Notes: Rangers high on Loe

03/01/2006
SURPRISE, Ariz. -- Rangers starter Kameron Loe walked two batters in 2 1/3 innings on Wednesday.
Forgive him. He was excited and had "first-day jitters."
So what if it was nothing more than an intrasquad game that began at 10 a.m. in front of a couple dozen people at Surprise Stadium?
"That's how it is," Loe said. "Put a hitter up there and I get excited. It doesn't matter who. I have something to prove."
This is a guy who already has the fourth spot in the rotation locked up, but that doesn't matter to him.
"I have something to prove to myself," Loe said. "I have something to prove to anybody who didn't think I'd make it, and to people who thought I would make it. I want to be a starter for 15-plus years, God willing, and I want this to be my first year."
So far, Loe has proven to be the most impressive pitcher in camp, and he underscored that in the intrasquad game by retiring seven of the nine hitters he faced. He was so economical in the first inning that he was allowed to face five batters, retiring all of them. In the equivalent of 2 1/3 innings, he threw 36 pitches, the most so far by a Rangers pitcher.
"He has been lights-out since January and wasn't laboring, so I didn't have a problem with that," pitching coach Mark Connor said. "He's throwing the ball well. He probably came in here closer to having game stuff than anybody."
First rounder also impresses: Left-hander John Danks -- at 20, the youngest pitcher in camp -- also had an impressive outing in the 5 1/2-inning controlled game, retiring all five hitters he faced. He struck out three of them.
"Danks threw the ball real well," Connor said. "That's the first time I've seen him throw the ball like everybody talks about. That's the stuff I've heard about."
Danks, the Rangers' first pick in the 2003 First-Year Player Draft, was 4-10 with a 5.49 ERA at Double-A Frisco last year. That would seem to be where he's headed again, but a good spring could get him a ticket to Triple-A Oklahoma. He is not expected to compete for a job on the big-league club.
But manager Buck Showalter said after the intrasquad, "Most guys were rusty with their command. Danks certainly wasn't."
Looking to first: First baseman Mark Teixeira and shortstop Michael Young will leave the Rangers after Thursday's game against the Royals to join Team USA for the World Baseball Classic.
"You'll miss their presence," Showalter said. "Maybe we should get a life-size picture of them and put it in front of their locker."
Highly touted prospect Joaquin Arias will get time at shortstop. The Rangers, having traded Adrian Gonzalez to San Diego, have no such options at first.
Designated hitter Phil Nevin is the Rangers' backup first baseman. Erubiel Durazo has played there, but he's still coming back from Tommy John surgery.
Jason Botts has played first base in the Minors, but the Rangers seem intent on using him in the outfield, knowing that he has offensive potential, but won't unseat Teixeira. Botts made two good plays in left on Wednesday.
The Rangers may pick up a Triple-A first baseman at the end of spring. With Arias scheduled to be at Oklahoma this year, they want someone who is accomplished defensively.
"There's a little concern about who's going to play first," Showalter said.
Kicking game in place: The Rangers like to throw a football around the clubhouse on occasion. They can kick it around with the best of them as well.
Nevin was a placekicker for three years at Cal-State Fullerton, posting a long field goal of 58 yards and a game-tying field goal as time expired against San Diego State.
Triple-A catcher Jamie Burke kicked for three years at Oregon State with a best of 47 yards, but the Beavers won just three games in three seasons and didn't get into position for a lot of field-goal attempts.
"I had a 60-yarder in practice and that was with a full rush," Burke said. "But that was practice. That doesn't count."
Brad Wilkerson kicked in high school, hitting from 48 yards and missing just below the crossbar on a 59-yard attempt. He wanted to kick for Steve Spurrier at the University of Florida but that would have meant giving up his baseball scholarship.
"At Florida, if you were on the football team, you couldn't be on any other scholarship," Wilkerson said. "And Spurrier didn't give scholarships to kickers."
Nix leaves game: Laynce Nix started Wednesday's game at designated hitter and led off with a double, but he ended up leaving the game with some tightness in his groin.
Nagging injuries have dogged the Rangers outfield this spring.
Gary Matthews Jr. (strained rib cage muscle) missed the intrasquad game even though he tried to lobby his way back.
Said Matthews, "I'm probably annoying them, but that's what players do."
Matthews is not due back until the first of next week.
Briefly: Reliever Ron Mahay had the roughest outing of the intrasquad, giving up three runs on three hits and two walks without getting anybody out. ... D'Angelo Jimenez had a home run, and David Dellucci had a two-run double. ... Showalter liked this: Nix led off with a double, and eventually scored on two grounders by Adrian Brown and Durazo. ... C.J. Wilson (strained hamstring) threw off the front of a mound, and will do so again on Friday. ... Josh Rupe and Thomas Diamond are scheduled to pitch on Thursday against the Kansas City Royals. Rick Bauer starts on Friday against the Royals, and Kevin Millwood is scheduled to pitch in a simulated game that day. ... Young's departure reduces the time he gets to spend with second basemen Ian Kinsler and Mark DeRosa, and Showalter said, "It's not a perfect world. Other clubs are in the same boat, but I'm not concerned about other clubs." ... Durazo is going to Tucson to join Mexico for the Classic, but the Rangers are hoping he can play first base on Monday against the Diamondbacks down there. He won't throw. ... Visiting clubs will be allowed to take batting practice before games in the main stadium this year. They took it on the back field in past years, but the Rangers didn't like some of the back fields they were relegated to at other teams' facilities.

Source: http://texas.rangers.mlb.com/