Season in Review: July

Posted on October 26, 2015 by colonelsportsnation

Delino returned in July from his hamstring injury.

The 2015 season unlike many others was a true roller-coaster season. It was the season that saw the Rangers race to last place in the division after one month and then soar to 2nd place in the division after two months. As we pick up our season in review in series in July the Rangers have now settled into the race with the Angels for second place in the division and are in the wild card race as well. The team was able to maintain through June as they dealt with various injuries to Josh Hamilton, Adrian Beltre, and Delino Deshields Jr. By the end of June Beltre and Hamilton had returned but Delino had not yet returned. It was during this point that we really were able to see how important Deshields was to this team. It hurt losing him more than it did Beltre and Hamilton.

Deshields, who was a Rule V pick from the Astros, had never played above Double-A before this season. He had decent minor league numbers in the Astros organization, but Houston did not have any room on their 40 man roster for Deshields. So he was left unprotected and the Rangers chose him in the Rule V draft last winter. They liked his speed and what he could possibly add to this team. He showed enough to make the team out of Spring Training, and the Rangers did not want to send him back to the Astros and so they kept him. At first Bannister did not really know what to do with him, and so he was just a late innings pinch runner. Then later in April he showed he could swing the bat, so he became the 4th outfielder. In May Leonys Martin got hurt and so he played some center field and hit really well. Bannister started hitting him leadoff and that is when the offense took off. Deshields could get on with a bunt, a softly hit ball in the infield, or he could drive it into the gap. Once on base he could make things happen with his legs. He could steal a base, go first to third, or even score from first on a ball in the gap. The offense and the lineup were rolling with him and Choo at the top of the order, but then he strained his hamstring on June 14th. That would keep him out till July 5th.During that span the team averaged just 3.1 runs per game and their record was 8-11. Deshields quietly was the MVP of this team. When he was getting on base at a good clip they would win, when he wouldn’t they would lose. Without him at the top of the order they were really struggling at this point to figure out how to produce runs. Odor, Alberto, and Choo were some of the lead off hitters used. Bannister was trying to find something that would work consistently. He put those at the leadoff and guys like Moreland and Andrus hitting second. It just was a mess. Then on July 5th Deshields came back and was immediately reinserted back into the leadoff spot and Odor was placed in the 2 hole. That seemed to work out big for the team. It did not show up in wins immediately for the team, but there was a different look that had not been there before.

The Rangers even with Deshields back in the lineup ended up getting swept at home by the Angels in a series that was not even close. That was another first half trend was that they struggled in beating teams from the AL West all first half long. They finished the first half 11-23 against the AL West. It is hard to compete for the division with such a poor intra-divsional record. That is something that would have to improve after the break. The Rangers finished up the first half with a couple of series against NL lightweights Arizona and San Diego at home. Unfortunately they lost both games to the Diamondbacks and lost 2 of 3 to the Padres. It was pretty clear at this point that the team was exhausted and running out of steam and it was pretty hard to see if they would be able to compete in the second half. Some shocking changes had also taken place during this stretch. On July 4th the Rangers designated for assignment former closer and Rookie of the year,Neftali Feliz. He was the former electric closer who had helped them reach the World Series in 2010 and 2011 and was converted to a starter in 2012, but blew out his arm and had to have Tommy John surgery. He came back in 2013, but did not have the same velocity. He was in the minors for much of 2014, but was called up after Joakim Soria was traded midseason and became the closer again. In 2015, the velocity still was not there and the consistency was not there either. With Matt Harrison needed to be activated off of the 60-day DL the Rangers decided to DFA Feliz. They ended up releasing him after the 10 days and he signed on with the Detroit Tigers. It was hard to see because it is hard to picture those World Series teams without Feliz and hard to not see him in a Rangers uniform anymore. He was supposed to be our Mariano Rivera. A guy who would close for several years and several potential postseason runs. It was not meant to be though. The team moved forward with Shawn Tolleson and others in the bullpen. Chi Chi Gonzalez was also sent down after struggling for a few starts. He got off to a great start, but hitters adjusted to him and he could no longer miss bats. He was sent down with the command being to work on his swing and miss pitches so that he can put MLB hitters away. Right before the All Star Break Matt Harrison made his triumphant return as well from another back injury. He missed all of 2013 with a back injury, then came back in 2014 and pitched in April and May, but had another episode with his back and missed the rest of 2014. He tried again in 2015 and diligently worked his way back through Spring Training, Extended Spring, and a 30-day rehab assignment in the minors. Finally on Wednesday July 8th he made his return against the Diamonbacks. He replaced Wandy Rodriguez in the rotation. He threw 4 innings, giving up 6 runs, and striking out one. The most important thing was not the result or the runs, but it was that he was back and that he made it through the start without getting hurt again. The team then lost 2 of 3 to the Padres to finish out the first half.

