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Getbig Misc Discussion Boards => Sports Discussion Boards => Topic started by: polychronopolous on May 26, 2016, 08:08:18 PM
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JUST TURNED 21 years old and already broke the stadium record with a 491 feet home run. Longest in MLB this year.
Btw, This kid MIGHT end up making the all-star team this year.
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Drafted him in my keeper league too. Also have Gallo.
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Drafted him in my keeper league too. Also have Gallo.
Gallo can hit some moon shots as well.
Has really improved his strikeouts too.
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Gallo can hit some moon shots as well.
Has really improved his strikeouts too.
Funny thing is, I didn't even realize I had three guys from Texas until I replied to your thread.
Yeah, Gallo hits the ball further than anyone not named Stanton. Wish they'd call him up already.
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Funny thing is, I didn't even realize I had three guys from Texas until I replied to your thread.
Yeah, Gallo hits the ball further than anyone not named Stanton. Wish they'd call him up already.
Yeah there is one from last year I need to pull up where he hits almost hits it through the tunnel leading into the consession stand concourse on the upper deck.
Could you imagine standing there ordering a hot dog and see a ball roll by your feet 😀
Yu Darvish making his first start today and they called up Profar to replace Odor.
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I know the value of a closer vs an everyday player, but it's obvious Texas needs a lock down bullpen or else they are going nowhere.
Wonder if they'd ever part with a Gallo or Profar for Miller AND Chapman.
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I know the value of a closer vs an everyday player, but it's obvious Texas needs a lock down bullpen or else they are going nowhere.
Wonder if they'd ever part with a Gallo or Profar for Miller AND Chapman.
I am EXTREMELY comfortable with Bush-Deikman-Dyson at the 7-8-9. The main issue for those guys has not been performance but plain old over workage. They are being forced to go out there almost every day because it seems the Rangers always have the lead once the starting pitcher hands the ball off.
There is definite help coming for the pen by way of Keone Kela. He threw a bullpen session on Friday and evidently feels really good. I think that kid is right up there in the conversation with Bush, Diekman and Dyson in importance once he gets settled in. He really has that much talent.
Tanner Scheppers is another one coming back in the coming weeks. The talent is there I just don't know if he has the nerves for it. They tried to transition him to the starting rotation and that was an epic disaster just like the whole Neftali Feliz ordeal. They really screwed over both of those guys by attempting to stretch them out.
Besides that, I can't see GM Jon Daniels moving prospects as highly ranked as Gallo or Profar for a bullpen piece. Totally not his style. He picked up Diekman and Dyson for the cheap last year and I believe he has the confidence to do something similar again this year.
NOW....If we are talking about moving those 2 kids for a top level starting pitcher to go along with Hamels/Darvish then I am TOTALLY on board. You add a piece like that then you are talking about legit front runner World Series status.
To me starting rotation is a bigger concern than the bullpen because I have faith in the addition of Kela + Jon Daniels ability to figure something out.
A good buddy of mine thinks i'm crazy for wanting to trade the young slugger. He is convinced Gallo is the next Chris Davis. I personally think Gallo projects closer to Adam Dunn.
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Texas Rangers at Number 1; Cubs Fall in Power Rankings
Rangers, SF pass Cubs in W's, rankings
(http://www.rantsports.com/mlb/files/2016/01/FielderBeltre.jpg)
It was bound to happen sometime, but the way the Cubs played the first seven weeks of the season, it was starting to look as if they were exempt from any sort of significant losing spell that even the best of teams experience over the course of a long season.
It's highly doubtful that one bad week will mushroom into multiple bad weeks or months, but the Cubs' poor showing against the Cardinals and Marlins last week did have a slight residual effect -- it knocked them from the top spot of our MLB Power Rankings for the first time this season.
The Cubs are no longer the keepers of the highest win total in baseball -- that distinction is shared by, unsurprisingly, the two teams now ahead of them in the rankings. The Rangers won their 49th game with a 6-2 victory over the Red Sox on Sunday, and the Giants later matched them with a walk-off victory over the Phillies.
Long season, folks...
MLB.COM POWER RANKINGS
1. Rangers
Three injuries to key pitchers in the rotation (Yu Darvish, Derek Holland and Colby Lewis) may catch up to the Rangers eventually, but so far, nothing has changed. The Rangers are now tied with the Giants for the most wins in baseball at 49 and went 4-2 in the past week, topping Baltimore in a makeup game, splitting a two-gamer with the Reds and taking two of three from the Red Sox. They've won 34 of their past 47 games and are off to their best 76-game start in team history. Their schedule leading up to the All-Star break appears favorable, considering seven of their 14 games will be played against the Twins.
2. Giants
Hard to decide who's No. 1 and who's No. 2 between these top teams. The Giants have lost twice in the past two weeks, and their upcoming schedule doesn't look terribly challenging, with four games with the A's, three with the Rockies and six with the D-backs that will take them into the break. They're 32-10 since May 11, the best record in baseball from that date. A big part of the equation has been Johnny Cueto, who, despite a not-so-hot outing on Sunday against the Phillies, has a 2.42 ERA on the year.
3. Cubs
The Cubs lost six of seven and are still 22 games above .500. If that doesn't scream "no reason to panic," what will? The Cubs are still plenty good, but they had a bad week, first being swept by the Cardinals at home before losing three of four in Miami against the surging Marlins. The good news: they have six games with Cincinnati between now and the All-Star break. Not-so-great news: if they're losing because they're tired, it'll be a while before they get a breather. Thanks to a makeup game against the Braves at Wrigley Field on July 7, the Cubs will play 24 straight days heading into the break.
4. Indians
The Tribe heads into a new workweek with a nine-game winning streak, a five-game lead in the AL Central and every reason to believe that in three more months it will still be right in the mix in a very winnable division. Everything is going well for the Indians these days, but this week, let's give a special hat tip to a pitching staff that has the lowest ERA (3.51) and WHIP (1.18) in the AL, and a rotation whose 3.63 ERA is only the Rangers by a tick -- 3.63 to Texas' 3.62.
5. Orioles
The season is almost half over, and the Orioles have yet to relinquish their positioning at or near the top of the very competitive AL East. The offense, which has been relentless all season, has enjoyed an especially fruitful month, leading the Majors with 51 home runs in June. Kudos to the relief corps, which entered Sunday's game with the second-lowest ERA in the Majors at 2.96.
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This Rangers team has the best fortune of anyone I have ever seen.
Rangers overcome bizarre umpiring, 3.5-hour rain delay to complete comeback win over Yankees
(http://sportsdaydfw.imgix.net/1467088030-Rangers-Yankees-Baseball.jpg?q=50&auto=format&w=900)
NEW YORK - This is what has become of the New York Yankees dynasty: They ask the heavens to end games for them.
