Texas Rangers @ Bare Baseball - Baseball MLB Blog

Notes: Tough travel day for Texas

b2blog@gmail.com (David) — Fri, 21 Jul 2006 17:27:00 +0000

07/19/2006
TORONTO -- Rain, The Big Dig and international law should make for an interesting and weary day for the Rangers on Thursday.
Thursday was supposed to be a day off in Chicago. Instead the Rangers have to fly to Boston for a one-game makeup of a rainout from June. The game is scheduled for 1:05 p.m. CT at Fenway Park, where the Rangers have already had three rainouts in two separate trips there this year.
The Rangers are planning to spend Wednesday night in Toronto and leave their hotel at 8 a.m. ET Thursday. According to traveling secretary Chris Lyngos, the Rangers are hoping to take off by 9:30 and get to Boston by 10:30. It will take them 45 minutes to clear customs, at which point they will get on a bus and receive a police escort from the airport to Fenway Park.
They are hoping to be at Fenway two hours before the game if all goes well.
"I'll be glad when we are on the ground," manager Buck Showalter said.
The Rangers also have to deal with The Big Dig, the new central artery tunnel that goes through Boston and is the most direct route between Logan Airport and Fenway Park. A woman was killed driving through the tunnel last Saturday, causing mass controversy, some chaos and a number of delays.
That's why the Rangers have arranged for a police escort.
"They told me they aren't having any major problems," Lyngos said. "But having the escort is going to assure me of getting there on time."
After the game, the Rangers have to go back to the airport, hop on their private jet and head back across the country to Chicago. If all goes well, the Rangers are hoping to be in Chicago by 9:00 p.m. CT.
Only problem is, there is rain in the Boston forecast as Tropical Storm Beryl heads toward New England. A tropical storm warning has been posted for southeastern Massachusetts and Cape Cod.
It won't get there until Friday but there is a 30 percent chance of rain in the Boston area for Thursday afternoon.
Starting pitcher John Rheinecker, who didn't make the trip to Toronto because of a lost passport, flew to Boston on Wednesday and will meet the team Thursday.
This is the first time the Rangers have played three games in three different cities since July 29-31, 2001, when they played the Tampa Bay Devil Rays in Arlington, then played one game in Baltimore before flying on to play the Yankees in New York.
Big Unit, followed by Moose: The Rangers are scheduled to face Randy Johnson, Mike Mussina and Jaret Wright during their three-game series with the New York Yankees that starts on Monday at Ameriquest Field in Arlington.
Johnson has made 31 starts in his career against the Rangers and is 15-5 with a 3.36 ERA in 206 1/3 innings. He has struck out 245 and only Roger Clemens, with 281, has struck out more in his career.
Among active pitchers, Johnson is tied for fourth for the most wins against the Rangers. Clemens has 18 wins against them while Bartolo Colon and Barry Zito have beaten them 16 times.
Mussina is 14-12 with a 3.81 ERA. The losses are second most among active pitchers. The Rangers have beaten Tim Wakefield 13 times.
Monday's game has been moved up to 6:05 p.m. CT so it can be shown nationally on ESPN. It will be shown locally by KDFI/Ch. 27. The Wednesday game is also a national ESPN broadcast but will be shown in North Texas on Fox Sports Net.
Laird starts vs. right-hander: Because of the travel schedule, backup catcher Gerald Laird got a rare start against a right-handed pitcher on Wednesday. With a day game on Thursday against the Red Sox and Curt Schilling, Laird was going to catch one of the two games.
Showalter chose Wednesday because Barajas is 2-for-6 off Schilling in his career.
Showalter said Laird will catch Friday with left-hander Mark Buehrle pitching for the White Sox and then Barajas on Saturday and Sunday.
Hillenbrand may interest Rangers: The Rangers will at least discuss the possibility of acquiring Toronto Blue Jays infielder Shea Hillenbrand, who was designated for assignment on Wednesday after getting into a dispute with manager John Gibbons.
Hillenbrand can play third and first base, but if the Rangers decide they are interested, it would be as a designated hitter and a bat off the bench. Hillenbrand is hitting .301 with 12 home runs and 39 RBIs. The Rangers initial reports are Hillenbrand is somebody who can hit good pitching, but they still want to do more homework on him.
Showalter on Ameriquest: Showalter was among the Rangers contingent who met with the ballpark consultants on Tuesday and said one thing hit him about Ameriquest Field in Arlington when watching the demonstrations.
"It's a great facility," Showalter said. "It's one of the best in baseball. It's a great place to coach, manage and play. The only thing we're trying to do is separate the facts and see if we can make it better for the fans.
"Every time I go in there, I think of what a great place it is. I get my dander up a little bit when they talk about the heat. It's summer. Baseball is played in the summer. It's hot everywhere. When I was with the Yankees I thought it was a great place and I still do."
Briefly: Michael Young entered Wednesday's game with a career batting average of .356 against the Blue Jays. Only Ichiro Suzuki (.370) has a higher average among active players. ... The Rangers went into Wednesday's game having gone five games without a home run. That's their longest such streak since June 13-19, 1995.