At the break the Rangers were 42-46 and were fortunate to only be 6 games back in the division, but they were also 5.5 games back of the Angels for second and for the wild card as well. It was going to be an uphill battle if the Rangers were going to contend. They needed to play better inside the division, play better at home, get better starting pitching, and find a way to beat lefthanded pitching. Each of those things are what was dragging the team down. It was also at this point that the Mariners were closing in on them for third place. It was a time to relax and recharge the batteries for the stretch run. The race was far from over. The Astros had not been in a true pennant race and so it was anybodies guess on how they would play down the stretch. It was up to the Rangers though to play better themselves and get back into the race. Prince Fielder represented the Rangers in the All Star game in Cincinatti and represented well. He got a 2 run opposite field single and the AL ended up winning 6-3. That closed the book on the first half of the season.

The second half got started with a very important 9 game road trip. The Rangers closed out the first half poorly and would need to really play well in the second half to get back into contention. They started the road trip in Houston for a 3 game series against the division leaders. It did not go as well as you would hope. They lost the first game 3-2, but there was good news in this game. Martin Perez made his long-awaited return from Tommy John surgery in this start. He pitched decently. He made it through 5 innings only giving up 3 runs, struck out 2, and walked two. So all in all not bad for a debut. The offense though could not get a big hit that would have allowed them to win the game. They did bounce back and win the second game behind a huge game from Roughned Odor. He had 3 hits including a triple and a home run. He made the Astros mad with his over the top showmanship and caused a benches clearing argument to occur when Hank Conger tried to say something to Odor. Roughned Odor responded to the benches clearing incident with this.

A bat-flipping triple. This would not be the last time Odor would drive an opponent crazy and it is one of the main reasons why his teammates and fans love him. He plays the game with a swagger that helps him play better and the team as a whole play better. That is the Odor the team was missing in April and May. The Rangers ended up winning this hard fought game that saw both teams and managers get in each others faces. It was a needed win. They could not follow that up with a win in the rubber game of the series as Dallas Keuchel, another lefty, shut them down to help the Astros to a 10-0 win. The Rangers left from there to go to Denver to face the Rockies in a 3 game series. Nick Martinez had a poor start as the Rockies scored 7 runs in the first two innings. He would calm down though and not give up any more runs in the 3rd and 4th innings. The bullpen then went to work shutting down the Rockies from the 5th through the 8th innings. This work by the pitching staff allowed the offense to slowly be able to chip away at that lead. Finally in the 9th, Adrian Beltre did this.

Your browser does not support iframes..

He tied the game with a double, but unfortunately Tanner Scheppers could not hold the Rockies down in the 9th. He gave up 3 hits and a walk-off win in the 9th to lose it. Not the start the Rangers wanted. They lost 3 out of 4 to start the second half and were now 9 games back in the division and were 6 games under .500. Then the team started to turn it around. They won the next two nights in Colorado and went to Los Angeles to face the Angels and won the first two games there including a come back 7-6 win against the Angels to win the series. They lost the final game of the road tri 13-7 but finished a respectable 5-4 on the road trip to momentarily get the boat back floating instead of sinking.

