Rangers

[ccmom]

Rangers refused to lose last night. Wild, crazy game. Bullpen finally laid a big-time egg but the offense bailed them out. Looks like Mr. Mo is back in town. Time to make a run!

I don't care who you cheer for...the Angels' Mike Trout is something special to watch. The kind of player every team wished they had.

Amen. I'll always be a Rangers fan but how can you not appreciate a player like Trout? Wow.

[Tejastrue]

No move for the Rangers. Maybe they know something about the Cruz suspension or just didn't want to sell the farm for another bat.

[Tejastrue]

Unbelievable. Rangers 3rd walk off HR in as many nights..all against the Angels.:clap:

[regaleagle]

The best part is another game picked up on Oakland, as they lost to Toronto again....two full games picked up on two days!!! And even though the Rangers may have popped the Angels balloon, they will be on a tear now against the A's next time the two teams play. Hopefully, the Angels will sweep them for the Rangers. The Rangers have now put the Angels a loooong way back in the standings and closed the gap against the A's. In the old rocking chair for now, but ready to make a second half run.

[Roughneck93]

Unbelievable. Rangers 3rd walk off HR in as many nights..all against the Angels.:clap:

I had a feeling Beltre was going to end it in walk-off fashion.

http://i1102.photobucket.com/albums/g458/G-biscuit/Rangers%20Gifs/belted.gif

[Roughneck93]

Exciting stuff...


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9-FW4NWiRmY&sns=em

[Tejastrue]

and so it continues..7-1 Rangers as Darvish strikes out 14. No walk off drama this time. On to Oakalnd for a very big series.

[Tejastrue]

Rangers take 2 of 3 from Oakland. Holland was outstanding!

[regaleagle]

Yes, I believe the Rangers closed the gap to 2 1/2 games with these wins. That's 6 wins out of the last 7 games. I also think Cruz will be sitting til the playoffs to serve a 50-game suspension starting this week. The Rangers have roughly 52 games left in the regular season before the playoffs begin. Hopefully, he can do his suspension and be back in time for the playoffs.

[SintonFan_inAustin]

Exciting stuff...


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9-FW4NWiRmY&sns=em that's was a awesome series to watch!!!

[regaleagle]

The Rangers play a rough game defensively, but hit enough to beat the Angels in Anaheim tonite. Murphy played right where Cruz normally plays and made 3 errors. I think he needs to get used to that side of the field again. Profar played short and looked good there. Beltre belted another homer as the Rangers won 5-2. They have won the last 8 of 10 and closed within 2 games on an idle Oakland A's team tonite.

[waterboy]

The Rangers play a rough game defensively, but hit enough to beat the Angels in Anaheim tonite. Murphy played right where Cruz normally plays and made 3 errors. I think he needs to get used to that side of the field again. Profar played short and looked good there. Beltre belted another homer as the Rangers won 5-2. They have won the last 8 of 10 and closed within 2 games on an idle Oakland A's team tonite.

3 errors? I only saw one that "should" have been an error, but that was the only misplay by Murphy all night. There were some defensive lapses, but only one error in the ball game (or what was ruled an error), and that was on a misplayed grounder by Adrian Beltre. If it had been anybody other than Beltre who was on third, that probably would've been ruled a base hit. The ball hit the dirt to his left pretty sharply and didn't come up like it would have in Arlington.

[Deuce]

Murphys play in the 1st should have been an error.

[waterboy]

Murphys play in the 1st should have been an error.

Okay, I'll admit I missed the 1st inning so I can't make that call, but I'll take your word for it. There were some lapses on plays they normally make, but they weren't considered errors. They didn't play very well defensively at all, but they still got the win which is the most important thing.

[Tejastrue]

Murphy looked uncomfortable in right field. Should have been tagged with 2 errors. He also doesn't have the arm to play there. Rangers were fortunate to win the game but I'm sure they'll take it.

[Tejastrue]

Colby Lewis will not return this season. :crying:

http://sports.yahoo.com/news/rangers-rhp-lewis-hip-surgery-201233377--mlb.html

[regaleagle]

I watched the entire game, so I called a couple of misplayed balls errors...as in errors of plays that should have been made...plus the one that was actually scored an error. That's the way the coaches see it, too. Tonite the Rangers scored 5 in the top of the 9th to break open a 3-3 tie with Darvish on the mound to win 8-3. Wash had Murphy back out in left where he's more comfortable. The A's lost...so now the Rangers have pulled within a game of the AL West lead and are just distancing the Angels in the standings. The best thing that could happen is for Texas to sweep the Angels and to have the Angels sweep Oakland on their next series. The Rangers will try to make it 10 wins in the last 12 games on Wed. for a sweep of the Angels in Anaheim. They are hitting the ball well now.

[Tejastrue]

A's drop another to the Reds today which opens the door for the Rangers to reclaim a share of first place. Ogando is on the mound and has struggled so we'll see how it plays out. Go Rangers!