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

Millwood stars in Rangers' win

b2blog@gmail.com (David) — Fri, 21 Jul 2006 17:25:00 +0000

07/19/2006
TORONTO -- Everybody kept saying the Rangers practice that play in Spring Training.
But it's still quite a sight to watch a 31-year-old pitcher go sprawling onto the artificial turf while making a barehanded play on a squeeze bunt and throwing out the runner at home plate.
The next batter did double home two runs but that was the extent of the damage and the Rangers, coming off the field trailing after five innings, did not forget Kevin Millwood's defensive work.
"That's just him, laying it on the line," shortstop Michael Young said after the Rangers had rallied for a 5-4 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre Wednesday.
"That was a great play. The guy gives it all he has. That was the turning point for us."
The Rangers needed a couple of innings to prove it but they finally broke through against Blue Jays starter Casey Janssen with four runs in the seventh inning for their second late-inning, come-from-behind victory over the Blue Jays.
In taking two of three from the Blue Jays, the Rangers moved back into second place in the American League West, one game behind the Oakland Athletics and a half-game ahead of the Los Angeles Angels.
"It's definitely a big win," said Millwood, after going seven innings to get the victory. "Taking two out of three from this ballclub is huge. It's not as easy as it seems."
The game was tied 1-1 going into the fifth when a pair of one-out singles by Eric Hinske and Aaron Hill put runners at the corners for John McDonald, the Blue Jays No. 9 hitter.
The Rangers sensed squeeze play.
"I had it in my mind they were going to squeeze with McDonald batting," Millwood said. "With first and third, they don't want to hit into a double play. I had it in the back of my mind and when I saw him square around, I was already prepared."
That was what impressed manager Buck Showalter the most.
"Astroturf helps the ball get to you but that's a play you have to think about beforehand," Showalter said.
Millwood was momentarily jarred by the play and needed a trip to the mound by trainer Jamie Reed for what they described as a back cramp. That may have been a factor in Reed Johnson lining a double to right-center, giving the Blue Jays a 3-1 lead.
But Millwood stayed in the game and Frank Catalanotto grounded out to end the inning. The Rangers left the field impressed by Millwood's defensive work and knowing they had overcome a two-run lead the night before.
"One of the keys to the game was Millwood keeping it a two-run game," said Showalter, the same compliment he gave Vicente Padilla the night before.
For the second straight night, the Rangers did rally, this time in the seventh inning against Janssen. Hank Blalock started this rally with a one-out single and then Mark DeRosa, fighting through a 1-for-13 skid, took a fastball and lofted it down the right-field line for a two-run home run.
"A huge, huge hit for us," Gary Matthews Jr. said.
"It's funny, this is the worst I've felt at the plate in a long time," DeRosa said. "My first at-bat, I swing and hit into a double play, my second at-bat, I pop up. The last time we faced Janssen in Arlington, we hit three home runs and had 10 hits and I was 0-for.
"He just left a pitch out over the plate and it carried. I got lucky."
The Rangers weren't quibbling and, with two out, Brad Wilkerson singled and Gerald Laird doubled into the left-field corner. Matthews came up next and he doubled to left to give the Rangers a 5-3 lead.
The Blue Jays tried to rally against Francisco Cordero in the eighth. Frank Catalanotto was hit by a pitch with two out and scored on Vernon Wells' double. Lyle Overbay then beat out an infield hit putting runners at the corners but Cordero got Greg Zaun on a fly to center to end the threat.
Bengie Molina led off the ninth with a single against closer Akinori Otsuka, but the Rangers turned a double play on Hinske's grounder with first baseman Mark Teixeira doing a terrific job of digging out the relay throw at first.
"We played a good defensive game tonight," Showalter said and he brought up a throw by Wilkerson from the deep left-field corner that cut down Hinske trying for a double in the second.
But the play of the game was by the pitcher. That one seemed to lift the Rangers more than anything.

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

Notes: Club has 'long road' ahead

b2blog@gmail.com (David) — Fri, 21 Jul 2006 17:22:00 +0000

07/20/2006
BOSTON -- Like Odysseus' return to Ithaca, it seems like the Rangers will be forced to make countless stops before they return to Arlington. When completed, their odyssey will have taken them through four cities to play a season-long road trip of 11 games in 11 days.
After playing in Baltimore and Toronto, the Rangers will play Thursday in Boston before heading to Chicago for a three-game series with the White Sox. It is the first time that the Rangers will play three games in three different cities since 2001, when they played in Tampa Bay, Baltimore and New York. The Rangers are 4-3 on the trip so far.
The Rangers will play the Red Sox at Fenway Park for one game to make up a rainout on May 14. In Texas' previous two trips to Boston, three games have been rained out, but Thursday's affair should go off without a hitch. However, if it did rain, Rangers manager Buck Showalter said, "It would be apropos."
The Rangers left their team hotel in Toronto at 8 a.m. and arrived in Boston to an empty visitors' clubhouse at 11:30 a.m. There they sat until their uniforms arrived 15 minutes later.
"It was pretty entertaining and everybody's pretty upbeat. We had a Boston escort and went through customs. All the foreign players had little extra stuff to go through. We won last night so that made some more happy faces in the lobby," Showalter said. The sleep-deprived skipper added, "I could use a Red Bull."
The team will immediately head to Chicago following Thursday's game.
"It's just one of those things where you just have to kind of do it. It's kind of a tough schedule, but everyone's pretty excited coming in here. We're all professionals, so once 2 [p.m.] hits, we should be ready to go," third baseman Hank Blalock said.
The effects of travel, while potentially straining on the body, has had no effect on their sense of humor. Blalock jokingly changed his position in the lineup from third base to designated hitter, demonstrating how, even in jest, the effects of excess travel can be rather tiring.
However, in the world of dry-erase boards, his "status" as DH lasted only seconds longer than the laughs.
Even Thursday's starter for Texas, left-hander John Rheinecker, has been impacted by this hectic schedule.
"It was good to see Rheinecker in front of his locker. He lost his passport and had to go back to Dallas from Baltimore. We couldn't take him to Canada, so it was the first time we've seen him in three or four days," Showalter said.
Quite a pair: In Wednesday's start against Toronto, Kevin Millwood earned the win, but also may have been injured. He will be checked by team trainers on Wednesday, but it does not appear he will miss his next start.
"[He was] throwing the ball to home plate on a squeeze play. He jammed his ... he felt a spasm [or] cramp, back behind his rib cage. We'll check on it today," Showalter said.
Kevin Millwood joined teammate Vincente Padilla as the only 10-game winners on the team. It was the first time that the team had a pair of 10-game winners before July 20 since 2000, when it was done by Kenny Rogers and Rick Helling. Texas is one of only five teams to have at least two pitchers with 10 wins this season.
One more time: Adam Eaton, who has missed the entire season, will make a rehab start Thursday for Triple-A Oklahoma at Iowa, and it will likely be his final start before returning to Texas. In three rehab starts, Eaton has no record, with a 1.08 ERA.
Almost there: Mark DeRosa is batting .332 heading into Thursday, which would rank him fourth in batting average in the American League if he had enough at-bats to qualify. However, he missed three weeks in April due to a foot injury. He should be able to qualify sometime this week, as he has 293 at-bats and would have needed 295 at-bats to qualify Thursday.