Then they went home on a trip to finish the month. It was at this point that the Trade Deadline rumors were starting. Were the Rangers in on Cole Hamels, were they trying to compete or sell this season, and would the Rangers trade Gallardo to a true contender? All of these questions were out there as the Rangers started a homestand by facing the New York Yankees in a 4 game series. Jon Daniels had to be pondering all of these as he looked at what was out there. At this point in the season the Rangers were still 4 games under .500, 8 games back in the division, and 5 games back of the second wild card behind 5 other teams. It would have been natural for him to really consider selling and saying that they will be ready with Yu Darvish to go all in next season and try to acquire minor pieces here and there to help fill out the roster and get ready for next season. Then the team lost back-to-back games against the Yankees to start out the 4 game series. They lost 6-2 behind another lackluster start from Matt Harrison,in what would be his last start for the organization. Then the next night they scored 5 runs in the first inning against Chris Capuano and could have scored more. Joe Girardi took Capuano out and put Diego Moreno in the game and he was able to end the first inning. Martin Perez was on the mound for the Rangers in his 3rd start after coming back from Tommy John surgery and followed that up with not being able to get out of the second inning. The Rangers allowed 11 runs to all of a sudden go from up 5-0 to down 11-5. It was an embarrasing night and probably rock bottom for team. They lost the game 21-5. Wandy Rodriguez came in after Perez and gave up 7 more runs in what was the last appearance he made in a Rangers uniform. Adam Rosales even came in to pitch in the 9th. It looked like that was maybe it. It was hard to convince myself the team could compete after a night like that. At this point the Rangers were 8 games back in the division still and were just not playing well at home. Then the tide started to turn as we neared the end of the month. It was July 29th and the Rangers had two games left against the Yankees and after getting beat down 21-5 they could go one of two directions. They could either pack it in or respond the only way they knew how and that is by winning. Jeff Bannister and the team adopted the phrase Never Ever Quit for this season. This team was not about to lay down after that 21-5. That was the line in the sand moment. The players rebounded by winning 5-2 the next night behind a great outing from Colby Lewis. Then looking for a split in the series beat the Yankees with a walkoff from Josh Hamilton off feared left handed closer Andrew Miller on a hit the looked and sounded like this.

It was also during these last two days that word got out that the Rangers had acquired Cole Hamels. It would not be announced till July 31st, but it was agreed upon on July 29th. The deal was Cole Hamels and Jake Diekman from the Phillies for Alec Asher, Jered Eickhoff, Jake Thompson, Jorge Alfaro, Nick Williams, and Matt Harrison. It took a lot of players to get him here, but the Rangers got it done and had their ace in hand for the home stretch. The question would be could he have the same impact that Cliff Lee had on the team back in 2010. We shall see and it was a trade that showed the depth that Jon Daniels had spent years developing for a moment like this. The trade nationally looked like a trade that was made in order to compete in 2016, but Jon Daniels was giving this year’s team a chance to compete. Jake Diekman was also included in the trade to help improve the bullpen. Jon Daniels also went and got Sam Dyson right before the deadline for catcher Tomas Telis to help fortify the bullpen even more. All of these were players the Rangers would have under control for at least the next 3 seasons. It was a trade that worked in the present and in the future.

With this news and excitement the Rangers finished off the month by beating the Giants and Madison Bumgarner 6-3. It was a mismatch except for Nick Martinez actually outpitching Bumgarner and the Rangers winning. Their ace was in hand and their bullpen was made stronger and the team was suddenly on a 3 game winning streak that brought their record to 50-52 on July 31st. They were seven games back in the division and still in 3rd place. The team liked their position more than they did just a few days prior. Having Cole Hamels gave this team confidence every 5 days that they would have a shot at winning. Sam Dyson and Jake Diekman being brought in also helped a bullpen that had already been pitching pretty well and helped them become great.

As we close the book on July, the month was mainly about surviving. The team had stretches where they played well and not so well. For the month the overall record was 11-14. They struggled pitching, struggled holding leads, struggled hitting the ball consistenly, and just could not win games. The credit goes to Jon Daniels though for continuing to believe in this team and bringing in the resources for them to be able to play better down the stretch and better they did.

Tomorrow we will take a look at August when the Rangers surged from 3rd place to into the Wild Card lead by the end of the month and were making an assault on the lead the Astros held in the division.

Rangers Clinch AL West

Posted on October 5, 2015 by colonelsportsnation

Cole Hamels pitches the Rangers to the AL West Championship

At no point in April through July did I have any idea that I would be writing that headline. The Rangers started off the season 8-16 and were already 8 games back of the Astros by the end of the April. They lost every game of a series in that month and did not even win a home series until the last day of May. Nick Martinez was their best starter in April and can’t even get on the field now in September. Wandy Rodriguez was mowing people with that curveball and now pitches for the Kansas City Royals. Kyle Blanks was getting important hits in the 3 weeks he was healthy. Tanner Scheppers and Neftali Feliz were your 8th and 9th inning relievers. When I type that out it feels like that was a whole different season. Yet it was not and even though the team played well in May, the bottom dropped out from mid-June to mid-July.