[regaleagle]

Ogando gets the win as the Rangers complete the sweep of the Angels tonite by a score of 10-3. They have now closed the gap of 6 games in 10 days to stand atop the AL West standings in a tie with Oakland. The story of the game tonite was hitting by the entire Rangers team. Several times the Angels did threaten with RISP, but double plays and quality defense also factored in to this win. Beltre homered again as the Rangers belted out 16 hits on the nite. Back in first place with a 4-game series upcoming with the Astros in Houston over the weekend. Rangers are starting to flex their team strengths.

[Deuce]

13 stolen bases in 2 days. That's fun baseball to watch! On another note, we need Harrison back to take Ogandos spot.

[ethsfbnut]

13 stolen bases in 2 days. That's fun baseball to watch! On another note, we need Harrison back to take Ogandos spot.

If Harrison comes back and pitches like we`re used to seeing, Rangers pitching should be scary good. Ogando back in pen with everybody else there looks pretty damn good. Like they say, "pitching wins". If Garza gets that "bunting thing" out of his head, hopefully things will be good for Rangers.

Still got to hit. Lot of ball to go yet. Things change in a hurry.

Go Rangers!

[Cam]

Rangers put a claim on Alex Rios.....

http://espn.go.com/chicago/mlb/story/_/id/9551371/alex-rios-chicago-white-sox-claimed-waivers-texas-rangers-source-says

[Tejastrue]

It's a done deal...

http://sports.yahoo.com/news/rangers-acquire-rios-white-sox-183347561--mlb.html

[Macarthur]

It's a done deal...

http://sports.yahoo.com/news/rangers-acquire-rios-white-sox-183347561--mlb.html

Another solid move by JD.

[regaleagle]

Looks like the Rangers Brass had this one pegged well in advance....a good deal for both clubs. Glad they were able to make it happen. Rios is a quality pickup for that RF position vacated by the loss of Cruz for the rest of the regular season. When he comes back for the playoffs, I don't think there will be a problem finding a spot for him and Rios, if all goes well. It gives the Rangers more options for next season also.

[Tejastrue]

Sole posession of 1st place after another comeback win tonight. Alex Rios had a great debut!

Astros are going to be a very good team once they shore up the bullpen.

[Saggy Aggie]

Astros bullpen has been terrible all season.

The amount of young talent the Astros have on their major league roster and minor leagues is sickening. They're gonna be back sooner than later

[Tejastrue]

Yeah..I saw some of the stats..with 20 blown saves. I know you are a true Stros fan so it has got to be tough. Not unlike the Rangers' struggles before the current owners and management were in place. I really believe the Ryan kid will make a difference if given the time. Just my opinion.

[regaleagle]

Don't get too worked up over the young talent at Houston. They have absolutely the worst record in baseball. Just because they have given the Rangers trouble this season doesn't mean they will be contenders anytime soon. They are probably 4-5 years away from being a playoff team. If you wanna talk about young talent, just look what the Rangers have in their farm system....players that would be on the Astros roster and possibly some starting. There are guys on the bench for the Rangers that would be a leading star for the Astros.....just saying. And the Rangers may not even be the best team in the AL, but a top tier team in MLB this decade so far.

[Saggy Aggie]

Don't get too worked up over the young talent at Houston. They have absolutely the worst record in baseball. Just because they have given the Rangers trouble this season doesn't mean they will be contenders anytime soon. They are probably 4-5 years away from being a playoff team. If you wanna talk about young talent, just look what the Rangers have in their farm system....players that would be on the Astros roster and possibly some starting. There are guys on the bench for the Rangers that would be a leading star for the Astros.....just saying. And the Rangers may not even be the best team in the AL, but a top tier team in MLB this decade so far.

You obviously have no idea what the hell you're talking about. The astros team isn't even that bad aside from their bullpen. 20 blown saves already... Just let that sink in. The Astros are loaded with young talent and their farm is better than the rangers'.... Just look at ANY ranking... Astros are top 5 farm in every ranking and most have them ranked #2, only behind the twins. The Astros have the most top 50 and top 100 prospects out of any franchise. Correa, appel, springer, deshields, folty, singleton, Cosart (just got promoted to major leagues and has like a 1.3 ERA thru 5 starts), McCullers, Martinez, Ruiz, etc.... I could go on and on....

Just for reference... The Astros just got the orioles #4 prospect for bud Norris.... He became the Astros 16th highest rated prospect...

Yes your major league roster is better than the Astros... No one is denying that.... But anyone that doesn't have their head nine miles up their ass can see the Astros aren't that far away. Youngest roster in the majors and they'd be right at .500 if they hadnt blown 20 saves... Yes if your aunt had balls shed be your uncle... I get it. Fact is... Bullpen is historically bad. Outside of that, they're not too bad.... And their young guys are really shining.