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

Rangers downed in makeup game

b2blog@gmail.com (David) — Fri, 21 Jul 2006 17:17:00 +0000

07/20/2006
BOSTON -- On a journey from Toronto to Chicago, it hardly makes geographical sense to have a layover in Boston. However, the Rangers had to play the Red Sox at Fenway Park on Thursday to make up a game that had already been rained out twice.
With the rain refusing to make another appearance, the Rangers might have wished it had.
"We don't make excuses like that," Rangers third baseman Hank Blalock said. "We showed up [and] everybody felt fine. We can't use that as an excuse. It wasn't that big of a deal. It was about an hour flight over here. We got here in plenty of time to prepare for the game and we just got beat."
After two consecutive pitchers' duels in Fenway Park, the crowd of 36,489 witnessed a barrage of hits and a see-saw battle in the Red Sox's 6-4 win over the Rangers.
"I felt like our guys had a challenge today with one of the best pitchers in baseball, and kept battling back. They go ahead, 2-0, we jump back, 3-2, 4-4. We had a lot of players fill in today," Rangers manager Buck Showalter said. "Sometimes the game's not fair. [Curt] Schilling got the benefit of a lot of balls that were borderline out of the zone, so that's part of the challenge that you face here."
Texas southpaw John Rheinecker made his second start at Fenway this season against the big righty, Schilling.
In his last outing in Boston on June 10, Rheinecker received a no-decision against rookie Jon Lester, who made his Major League debut on that day. On Thursday, Rheinecker couldn't have gone against anyone more seasoned than the 19-year veteran with two World Series rings.
"You can kind of use the same refrain for his outings here lately," Showalter said. "There have been a lot of hard-hit balls. It's happened a lot. He had a tough lineup, all right-handed, to pitch to here. I thought we pitched pretty well out of the bullpen after the fact."
Rheinecker, who thought the Red Sox's at-bats were less successful, only lasted 3 2/3 innings, allowing four runs and eight hits in the loss, while Schilling allowed four runs over seven innings.
"The outer half of the strike zone wasn't there, that's for sure. ... [It] seemed like if I didn't throw it in the middle to away, it wasn't getting called," Rheinecker said. "Otherwise, I thought they were off-balance, for sure. They didn't really smoke any balls today."
The Red Sox struck early with two runs in the first inning. Mark Loretta and Kevin Youkilis singled before Manny Ramirez drove in a run with an RBI double. Jason Varitek brought in Youkilis with a groundout to first base.
The Rangers responded to the challenge only one inning later with three runs of their own. After singles by Hank Blalock and Kevin Mench, Brad Wilkerson hit an RBI double to left field that managed to stay fair by a few inches. Rod Barajas followed with a bloop single to right field that scored Mench and Wilkerson.
"We had that one inning where we scored a few runs and we pushed a few across," Rangers shortstop Michael Young said. "Against a guy like Schilling, you have to make sure you keep grinding and keep pounding away as the game goes on because he's one of those guys. He's going to pick up steam and get tougher in those tough situations later on in the game."
"As an offense, we normally take a lot of pride in making sure we have our best at-bats in those situations. He made his pitches when he had to. He's going to get those tough at-bats when you have to bear down and have your best at-bats."
After Mark DeRosa saved a run by nailing Loretta, pulling a "Jeremy Giambi" and not sliding, at the plate in the third inning, the right fielder allowed two runs to score on a fly ball hit by Wily Mo Pena that was misjudged and bounced off his glove to the ground.
Rheinecker left the game in the fourth inning in favor of sidearm reliever Wes Littleton, who worked out of a couple of tough situations in 1 1/3 innings, but did not allow a run.
"[I] definitely [threw] sinker [and] curveball pretty much all day -- mixing in a few changeups. [I] didn't really go in a lot," Rheinecker said.
The Rangers pulled even in the sixth inning, when Barajas hit a double that sent Mench motoring around third base and around the tag of Varitek at home.
Bryan Corey came on to pitch for Texas in the sixth and gave the lead right back. In a rare display of Red Sox small ball, Alex Gonzalez advanced to second on an Alex Cora sacrifice bunt and then was brought home just ahead of the Gary Matthews Jr. throw on a Loretta single.
The Red Sox added an insurance run in the seventh, when Matthews unnecessarily dove for a ball hit by Varitek that bounced nowhere near his glove and rolled past him to allow Ramirez to score from first.
In a game where the hitting was contagious and the bases were rarely vacant, the two teams could have easily surpassed their combined 10 runs and 23 hits, stranding a combined 16 runners on base.
One of the Rangers' better opportunities was taken, or rather snared, away from them in the third inning, when DeRosa came up with two men on and, according to Showalter, "Hit a ball right on the button that almost took Schilling's head off," but, instead it found its way into the hurler's glove.
Schilling faced another jam in the fifth inning with two men on and two out, but the ace was able to escape by striking out Blalock on three straight pitches.
"He threw really well," Blalock said. "He showed what a good pitcher he is. After we scored some runs on him, he settled down to put up some goose eggs. [He] pounded the strike zone and got us to chase when we shouldn't have."
For Rheinecker, this start may have been his last for awhile. Adam Eaton made his fourth, and likely his last, rehab start for Triple-A Oklahoma on Thursday, getting the win while allowing one run and three hits over four innings. Eaton may be called up to start for Texas on Tuesday.
"If they [Triple-A pitching coach Andy Hawkins and coach Mike Boulanger] feel like he's ready to make that step, we'll talk about it on the plane about how we can make room for him. I wouldn't say anybody's ... we haven't gotten that far with the decision," Showalter said.
The likely options are that Rheinecker would either work out of the bullpen or be sent down to Triple-A. On his future role with the team, Rheinecker said, "That's out of my hands."