They stood at 8 games back when they made the trade for Cole Hamels. That was the turning point of the season was that week. That was the week that they lost 21-5 to the Yankees. I just remember thinking the team can go one of two directions after that game. They can continue playing like garbage and play out the string or they can try to turn it around and get back into contention. They picked the latter. They came back to win the next two games against the Yankees and get an improbable split. Then they made the blockbuster trade for Cole Hamels and Jake Diekman. Then in the last 30 minutes before the deadline they picked up Sam Dyson for Tomas Telis. That transformed their bullpen from a liability to a strength and allowed them to be able to hold on to these games that they were blowing. Then in August when they started to play well Jon Daniels did it again bringing back fan favorite and right-handed bat Mike Napoli. That strengthened their lineup against LHP. They still stood 8 games back and with just a 10% chance according to Baseball Prospectus (BP) to win the division. The sweep of that series is really when the team started to believe and when the organization started to believe that they might have a chance at this. The sweep kept them alive in the wild card chase but also they picked up 3 games on the Astros to get to within 5 I believe. They were still behind the Angels, but they were getting much closer to them as well.

The team kept playing well from August through much of September and the Astros just kept creeping back to the pack. I began to look at the schedule and thought that if they were going to move into first place it would likely be during that 10 game homestand and the 4 game series with the Astros. Sure enough they did when Mitch Moreland hit the go ahead sac fly to score Drew Stubbs that allowed them move into 1st place. I have to say though that they gave me plenty of pause about their ability to finish it off this week. I thought they would do it Friday, but Jeff Weaver and his 84 mph fastball and his 67 mph curveball were just too much for the Rangers. They just could not slow down their bats enough to be able to get solid wood on the ball. It was as if they were facing a right handed Jamie Moyer. Then I thought for sure they could hold a 4 run 9th inning lead, but nope that was not meant to be either. Yesterday though seeing Cole Hamels pitch like he did shows why Jon Daniels went out and got him. He put up one of the best pitching performances in Rangers history. The other ones that I can think of are Nolan Ryan’s two no-hitters, Kenny Rogers perfect game against the Angels, Cliff Lee in game 5 of the ALDS and game 2 of the ALCS, Derek Holland in game 4 of the World Series, Yu Darvish nearly pitching a perfect game against the Astros in his first start in 2013, and now we have the Cole Hamels complete game in game 162 to clinch the division. Feel free to rank those in your mind however you would like, but Hamels’ game belongs up there. The bullpen was fried from being used so much this week and needed at least 8 and preferrably 9 innings from him and that is what he gave them. The Angels last 26 hitters were 0-23, with two walks and a HBP of Mike Trout. He was masterful in keeping his pitch count down and just getting outs. That is why Jon Daniels brought him here is for games like these and for the postseason games that will follow. In 2010 and 2011 the division was so down that there was not much of a race either year. This year though it was a true 3 team race all the way till the end. Thankfully the Rangers came out on top.

Now they take their talents to Toronto to face the surging Blue Jays. Will they win that series? Who knows. It will be a difficult series, the Blue Jays bring in a great offense, but only have decent pitching. The Jays bullpen is vulnerable. The Rangers must keep it close through the early innings and be stubborn at the plate and try to get to that bullpen early. The pitching strategy has to be to keep the ball low. The Jays will crush anything that is left up. I imagine the rotation will be Lewis, Hamels, Gallardo, and Holland. The Blue Jays do not fare as well against right handers but absolutely crush left-handers. The Jays are the favorite to win this series, the analysts I imagine will be picking this series to go 3 or 4 games tops with the Blue Jays winning it. The Rangers are there though and anything can happen once we start playing the games. The thing I like is the Rangers experience in the playoffs. On the Blue Jays Mark Buerhle, David Price, Troy Tulowitzki, and Russell Martin have previous playoff experience. Buehrle, Price, and Tulo have all played in a World Series. For the Rangers Mike Napoli, Mitch Moreland, Prince Fielder, Adrian Beltre, Elvis Andrus, Cole Hamels, Derek Holland, Yovani Gallardo, Colby Lewis, and Josh Hamilton. Of those players Napoli, Moreland, Andrus, Hamels, Holland, Lewis, and Hamilton have played in multiple World Series. The Rangers bring in vast experience in playoff series and I like to think about this, but the Rangers have not lost an AL Playoff series since 1999. Sure they were not even in the playoffs from 2000-2009, but they won both the ALDS and ALCS in 2010 and 2011. They have that going for them too. The Rangers are there though and not alot of people thought we would be saying that. I think my preseason prediction was that they would finish 3rd in the division behind the Angels and Mariners and finish right around 82-84 wins. They outplayed my expectations though and I could not be happier. This has been one of my favorite seasons to follow the Rangers and I really hope it does not end anytime soon. The AL is wide open and if they can get past the Blue Jays the Royals and whoever wins the wild card game is very beatable. Anything can happen in October. We shall see. Game 1 is Thursday with the time of the game to be announced soon.