The heavens did their part.
It was the umpires who ultimately wouldn't capitulate.
And, so, after a rain delay of 3:35 on Monday/Tuesday, the Rangers overcame the weather, a plea from New York manager Joe Girardi, AroldisChapman and what's left of the Yankees for a 9-6 come-from-behind win with four runs in the ninth inning.
"This is just another line in another chapter," manager Jeff Banister said around 2:50 a.m. ET. "I don't want to make it more than it is and I don't want to make it less than it is. This team just wanted the opportunity to play the game on the field to the last out. They wanted to go out there and play hard to the last out. That's what they do."
When play resumed at 2:15 a.m. ET with a runner at first via a Chapman walk, Chapman was gone, replaced by Kirby Yates. He struck out Shin-Soo Choo, hit consecutive batters with two-strike pitches, then allowed a two-run single to Adrian Beltre on a 1-2 count. As cleanup crews mixed with the remaining crowd of about 200, Elvis Andrus added a two-run single.
And as dramatic as the Rangers' comeback was, it was not the story of the night. That was the bizarre handling of a rain delay during which no rain fell and four innings in which rain steadily fell and the tarp was never called for.
Play didn't stop until after Chapman walked Chirinos on five pitches and fell behind Choo 3-1. Yankees manager Joe Girardi came out of the dugout and approached the umpires, beseeching them to do something about the deteriorating conditions.And they did.Acting crew chief Paul Nauert called for the tarp.
He was then left to try to explain to Rangers manager Jeff Banister why he called for the tarp. Suffice to say, the men stood out in the rain for a while discussing the matter."I assume that's what Joe was asking," Banister said. "That was a first for me."
Said Beltre: "We didn't think that it was fair. We had been playing in the rain the whole game. Our pitcher [Tony Barnette] had just been on the mound pitching in the same situation. Even if Girardi comes out and complains, it's still the umpires call."
Then they sat and waited. And waited. And waited a little more.
When the umpires came back on the field and the tarp was removed, Girardi had a conversation with them in the middle of the dirt between second and third.
All the while, Banister stood on the outside, hands crossed across his chest looking impatient or simply annoyed. Then Girardi went to confer with his GM Brian Cashman and MLB's Director of Umpire Administration Matt McKendry. He gestured in a frustrated manner.
"I think what matters most is that allowed the game to be completed," Banister said. "The umpires made a decision based on the conditions of the field. There is obviously agitation on both sides, but they allowed the game to be completed."
The game resumed.
The Rangers made the most of it.
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I am EXTREMELY comfortable with Bush-Deikman-Dyson at the 7-8-9.
Still?
2 monster meltdowns in the last week.
The Yankees bullpen has the top three K/9 pitchers in all of baseball. Imagine adding two of them for a short series.
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Still?
2 monster meltdowns in the last week.
The Yankees bullpen has the top three K/9 pitchers in all of baseball. Imagine adding two of them for a short series.
Maybe you are right.
Matt Bush has been sitting in a jail cell the past few years so it is just a matter of time til he starts to fade plus the organization has been kinda weird about why they have been holding off on Sam Dyson.
Keone Kela WILL help and Scheppers has a good shot to contribute but that might not be enough if the late inning guys can't be completely trusted.
All that being said....
I still would rather The Rangers do whatever necessary to ensure a Darvish, Hamels and Chris Sale rotation for the next 2 years. 😎
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Maybe you are right.
Matt Bush has been sitting in a jail cell the past few years so it is just a matter of time til he starts to fade plus the organization has been kinda weird about why they have been holding off on Sam Dyson.
Keone Kela WILL help and Scheppers has a good shot to contribute but that might not be enough if the late inning guys can't be completely trusted.
All that being said....
I still would rather The Rangers do whatever necessary to ensure a Darvish, Hamels and Chris Sale rotation for the next 2 years. 😎
Yeah, that would be nasty.
And, to be frank, I'm a SABR guy, and completely get the relative little overall upside in elite vs average closers, and their relative value to a potential every day stud like Gallo.
But, I just think what the Yankees have in Miller / Chapman gives the team that acquires them such and overwhelming advantage in a playoff scenario, a GM may "go for it".
I can see the Cubs doing this, despite Epstein's acumen, given the context of where they're at.
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Yeah, that would be nasty.
And, to be frank, I'm a SABR guy, and completely get the relative little overall upside in elite vs average closers, and their relative value to a potential every day stud like Gallo.
But, I just think what the Yankees have in Miller / Chapman gives the team that acquires them such and overwhelming advantage in a playoff scenario, a GM may "go for it".
I can see the Cubs doing this, despite Epstein's acumen, given the context of where they're at.
First and foremost the general consensus is that Texas has a loaded farm system.
Gallo murdering the ball in AAA and Profar proving his worth as a middle infielder with a great glove and a steady switch hitter on the major league level.
2 major pieces right there.
What I mean to say is the pieces are there to make a significant move to win a World Series which is the ultimate goal. Big time baseball.
Over the past few weeks the conversation in DFW has been "Dominant Starting Pitcher vs. A Couple Standout Bullpen Pieces".
And it has really been close to 50/50....maybe with a slight edge towards bringing in a dominant starter.
But I think Grape Ape might have swayed me....Our woes truly are in the bullpen.
If you don't have a bullpen, you don't have shit.
We don't have the answer to whether they will bring in the dominant starting pitcher. So much of that depends on Yu Darvish and what he brings to the table over the next 3 weeks
Beltre is 37. Ian Desmond and Mitch Moreland are only guaranteed for this year. Fielder is on the decline.
If I was to place a bet I say the Rangers bring in at least 1 solid starting pitcher and 2 significant upgrades in the bullpen.
Do not dismiss the Texas Rangers front office(one of the best with JD at the helm) they will make the moves to make this team competitive this year and next.
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It's kind of a cool scenario - at team like Texas can transform a struggling bullpen into the best in baseball if they're willing to part with some talent.
Cool times - win / win for both sides - Yankees can acquire elite prospects the year before they shed a ton of old contracts, and the new team can acquire an overwhelming advantage, and still retain Miller.
Plus, it lessens the chances for the pretender Red Sox and their absolute shit SP.
I'm going to struggle in my keeper FBB league at the end of the year - I got Gallo / Profar / Darvish / Nomar all this year...going to be tough to drop.
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It's kind of a cool scenario - at team like Texas can transform a struggling bullpen into the best in baseball if they're willing to part with some talent.
Cool times - win / win for both sides - Yankees can acquire elite prospects the year before they shed a ton of old contracts, and the new team can acquire an overwhelming advantage, and still retain Miller.
Plus, it lessens the chances for the pretender Red Sox and their absolute shit SP.
