rangers dropping yet another game to an inferior team.

Giants pitcher Matt Cain took advantage of a Texas offense that has seemingly lost its identity, going eight innings, allowing one run and striking out eight. Texas managed three (!) hits over eleven innings, and went 0-for-5 with runners in scoring position.

Texas is now hitting .224 for the month of June and seems to have forgotten how to hit with runners on base.

"I would never have guessed it," Rangers President and Hall of Famer Nolan Ryan said. "I would have guessed we would have scored our normal progression of runs. Our hitting woes have been going on for a while. If we're going to win ballgames, we have to execute in all three parts of the game. Our defense has improved, our pitching has improved and offensively we have to capitalize on our opportunities."

Rangers Struggle Against NL's Best

With the Los Angeles Dodgers coming to town for a 2-game set, Texas looked to measure themselves against the National League's best.

In game one of the series, Vicente Padilla worked out of a few jams, pitching five innings of shutout ball, setting the tone for the night.

"Padilla attacked the zone and kept guys off balance with off-speed stuff," Dodgers centre fielder Matt Kemp said.

The trio of Padilla, Jason Jennings, and the newly acquired Jason Grilli controlled the Dodgers, blanking them 6-0, Texas' 2nd consecutive shutout.

Texas also showed a little offense for the first time in several games, getting an RBI single from Michael Young and a 2-run blast from Hank Blalock, both of whom had been struggling at the plate.

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In game two of the series, both Scott Feldman and Dodgers starter Randy Wolf were mowing hitters down, both of them pitching five shutout innings. But an issues with the stadium lights forced a 1 hour and 41 minute delay, forcing both pitchers from the game.

L.A. manufactured a run in the top of the 6th which was match by a big, opposite field homerun by Andruw Jones. But in the 7th, with Jason Grilli on the mound, Matt Kemp hit a big 2-run blast, giving the Dodgers the lead and, ultimately, the victory.

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In the rubber match of the series, Derek Holland looked very much like a rookie pitcher, walking four and allowing four earned runs over five innings pitched, including a 3-run homerun by Casey Blake. 72% of Holland's pitches were fastballs and Los Angeles took advantage, making solid contact.



Holland is 0-3 with a 7.08 ERA after four starts for the Rangers.

The Rangers offense again appeared disjointed and out of sync, scattering just six basehits over nine innings. The group of Kinsler, Murphy, Byrd, & Andrus went a combined 0-for-13 with two strikeouts.

Texas has now lost 8 of their last 13 games and are averaging 3.3 runs per game during that stretch.

Michael Young says there's nothing to worry about.

"There's nothing in here that says anybody is going to panic with our offense," said Young. "We're a confident group we can make adjustments."

Texas has a day off tomorrow to regroup before hosting the Houston Astros for a 3-game set.

Texas Almost No-Hit In Boston Massacre

The story in game 2 of the series in Boston was Red Sox starter John Lester. Lester retired the first 22 hitters of the game before allowing a double to Michael Young. Regardless, Lester went the full nine innings, allowing only two hits while striking out 11 in the 8-1 victory.

"It felt good," Lester said of his outing. "I was able to throw strikes with a lot of different pitches tonight and command both sides of the plate, which helps. [Catcher Jason Varitek] did a great job of honing that and making sure that I didn't get ahead of myself and try to think two, three pitches ahead, and just focus on that one pitch."

The Rangers players seemed ready to just chalk it up to 'one of those nights.'

"That was just lights-out," Michael Young said of Lester's performance. "That was one of the best games I've seen in my career by a pitcher, topping at 98 [mph], pounding the strike zone. [He] used all his pitches, back-doored his cutter, threw his cutter in, curveball, changeup. You have to give him credit. He flat out threw a good game."



Conversely, Derek Holland, who started out strong (allowing only 1 run in 4 2/3 innings) imploded, surrendering three more runs in the 5th, admitting he lost his feel after having a balk called him.

"I kind of let it get to me," Holland said. "The balk just stayed in my head the whole time, and I lost my composure out there. You just let one thing build up, and it's kind of a snowball effect."