The Greatness of Yu

Posted on June 12, 2014 by colonelsportsnation

Darvish throws first CG Shutout

There is a lot that can be said of Yu Darvish, but until last night you couldn’t say complete game shutout for Darvish. He has gotten close to perfect games, no hitters, and shutouts, but had never completed one till last night against the Miami Marlins. The contributing factor always being pitch count. In those games when he would have a chance his pitch count would be above 120 and so to give him a chance would be to risk injury. This season he has found that balance between striking people out and going deeper into games. His first two seasons he averaged 6.2 innings pitched per start, now he averages 7.1 innings pitched per start and 5 times has pitched 8 innings or longer. That is mainly due to adding a more consistent sinking fastball to his arsenal of pitches. Last night he used it to induce 8 groundballs, and 3 double plays. One of those double plays came in the 9th inning after a leadoff single by Giancarlo Stanton. Afer the single there was some movement by Washington like he was considering removing Darvish for Soria, but he allowed Darvish to stay in. Washington said about that, “I put my card down and told [bench coach Tim Bogar], ‘I’m just going to sit here and watch him get a ground ball.’”He did and was able to strike out Garrett Jones to finish it off.

He is truly becoming the Ace the Texas Rangers have been searching for all these years. Those supposed aces included such pitchers as Rick Helling, Ken Park, Aaron Sele, Chan Ho Park, Kenny Rogers, Kevin Millwood, Cliff Lee, C.J. Wilson, but none of them match what Darvish has been able to provide this team. He has provided stability and stellar performance in his time here. His overall numbers this season are spectacular. He ranks 5th in all of baseball in ERA (2.11), 9th in opponents batting average (.218), and 7th in strikeouts (101). This has been such a tumultuous season for the team with all the injuries and DL moves and players being thrust in the spotlight who may not be ready. The one consistent though has been Yu Darvish. Every 5 days Darvish gives the Rangers a chance at winning. This team may not win anything, in fact I think they have a better chance of finishing last in the division than making the playoffs, but every 5 days Darvish makes it worth it to watch this team. He is a great pitcher on a flawed team and hopefully one day he might be able to add Cy Young winner next to his name.

My Top 5 Favorite Rangers Moments

Posted on February 8, 2014 by colonelsportsnation

The Rangers have provided all of us with moments that we will never forget. Moments that we will be telling our kids and grandkids about. Here are my top 5 moments from my time as a Rangers fan. The post for 6-10 is below. Oh and to see video of these moments just click on the pictures. I am sorry, I could not find video of the David Delluci moment anywhere. I guess that will just have to live in my head.

5. -Rangers 3 walkoff wins in succession against the Angels in 2013 season. Soto, Martin, Beltre.

Going into this series in late July both teams were really struggling. Angels suffered through a 2013 season filled with injuries and superstars not playing up to their potential. The Rangers meanwhile had lost 9 of their last 13 games and were struggling just to score runs. The whole pitching staff was keeping the Rangers in games, but the offense just couldn’t deliver. They just needed wins, to help turn the season around. The division still wasn’t lost and they were in the race for the wild card spots as well. In game 1 they faced a one-run deficit heading into the 9th inning. A.J. Pierzynski and then Geovanny Soto hit home runs to tie it up and win the game. The team was ecstatic. One night later they were facing the same situation when Leonys Martin came up with the bases loaded and proceeded to hit a game-winning grand slam. Then on the third night, just when you thought things couldn’t get any crazier Adrian Beltre hits another walk-off home run to win 2-1. After that the Rangers turned things around had a great August to get back into the race and then in game 162 they forced a one-game playoff against the Tampa Bay Rays. They would lose that game, but those 3 nights in July will not soon be forgotten.