Oh and btw, the Astros AAA CF, George Springer, just became the first player in the minors to have a 30/30 season since 2009 yesterday... and he hit another homer tonight. He's got 38/31 now I believe... And it's August. Just wait... You obviously have 0 clue what you're talking about when it comes to the Astros regardless of how much you know about the rangers or think you know about he astros. You're basing your entire viewpoint on the astros major league record and your uninformed opionion of the rangers farm system. I'd love to argue Astros baseball with anyone on this site cuz I guarantee you nobody follows their system closer than me. It's pretty much all I've had to look forward to baseball wise because of how awful the bullpen is...



Thanks and gig em.

[Tejastrue]

Who was getting worked up? If you look at recent rankings of minor league talent the Rangers are not one of the top tier teams partly because they have brought up or traded away many of the top prospects. I don't believe the Astros are that far away from being competitive but in the overall outlook that is not very far considering where they have been. Was not my intent to make this an Astros thread but my point was that with just a decent bullpen they could have had at least 15 more wins..leaving them safely away from the worst record in baseball...that is all.


Late edit...nice response Saggy!

[regaleagle]

Gee Saggie, I guess I hit a tender nerve there. Yes, the 'Stros have lots of young talent, but so does quite a few other AL clubs. So far, everything you say has not been proven at the major league level. They look fairly competitive on the field, and you're right....I don't have the stats of their minor league system. My point is that the Rangers have talent being traded and being brought up to the major league league level every year. That has not been true for Houston in recent years, and not this year so far either. Now, maybe at some future date...say 3-4 yrs (as I stated), they should be in very good shape as a complete franchise. Don't make excuses...the record is the record, regardless. Every team has issues...even the Rangers did this season, as did the Yankees, White Sox, and others. Tell me I'm stupid about baseball next season, Saggie. Maybe by that time you'll cool off and the 'Stros will have a better closer, lol.

[Saggy Aggie]

Gee Saggie, I guess I hit a tender nerve there. Yes, the 'Stros have lots of young talent, but so does quite a few other AL clubs. So far, everything you say has not been proven at the major league level. They look fairly competitive on the field, and you're right....I don't have the stats of their minor league system. My point is that the Rangers have talent being traded and being brought up to the major league league level every year. That has not been true for Houston in recent years, and not this year so far either. Now, maybe at some future date...say 3-4 yrs (as I stated), they should be in very good shape as a complete franchise. Don't make excuses...the record is the record, regardless. Every team has issues...even the Rangers did this season, as did the Yankees, White Sox, and others. Tell me I'm stupid about baseball next season, Saggie. Maybe by that time you'll cool off and the 'Stros will have a better closer, lol.

Lol, don't tell me the Rangers have a better farm and all this BS about your farm guys could start for the Astros.

The guys the Astros have recently called up... Villar, Grossman, Cosart, Peacock, etc.

Springer, singleton, folty and several others will be in Houston this year.

If you think it's going to be 3-4 years then you're crazy. The Astros are already drastically improved no matter what their record shows. They're in a position where they COULD trade away players for vets... But they're not going to. All these guys are coming really soon

[Saggy Aggie]

Astros SP keuchel is perfect through 4

[Tejastrue]

Keuchel pitched very well and deserved a better fate, especially with the 9th inning. Perez was just a little better today.

[regaleagle]

And it's another sweep for the Rangers, this time in Houston. The broom is starting to show some wear....maybe the Rangers need a vacuum cleaner, huh? Their schedule looks to be a good one for the rest of this month. Now we'll have to keep an eye on how the A's fair with their schedule the rest of the month. LOOOOKING GOOD!!!

[Tejastrue]

Not quite..there is one more day game tomorrow in Houston but with Darvish on the mound you gotta feel good about their chances.

[D'Highlander]

Darvish has it going today. 0 hits 0 walks thru 5 with 10k's.

[caleb_mccaig]

Darvish has it going today. 0 hits 0 walks thru 5 with 10k's.
Beltre really had it going on the bases there. Could've sworn he was safe.

[D'Highlander]

Beltre really had it going on the bases there. Could've sworn he was safe.



http://youtu.be/0Nu9yAezfbw

[caleb_mccaig]

It gets better and better each time I see it.

[Saggy Aggie]

Darvish no hitter broken up with 1 out in the 8th... Has 15 Ks. Dudes filthy

[Tejastrue]

The player the Rangers ended up trading for Rios.

http://espn.go.com/blog/chicago/white-sox/post/_/id/16864/leury-garcia-acquired-in-rios-trade

[Tejastrue]

Heard the Rangers have shut down Harrison because of back problems and released Manny Ramirez from the Round Rock Express.

[Saggy Aggie]

Lol rangers just traded for someone in the Astros bullpen...

[Tejastrue]

haha..would take one of their starters though for long relief or replace Ogando in the rotation.