I'm going to struggle in my keeper FBB league at the end of the year - I got Gallo / Profar / Darvish / Nomar all this year...going to be tough to drop.
I agree, it works for both sides.
Chapman really impressed me. That guy just blows people away with that fastball. I don't get a chance to watch much of the other teams except when the Rangers play but wow, that guy is unbelievable at times. 102 mph :o :o
I think you'll have to back up the truck to get a 8th/9th inning badass like Andrew Miller though.
Still have faith in the Rangers ability to put up runs. I'm all for selling out for the next 2 years. Get rid of some of the higher double A/ triple A prospects and let the younger guys develop into their places.
I'm thinking a solid 3 guy in the starting rotation and a couple of solid bullpen arms plus maybe a catcher would make me feel much better.
So much of this season depends on Yu Darvish and if he can recover by October. I really think the season almost depends on it. If he doesn't make a solid recovery and they don't make a move for a top of a rotation guy they are toast IF they can even reach the post season.
Oh well, I can't very well keep the thread title as it is...they are NOT the best team in baseball.
Now i get to enjoy a night of Chi Chi Gonzalez and his shitty sinker ball that doesn't sink. >:( :-\ :'(
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Rangers' Nomar Mazara emotional about Instagram post with slain officer
(http://tse3.mm.bing.net/th?id=HS.79515881438&pid=15.1&P=0&w=311&h=176)
ARLINGTON, Texas -- Nomar Mazara took the white iPhone and studied the Instagram image of him and Texas Rangers teammate Joey Gallo posing for a picture with Dallas police officer Patrick Zamarripa. Then Mazara slowly read Gallo's lengthy post as though trying to absorb the meaning of each word.
Then Mazara read it again.
"Who would expect that you would take a picture with somebody a month ago and they'd be dead today?" Mazara asked without really expecting an answer.
"Wow. It's emotional when you see the picture."
Zamarripa was among five people -- four Dallas police officers and one Dallas Area Rapid Transit officer -- who were killed Thursday night when Dallas police say a sniper began shooting from a downtown garage near the end of a peaceful protest against the police-involved shootings of black men in Louisiana and Minnesota this week. Dallas police said seven other officers and two civilians were wounded.
The Rangers had a moment of silence and a military flyover before Friday's game to honor those who were killed and injured during the shooting. And before the national anthem, Lee Greenwood's "God Bless the USA" blared throughout the stadium.
Several news outlets have identified the alleged shooter as Micah Xavier Johnson. He was killed early Friday morning during a standoff when police placed a bomb robot near Johnson and detonated it.
Mazara said he and Gallo, who spent May 23-28 with the Rangers before being sent down to Triple-A Round Rock, were walking around downtown Dallas several weeks ago when Zamarripa requested a photo.
"He was a nice guy," Mazara said in a near-empty clubhouse a couple of hours before the Rangers' game against the Minnesota Twins on Friday night.
"He recognized us and we took a picture and talked baseball for about 15 minutes," Mazara said. "I just couldn't believe it, when I found out that he was one of the officers that had been killed. I was glad I had a chance to take that picture, especially because he was a police officer. He's a hero."
Mazara wasn't the only member of the Rangers dealing with the day's emotions.
Manager Jeff Banister said he went to bed Thursday night watching news reports about the violence in downtown Dallas. Banister said he learned about the shootings during the seventh inning of the Rangers' 10-1 loss to Minnesota from Blake Miller, the club's vice president of security and parking, who made a brief dugout appearance.
"Immediately, it was gut-wrenching," Banister said. "The rest of the game was pretty much a blur for me."
When he woke up Friday morning, Banister said he quickly turned on the news to get the latest information. For a few hours those reports took precedence over scouting reports, roster decisions and ways to beat the Twins.
"You just want to throw up, a tragedy like that," Banister said. "Obviously, myself, I have a lot of respect for the families of the victims in Louisiana and Minnesota, but even more so here.
"How do you rebound from this? How do you reconnect?"
Prince Fielder, like many of his teammates and Banister, has many questions and few answers about how to bridge the apparent mistrust between citizens and public servants. Yes, the Rangers' game is a respite from the tragedy that took place 25 miles east of Globe Life Park, but the issues will remain after the game's final out.
"This is a serious issue and you don't want to escape it," Fielder said. "You really want to handle it as far as last night and the things that happened previous.
"Those are things we really need to look at and not shy away from."
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'Stros doing a nice job getting back in the mix with the Rangers' recent pitching woes, but i'm hoping for a Rangers-Jays ALCS.
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Mike Rhyner: Yu Darvish "doesn't give a shit" about the Texas Rangers
"The Old Grey Wolf", long time DFW radio personality, bashes Rangers pitcher
(http://cdn1.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/eG0ySRcGe1-Cg6MHT2CWaCTRfD8=/0x61:2033x1416/709x473/filters:format(webp)/cdn0.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/50185447/usa-today-9330244.0.jpg)
(http://lakehighlands.advocatemag.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/Hardlinegroup.jpg)
Darvish has been the target of barbs and criticism from the local media since, basically, he arrived in Texas, and despite a solid outing last night, he was on the receiving end of a particularly scathing tweet from the Ticket's Mike Rhyner: "Yu doesn't give a shit about this team...all he cares about is his impending free agency and strikeouts and making hitters look bad"
Going through his subsequent responses to folks, his complaint appears to be that the Rangers need Yu to throw fewer pitches per at bat and go deeper into games to save the bullpen, but instead of pitching to contact, he's trying to strike batters out.
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Striking out batters is the least risky out a pitcher can get.
Rangers need to trade Profar to NY for bullpen help.
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Striking out batters is the least risky out a pitcher can get.
Rangers need to trade Profar to NY for bullpen help.
True but I can see where Rhyner is coming from. Seeing your supposed ace take 90 pitches to get through 4 innings begins to wear on you after a while.
Profar for either one of those relievers could very well happen. Evidently the talks with the Sox over a potential Sale move have cooled off. GM Daniels is reluctant to trade the upside of Gallo to the Rays for what is arguably a group of middle to back of the rotation arms. With Andrus and Odor holding down the middle of the infield for potentially the next decade, Profar becomes very expendable.
When you take into account the potential return of both Colby Lewis and Derek Holland next month, the Ranger might just put all of their focus on relief pitching and potentially a catcher.
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Considering what NY just supposedly got for Chapman, the price for Miller just went though the roof.
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Still a good move for the Cubs. Chapman is going to be a great piece for the back end of that bull pen.
I am all for the Rangers making moves to win now. Almost certain Yu is a Yankee or Dodger after 2017 so they have 2 years to make it happen.