Kris Benson did no better, allowing four more runs to score in the 5th. One of the runs came off the bat of the struggling David Ortiz, a solo homerun that just barely wrapped around Pesky's Pole in right field.

But for all the offense Boston put on the board, the night belonged to John Lester.

"I know his record doesn't show how good he can pitch, but I think the Red Sox fans know how good he can pitch," Ron Washington said. "Tonight was one of the nights he did it."

Padilla Struggles In First Start Back From DL, Rangers Drop Game 1 To The Yanks

It has been said by many a baseball 'insider' that Texas' current roadtrip through New York and Boston is their first true test to determine if they're truly a playoff contender. If that's true, Texas may still be a year away.

Vicente Padilla, returning from a stint on the DL for a sore shoulder struggled with his command from the beginning, allowing seven earned runs in only 3 2/3 innings.

Padilla also set off some fireworks by drilling former Ranger Mark Teixeira twice, the second eliciting a tirade of vulgarities from Teixeira, who needed manager Joe Girardi to come from the dugout to calm him down.



Derek Holland did no better, surrendering a homerun to the resurgent Hideki Matsui, surrendering two earned runs in 1 1/3 innings.

Tack on a three-run blast by Jorge Posada off Warner Madrigal in the sixth inning and you've got yourself a route to the tune of 12-3.

Texas' lone offensive output came off the bat of Nelson Cruz, who hit his 15th homer of the season, a 3-run shot in the top of the third.

Yankees starter A.J. Burnett pitched seven strong innings, picking up his second win of the year against Texas, his fourth overall.

- Just hours before the game, Josh Hamilton was placed on the 15-day disabled list for a sore groin. This is his second trip to the DL this season and it's looking more and more likely like this could end up being a lost year for Hamilton.

- Yankees short stop Derek Jeter went 3-for-4 and scored the 1,500th run of his career.

Yankees Drill Rangers, Take Series Win

Well, you certainly can't say Derek Holland showed any fear on the mound.

Holland worked quickly, threw 94 mph fastballs and challenged the vaunted New York Yankees lineup. Unfortunately, that resulted in 10 hits and 6 runs (5 earned) over 5+ innings pitched.

"It's definitely different against the Yankees," Holland said. "They have a solid lineup, every one of those guys is a tough out. I was okay with it. I was satisfied with it. There were some things I could have done better. I could have had better location."

The rookie did strike out five and pitched effectively against the Yanks left-handed hitters but it wasn't enough, especially with Texas' lineup giving him no offensive support.

A.J. Burnett managed to pitch six shutout innings, striking out seven and allowing only three hits.

"Burnett was just too tough," said manager Ron Washington. "It might have been different if we put up some runs and put some pressure on Burnett, but we didn't do that."

Much like they've done in other games where they've struggled, Texas couldn't make enough contact at the plate to ever get any sort of momentum.

Chris Davis' struggles continued as he struck out three more times, putting him on pace to whiff a ridiculous 220 times. The Rangers have tried to be patient with the young hitter but that patience seems to be wearing thin.

"We've said all along that when you go with young players who you've committed to and have had some level of success, there will be growing pains," Rangers general manager Jon Daniels said. "But at some point, you have to look at each individual and decide what's in the best interests of the individual and the team. We're not there yet. It's obvious Chris is making a contribution with his defense, but he's nowhere near where he needs to be or can be offensively. He hasn't made the adjustments he needs to make. We're going to be patient, but he understands what he needs to do."

Chris Davis is currently mired in a 3-for-37 slump during whcih time he has struck out 18 times.

The lone bright spot of the night came in the 7th when Ian Kinsler hit a two-run homer, his 13th shot of the year.

For the Yankees, Mark Teixeira continued his recent surge, hitting another homerun against his former team, a 2-run blast that got New York out to an early lead.



Hideki Matsui added two homeruns for the Yanks and is looking to put an end to the struggles/injuries that have plagued him the past few seasons.