[Saggy Aggie]

haha..would take one of their starters though for long relief or replace Ogando in the rotation.

No thanks but the rangers can pay us as much as they want for those terrible bullpen guys. Dude had like a 5 ERA.

[Tejastrue]

Crap...I thought you were kidding. They must see something in him and maybe need a lefty in the minors. The last line of the article may have something to do with it. lol

http://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/nationals/astros-deal-minor-league-lhp-blackley-to-texas-rangers-for-cash-player-to-be-named/2013/08/14/eb402522-050c-11e3-bfc5-406b928603b2_story.html

[Saggy Aggie]

Crap...I thought you were kidding. They must see something in him and maybe need a lefty in the minors. The last line of the article may have something to do with it. lol

http://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/nationals/astros-deal-minor-league-lhp-blackley-to-texas-rangers-for-cash-player-to-be-named/2013/08/14/eb402522-050c-11e3-bfc5-406b928603b2_story.html

Wasn't joking. He sucks

[Tejastrue]

Garza looking average of late...Go Astros!!:D

[Deuce]

Garza looking average of late...Go Astros!!:D

3 starts in a row that Garza has looked average. Good comeback win though. Scheppers looked better than he has since before the break. 2 up thanks to the Stros!

[Deuce]

Ogando could land on the DL with shoulder problems again.

[regaleagle]

Ogando is a mistake to be starting for the Rangers, imo. He still looks to me to be a good long relief pitcher. He gives the Rangers innings as a starter, but doesn't really dominate.

[Tejastrue]

Hoping for a Houston sweep of the A's but happy with the 2 out of 3. Thanks Astros.

[regaleagle]

yeah, that's big. The A's have just been playing so good the past couple of seasons. The Rangers did go 2-13 before reeling off that 14-2 run recently. So they had a bad run and good one, but the A's went something like 19wins out of 21 games earlier this season. Had the Rangers not played well most of the season, except for that one bad run, they'd be on the lower end of the A's right now. Hopefully, the A's will hit that bad run starting now and maybe the Angels will whack them for us too, haha.

[Tejastrue]

Geez I wifh the Rangers could win them all but they lose a tough one tonight. Their reward is King Felix tomorrow. Go Cleveland!

[regaleagle]

Felix the Cat for Seattle will be a big hurdle for the Rangers to clear tonite, for sure. But the Rangers have a pattern of playing the tough starters well, and missing the mark with not-so-intimidating ones. As long as they can win the big ones more times than they lose them....usually that adds up in a long season. Trouble is they all start counting when the division spread between leaders is just a couple of games at this juncture in the season. Every single win now is big for both the A's and the Rangers. The rest of the division is now a non-factor for making the playoffs, imo. I haven't studied the numbers yet, but from what I understand there is no guarantee that BOTH the Rangers AND the A's will make the playoffs....only the division winner for certain. I think it's 3 division winners and the next 2 best records in the AL that make the playoffs this season. Somebody correct me if I'm wrong.

[Tejastrue]

Wow, Rangers responding quite nicely tonight. Perez pitched great. Ugly 8th inning for the Mariners.

[regaleagle]

Fifteen runs for the Rangers without a homer in the game....that's an anomaly. A season high offensively as the Rangers pelt former Cy Young winner King Felix Hernandez. He's a great pitcher, but the Rangers got an early lead, expanded it and then scored 10 more in the 7th and 8th innings. Actually, I think King Felix only gave up 5 hits to the Rangers tonite, but that was enough to get a 5-3 lead.

[regaleagle]

Rangers explode tonite for 11 runs in one inning as they put the whack attack on the 'Stros 16-5. It was fun for the fans at Arlington, but ugly for the Astros fans.

[Saggy Aggie]

Rangers explode tonite for 11 runs in one inning as they put the whack attack on the 'Stros 16-5. It was fun for the fans at Arlington, but ugly for the Astros fans.

On the bright side, the Astros SS pitched the ninth without giving up a run lol

[Deuce]

The 11 run inning was the most scored since July 2011 when the Yanks scored 12. As bad as the Astros have looked against the Rangers, they are 9-7 against Hamiltons Angels. Bahahaha!!!

[maestro]

CANNOT TOUCH ELMORE

Hahaha

Let him CLOSE

[Tejastrue]

Hey Saggy. You see who's starting for the Rangers tonight? :wave:

[Saggy Aggie]

Hey Saggy. You see who's starting for the Rangers tonight? :wave:

Yeah lol... but did you see who's starting for the Astros....? Jared Cosart and his 1.15 ERA. Doesn't matter tho... Bullpen will blow it.

Btw, the guy who started yesterday and got owned... Yeah thats what happens when a bullpen guy gets a spot start...

[Tejastrue]

Phillies gave up a good one. Cosart is the real deal and the Stros are the better team for it. Blackley pitched well. It looks like he is our 5th starter for the rest of the season with Harrison now out for the year. Timely overdue HR for Beltre. Nice win..go Rangers!