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

Notes: Rangers high on Loe

b2blog@gmail.com (David) — Sun, 19 Mar 2006 18:47:00 +0000

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/

Longtime friends united again

b2blog@gmail.com (David) — Sun, 19 Mar 2006 18:45:00 +0000

03/01/2006
SURPRISE, Ariz. -- Steve Murphy walked out of the Rangers Minor League clubhouse with his shirt completely drenched, offering the appearance that he had just completed a strenuous workout.
That wasn't the case.
"We were having a contest to see who could keep their head in a bucket of ice water the longest," he announced proudly. "I won ... 13 seconds. Johnny Whittleman lasted just six seconds.
John Mayberry Jr., already in street clothes, just shook his head.
"He's crazy," Mayberry said. "He hasn't changed at all."
"Junior" would know better than anybody about "Murph," since the two Rangers Minor Leaguers are in camp early after years of friendship behind them and a long road to the Majors ahead of them.
They travel it together on the basis of support and friendly rivalry rather than competition despite knowing the odds are steep that they'll achieve their goal of playing in the same outfield in Arlington.
The two have known each other since they were 13, growing up in Overland Park, Kan., playing on the same youth teams, working out at a private batting cage at Barnstormer's and starring together at Rockhurst High School.
They split in college, Mayberry turning down over $1 million from the Mariners to go to Stanford and Murphy, not drafted out of high school, playing as a freshman at Central Missouri State and then Kansas State.
But the Rangers brought them together last year, drafting Mayberry in the first round and taking Murphy in the 14th round.
Then, like old times at Rockhurst, they found themselves in the same lineup for Class A short-season Spokane, leading the Indians to the Northwest League championship.
The friendly competition picked up immediately with Murphy playing left field and Mayberry, a converted first baseman like his dad, playing right field.
"In high school we never kept up with the stats except for how many home runs we hit," Mayberry said. "Our senior year, he started off ahead and we finished tied with 10 or 11. Last year, same thing, he got off to the lead and I ended up passing him."
The statistics show Mayberry ended up with 11 home runs and Murphy hit nine.
But there is some serious controversy that needs to be resolved.
"We ended up tied," Murphy protested.
"I had 11 and he had nine," Mayberry said. "That's all I know."
"We were tied," Murphy insisted. "I hit a home run that wasn't counted and should have, and he hit one that shouldn't have counted but did."
"You weren't there," Mayberry said.
"I heard it on the radio," said Murphy, who had his season cut short with a broken hand.
"He's right," Mayberry finally admitted. "He hit one that hit the scoreboard and was clearly over the yellow line that didn't count, and I hit one they said hit the foul pole but actually hit just to the left in foul territory."
Murphy actually got the last laugh, for he was the one who was named the Northwest League's Most Valuable Player, batting .306 with nine home runs and 37 RBIs in 62 games.
Mayberry, starting slowly while adjusting to some suggested changes in his swing that would bring out more power, was batting .213 on Aug. 11 but got hot at the end and finished at .253 with 11 home runs and 26 RBIs.
"I like it," Murphy said. "It was different. I had never been where he's been, up there like that, everybody wanting to interview you."
It was the first instance of Murphy out-doing Mayberry, the son of former Kansas City Royals first baseman John Mayberry Sr. who has always been the star of the team.
Mayberry had been the high school All-American at Rockhurst and had gone on to one of the top college baseball programs in America. Murphy settled for a small NAIA school, winning a national championship before transferring to Kansas State.
Murphy's short biography in the Rangers media guide mentions he was Mayberry's teammate in high school. Mayberry's bio does not mention Murphy.
"Since high school I've been in his shadow but I've enjoyed it," Murphy said. "If I do good, people notice, but if I don't do good, there are no expectations. In that, I've been lucky."
They were friends in high school but that relationship has grown since being reunited with the Rangers to the point they are now roommates together.
The cultural and social significance of such a relationship might have been much more profound 30 years ago when Mayberry's father played.
The morality play being acted out now is one surrounding baseball, two high school friends now in the same organization playing similar positions and competing for the same goal of making it to the Major Leagues.
They do so with different resumes. Mayberry is the first-round pick who cost the Rangers $1.525 million. The higher investment means the Rangers will be much more attentive to making sure he succeeds but it also brings out high expectations and higher pressure.
"Basically the thing my dad conveyed to me is you can't listen to all the media expectations," said Mayberry, who has earned his degree in Political Science. "You set goals for yourself and strive hard to reach them. While expectations are high, mine are higher and if I reach them, I'll be in pretty good shape."
Murphy, still working for a Criminal Justice degree, signed for $20,000 plus college expenses, and a 14th-round pick making the Major Leagues would be simply viewed as a bonus for the Rangers.
"Along the lines of what Junior said, no matter if you're a 50th-round pick or a first-round pick, we just work hard rather than worry about expectations," Murphy said. "The way he handles himself is cold hard fact. He doesn't know what is being said about him; he just goes out and works hard."
Their friendship and mutual background serves as a support system for the two rather than driving a stake of competitiveness between them.
"Absolutely," Mayberry said. "Having Murph there gives you a level of confidence that helps you get past the uncertainty of knowing the other guy. He makes it easier."
"Technically we are competing for the same job," Murphy said. "But we've never looked at like that and I don't think he has either. We know what it takes and we try to outwork everybody but in a setting in which we are both trying to get better."
Added Mayberry, "Because we are genuine friends, instead of taking the thought process of 'I hope you mess up,' I'm able to tell Steve what I can do to make him better and he can do the same for me."
In that regard, the ultimate goal is for not one but two from Rockhurst High School to eventually play outfield in Arlington.

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

First Media Spring Training a success

b2blog@gmail.com (David) — Sun, 19 Mar 2006 18:44:00 +0000

03/02/2006
ARLINGTON -- On Thursday in Surprise, Ariz., the Texas Rangers played their first Spring Training game of 2006, while back in Arlington, the local media reported for their first workout.
Twenty-seven members of the Dallas-Fort Worth media, from radio personalities to television reporters, attended the first annual Media Spring Training Day at Ameriquest Field in Arlington.
After enjoying a Sportservice-catered lunch complete with ballpark favorites such as sausage, popcorn and the consensus favorite Tall-Texan cotton candy, the writers, anchors and disc jockeys took the field for batting practice and outfield instruction from some old pros.
Former Rangers Steve Buechele, Pete O'Brien, Tom Grieve and Rusty Greer, along with former Major League pitcher Ray Burris, coached the guests on proper technique and swing mechanics before letting them take the field.
WFAA-TV news anchor Gloria Campos listened well to the instructions -- in her first trip to the cages, she hit a line drive up the middle past KISS-FM's familiar morning DJ and provisional second baseman Kidd Kraddick.
Campos also sustained the event's first injury, sporting an ice pack after absorbing an O'Brien pitch on the wrist. Everyone else seemed to avoid getting hurt, but DJs from the likes of KZPS, KHKS, KSCS, The Bone, and the Wolf should likely expect some on-air trash talk after performing at varying levels of proficiency.
Rangers vice president of marketing and in-park entertainment Chuck Morgan said Media Spring Training Day will be an annual event, giving the attendees plenty of time to begin their offseason workouts.