Yankees hitting coach, Kevin Long, likes what he's starting to see from the offense.

"We're starting to see our offense click on all cylinders," Long said. "You can never be too content. You hate to be over-happy about something. ... We've got to keep moving forward, because we're in May and we've got a long way to go."

Texas Finds Their Offense, Takes Game 1 In Houston

Well, maybe Texas just needs to avoid the Tigers?

The Rangers rolled into Houston last night, losers of three in a row, searching for an offense that had all but disappeared the last three games.

With Vicente Padilla placed on the 15-day disabled list with a strained shoulder, rookie Derek Holland made his first career major league start and didn't disappoint. Holland pitched 5 2/3 innings, struck out four and didn't walk a single hitter. The final hitter he faced, Astros slugger Lance Berkman, hit a three-run homerun. Before that, Holland hadn't allowed a single run. He left the game with a two run lead.

"I saw him use all his pitches," Rangers manager Ron Washington said about Holland. "A couple times they went up there trying to get him to throw some pitches and he would throw a first-pitch strike."



Texas got homeruns from both Elvis Andrus (who went 4 for 5 w/ a stolen base) and Jarrod Saltalamacchia to pace Texas to the early lead, a lead which was given away by poor relief pitching from Jason Jennings and C.J. Wilson. After surrendering back-to-back one-out singles in the eighth, Wilson was pulled for Darren O'Day, who entered and got Tejada to hit into an inning-ending double play.

In the top of the 10th, Nelson Cruz hit an opposite field solo homerun to put Texas up 6-5.

Frank Francisco, fresh off a stint on the DL, came in to pitch the bottom of the 10, blowing the Astros hitters away with 97 mph fastballs.

"I just went out there and pounded the strike zone," Francisco said. "I wanted to get out of there as soon as possible. I've got seven guys behind me and I was just trying to throw my pitch."

Francisco is now 10-for-10 in save opportunities this year. He has yet to allow a run in 15 2/3 innings over 15 games.

Lance Berkman summed up the mood in the Astros locker room after the game.

"A loss is a loss, but whenever you fight hard and come back and you're in the game again then you end up tying the game. To lose a game like that is difficult," Berkman said.

The winner of this series receives the Silver Boot.

Feldman Turns In Another Quality Start, Hamilton Returns From DL With A Bang.

Despite the news of a returning Josh Hamilton from the disabled list, the real story of the night was pitcher Scott Feldman. For the 4th time this season, Feldman turned in a quality start for Texas. Matter of fact, Feldman was cruising for 6 1/3 innings until the home plate umpire decided to get involved.

Having not allowed a run, Feldman had strike 3 on Franklin Gutierrez but home plate unpire Marty Foster didn't see it that way. One pitch later, Gutierrez stroked a single into center, then stole 2nd base. The next hitter, catcher Kenji Johjima hit a soft liner into right field, tying the game at one run a piece.



Feldman was visibly upset while being from the game but, having thrown 110 pitches, needed to sit. Rookie Derek Holland came in to retire the final two hitters of the inning, preserving the tie.

In the bottom of the 7th, Mike Young drilled a hard shot into right field (his 3rd hit of the game) setting up some heroics from the returning Josh Hamilton, who hit an opposite field homerun, giving Texas the lead.

Andruw Jones then legged out an infield single, followed by a Marlon Byrd double, whihc set up a deep sacrifice fly by Nelson Cruz, giving Texas a 4-1 lead. Chris Davis (who had given Texas a 1-0 lead earlier in the game via a solo homerun) drilled a hard shot off the glove of Seattle first baseman Russell Branyan. An error but it scored Texas' 5th run of the game. Jarrod Saltalamacchia then hit a hard shot into right field, picking up an RBI triple. Salty scored on an infield single by Elvis Andrus. After an Ian Kinsler base hit, Mike Young walked, loading the bases for Josh Hamilton, who ended Seattle's misery by striking out.