[Saggy Aggie]

Phillies gave up a good one. Cosart is the real deal and the Stros are the better team for it. Blackley pitched well. It looks like he is our 5th starter for the rest of the season with Harrison now out for the year. Timely overdue HR for Beltre. Nice win..go Rangers!

Cosart's worst start of the year and was still a quality start. Smh

[Deuce]

Rangers are now 60-9 when scoring at least 4 runs.

[Tejastrue]

Dang..I had Mitch Williams flashbacks when Scheppers pitched tonight. I sure hope Stassi, the Stros player he nailed in the face is okay and will return asap. Bittersweet win tonight.

[Saggy Aggie]

Didn't see the game but heard he's in the hospital

[Tejastrue]

Keep us posted Saggy. I really do hate seeing this sort of thing...

[regaleagle]

It was a high fastball tailing in that hit him in the nose/mouth area. It was really brutal looking, and not something any player likes to see. The pitch was very difficult to get away from because it started toward the plate...then tailed right into his head area, almost like you're aiming at a person's head...which he wasn't. The bases were loaded at the time and the tying 4th run then was able to cross the plate. The Rangers won it in the bottom of the ninth on a walk-off bases loaded sacrifice fly to left by Elvis Andrews with one out. The Rangers have now reeled off 8 straight wins and Oakland lost today to extend their lead in the AL West to 2.5 games.

[Saggy Aggie]

It was a high fastball tailing in that hit him in the nose/mouth area. It was really brutal looking, and not something any player likes to see. The pitch was very difficult to get away from because it started toward the plate...then tailed right into his head area, almost like you're aiming at a person's head...which he wasn't. The bases were loaded at the time and the tying 4th run then was able to cross the plate. The Rangers won it in the bottom of the ninth on a walk-off bases loaded sacrifice fly to left by Elvis Andrews with one out. The Rangers have now reeled off 8 straight wins and Oakland lost today to extend their lead in the AL West to 2.5 games.

Yeah he obviously didn't hit him on purpose. Tough way to get your first ML RBI

[Tejastrue]

Rangers bring out the HR bats for a nice change and gain another game on the A's. No reason to stop now.

[Tejastrue]

Rangers lost a chance to gain ground by losing two in a row and the A's doing the same. In Seattle tonight so a late start. Go Rangers!

[regaleagle]

The Rangers and the A's both must feel somewhat relieved they both broke even on the losses, huh? Being in first place, I imagine the Rangers are just a little bit more relieved than the A's are, haha. You gotta figure both teams are gonna drop a few games along the way. Now it's just a matter of what the other team does when a loss does occur. So looks like the Rangers were able to lose 2 games and come out basically unscathed in the AL West at this crucial time in the season. Now each game(or loss) means tons to both clubs. Winning the AL West is the only way to guarantee a playoff spot for either team.

[Saggy Aggie]

Keep us posted Saggy. I really do hate seeing this sort of thing...

7 day DL for a concussion

[Tejastrue]

Thanks Saggy. You are always concerned about the effect something like this will have on a player once they return. He's a catcher, so that will help. Best of luck to him.

On another note. Blackley gets the win last night. Change of scenery appears to be working for him.

[Deuce]

Lol rangers just traded for someone in the Astros bullpen...


No thanks but the rangers can pay us as much as they want for those terrible bullpen guys. Dude had like a 5 ERA.


Wasn't joking. He sucks

JD looks like a genius again! Haha!!

[Saggy Aggie]

Thanks Saggy. You are always concerned about the effect something like this will have on a player once they return. He's a catcher, so that will help. Best of luck to him.

On another note. Blackley gets the win last night. Change of scenery appears to be working for him.

That's typically how it works with Astros players... Smh

[Saggy Aggie]

JD looks like a genius again! Haha!!

Lets not get ahead of ourselves just yet....

Prolly has more to do with being in the rotation versus the bullpen. Dude was talented but couldn't get an out from the bullpen

[coach]

Lets not get ahead of ourselves just yet....

Prolly has more to do with being in the rotation versus the bullpen. Dude was talented but couldn't get an out from the bullpen

LOL then why didnt the astros have him in the rotation?

[Saggy Aggie]

LOL then why didnt the astros have him in the rotation?

Because their rotation wasn't the problem.... Starting pitching is the Astros biggest strength...

What do you guys think about Chris Davis?

[Txbroadcaster]

Because their rotation wasn't the problem.... Starting pitching is the Astros biggest strength...

What do you guys think about Chris Davis?


I still think the rotation is an issue...lets not pretend it has been great..guys who have at least 17 starts the ERAs are not good

[Saggy Aggie]

I still think the rotation is an issue...lets not pretend it has been great..guys who have at least 17 starts the ERAs are not good

Well, the astros have pitched 25 different guys this season... the worst 9 of them are all from the bullpen and have an ERA > 5.5

Astros starting pitching is not the problem. The ERA isnt that great but the average age is like 23... so yeah. They're shifting away from the guys they started with and the SP ERA has been pretty damn good the last couple months.