4. Elvis Andrus’ base running in 2010 playoffs

Elvis Andrus was a revelation in these playoffs. Against the Rays and Yankees he showed what kind of disruptive force he can be on the bases. It started in game 5 against the Rays where he scored from second on an infield ground out. Then he did that again in game 2 against the Yankees to get the Rangers on the board. He was constantly forcing the action on the opposing team. He was stealing bases and taking the extra base whenever he could. Before this he had been known as mainly a defensive guy who was a light hitter. After this series people started seeing what a great baserunner he is. In the 2010 ALCS alone he ended up with four stolen bases and a .333 BA and .378 OBP. He made his name in these playoffs with his base-running and continues it to this day.

3. David Delluci gets game winning hit against the A’s.

2004 was a magical season for the Rangers. They traded Alex Rodriguez right before Spring Training for Alfonso Soriano. Going into the season there really was no expectations for the team. It was expected that they would probably finish fourth behind the Angels, A’s, and Mariners. Driven by a young infield of Mark Teiexiera, Soriano, Michael Young, and Hank Blalock this team refused to believe what was being written about them. They competed all season long and were still in the race come September. Then the chair-throwing incident happens in Oakland at the beginning of the month causing them to lose one of their best relievers in Frank Francisco for the rest of the season. The team doesn’t quit though and rallies instead and is 5 games back going into a series against the A’s at home. They need to take all three to have a chance to win. They take the first two, but the A’s look like they are going to win game 3 when they lead 4-2 going into the bottom of the 9th. The Rangers though refused to die and came back on a Hank Blalock home run and then David Delluci gets the game-winning hit when he pulls it by Jermaine Dye. The Rangers win that game and sweep the series and stayed alive. They would not make the playoffs that season, but it was quite the ride to watch them try.

2.-Cliff Lee beats the Rays in game 5 to send the Rangers to ALCS

July 9th, 2010 is a day I will never forget. It was the day that the Rangers beat the Yankees and acquired Cliff Lee. It was a turning point in not just the Rangers history, but the Yankees as well. Cliff Lee in those few months he was here made a lot of memories for Rangers fan. He struck out 14 in an August start against the Yankees. He was a guarantee to go 7-8 innings everytime out. No memory for me was greater than seeing him pitch Game 5 against the Rays. Up to this point in the Rangers history they had not won a single playoff series. They had been to the playoffs three times, and all resulted in divisional round exits. 2010 looked to be different after the Rangers had won games 1 & 2 in Tampa. Then the Rangers dropped games 3 & 4 at home. It was down to this all-decisive game 5. The Rangers would have Cliff Lee on the mound, while Tampa would counter with David Price. Ace versus ace, it was bound to be a low-scoring game, and it was for Tampa. Cliff Lee was brilliant in this game. He went the complete game striking out 11 and walking none. The Rangers would go on to win 5-1 and advance to play the New York Yankees in the ALCS. None of this would have happened had the Rangers not acquired Cliff Lee in July.

1. -Rangers beat Yankees to make it to the World Series.

The Rangers since even before moving from Washington D.C. to Texas have always been known as a losing franchise. They weren’t even lovable losers though, they were just irrelevant. They had moments here and there where they made a splash. Moments like the 96,98, and 99 seasons where they made the playoffs. Each time they were beat by the Yankees in the divisional round. Then they made a splash when they signed Alex Rodriguez to the biggest contract in sports history. That didn’t really help them win though. It wasn’t till my number one moment that they crossed that threshold from irrelevance to household name. When Neftali Feliz struck out Alex Rodriguez to send the Rangers to the World Series it put the Rangers on the map to stay. That series showed all the fans at home that the Rangers are winners and that they are fun to watch. The win also rewarded all those fans that have stuck with the Rangers through all those years of losing and irrelevance. I will never forget that I was at work when it happened and I just jumped about as high as I could. It was a feeling that I will never forget. That whole night I kept repeating the phrase, “The Rangers are in the World Series”. I never thought I would be able to say that.