Leading 7-1, Derek Holland went 1 2/3 innings, throwing strikes, forcing Seattle's hitters to put the ball in play. He was rewarded with several weakly hit groundballs. Holland continues to progress and could find himself in the starting lineup before the end of the season.

Eddie Guardado came in to pitch the 9th for Texas, closing out the game and giving Texas a 2 1/2 game lead in the AL West.

The win was the 1st of Derek Holland's big league career.

Feldman Solid As Rangers Take Over 1st Place In The AL West

Kris Benson may well have come off the disabled list but Scott Feldman is doing everything in his power to keep Benson's spot in the starting rotation.

Yesterday in Oakland, Feldman pitched a gem of a game, throwing six solid innings, allowing only two earned runs on 89 pitches. Since some struggles early in the season, Feldman is keeping the ball down, working quickly, and getting ground balls. He is now 2-0 with a 3.24 ERA in three starts and opponents are hitting .186 off him as a starter. They hit .355 off him as a reliever.

"He was really pounding the ball inside, especially to lefties," Athletics outfielder Travis Buck said. "He threw a lot of cutters, and when it's 91-93 and he's throwing it for strikes, that's a tough pitch to hit. And he did a nice job by showing his curveball and change early in the game, so it wasn't like you could just sit on one pitch. It was just tough to square balls up."

Feldman then gave way to rookie Derek Holland who pitched two scoreless innings, getting the first hold of his young career.

The 9th inning belonged to Frank Francisco who picked up his ninth save of the season, yops in the American League.



Texas got it's offense going thanks to a solo homerun in the 1st by rookie short stop Elvis Andrus. In the top of the 4th, Marlon Byrd singled into right field, followed by a line drive double by the scorching Nelson Cruz. David Murphy pushed Byrd across with a sacrifice fly. Chris Davis then plated Cruz with an RBI single to center.

Despite surrending two runs in the bottom of the inning, Feldman and Co. made the three runs stand up. Manager Ron Washington seems pleased with the progress the pitching staff has made since the beginning of the season.

"I hope it continues," Washington said. "We're getting better. We're progressing. Those guys are taking the ball and they're taking a lot of pride in what they're doing. The tone is set with starting pitching. We're playing great defense and we're getting timely hitting. The guys in the clubhouse deserve a lot of credit, especially the pitchers."

Texas now has a season high five game winning streak and, save for the first few games of this season, find themselves in first place of the AL West for the first time since June 14th, 2006. Veteran Michael Young wants everyone to keep things in perspective.

"First place is nice, but it means more to me that we're playing good baseball," said Young, who extended his current hitting streak to 10 games on Wednesday. "We're pitching extremely well and we're playing good defense. Those are two things we were really bearing down on in Spring Training. We knew our offense could score runs in bunches."

Young's Heroics Not Enough, Holland Makes A Splash

Texas is certainly developing a flare for the dramatic.

After falling down 2-0 in the 2nd (off a 2-run homer by former Ranger Rod Barajas), Texas came back with a couple of their own in the top of the 3rd, thanks to a 2-run single by Jarrod Saltalamacchia.

But Matt Harrison was unable to do much of anything tonight, giving up three runs (including another 2-run homerun by Barajas) in the 4th.

The 5th inning was started by Scott Feldman, who continues to throw buckets of gasoline on fires, giving up two more runs in 1 2/3 innings.



Feldman was then pulled for Derek Holland, who was making his Major League debut and did nothing but impress, going 2 1/3 innings, striking out two and allowing no runs. Holland came in and threw strikes, showing poise on the mound, regularly hitting 94 mph on the radar gun.

Texas began to chip away, picking up one in the 5th, one more in the 8th, and three in the top of the 9th, the last run coming via a solo homerun off the bat of Michael Young.

But C.J. Wilson couldn't hold the lead and, after struggling through the 10th inning, allowed a lead off walk in the top of the 11th. The walk forced in the newly acquired Darren O'Day, who hadn't even been with the team long enough to get his own uniform (O'Day arrived roughly 20 minutes before actually warming up to enter the game), forcing him to wear Kason Gabbard's. Despite the situation, a moment of levity was offered when Ron Washington and the Rangers infield were seen standing on the mound laughing at the sight of seeing a pitcher that they'd previously never met running towards them from their bullpen.