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

Notes: Three up for fifth starter spot

b2blog@gmail.com (David) — Sun, 19 Mar 2006 18:43:00 +0000

03/02/2006
SURPRISE, Ariz. -- The guy the Rangers want to be their fifth starter threw 38 pitches and three innings in a Minor League game on Thursday. That's more pitches than any other Rangers pitcher has thrown so far this spring.
But enough of Roger Clemens' day in Florida.
In Arizona, three rookies took first aim at the fifth spot in the rotation on Thursday, and drew first blood in possibly the most intriguing competition of the Rangers camp.
Josh Rupe opened the exhibition season by pitching two scoreless innings in a 5-5 tie with the Kansas City Royals in a game called after 11 innings at Surprise Stadium on Thursday.
Thomas Diamond followed with 1 2/3 scoreless innings, and even Edison Volquez got into the act. He followed Diamond and retired six straight hitters before a walk, a balk and a two-out, run-scoring triple by ex-Ranger Benji Gil ended his day.
The three combined to hold the Royals to one run on five hits in a combined 5 1/3 innings, while walking four and striking out two.
"I thought Josh, Eddie and Thomas handled their first outing well," manager Buck Showalter said. "It was fun to watch."
The competition is only beginning. Rick Bauer, who pitched in parts of the last five seasons, starts Friday and will get a shot. So too will knuckleballer R.A. Dickey, left-hander C.J. Wilson and Juan Dominguez, who is actually the incumbent but must still earn the spot.
Dickey pitches Saturday, Dominguez goes on Monday, and Wilson is still sidelined with a hamstring strain.
The Rangers would obviously like one of their young starters to emerge into a front-line starter, but the development of young talent no longer takes immediate priority over who is the right person for the job.
"Young, old ... we're not putting a restriction on their age unless it's a 20-year-old," Showalter said. "We're going to take the best guy for the team. It will not be a pure statistical evaluation."
"If you look at our track record, look at how many times players have made our Opening Day roster or been up early in the season who weren't expected to at this time in Spring Training," general manager Jon Daniels said. "Chad Allen last year, and Rod Barajas the year before. Mark DeRosa, Gary Matthews, Ron Mahay, Carlos Almanzar. All those guys came in to camp off the roster. Everybody is going to get a fair look."
Early games are critical. Those who impress early earn more mound time as the spring progresses. The more mound time, the more chances to win a job.
"You can only create so many innings," Showalter said. "You may keep a guy in camp, but he may become a backup."
Rupe allowed the first three hitters to reach base on two hits and a walk. But Barajas threw out the first runner trying to steal, and Rupe finished by retiring five straight hitters.
'"It's sort of a mini-competition, but you have to put that in the back of your mind and do what you do normally," Rupe said. "There's always a little pressure, but the biggest thing is putting pressure on myself, and thinking about what the other guys are doing isn't going to get me anywhere."
Volquez remains a wild card. He struggled in September last year, but so far, he seems to have responded to pitching coach Mark Connor's challenge to make the team.
"I like what I saw today," Connor said. "He came in and threw strikes, kept the ball down and used all his pitches. [He pitched] better than what we saw at the end of last year. He's just got to keep his focus and remember that if he's got two outs, the inning's not over."
Nevin goes deep: The first significant at-bat of the spring for the Rangers came in the second inning, when Phil Nevin crushed a breaking ball from Royals left-hander Mark Redman over the center-field wall for a home run.
"There was a pretty good reaction in our dugout," Showalter said. "Our guys know ... first at-bat of the spring, and he hits the ball out of the ballpark. I think our club knows what Nev means. That's a nice little return for his offseason."
First game for GM: Daniels watched his first Spring Training game in his new position, sitting directly behind home plate with a number of his assistants and team scouts.
The Rangers led, 5-3, going into the ninth, but Daniels was denied his first victory when the Royals rallied for two runs.
"I saw the guy behind me ready to pour the Gatorade," joked Daniels, "but then they tied it up and he disappeared."
Owner meeting: Owner Tom Hicks was in camp on Thursday to meet with Daniels, Showalter and their staffs.
"We want to let him get a sense of where we're at and the framework of some of the ideas we're going to mull over the next month," Daniels said.
Daniels said the Rangers may send a couple of players back to the Minor Leagues on Friday, but added, "We're not going to cut anybody healthy or who we want to see in a game. We're still a week away from that."
Briefly: Minor League camp opens today, but the Rangers are expected to be without pitcher Marc Malachi and outfielder Vince Sinisi. They are expected to play for Italy in the World Baseball Classic. ... Kevin Millwood is scheduled to throw in a simulated game on Friday. He'll have a catcher and will face four hitters. Said Showalter, "Anybody want to shag, let me know. Hopefully, they won't get any action." ... Matthews (strained rib cage) and Laynce Nix (strained groin) remain day-to-day, and C.J. Wilson (strained hamstring) throws off the front of the mound again on Friday. Showalter said Francisco Cordero could be a week away from pitching in a game, which would initially be either a "B" game or Minor League game.

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

Rangers tie Royals in spring opener

b2blog@gmail.com (David) — Sun, 19 Mar 2006 18:42:00 +0000

03/02/2006
Royals at the plate: Manager Buddy Bell used what appears to be his Opening Day lineup, but only for two plate appearances each, and they combined for three singles and three walks in 18 times up against three rookie pitchers. Benji Gil had an RBI triple and a run-scoring double in the ninth to lead the Royals' comeback from a 5-3 deficit.
Rangers at the plate: David Dellucci batted leadoff and reached base all three times, once on an error and twice on walks. He scored one run, and pinch-runner Adrian Brown, after stealing second, scored another run off the two walks. Phil Nevin hit a home run in his first spring at-bat.
Royals on the mound: Mark Redman started and retired five of seven hitters. One reached base on an error but was caught stealing, and Redman allowed the home run to Nevin. Jeremy Affeldt allowed two runs in an inning, but only one was earned.
Rangers on the mound: The fifth-starter competition opened strong. Josh Rupe pitched two scoreless innings, and Thomas Diamond went 1 2/3 innings without allowing a run, although Edison Volquez bailed him out of a two-out, two-on situation in the fourth.
Cactus League records: Royals 0-0 (one tie); Rangers 0-0 (one tie).