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Cleveland Indians acquire Andrew Miller from New York Yankees
(http://a4.espncdn.com/combiner/i?img=%2Fphoto%2F2015%2F0408%2Fmlb_g_amill66_cr_b_1296x729.jpg&w=570)
The Cleveland Indians have acquired reliever Andrew Miller from the New York Yankees for a package of four prospects, headed by Clint Frazier and Justus Sheffield. This is on the heels of the Indians reportedly landing Jonathan Lucroy last night, conditioned on Lucroy waiving his no-trade clause.
Frazier, 21, was the #5 overall pick in the 2013 draft, and according to one report on Twitter, has evoked comparisons to Mike Trout from folks with the Yankees. He was just recently promoted to AAA, after putting up an 825 OPS in AA this season. An outfielder, Frazier is thought to be likely to end up in left field, though he has played all three outfield spots this year.
Sheffield, 20, is a small lefty who was taken with the #31 overall pick in the 2014 draft. He has a 3.59 ERA in 19 starts in the Carolina League.
Frazier and Sheffield are considered to be two of the top three prospects in the Indians' system, although at first glance, this appears to be a less impressive return than what the Indians got for Aroldis Chapman, although a lot of that depends on how high you are on Frazier.
Meanwhile, the Indians now have one of the best relief pitchers in the game and one of the best catchers in the game, both under control past this season (Lucroy through 2017, Miller through 2018). Miller has a 1.39 ERA and a 1.77 FIP, and gives the Indians a shutdown closer for the back of their pen.
The Rangers were reportedly interested in Miller, but weren't willing to meet the Yankees' asking price. Given what the Indians gave up, I'm a little curious about what the Rangers were asked for.
UPDATE -- The Yankees also acquired RHPs Ben Heller and J.P. Feyereisen in this deal.
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NY has gotten an insane haul for two relief pitchers. Farm system goes from middle of the pack to strong.
But, Texas missed out - should have been all in on miller.
Now time for me to get greedy and have Texas panic and give us someone for Beltran/McCann....
Normally, I wouldn't think it could happen, but this trading deadline has been nuts. ;D ;D
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NY has gotten an insane haul for two relief pitchers. Farm system goes from middle of the pack to strong.
But, Texas missed out - should have been all in on miller.
Now time for me to get greedy and have Texas panic and give us someone for Beltran/McCann....
Normally, I wouldn't think it could happen, but this trading deadline has been nuts.
Very well played by New York. Their future has gotten alot brighter in the past week.
I'm starting to believe the Rangers won't have a Cole Hamels type splash this time.
Evidently the Sox won't let go of Sale unless the Rangers include Mazara and I just can't see that happening. They think they have a star for the next 10 to 15 years in that kid.
Still think Daniels makes a move for relief pitching but will probably rely on his scouts to bring in a relatively(in this market) cheap option in an attempt to provide a Dyson and Diekman return like they got last year.
Martin Perez has began to look like his potential suggested 2 years ago(2.77 ERA in his past 2 games and a much improved changeup, his bread and butter pitch).
You are set with 2 aces in Hamels/Darvish. Pray Perez can continue to rebound. Griffin looked solid in his last outing. Either Colby or Derek Holland can recover by August and that's your rotation. Pretty damn salty at the top but A TON of questions from the middle to back end.
Dyson looks like he is being held together by duct tape at this point and who knows what Bush can provide? They need to get SOMETHING.
I think the plan is to replace Prince with Gallo next year at the First Base/DH slot. Profar has begun to get more outfield work so he replaces Ian Desmond who will likely cash in big time this off season.
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Biggest home run of the year, imo. Walk off right field upper deck. Hopefully this plus Odor's 2 home run game can put a end to this slump.
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Very well played by New York. Their future has gotten alot brighter in the past week.
I'm starting to believe the Rangers won't have a Cole Hamels type splash this time.
Evidently the Sox won't let go of Sale unless the Rangers include Mazara and I just can't see that happening. They think they have a star for the next 10 to 15 years in that kid.
Still think Daniels makes a move for relief pitching but will probably rely on his scouts to bring in a relatively(in this market) cheap option in an attempt to provide a Dyson and Diekman return like they got last year.
Martin Perez has began to look like his potential suggested 2 years ago(2.77 ERA in his past 2 games and a much improved changeup, his bread and butter pitch).
You are set with 2 aces in Hamels/Darvish. Pray Perez can continue to rebound. Griffin looked solid in his last outing. Either Colby or Derek Holland can recover by August and that's your rotation. Pretty damn salty at the top but A TON of questions from the middle to back end.
Dyson looks like he is being held together by duct tape at this point and who knows what Bush can provide? They need to get SOMETHING.
I think the plan is to replace Prince with Gallo next year at the First Base/DH slot. Profar has begun to get more outfield work so he replaces Ian Desmond who will likely cash in big time this off season.
I get where they are coming from on keeping Mazara, but, remember, a couple years ago they looked to be building a dynasty and it all went to shit.
They should get Sale. They have a team that can win NOW, and should go for it.
I love keeping position player prospects, but they have enough young talent and Sale is a top 5 pitcher in the game.
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texas one of the teams who should thank the phils for a little of their success...cole hamels 12-2 this year 19-3 as a ranger so far.... the other j a happ 14-3 on the blue jays.
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I get where they are coming from on keeping Mazara, but, remember, a couple years ago they looked to be building a dynasty and it all went to shit.
They should get Sale. They have a team that can win NOW, and should go for it.
I love keeping position player prospects, but they have enough young talent and Sale is a top 5 pitcher in the game.
I agree.
Hate to trade Mazara...I think that kid has the potential to be the next Juan Gonzalez to this franchise but championships are so rare, especially with the type of payroll the Rangers tend to keep. I figure if I see one or two championships in my lifetime I'll be happy.
Hamels/Darvish/Sale puts them in a fantastic position for the next 2 years.
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MLB Rumor Central: Red Sox pushing for Chris Sale?
UPDATE: The Red Sox are "pushing hardest" to land Sale, per Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports. The Red Sox discussed Sale with the White Sox late Sunday evening, according to Bob Nightengale of USA TODAY. A potential Boston package is believed to lead with outfield prospect Andrew Benintendi and left-hander Eduardo Rodriguez, per Phil Rogers of MLB.com.
It remains unclear if the Chicago White Sox are serious about dealing Chris Sale, but the club reportedly has at least had discussions regarding the ace left-hander.
According to Jon Heyman of Today’s Knuckleball, the Rangers, Dodgers and Red Sox are three of the teams talking to the White Sox about Sale, “though at the moment it’s hard to tell if any of them has a great chance to land the five-time All-Star.”
Heyman notes those three teams have the depth in their farm system that could make a blockbuster deal happen. The White Sox are said to be asking for "five top players" in any deal for Sale. :o :o :o
ESPN’s Jayson Stark tweeted Sunday that Boston’s pursuit of Sale or another high-end starter "has struck out so far," adding the club is telling people they are "not optimistic" about making another big deal.