The good feelings lasted all of one batter as Kevin Millar stepped up and did what he's done so many times in his career: drive in the game-winning run.

- Matt Harrison's struggles continue to worry many, his ERA now 9.20. He's been hit very hard and one has to begin to wonder how long they're gonna be able to stick with him pitching the team into early holes. However, with Kris Benson injured and Scott Feldman pitching no better, Texas may not have much choice than to let him see if he can pitch through his issues.

- Darren O'Day has allowed zero earned runs this season. He has, however, allowed five unearned runs. Not exactly what you want out of a relief pitcher.

Holland Coming To Texas, Rupe Designated For Assignment

Derek Holland, the Rangers' top Minor League pitching prospect, has arrived at the Major League level a lot sooner than previously anticipated. Holland was called up from Triple-A Oklahoma City today in an effort to stop the bleeding in the Rangers' struggling bullpen. To make room for Holland on the roster, the Rangers have designated reliever Josh Rupe for assignment.

"I don't even know -- it hasn't even hit me yet," said Holland. "It probably won't hit me until I get out on the field. Even on the drive down here [from Oklahoma City], it didn't hit me."

Holland was draft-and-follow player in the 25th round of the 2006 First-Year Player Draft and has been used almost exclusively as a starter. Texas wants to get his feet wet in a relief role.



"As we looked at it, Derek was the best option for our bullpen," general manager Jon Daniels said. "It's something we discussed in Spring Training, breaking camp in this role. We feel he's a strike thrower with the stuff and the maturity to handle it. He'll be used initially in the bullpen.

"Obviously, we see him as a starter down the line, but right now he'll be in the bullpen."

So far this season Rangers relievers have a combined ERA of 8.63, having allowed 43 hits and 21 walks in 32 1/3 innings. They have allowed runs in eight of the club's 10 games.

"We're trying to straighten out the bullpen, especially in the middle," manager Ron Washington said. "We looked down there, and he was the best we have. We'll use him as a long guy and probably try to get him multiple innings whenever he comes in. It will probably be before the eighth.

"We'll watch him closely. We certainly won't abuse him. We won't leave him out there to take a beating."

Holland is ready to go no matter the role given him. "Relieving is fine with me. When the time comes, you still have to go out and throw. Nothing has changed. I feel good. I feel ready."

"We feel he's ready to handle this thing," Daniels said. "I'm not saying there won't be bumps in the road, but he's here to contribute to the team right now in the bullpen. We'll see where that goes."

Scouts Praise Young Rangers

Several notes from Major League Scouts regarding some of Texas' top prospects:

Justin Smoak: “He’s just fun to watch — he certainly looks like he belongs in big-league games, and the team doesn’t miss a beat with him out there. He’s going to be better than (Chris) Davis. He’s going to be an All-Star, no question about it.”



Smoak hit .280/.357/.600 in 25 at-bats this spring.

Taylor Teagarden: “Teagarden is just an unbelievable defender, and he really shuts the running game down. And I think he’s going to hit. He’s narrowed the gap offensively more than Salty, who has gotten better behind the plate defensively. It’s a nice problem to have.”

Teagarden hit .300/.364/.700 this spring, exhibiting command of the pitching staff when working behind the plate.

Elvis Andrus: “He’s been much more consistent with the glove, and the Rangers don’t need much from him offensively. He’ll hit .255-.260 with seven home runs and be fine.”

Andrus showed some real brilliance with the leather, making several gold glove- caliber plays.

Neftali Feliz: “Every bit as good as advertised — he was up to 98 mph when I saw him. If I have to find something not to like, sometimes he’s a little flat through the zone and he needs to learn how to adjust to getting hit and for now, he just tries to throw harder.”

Derek Holland: “I saw him all list year and he just looks more and more polished each time I see him. He topped out at 96 mph for me and his breaking ball was much better.”