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

Rangers' Dickey has plenty of stories

b2blog@gmail.com (David) — Sun, 19 Mar 2006 18:39:00 +0000

03/02/2006
SURPRISE, Ariz. -- R.A. Dickey is a survivor, the Richard Hatch of the Rangers.
He and reliever Joaquin Benoit have been with the Rangers since 1996, three years longer than any other player in camp.
He has been a No. 1 draft pick and the starting pitcher in the home opener. He had an $800,000 signing bonus revoked when a physical showed he did not have an ulna collateral ligament in his right elbow.
But he also owns the distinction of recording his first Major League shutout and first save in the course of two days, the shortest span in history.
An Academic All-American at the University of Tennessee and co-founder of Honoring Thy Father, a non-profit Christian organization, he also has a keen eye for observations.
Some of the better ones over the course of 11 years with the Rangers:
Best moment: "Believe it or not, it wasn't my first callup, but my second -- that and the complete-game shutout and save. The first callup, I didn't know what to expect. There was a lot of apprehension and excitement, the realization of a dream.
"When I went up the second time, I embraced it more. I knew more people and felt more comfortable."
Worst moment: "Sitting across from [former GM] Doug Melvin after I signed, and them taking the offer off the table, telling me they didn't know if they wanted to sign me. The whole two weeks -- discovering I didn't have a ligament and the reduction of the signing bonus. That was a pretty tough moment."
Biggest frustration: "Wanting to perform and be consistent, and when you're not, it's pretty frustrating. I'm the ultimate competitor, and I expect to perform at a high level, and when I don't, it's perpetually frustrating. That, and being pretty much free of injuries for eight years, and then going through obscure injuries the past two years with my back and triceps that didn't have anything to do with my arm."
Having six different Major League pitching coaches: "It's all about dealing with six different people, knowing what they expect from you and what you expect from yourself, and making it congruent. [Dick Bosman] was big on holding runners on, so you had to adhere to that, and Orel [Hershiser] was big on mechanics.
"Every one of the guys I was under had different things to offer. It's weird. They all weren't polar opposites, but from pitching coach to pitching coach, there were different philosophies. You could file away things you found useful and discard those that weren't."
Biggest influences: "Rusty Greer was real valuable to me, and so was Jay Powell, from being a young guy and having somebody to look up to. Jeff Brantley, my very first callup, he was really awesome. We were lockermates; he had a lot of experience and he was willing to share it."
Best story: "My first time in the big leagues, we were on a road trip to Toronto, and I didn't have much to wear. I was making $1,200 a month in the Minors. Jeff Brantley asked me out to lunch. I said, 'Great, but I need to buy some slacks and stuff.' He said, 'Good, I'll go with you.'
"So we go to the department store, and I pick out a couple of things, take them to the dressing room and try them on. When we're done, I've got a small pile of clothes by the cash register, and he's picked out this huge pile of clothes. My stuff came to $65, his came to $1,000.
"He turns to me and said, 'Here, [both piles] are yours. Don't thank me, don't make a big deal of it, just do it for somebody else when you get the opportunity."
Best place to play in the Minors: "You don't have to look much farther than Oklahoma City. I'm sort of the Crash Davis of Oklahoma City. You look in their record book, I'm all over it -- good and bad. If they make a movie about Oklahoma City baseball, I'm ready to help out Kevin Costner.
"One of the reasons that place was special is the fans were just dynamic."
Worst place in the Minors: "The Texas League has some places that are just tough. Little Rock was tough ... just everything, the condition of the field, the locker room. It's the essence of Minor League baseball, but it's tough."
Surprise vs. Port Charlotte: "How about Surprise in Port Charlotte? This facility and the amenities of this place, in Port Charlotte. A lot of people disagree, because Arizona has so much to offer. But being from the South, I love the humidity, taking the kids to the beach, fishing ... and the ball doesn't carry as much. I [would like] this facility -- in Port Charlotte.
One change baseball should make: "I know they're trying to do it, but I would like for the games to be quicker. Whether it's keeping the batter in the batter's box, a bigger strike zone or pitchers not taking so much time before pitches -- anything that would facilitate moving the game along would be good. I know rules have been implemented, but not enforced.
"That, and push all fences back!"
If he could do it all over again... "That's one thing that helps me sleep at night, is that I truly feel I go out and prepare so I can do everything I'm capable of. Coaches tell you the only person you are accountable to is yourself, and I know I wouldn't change anything. I've found value with adversity and success."