Joel Sherman of the New York Post reported last week that the Dodgers might be willing to offer a package including top pitching prospect Julio Urias if the White Sox were serious about dealing Sale.
With just hours to go before the deadline, the Rangers also have been mentioned as one of the leading candidates to land Milwaukee catcher Jonathan Lucroy. Heyman mentions infielder Joey Gallo as one of the prized prospects the White Sox might ask for Sale. Gallo also has been mentioned as a key chip in a possible deal with the Brewers for Lucroy.
Heyman also reports that the Rangers and White Sox haven't been in talks regarding Sale for "a while."
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Cool - hope the Sox trade Moncada, Bertandini, and Betts for Sales.
And they still wouldn't win.
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Another potential solid pick up for the Yankees.
Beltran for Tate Deal Almost Finalized
UPDATE -- Ken Rosenthal tweets that a deal between the Rangers and Yankees for Beltran is close, and Dillon Tate, last year's #4 overall pick, would be going to the Yankees in that deal. My guess is that there would be other pieces -- I know that Tate's stock has dropped, but I have a hard time thinking the Rangers would move him this quickly for two months of Beltran.
UPDATE II -- Jeff Passan tweets that the Rangers have agreed to a Beltran deal, and Tate, plus others, are going to the Yankees in this trade.
UPDATE III -- Still unclear on the rest of the package, though Jon Heyman says it is Tate plus two others.
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Another potential solid pick up for the Yankees.
Beltran for Tate Deal Almost Finalized
UPDATE -- Ken Rosenthal tweets that a deal between the Rangers and Yankees for Beltran is close, and Dillon Tate, last year's #4 overall pick, would be going to the Yankees in that deal. My guess is that there would be other pieces -- I know that Tate's stock has dropped, but I have a hard time thinking the Rangers would move him this quickly for two months of Beltran.
UPDATE II -- Jeff Passan tweets that the Rangers have agreed to a Beltran deal, and Tate, plus others, are going to the Yankees in this trade.
UPDATE III -- Still unclear on the rest of the package, though Jon Heyman says it is Tate plus two others.
My understanding of Tate is that his struggles this year could have been due to pitching with a hamstring injury.
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My understanding of Tate is that his struggles this year could have been due to pitching with a hamstring injury.
Some around Dallas are suggesting this might have been a cut bait move by the Rangers.
I recall hearing about the hamstring injury as well and I knew that he had went down to A ball to get his stuff together but other than that I didn't hear much about him. There are Ranger insiders saying they don't project him to be more of than a middle relief guy. :-\
But the guy was the first pitcher taken in 2015 and was still a top 5 guy for the Rangers. The potential seems to be there. I really don't know what to expect with him. One would assume the other contenders were putting in bids for Beltran so maybe the Yankee scouts seen enough in him to pull the trigger?
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Some around Dallas are suggesting this might have been a cut bait move by the Rangers.
I recall hearing about the hamstring injury as well and I knew that he had went down to A ball to get his stuff together but other than that I didn't hear much about him. There are Ranger insiders saying they don't project him to be more of than a middle relief guy. :-\
But the guy was the first pitcher taken in 2015 and was still a top 5 guy for the Rangers. The potential seems to be there. I really don't know what to expect with him. One would assume the other contenders were putting in bids for Beltran so maybe the Yankee scouts seen enough in him to pull the trigger?
Some Yankee fans don't like this deal, but I'm not one of them. They had Gallo/Profar pipe dreams by adding in Pineda, etc which I constantly had to remind them was lunacy, even in this market (although I admit I'd considered it at one point).
This was likely the best offer they had, so it's a lottery pick - high upside if he finds it.
All good. Go Texas - anyone but Boston. ;D ;D
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Some Yankee fans don't like this deal, but I'm not one of them. They had Gallo/Profar pipe dreams by adding in Pineda, etc which I constantly had to remind them was lunacy, even in this market (although I admit I'd considered it at one point).
This was likely the best offer they had, so it's a lottery pick - high upside if he finds it.
All good. Go Texas - anyone but Boston. ;D ;D
Evidently the White Sox wanted Gallo, Profar, Tate, Ortiz and Brinson for Sale. :o
Basically the organizations top 5.
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Evidently the White Sox wanted Gallo, Profar, Tate, Ortiz and Brinson for Sale. :o
Basically the organizations top 5.
Gallo / Profar and one other should have been more than enough.
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Report: Rangers' Prince Fielder expected to announce retirement
(http://a.espncdn.com/combiner/i?img=/i/headshots/mlb/players/full/5915.png&w=350&h=254)
Texas designated hitter Prince Fielder is expected to announce his retirement, according to Fox Sports.
The Rangers are planning to hold a news conference Wednesday to announce Fielder's decision.
Fielder, 32, hasn't played since July 19 after an MRI revealed a herniation of disks in his neck just above an area that was repaired two years ago.
According to Fox Sports, Fielder had season-ending neck surgery last month.
He is hitting .212 with eight home runs and 44 RBIs this season. He has 319 career home runs in 12 seasons for the Brewers, Tigers and Rangers.
The six-time All-Star is scheduled to receive $24 million annually through 2020 as part of the nine-year, $214 million deal he signed with the Tigers in 2012.
The Tigers traded him to the Rangers in the 2013 offseason in exchange for second baseman Ian Kinsler.
Fielder was the seventh overall pick by the Brewers in 2002. He made his major league debut with Milwaukee in 2005.
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Hopefully they have insurance on that contract.
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Hopefully they have insurance on that contract.
Yeah that is the first thing that came to mind for me when I heard it a couple hours ago.
Now if they can only get that Shin-soo Choo contract to go away as well...
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Prince 319 HRs
Cecil 319 HRs
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Prince 319 HRs
Cecil 319 HRs
Prince wearing 3 different teams gear.
(http://www.lobshots.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/little-prince.jpg)
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Prince wearing 3 different teams gear.
(http://www.lobshots.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/little-prince.jpg)
haha
Prince was born in Toronto and that's Exhibition Stadium where I received my early baseball education.
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A couple days old but Yu Darvish goes 415 to center field for his first career homer.
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8/30/16: Odor jacks walk-off two-run homer in 9th
8/31/16: King Felix ROCKED: Rangers power 5 homers to sweep Mariners; Extend AL West Lead to 8 1/2
ARLINGTON -- The Rangers are heading into September with an 8 1/2-game lead in the American League West while the Mariners continue to fade from view in the postseason picture.
The Rangers hit five home runs, including a grand slam by Carlos Gomez and two by Rougned Odor, and Martin Perez pitched six scoreless innings in an 14-1 victory over the Mariners on Wednesday afternoon. The victory gives Texas a three-game sweep of their series and a fifth straight win, while the Mariners have lost five in a row. They are 11 1/2 games behind the Rangers in the West and 4 games out in the Wild Card race.