Cosart and OberHoltzer are gonna anchor it for now. David martinez, Wojo and others will be up soon. They dont need to insert an average at best guy into their mix. Blackley will come back down to earth. Change of scene was good for him.

[Txbroadcaster]

Well, the astros have pitched 25 different guys this season... the worst 9 of them are all from the bullpen and have an ERA > 5.5

Astros starting pitching is not the problem. The ERA isnt that great but the average age is like 23... so yeah. They're shifting away from the guys they started with and the SP ERA has been pretty damn good the last couple months.

Cosart and OberHoltzer are gonna anchor it for now. David martinez, Wojo and others will be up soon. They dont need to insert an average at best guy into their mix. Blackley will come back down to earth. Change of scene was good for him.

I just think we cant assume on guys who have less than 10 starts..lets see what they do as they face the same team multiple times

[Saggy Aggie]

I just think we cant assume on guys who have less than 10 starts..lets see what they do as they face the same team multiple times

Yeah, best through their first 14 ML starts... It doesn't get much better than what those 2 have done.

If you want a summary of the Astros season, just look at tonight's game...

Starter gave up 1 run. Bullpen gave up 3. 24th blown save....

[regaleagle]

The Rangers take care of business tonite, winning 4-3 in 10 innings as Ian Kinsler singled, moved to 2nd of Beltre's hit, stole 3rd, and then was balked in. Joe Nathan got his 39th save in 41 chances, the bullpen was solid for starter Holland, and the Rangers keep their 2.5 game lead in the AL West as Oakland defeats Detroit today. I believe there are about 30 games left in the regular season now.

[Deuce]

Hitting clinic going on in Seattle! Felix who?

[Deuce]

5 wins in a row for Perez. Was hoping we would get a few more games up this week but Detroit is not giving us any help.

[coach]

Because their rotation wasn't the problem.... Starting pitching is the Astros biggest strength...

What do you guys think about Chris Davis?

I did not want them to trade him. I was a big fan. In fact i know his dad really well. Im proud of him though. I also felt like the rangers didnt give him a fair chance. They let murphy, moreland, and ian struggle for a month straight but only allowed chris 2 weeks then they would send him back down.

[coach]

2 people argued with me that they would rather have cj wilson than perez...

[Txbroadcaster]

I did not want them to trade him. I was a big fan. In fact i know his dad really well. Im proud of him though. I also felt like the rangers didnt give him a fair chance. They let murphy, moreland, and ian struggle for a month straight but only allowed chris 2 weeks then they would send him back down.

Davis was given alot longer than 2 weeks lol..how about 2 and half years..it simply did not work out at Texas

[SintonFan_inAustin]

Davis was given alot longer than 2 weeks lol..how about 2 and half years..it simply did not work out at TexasMoreland making a case Rangers made the right move in keeping him instead of Davis.

[coach]

Davis was given alot longer than 2 weeks lol..how about 2 and half years..it simply did not work out at Texas

No. He was constatnly getting moved up and down from AAA to the bigs. they were never consistent enough with him.

[coach]

Moreland making a case Rangers made the right move in keeping him instead of Davis.

How? Davis has 30 more homers and is a mvp candidate....

[waterboy]

Davis was given alot longer than 2 weeks lol..how about 2 and half years..it simply did not work out at Texas

I agree. He did have plenty of opportunity in Texas, but for some reason he couldn't make the corrections in his mechanics to get his hitting going. As much as I would've loved for it to have worked out for Chris, I did think he needed a change of scenery. Maybe he was putting too much pressure on himself. Once the Longview native left Texas he definitely got things going, though. Now, people will have second thoughts, but it's exactly what Chris needed, in my opinion. I hate that he couldn't get things corrected while in Texas. He would've definitely been a huge bat in the Ranger lineup.

[Txbroadcaster]

Moreland making a case Rangers made the right move in keeping him instead of Davis.

we shall see..I just know the Rangers gave Davis more than a fair shot..it just was not the right time..he showed flashes but not enough to make him the everyday...now at Balti it looks like it is finally happening

[coach]

I agree. He did have plenty of opportunity in Texas, but for some reason he couldn't make the corrections in his mechanics to get his hitting going. As much as I would've loved for it to have worked out for Chris, I did think he needed a change of scenery. Maybe he was putting too much pressure on himself. Once the Longview native left Texas he definitely got things going, though. Now, people will have second thoughts, but it's exactly what Chris needed, in my opinion. I hate that he couldn't get things corrected while in Texas. He would've definitely been a huge bat in the Ranger lineup.

He definitily puts way too much pressure on himself. You could see his total attitude changed when playing in Texas this year. I think another reason why he is so successful is he finally got away from momma. When he was in Texas she was constantly on his case and in his business.