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

Wilson, Anderson try to fit in

b2blog@gmail.com (David) — Sun, 19 Mar 2006 18:37:00 +0000

03/03/2006
SURPRISE, Ariz. -- Rangers pitcher C.J. Wilson tested his strained right hamstring off the front of the mound on Friday.
All went well and he'll try from the top of the mound in a couple of days. Manager Buck Showalter is hoping he'll be in a game by the end of next week.
The question is if that will be enough time to keep him in competition for the fifth-starter spot.
"I think we still have that window," Showalter said.
The Rangers will hold that window open as long as possible, just as they hold out hope Brian Anderson will eventually come back strong from Tommy John elbow surgery.
They represent the Rangers' best hope for getting a left-handed pitcher into an otherwise all right-handed starting rotation, an annual quest that has been sated by Kenny Rogers and few others.
"It's been a focus," general manager Jon Daniels said. "All things being equal, in our ballpark it would be preferable to have a left-hander."
The dimensions of Ameriquest Field at Arlington have always favored left-handed pitchers and left-handed hitters. But getting left-handed starting pitching to fit there has been difficult.
Since Ameriquest opened in 1994, Rogers has won 49 games there for the Rangers, the most by one of their left-handers. Darren Oliver is second with 28. Doug Davis, now with the Milwaukee Brewers, is third among Rangers lefties with 10 victories at Ameriquest.
They are the only three left-handed pitchers to win at least 10 games for the Rangers in their home ballpark since it opened. The next four on the list -- Mike Venafro, Erasmo Ramirez, Dennis Cook and Ed Vosberg -- are or were setup relievers.
"That's amazing," Ramirez said.
Wilson picked up his first Major League victory at Ameriquest Field last season, so he only needs three to tie Cook and Vosberg for sixth place on the list.
Anderson hasn't put on a Rangers uniform, but two victories at Ameriquest Field would tie him for ninth.
"We always talk about a perfect world," Showalter said. "We all know good left-handers play well in our ballpark. They also play well out of the bullpen."
The Rangers ponder that with Wilson. As much as they desire a left-handed starter, they also know Wilson had a 12.05 ERA as a starter and a 2.73 ERA as a reliever in 2005.
"There are a couple of different kinds of left-handed relievers," Daniels said. "There is a guy who is mainly left-on-left and there's a true setup reliever. With C.J.'s power assortment, he could be a setup man with some power. You look at the value of Neal Cotts and what he meant to the White Sox. That's the model for the power left-handed reliever."
Brian Shouse and Ramirez have experience as left-handed setup relievers but don't have Wilson's power. Ron Mahay did in 2003-04 but fell off last season.
The other left-handed reliever with some power is Fabio Castro, the 20-year-old Rule 5 pick. He could eventually be a starter and the Rangers' desire for more left-handed pitching could be tested this spring when it comes time to deciding if they'll keep Castro on the roster or return him to the White Sox.
"I don't think there's an advantage to being a left-handed starter," Wilson said. "But is there an advantage to being a left-handed reliever? Yes. It's more of a chess piece. But a good pitcher is a good pitcher. If they sign Roger Clemens, they'll have five right-handed starting pitchers and I don't think anybody will complain if they have a rotation of Kevin Millwood, Adam Eaton, Vicente Padilla, Kam Loe and Roger Clemens."
If Wilson goes to the bullpen, the Rangers' next best hope for a left-handed starter would be Anderson, an 11-year veteran with 82 career victories but who is not expected to be back from surgery until at least June.
That is, unless he continues to impress the Rangers with his progress.
"It's scary," pitching coach Mark Connor said. "He's throwing great. We've had several discussions about backing it up, but he's had trouble doing that. His last bullpen session, he looked like he did in 1999-2002 -- all fastballs, but he had great command. He's ahead of schedule.
"I've told him all along, if we get you back in June, July and August, it would be like making a huge trade."
Who knows? By then, the Rangers may have promoted John Danks, their No. 1 draft pick in 2003 who represents the ultimate answer to such a pressing need.
But the Rangers, having lost Rogers to free agency not once but three different times, would like to find some way to get a left-hander into their rotation.

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

Notes: Nevin swaggers 2nd straight day

b2blog@gmail.com (David) — Sun, 19 Mar 2006 18:33:00 +0000

03/03/2006
SURPRISE, Ariz. _ Another day, another home run from cleanup hitter Phil Nevin.
What the Rangers saw early in camp on the back fields has carried over to the main stadium during exhibition games as Nevin hit his second home run in two games. The latest came in the first inning of a 7-6 loss to the Kansas City Royals on Friday.
This is Nevin's 13th Spring Training as a professional and normally two home runs in two games wouldn't mean that much. But he admitted it does this spring after hitting .182 for the Rangers in the final two months of last season after being acquired from the San Diego Padres.
"I've been around long enough to know this is only the second game,'' said Nevin, who also had a single in two at-bats. "But there's definitely a different feel to wearing this uniform. From a personal standpoint, I'm excited. I know what I can do but I'm not going to lie and say there weren't some self-doubts on my part.
"It's early, but making good contact after a couple of games is pleasing."
His teammates, who know how important he is to this team, would agree. Nevin's going to get a shot at batting cleanup in a crucial spot behind Mark Teixeira and ahead of Hank Blalock.
"Nev's off to a good start, but he was off to a good start in November," manager Buck Showalter said. "You always like to see a guy get a return. You like to see a guy who works hard and feels good about himself."
Call it swagger.
Second baseman Mark DeRosa watched some tapes of Nevin from several years ago and told him, "You had swagger; you don't have that swagger any more."
A couple of home runs certainly help anybody's swagger index.
"I expect those things from me," Nevin said. "I don't know how educated these guys are of what I've done but the thing that excites me is not only feeling good but being an important part of the team. If everybody does what we're capable of doing, we're going to be real good."
The Rangers may or may not have had their doubts about Nevin. But they certainly wanted to be prepared in case his .182 batting average over the last two months of the season proved to be a serious trend rather than an aberration.
That's why they signed Erubiel Durazo to a Minor League contract just before the beginning of spring training.
"If you could add a bat capable of what he's done and is still out there, then why wouldn't you?" Nevin said. "That said, me being right and doing the things that I can, I'll be in there every day. It's a long spring and things have a way of working out in the end. It didn't motivate me or worry me; it was just another quality player."
Millwood throws: Opening Day starter Kevin Millwood's first "game" action of the spring was on one of the Minor League fields on Friday morning. The opposing hitters were Minor Leaguers Aarom Baldiris, Ruddy Yan, Steve Murphy and Ian Gac.
Millwood threw 35 pitches in what was termed a simulated game and only one ball was put in play.
"I felt good, I felt comfortable," Millwood said. "Now I know what I need to work on. I need to locate my fastball away from right-handers and work on my slider. Everything else works pretty well.
"I don't know if this is better or worse. It just lets me get my work done and not take a chance on a long inning or a long rest between innings. I don't have to worry about getting stiff."
Millwood will spend much more time on the back field, rather than pitching in the main stadium in exhibition games. He said he does not want to pitch against American League West opponents in the spring and two of his five starts were scheduled to be against the Oakland Athletics.
Home opener sold out: The Rangers announced Friday that their regular-season home opener with the Boston Red Sox has been sold out. A limited number of standing room only tickets remain.
Briefly: The Rangers have sent catcher Taylor Teagarden back to the Minor Leagues to continue his rehabilitation from Tommy John elbow surgery. ... Laynce Nix (groin) and Gary Matthews Jr. (ribcage) remain sidelined until at least the first of next week. ... Sign of the times: Between injuries, days off and the World Baseball Classic, the Rangers did not have four regulars in the starting lineup and Showalter said, "A lot of clubs will be like that with the [Classic]. It's a good opportunity to look at other guys.