The 8 1/2-game lead over the Astros is tied for the Rangers' largest going into September. They also had that big of a lead going into September 2010. The Astros arrive in Arlington for a three-game series starting on Friday night.
"So far it has been good, but we have one more series this weekend," third baseman Adrian Beltre said. "We need to win that series and continue to create some separation so we can rest some guys."
Perez beat Mariners ace Felix Hernandez, who was knocked out after allowing six runs in four innings. The big blow was Gomez's third career grand slam in a five-run fourth inning. Hernandez is now 17-23 with a 3.85 ERA in 49 career starts against the Rangers, the most losses by any opponent in club history.
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Complete Disregard for Sabermetrics?? The Texas Rangers Are Making (Unsustainable) History In One-Run Games
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The 2016 Texas Rangers are making history. Their 30-8 record in one-run games gives them a .789 winning percentage that, if it holds up, would set a record for the best winning percentage in one-run games since 1901. But the Rangers have a not-so-slight problem that could haunt them in the playoffs: performance in one-run games is almost entirely — though not exclusively — a matter of good timing and luck, not skill.
By all accounts, the Rangers are a decent team. Their run differential is +9, and sophisticated projection models such as FanGraphs’ (which looks at talent alone, not their record so far) would call for them to win 84 games over the course of a full season. Their excellent record in one-run games has helped put them over the top, though. They’ll probably finish with more than 90 wins and the AL West crown, despite the rival Houston Astros posting a much better run differential.
Performance in one-run games is notoriously variable. But one argument for the Rangers’ ability to sustain their record-setting mark might be a lights-out bullpen. Closer Sam Dyson has 30 saves, so perhaps the Rangers’ relief corps has earned more of those one-run wins than most teams with a similar record would deserve.
To test this theory, I looked at the relationship between a team’s bullpen performance and its record in one-run games, going back to 1988.1 I summed up FanGraphs’ wins above replacement for each team’s bullpen, and then plotted it against the team’s winning percentage in one-run contests.2
Arthur-OneRunGames-1
The chart above contains two extreme outliers: the 2016 Texas Rangers and the 2012 Baltimore Orioles, the only two teams in recent history with a better than .750 winning percentage in one-run games. In isolation, both performances were extremely unlikely to happen by chance (less than 1-in-10,000 odds), though given the huge sample of seasons we have so far — 2,452 team-seasons in MLB’s history — you’d expect such a thing to happen eventually.
One-run performance is messy, but it isn’t all luck. The correlation between a team’s bullpen strength and its one-run winning percentage is significant but fairly weak, highlighting the role of randomness in these situations.3 Just as any given plate appearance can produce almost any imaginable outcome, a game that hinges on only a single run is mostly up to chance.
That said, a good bullpen elevates the probability of holding a one-run lead. Add up that edge over the course of a season, and each win above replacement from the bullpen is worth about one extra point to a team’s winning percentage in one-run games. A five-win bullpen upgrade, which could take a team from roughly the bottom 10 percent of MLB bullpens to the top 10 percent, would net an extra five points of winning percentage. Over an average number of one-run games (46 per season), that’s equivalent to 2.3 more wins. If you total up that improved bullpen’s contribution in one-run games and their estimated contribution over the rest of the season (3.6 wins4), that five additional bullpen WAR ends up buying you about 5.9 wins in on-field results.5 This fact may help to explain why relievers seem to be overvalued by front offices relative to the sabermetric consensus.
But all of this assumes a top-notch bullpen anyway. And, surprisingly, the Rangers’ bullpen hasn’t been exceptional — or even good — this year. Although the 2012 Orioles’ relievers produced more than six wins of value, the Rangers’ pen has a paltry 1.1 WAR between them. Based on that alone, we’d expect their record in one-run games to fall below .500.
Anchored by closer Sam Dyson and Matt Bush, the top of the Rangers’ bullpen has been fine. But that duo has been dragged down by poor outings from other relievers such as Tom Wilhelmsen and Cesar Ramos.
Of course, Wilhelmsen and Ramos are typically used in low-leverage situations, only appearing in one-run games as a last resort. So I also looked to see whether I could explain one-run performance better by focusing on the top relievers in a given bullpen. But counting only the top three or top five relievers didn’t improve the model after controlling for the total WAR of the bullpen. Neither did looking at exceptionally unbalanced bullpens, i.e. those whose top relievers produced much more WAR than their teammates. That doesn’t necessarily rule out the possibility that WAR fails to account for something special that the Rangers’ bullpen might be doing to win one-run games, but league-wide data doesn’t provide much support for that notion.
If the Rangers can’t attribute their one-run success to the greatness of their bullpen, to what do they owe it? The answer is timing. The Rangers have played much better when the game is on the line, as measured by FanGraphs’ Clutch score. Their bullpen ranks eighth in the league in Clutch score, but even more impressively, their offense ranks first.6 Combine these two performances and you have a team that saves and scores runs better than any other when it counts.
But unfortunately for the Rangers, performance in the clutch is not a stable indicator of success. We need look no further than the 2016 Phillies for proof: Philly dominated the league in one-run games for the first two months of the year, rolling out to a 14-3 record in those contests through May 20th, which would have shattered the all-time mark if it had continued. It didn’t. By the end of the first half, the Phillies’ one-run record was down to 20-9 (which still would have been put them in the top 25 all-time); now they’re at a pedestrian 25-17 for the year, which drops them below the 200th position on the all-time list.
The lesson here is that a team’s record in one-run games tends to regress to the mean. The Rangers are more than 90 percent likely to make the playoffs, but they won’t be able to count on this kind of luck in tight contests when they get there.
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West is Won: Rangers Clinch 7th Division Title
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(http://a.fssta.com/content/dam/fsdigital/fscom/mlb/images/2016/09/23/9553979-rougned-odor-elvis-andrus-mlb-los-angeles-angels-texas-rangers.vadapt.980.high.13.jpg)
OAKLAND, CALIF.
Adrian Beltre hit a two-run homer in a three-run seventh Friday to help the Texas Rangers clinched the American League West with the a 3-0 victory over the Oakland Athletics.
Cole Hamels (15-5) was the winning pitcher in the clincher for a second straight year. He scattered six hits in seven scoreless innings, striking seven and walking two.
Kendall Graveman retired the first 18 Rangers batters before Carlos Gomez opened the seventh with an infield single. Ian Desmond followed with a single, sending Gomez to third, and Carlos Beltran’s high chopper allowed Gomez to score the game’s first run.
Beltre hit the next pitch over the left-field wall. The blast was his 31st of the season and gave him 100 RBIs.