[Txbroadcaster]

He definitily puts way too much pressure on himself. You could see his total attitude changed when playing in Texas this year. I think another reason why he is so successful is he finally got away from momma. When he was in Texas she was constantly on his case and in his business.

and the 60-80 tickets a night for home games...good family, but created a bunch of pressure on him

[Deuce]

Because their rotation wasn't the problem.... Starting pitching is the Astros biggest strength...

What do you guys think about Chris Davis?

I think the Rangers are holding their own without Davis.

What do u guys think about the DisAstros?

[regaleagle]

There's only one thing to think about the DisAstros.....they need several years to MAYBE be competitive. Saggie Aggie is of a different opinion, but he lets his allegiance get in the way of common baseball knowledge. His message is that all the blown saves are the main culprit in Houston, and once that's fixed they will be competitive with the rest of the AL West. I just don't see it that way, sorry Saggie. More seasoning of the players coupled with bringing up new talent, and a better bullpen MAY get the Astros into a competitive situation in about 3-4 yrs. Just look at the Royals, Saggie. And the Rangers for many years, for that matter. It's just not that easy to build a complete MLB franchise in such a short time. And basically the 'Stros have started over. It will take time...more than 2 seasons, lol.

[SintonFan_inAustin]

There's only one thing to think about the DisAstros.....they need several years to MAYBE be competitive. Saggie Aggie is of a different opinion, but he lets his allegiance get in the way of common baseball knowledge. His message is that all the blown saves are the main culprit in Houston, and once that's fixed they will be competitive with the rest of the AL West. I just don't see it that way, sorry Saggie. More seasoning of the players coupled with bringing up new talent, and a better bullpen MAY get the Astros into a competitive situation in about 3-4 yrs. Just look at the Royals, Saggie. And the Rangers for many years, for that matter. It's just not that easy to build a complete MLB franchise in such a short time. And basically the 'Stros have started over. It will take time...more than 2 seasons, lol.

To me they're like Tampa Bay was, they developed good pitching and got them to where they could compete with low scoring games. Astros have one piece of that and its starting pitching, they are lacking bullpen to win some of those close games. Hitting will take some time though for them more than couple of years but they can still be a much better ball club next season with a better bullpen.

[regaleagle]

LOL, Sinton Fan....I guess so, haha. It doesn't take much to improve on 37 to 45 wins in a 162 game season. Whoopee!!! Go get em, Astros. Let's see now....if they win 45 this season and win 25 more games next season....why, that's a grand total of 70 wins. Heck yeah, they'll be right in it, haha.

[Tejastrue]

A's closer Balfour just gave up 4 runs in the bottom the ninth including a 3 run walk off HR by Tori Hunter and the Tigers beat Oakland 7-6. Awesome.

[Saggy Aggie]

Moreland making a case Rangers made the right move in keeping him instead of Davis.

Umm... What?

[Saggy Aggie]

I think the Rangers are holding their own without Davis.

What do u guys think about the DisAstros?

I think they're a bullpen away from be > .500 and when a few more of these top prospects hit the major league level, I think they'll be on top of this division.

[Deuce]

I think they're a bullpen away from be > .500 and when a few more of these top prospects hit the major league level, I think they'll be on top of this division.

Yeah they might be if they get in a division with Miami, Cubs, White Sox, and Cleveland

[SintonFan_inAustin]

LOL, Sinton Fan....I guess so, haha. It doesn't take much to improve on 37 to 45 wins in a 162 game season. Whoopee!!! Go get em, Astros. Let's see now....if they win 45 this season and win 25 more games next season....why, that's a grand total of 70 wins. Heck yeah, they'll be right in it, haha.baby steps :)

[SintonFan_inAustin]

Umm... What?

C. Davis vs M. Moreland
AVG -----------AVG
.304 -----------.246
HR -------------HR
47 --------------20
RBI-------------RBI
120 ------------ 55

Strike OUTS
Davis 158 Moreland 88

K might not had been following Davis season much lol dang didn't notice him having that great of a season. Still happy with Moreland.

RUNS

95

[Tejastrue]

Man I liked Davis when he was a Ranger but they did give him a lot of rope and it just didn't work out. I'm so happy to see he is doing well. I don't think anybody believed he would put up the numbers he has this year ...Davis included. Moreland is our guy now and I look for him to come up bigtime this last month-plus of the season and into October. Go Rangers.

[Saggy Aggie]

C. Davis vs M. Moreland
AVG -----------AVG
.304 -----------.246
HR -------------HR
47 --------------20
RBI-------------RBI
120 ------------ 55

Strike OUTS
Davis 158 Moreland 88

K might not had been following Davis season much lol dang didn't notice him having that great of a season. Still happy with Moreland.

RUNS

95

So..... Like I said.... What?

