Rangers Sign Torrealba

So long Bengie. Today, the Rangers inked former Giants/Rockies/Mariners/Padres Catcher Yorvit Torrealba to a 2-year deal worth a reported $6.25 million. The signing leaves little doubt that Bengie Molina, should he decide to play another season, will be looking for another team.

Torrealba is a 10-year veteran, is a lifetime .257 hitter and is an above-average fielder with a decent arm. The 31 year old catcher led the NL in fielding percentage (.996) this past season and has a good deal of playoff experience, with the Giants in '03, then with the Rockies in '07 and '09.

"I was looking for a team that could compete and hopefully make it to the playoffs," Torrealba said Monday. "I’m really excited with this bunch of talented young pitchers here. I want to help them out as much as I can by the way I call the game and take charge."

Last season, Padres pitchers went 53-36 with an ERA of 3.14 in games caught by Torrealba.

This signing could also mean the end of Matt Treanor's run in Texas, leaving either Max Ramirez or Taylor Teagarden as the primary back-up to Torrealba. I hope this isn't the case as I like the idea of Treanor returning to be CJ Wilson's personal catcher, something I know Wilson would relish.

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 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.

Andruw Jones Homers Texas Back Into First Place

Last season with the Dodger, Andruw Jones had the most frustrating season of his career, hitting an anemic .158 with just three homeruns.

Against the Angels on Wednesday night, Jones needed just 3 at-bats to equal his previous seasons output, clubbing three homeruns and driving in four, leading Texas to an 8-1 victory over the division rival Anaheim Angels.

"Andruw put us on his back, and everybody just followed," manager Ron Washington said after his team finished taking two of three from the Angels.

"That's what Andruw is capable of," third baseman Michael Young said. "That's not the first time he's shown power; he's been doing it his whole career. There aren't many guys in the game who have as much natural power as Andruw."



Taylor Teagarden and Marlon Byrd also added homeruns for the Rangers, giving starter Vicente Padilla all the room he'd need to hold the Angels down, picking up his 7th win of the year.

"It was just good to go out and perform well and get a win," Jones said. "Everybody produced tonight. It's about team, not just one individual person. It's about team and beating a team that you're competing against."

Jones has now hit nine homeruns and 19 RBI in his last 16 games.

"You're talking about a guy who was on his way to being a first-ballot Hall of Famer," Young said. "Andruw has a lot left in the tank. He works hard, has a good idea of what he's doing at the plate and has got monster power."

Texas is 7-2 head-to-head with Anaheim on the season and now head to Seattle with a 1 game lead on the AL West.

Padilla Comes Up Clutch In Win Over Arizona

He may not be the most popular guy in the clubhouse but there's no telling just how far out of 1st place the Rangers would were it not for the guts and toughness of Vicente Padilla.

Last night, Padilla played the role of the stopper, pitching a seven inning gem, ending Texas' 5-game losing streak. Allowing only one run on six hits, Padilla outdueled D-backs ace and NL ERA leader, Dan Haren.

"That's exactly what we needed," outfielder Marlon Byrd said. "When you have a team that's slipping a little, you need one of your top pitchers to go out and do what he did tonight. If we get that one through five in our rotation, we'll be in great shape."



"When your team has five straight losses, it's good getting a win like this," Padilla said.

Texas again struggled at the plate. They managed to scrape together two runs early thanks to RBI base hits by Taylor Teagarden and David Murphy, but still left two men stranded at 3rd base with less than 2 outs. Luckily for the Rangers, Arizona was never able to get anything going against Padilla.

"We could just never get the big hit at the right time," D-backs manager A.J. Hinch said. "We did get runners on base, and we were in a position to score runs but we just didn't hit them in. Give credit to [Padilla] for competing at that time and getting a lot of off-barrel contact at the right time. It's unfortunate for us."

Padilla is 3-0 in his last four starts.

"He [Padilla] certainly had a challenge on his hands, and he was up for the challenge," Rangers manager Ron Washington said. "Every time he has been going out there, he has been getting better. We needed him to match up tonight, and he did."

"Contrary to popular belief, the sky wasn't falling," said third Baseman Michael Young. "We're a confident group. There are stretches when we aren't playing well, but the biggest thing is how you come out of it. We feel we can play well on any night. It was a nice win, we just have to continue to play well."

Texas is now 2-14 this season when scoring two runs or fewer in a game.

Rangers Sweep Doubleheader Against A's, 10 Games Over .500 For First Time Since 2005

Coming off a disappointing series loss against the New York Yankees, the Rangers looked to get back on track against the last-place Oakland A's.

In game 1 of the doubleheader, Texas sent Tommy Hunter to the mound. Hunter was a last minute call-up from Oklahoma City, needed to make a spot start. Hunter did the job, going 5 1/3 innings and holding the A's down long enough for his offense to come through.

"Tommy got us through five, gave us a chance to win," Rangers manager Ron Washington said. "He looked more under control. For the most part, he got it done."

With Texas down 3-2 in the bottom of the 7th, Marlon Byrd came through with a game-tying solo homerun. Andruw Jones and Nelson Cruz put the Rangers ahead for good with 2-run and solo blasts respectively. The lead proved to be more than enough for Frank Francisco, who has been absolutely dominant all season, giving Texas a 6-3 win in the opener.

In the second game of the doubleheader, Texas sent Scott Feldman to the mound. Feldman has been very consistent since stepping into the starting five, giving the back end of the rotation some real stability. Despite some control issues on Friday, Feldman got the job done once again, going six innings while allowing only two earned runs.



"There wasn't a single inning he worked that was easy," Washington said. "He worked pretty hard to get to the sixth."

Texas scored four runs in the 1st inning thanks to RBI doubles by Josh Hamilton and Hank Blalock, and a 2-out, 2-run single by backup catcher Taylor Teagarden.

Oakland was never able to put together any offense, managing only five base hits over the course of nine innings.

Jason Jennings picked up his fourth hold of the season, pitching two innings of shutout ball. C.J. Wilson closed the game out with a 1-2-3 9th inning, picking up hiw fourth save of the year.

Ron Washington was thrilled with the effort.

"Two very efficient ballgames," said Washington. "We had great defense, clutch hitting. That's a lot of fun.

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.”