Hitting: The closest the Rangers came to a hit over the first six innings was a lineout to first base by Jonathan Lucroy as Kendall Graveman took a perfect game into the seventh. He didn’t leave the inning with so much as a shutout. ... Carlos Gomez started the seventh with an infield single, and he went to third as Ian Desmond followed with a single to right field. ... Gomez scored from third on a high chopper to first base by Carlos Beltran. ... Adrian Beltre was next, and he launched a two-run homer to left field. It was his 31st homer of the season, and it gave him 100 RBIs.
Pitching: Cole Hamels worked seven scoreless innings, but he got some help in the second inning. ... Chad Pinder doubled to right-center field with two outs, and Renato Nunez tried to score from first. Nomar Mazara and Rougned Odor, though, executed a perfect relay home to nail Nunez and keep the game scoreless. ... Hamels allowed only four base runners over his final five innings. Twice the A’s had a runner reach second base with one out, but each time Hamels worked free. ... Matt Bush tossed a perfect eighth inning, and Sam Dyson nailed down the final three outs in the ninth.
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They better see this through this time.
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They better see this through this time.
They will have the luxury of being one of the fresher lineups come postseason.
Hamels will finish the season with less than 200 innings pitched. Darvish only has 87 and Colby Lewis has only pitched 10 innings in the past 3 months.
Tanner Scheppers has looked solid in his return and has only pitched 6 innings all season long.
Jeremy Jeffress is also coming back after a long rest.
That's not even taking into account the ability they have to rest some of the lineup if they choose to.
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AL playoff seedings totally up for grabs ...
Going into play on Saturday, Texas just a half game up on Cleveland and just one up on Boston ...
I guess i'm rooting for the Indians to be seed #1 and thus Toronto's potential Division Series opponent IF the Jays can hold on to a Wild Card and win the WC game.
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Anyone but Boston.
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Anyone but Boston.
man, they're gonna be a force to be reckoned with year in and year out with that young core of talent.
(just maybe gotta add a starter via free agency when the need arises)
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man, they're gonna be a force to be reckoned with year in and year out with that young core of talent.
(just maybe gotta add a starter via free agency when the need arises)
They have a sick core, but I'm banking on a few things:
1. Porcello returning to earth
2. Price contract already appears abysmal
3. Betts and a few having career type years
4. Continued bullpen decline.
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They have a sick core, but I'm banking on a few things:
1. Porcello returning to earth
2. Price contract already appears abysmal
3. Betts and a few having career type years
4. Continued bullpen decline.
I agree with the above except for Betts having a career year in his age 23 season. Unfortunately, I think he has a few more monster years in him.
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I agree with the above except for Betts having a career year in his age 23 season. Unfortunately, I think he has a few more monster years in him.
Not saying he's going to be bad, but I don't see him surpassing.
That said, I looked at his splits, almost .120 gain in OPS from Fenway.
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should be a fun ALDS
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Texas Rangers face Toronto Blue Jays in ALDS
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The Texas Rangers and the Toronto Blue Jays will be squaring off in the ALDS, with Game 1 being in Arlington on Thursday, October 6.
The Jays beat the Orioles, 5-2, on an 11th inning Edwin Encarnacion walkoff home run against Ubaldo Jimenez, while Cy Young Award candidate Zach Britton ended up not even getting into the game for Baltimore, Buck Showalter apparently deciding he needed to preserve him for a save opportunity that never arose.
And so we have a re-match of last year’s remarkable five game playoff series, and the Jays and Rangers facing each other for the first time since the infamous Rougned Odor/Jose Bautista punchout game earlier this year.
Toronto has an impressive offense, but is missing reliever Joaquin Benoit, who suffered a strained calf muscle while running out of the bullpen during a brawl in late September. In addition, Jays closer Roberto Osuna was lifted today with what looked like a possible elbow injury, which could further impact the strength of their pen.
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Darvish 12ks in 6 innings during last start but I'm still rolling with the Lefty come game 1.
Rangers decide ALDS Game 1 starter, don’t announce who it is
(http://m.mlb.com/assets/images/8/2/8/179668828/cuts/HamelsDarvishSplit1280_5763g8m1_7ya4pzd0.jpg)
ARLINGTON, Texas — The Texas Rangers have decided who their starting pitcher will be for the AL Division Series opener. Manager Jeff Banister just wasn’t ready Tuesday to make it public.
Before the Rangers worked out at home, and before finding out who they will play, Banister said he didn’t feel the need to announce Thursday’s starter.
It will be All-Star left-hander Cole Hamels (15-5, 3.32 ERA) or right-hander Yu Darvish (7-5, 3.41).
“I don’t think there’s any competitive disadvantage, and I don’t really believe there’s any competitive advantage,” Banister said. “I just feel like that until we know who we’re going to play, we’ll keep that in house.”
Hamels, who pitched his regular-season finale last Wednesday, threw a bullpen session Monday. Darvish had a session Tuesday, four days after his last start.
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Great 1st game!! ;D
GO JAYS
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How can the #1 team in the A.L. have just a +8 Run Differential for the season?
... (and they played the Angels & Athletics 37 times)
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yes im a huge Jays fan. But putting that aside, I think the Jays really do have the advantage here. Their starting pitching has been fantastic this year and we all know what their bats can do!
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Joey Bats delivered a great, big fuck you to Texas.
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2-0
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As a lifelong Rangers fan I must admit it's been pretty anti-climatic so far.
Both aces go out and get smashed AND the bats go ice cold.
They basically need a miracle at this point.
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Great 1st game!! ;D
GO JAYS
Good second game. Some heart-stopping moments, tho. Lady friend has a line on tics for 3rd game next series, so another dome visit this year may be in the offing. Go Jays!
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As a lifelong Rangers fan I must admit it's been pretty anti-climatic so far.
Both aces go out and get smashed AND the bats go ice cold.
They basically need a miracle at this point.
Do you live near Arlington?
I was surprised to see that you could get a ticket to the first two games for 7 bucks on Stubhub.
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Do you live near Arlington?
I was surprised to see that you could get a ticket to the first two games for 7 bucks on Stubhub.
I live about 3 miles from the park.
It's possible.
The start times were terrible.
3 pm on thursday and noon on friday.
I knew a few people who had to sell their tickets at a steep discount simply because they had to work.
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I live about 3 miles from the park.
It's possible.
The start times were terrible.
3 pm on thursday and noon on friday.
I knew a few people who had to sell their tickets at a steep discount simply because they had to work.
when a team plays Toronto they get the worst start times since the Blue Jays draw minimal TV viewership in the U.S.
(more Canadians watched the AL wildcard game than Americans - despite the 9 or 10 times smaller Canadian population)
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when a team plays Toronto they get the worst start times since the Blue Jays draw minimal TV viewership in the U.S.