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

Nevin keeps power coming in loss

b2blog@gmail.com (David) — Sun, 19 Mar 2006 18:29:00 +0000

03/03/2006
Royals at the plate: Kansas City hit three home runs. David DeJesus and Emil Brown both had solo homers, while Wilson Valdez hit a two-run shot. Chip Ambres also had a double and just missed hitting the Royals' fourth home run.
Rangers at the plate: A three-run home run by Aarom Baldiris in the top of the ninth closed the Rangers' deficit to one run. Phil Nevin hit a two-run homer in the first inning, his second homer in two games. Rookie second baseman Ian Kinsler also had a home run, his first of the spring.
Royals on the mound: Denny Bautista, battling for a spot in Kansas City's rotation, allowed a two-run home run to Nevin in one inning of work. Key setup relievers Ambiorix Burgos -- who earned the victory -- and Mike MacDougal both retired the side in order in their one inning.
Rangers on the mound: Starter Rick Bauer allowed one hit in two scoreless innings. He gave up a leadoff double to Mark Teahen in the second, but then struck out the next three hitters. Joaquin Benoit, one of the Rangers' more important setup relievers, allowed three runs in the seventh inning, taking the loss.
Cactus League records: Royals 1-0; Rangers 0-1.

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

Notes: Volquez gets an extended look

b2blog@gmail.com (David) — Sun, 19 Mar 2006 18:28:00 +0000

03/04/2006
SURPRISE, Ariz. -- Edison Volquez is going prime time again, which could add further intrigue to the Rangers' fifth starter competition.
The Rangers are going to start Volquez on Wednesday against the Oakland Athletics at Surprise Stadium. That's Kevin Millwood's spot in the rotation, but the veteran will do his throwing on the back fields.
"It was between him and another guy," pitching coach Mark Connor said. "I think the experience for Volquez is more valuable to him."
Volquez made three starts for the Rangers last year, and was 0-3 with an 11.81 ERA. But the Rangers are starting to see some of the talent that has made him one of their top prospects, and he had another productive bullpen session under Connor's prodding Saturday.
"I had him get after it," Connor said. "I'm just trying to make him concentrate more in every situation, have a purpose for everything. I was giving him certain outs, counts, scores, to see what he would do with it."
Rick Bauer started in Millwood's spot last Friday, but the Rangers are becoming more intrigued by what they're seeing from Volquez.
The Rangers are also going to give Juan Dominguez his first start of the spring. Kameron Loe is scheduled to pitch on Monday against the Arizona Diamondbacks in Tucson, but he'll likely start a "B" game in Surprise, which would allow Dominguez to start against Diamondbacks.
Thomas Diamond is also going to pitch against the Diamondbacks.
Ramirez starts strong: The Rangers can no longer take advantage of left-hander Erasmo Ramirez. This time, he either makes the club or gets exposed to waivers.
"Eraser is going to make it tough on us," manager Buck Showalter said, after Ramirez pitched a scoreless inning in a 9-8 victory over the Kansas City Royals Saturday. Ramirez struck out two of the three batters he faced.
Ramirez enters camp out of options. In the past, the Rangers took advantage of Ramirez having options by calling him up and down from the Minors nine different times over three years. Overall, he was 8-4 with a 4.01 ERA in 84 games, holding opponents to a .256 batting average. Right-handers, often flummoxed by his superb changeup, batted .233 against him.
Ramirez made it clear he wants to stay with the Rangers, but a left-handed reliever on waivers at the end of spring is a tempting target.
"I'm not going to put any more pressure on myself," Ramirez said. "I know I'm out of options; they know I'm out of options. They made it clear it will be a tough decision if I pitch well."
Barajas praises Alfonseca: Right-handed reliever Antonio Alfonseca had a 4.94 ERA for the Florida Marlins last year, missed half the season with a bad elbow and was a last-minute addition to the Spring Training roster.
But he also had a 2.57 ERA for the Braves in 2004 and 45 saves for the Florida Marlins in 2000, and catcher Rod Barajas said the Rangers are starting to see that version of Alfonseca.
"From what I've seen him throw, and talking to other guys who have faced him the last couple of years, he's back to the level he was with Florida," Barajas said. "He looks incredible. He definitely could help us in the pen."
Morning work pays: The Rangers spent the morning working on team defense, including defense against double steals with runners on first and third.
The work paid off immediately in the game against the Royals that afternoon. The Royals tried a delayed double steal against Adam Eaton in the second inning, and the Rangers executed nicely.
Eaton stepped off the mound, started for Andres Blanco for second, then turned and caught Esteban German in a rundown between third and home.
"We've worked on that a few times," Eaton said. "I heard a whistle from their dugout, and decided to step off and do a first-and-third move to see what happens. The runner from first had his head down ... the runner on third got caught too far off."
Briefly: Designated hitter candidate Erubiel Durazo has left the team to join Mexico for the World Baseball Classic. Mexico is training in Tucson, and the Rangers are planning on Durazo playing for them on Monday against the Diamondbacks down there. ... Catcher Keith McDonald is sidelined with a sore right knee that required a cortisone injection. ... Second baseman Aarom Baldiris made several good defensive plays after taking over for Mark DeRosa in Saturday's game. ... Eaton pitched 2 1/3 innings, going back out to the mound in the third before the Rangers realized it. He got Mark Grudzielanek to ground out in two pitches, before the Rangers brought in Ron Mahay.

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

Barajas leads Rangers over Royals

b2blog@gmail.com (David) — Sun, 19 Mar 2006 18:23:00 +0000

03/04/2006
Royals at the plate: Doug Mientkiewicz went 2-for-3 with a two-run triple in the first and an RBI single in the fifth. Shane Costa was 2-for-4 with an RBI.
Rangers at the plate:. Rod Barajas hit his first home run of the spring and had a two-run double in the fourth. Travis Metcalf had a two-run double to tie the game in the top of the eighth, then scored the go-ahead run on Joaquin Arias' RBI single. Jason Botts smashed a three-run home run in the ninth.
Royals on the mound: Runelvys Hernandez started and retired six of eight hitters, including two on strikeouts. He gave up the home run to Barajas. Joe Mays, trying to crack the Royals rotation, allowed two runs on four hits in 1 2/3 innings.
Rangers on the mound: Adam Eaton allowed two runs on four hits in 2 1/3 innings but saved himself further trouble by picking off Esteban German at third base on an attempted double steal in the second inning. R.A. Dickey allowed two runs on four hits and three walks in two innings.
Cactus League records: Royals 1-1; Rangers 1-1

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