(more Canadians watched the AL wildcard game than Americans - despite the 9 or 10 times smaller Canadian population)
That's not surprising.
What is the Canadian population VERSUS the DFW population?
Nobody gives a shit about the Rangers I have always realized that.
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Sanchez starting tomorrow for the Jays. He's been lights out all year. If the Jays "manhandled" the Rangers 2 best starters.......i dont know what they got to put out there to beat Sanchez.
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F'n Texas lol.
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Rangers fall in heartbreaker as season comes to end
DALLAS - Going into this game, it seemed that Colby Lewis was going to drag this team into a Game 4 in order for them to have the hopes of a Game 5. Instead, Lewis ended up only factoring in as a footnote in a game that had more twists than a desperate for ratings network drama, but the same conclusion as last year’s edition - the Rangers being eliminated from the postseason.
Though Texas struck first for the first time all series, pushing across a run thanks to a Carlos Gomez leadoff walk and a few groundouts in the top of the first, Toronto struck back against Lewis in the most predictable way possible for a Lewis start - a pair of home runs.
Ezequiel Carrera walked to begin the home half of the first, and an Edwin Encarnacion home run gave the Jays a 2-1 lead. Lewis got Jose Bautista to look at an 87 MPH fastball over the plate for a strikeout looking, but gave up a solo home run to Russell Martin on the second pitch of the next inning, extending Toronto’s lead to two runs.
After a quiet second, Elvis Andrus put some energy back into the Texas squad with a solo home run to left-center, his first career postseason home run. The next two hitters for Texas would go quietly, though, leaving Texas to trail 3-2, though not for much longer. A leadoff single from Carrera and a ground-rule double from Josh Donaldson gave Toronto back a two-run lead, and knocked Colby Lewis from the game.
Tony Barnette relieved Lewis, attempting to extend his three-inning scoreless streak in the playoffs so far. A single for Edwin Encarnacion scored Donaldson, but Barnette allowed no further runs through the bottom of the third, sending the Rangers to the fourth trailing 5-2.
Rougned Odor came to the plate with Adrian Beltre on with one out in the top of the fourth, to resounding boos in the Rogers Center. He responded to the crowd’s energy by hitting home run to deep centerfield, a two-run shot to pull the Rangers back within one.
Alex Claudio relieved Tony Barnette in the bottom of the fourth, holding Toronto scoreless with the help of his third double-play induced this series. The score remained the same after Toronto’s Aaron Sanchez struck out the Texas side swinging. Claudio then got the first hit of the bottom of the fifth, but was lifted for Jeremy Jeffress after allowing a ringing single to Josh Donaldson. Jeffress allowed a walk in the first postseason appearance of his career but induced an inning-ending double-play to keep the Jays from adding to their lead.
After two weak outs, Sanchez allowed a walk to Rougned Odor in the top of the sixth, followed by a Jonathan Lucory single, his first hit of the postseason. This ended Sanchez’s night, and Toronto brought in Joe Biagini, and Mitch Moreland, fresh off ending an 0-for-22 streak in Game 2 immediately hit a double just off the glove of a diving Kevin Pillar, scoring both Odor and Lucroy to give Texas their first lead since the top of the first.
Going into the bottom of the sixth, Jeremy Jeffress struck out the first batter, Russell Martin, but allowed a single to Troy Tulowitzki. Jeff Banister brought in Jake Diekman to face pinch-hitter Melvin Upton, Jr, who promptly doubled into deep left field. Tulowitzki held at third, however, and after intentionally walking Kevin Pillar, Keone Kela came in to relieve Diekman, who recorded no outs.
Kela looked hyped and a little wild in his outing, with a passed ball allowing Tulowitzki to score from first to bring the Jays back even with Texas, but a foul-out to Adrian Beltre from Darwin Barney and a highlight-reel catch from Nomar Mazara on a well-hit ball by Ezequiel Carrera kept the game tied. After a quiet top of the seventh for Texas, courtesy of Joe Biagini, Kela came back out and retired the Toronto side in order.
The game continued tied, as a combination of Biagini and Brett Cecil held Texas hitless in the top of eighth, and Matt Bush struck out the Toronto side in the bottom of the frame, two looking, one swinging. Roberto Osuna quickly retired the Texas hitters in order in the top of the ninth, and Jeff Banister sent Bush back out there for a second inning of work.
Bush pushed the game to extras with a strikeout, a flyout, and a popout, setting the stage for yet more drama in a series that certainly hasn’t been short of it. Osuna’s second inning went as well as his first, and Jeff Banister made a decision some would question - he left Matt Bush in to pitch a third inning. Bush, while pitching as well, if not better, than he had all season, had also never thrown more than two innings at a time.
Josh Donaldson led off the bottom of the tenth with a double to the wall in right-center field, and the decision was made to intentionally walk Edwin Encarnacion to face Jose Bautista in a potential double-play situation. Bautista worked a full count, but struck out swinging on a high, hot fastball. Russell Martin worked a full count, fouled off multiple pitches, but grounded into what looked like it should be an inning-ending double-play.
Heartbreakingly, at least, for Texas fans, it wasn’t. Elvis Andrus’ turn to Rougned Odor was solid, but a hard slide and a loose grip on the ball meant that Odor’s corresponding throw to Moreland was wide, and Moreland’s last-ditch attempt to catch the winning runner Donaldson at home was not quite in time. Odor’s throw was scored an error, and after a Texas challenge on Encarnacion’s slide at second that was denied, the Rangers’ season officially ended.
Two defensive miscues cost Texas the chance to advance - the passed ball in the sixth allowing Toronto to tie the game, and Odor’s errant throw at the very end. However, in a game that felt like it would be over by the end of the third, Texas was very much still in it, even if that only brought more heartbreak later in the evening.
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;D
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;D
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So, who is going to Boston next year, Encarnacion or Bautista?
I'd guess Edwin.
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So, who is going to Boston next year, Encarnacion or Bautista?
I'd guess Edwin.
if Boston wants to give them crazy term and pay top dollar for their regression years (Bautista's already in decline) then the Red Sox can take both of them and i'll be happy with the comp picks.
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if Boston wants to give them crazy term and pay top dollar for their regression years (Bautista's already in decline) then the Red Sox can take both of them and i'll be happy with the comp picks.
Yeah - agree. I think Baustista is too old for them, but they might panic to replace Ortiz, so who knows.
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So, who is going to Boston next year, Encarnacion or Bautista?
I'd guess Edwin.
Bautista is gone for sure. I think the Jays re sign Edwin
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Bautista is gone for sure. I think the Jays re sign Edwin
S'truth. Get rid of Dickey and Bautista has been my '16 mantra. Loved Joey Bats right up 'til he decided not to step up, and then he threw Goins under the bus. Basta!