[Tejastrue]

Darvish is way past due for his 13th win. Hope he finally gets it tonight.

[coach]

I think they're a bullpen away from be > .500 and when a few more of these top prospects hit the major league level, I think they'll be on top of this division.

There offense is the 2nd worse in the league.... They are way more than a bullpen away. Hell a good bullpen doesnt win you 60 games

[Saggy Aggie]

There offense is the 2nd worse in the league.... They are way more than a bullpen away. Hell a good bullpen doesnt win you 60 games

The Astros would have 69 wins right now if they had just won the games where they had blown saves....

I don't understand why this is such a hard concept for you to understand

[coach]

The Astros would have 69 wins right now if they had just won the games where they had blown saves....

I don't understand why this is such a hard concept for you to understand

You just cant say they should have wins. Hell the rangers would have 100 wins right now if that was the case. your bull pen is going to blow games. You cannot be a 500 team and have the 2nd worse offense in the leauge. You guys are historically bad. One of the worst teams in the history of the game. The bullpen is not your only problem. No talent whatsoever on the field. when Jose Altuve is your most talented player than bullpen problem is the last ting on your mind.

[Saggy Aggie]

You just cant say they should have wins. Hell the rangers would have 100 wins right now if that was the case. your bull pen is going to blow games. You cannot be a 500 team and have the 2nd worse offense in the leauge. You guys are historically bad. One of the worst teams in the history of the game. The bullpen is not your only problem. No talent whatsoever on the field. when Jose Altuve is your most talented player than bullpen problem is the last ting on your mind.

Do the rangers have 24 blown saves? No.... Then that argument doesn't work. Yes the offense isn't that great, but the ASTROS HAD THE LEAD and the bullpen blew it. Aka the offense was good enough that game.

I never said the bullpen was the ONLY problem. I said it's a major problem. The Astros wouldn't be a playoff team with a great bullpen, but they sure as hell wouldn't be dead last. They'd have ATLEAST 60 wins if they were just an average bullpen.

The Astros BULLPEN is historically bad. Otherwise they're maybe average. You put those 2 together and you get really bad results.

[coach]

Do the rangers have 24 blown saves? No.... Then that argument doesn't work. Yes the offense isn't that great, but the ASTROS HAD THE LEAD and the bullpen blew it. Aka the offense was good enough that game.

I never said the bullpen was the ONLY problem. I said it's a major problem. The Astros wouldn't be a playoff team with a great bullpen, but they sure as hell wouldn't be dead last. They'd have ATLEAST 60 wins if they were just an average bullpen.

The Astros BULLPEN is historically bad. Otherwise they're maybe average. You put those 2 together and you get really bad results.

No, but I bet the have several games that they should have won and the bullpen blew it. Like I said, the bull ben will not make up that many games. I agree the bull pen is awful, but thats the last thing you rebuild when rebuilding a team.

[Saggy Aggie]

No, but I bet the have several games that they should have won and the bullpen blew it. Like I said, the bull ben will not make up that many games. I agree the bull pen is awful, but thats the last thing you rebuild when rebuilding a team.

Yeah and all the other pieces are coming together....

They've got a 40/40 guy in AAA right now and he's like their 4th best prospect. Singleton is also in AAA, to name just one. **** ton of new pitching prospects are arriving at the majors right now and the results have been great. They already have 2 all star hitters (Altuve and Castro) and several more guys who are just scratching the surface of their abilities (Dominguez, Villar, Hoes, etc). These guys will all be impact players in the next 2 years.

The offense will improve REALLY quickly. Starting pitching has already been great and the bullpen is the MAJOR problem, but also the easiest to fix via free agency. I'd love to argue Astros with you all day long cuz you don't know a damn thing about where the franchise is and where it's going.

I'm obviously biased but I've got stats for days to backup what I'm saying. The Astros bullpen might be the worst in ML history. If you had a team full of all stars otherwise, they'd be below .500 just for that. It's a FIFTY GAME SWING. 24 less losses, 24 more wins... And the season isn't even over.

The Astros have the most top 50 prospects in all of baseball (5/6 depending on which source you look at). Just wait coach.

[Tejastrue]

Take it to the Astros thread. lol...


Nice walk off win by the Rangers tonight!

[regaleagle]

A very BIG win against the Twinkies. It's that time of the season now when the team needs to relax and not get too tight. The pressure is beginning to mount for the Rangers, the A's and the Rays in the East.

[Tejastrue]

Blink of an eye and the Rangers and A's are tied for 1st again. Game 2 tonight in Oakland. Go Rangers.

[D'Highlander]

Perez with 6 wins in a row. Back up a game on the A's and Darvish hurling tonight.

[Tejastrue]

What can you say about Perez. Much more than anyone expected at this stage of his career. We need to get a bunch of runs for Darvish tonight. Give him a breather.

[Deuce]

Perez with 6 wins in a row. Back up a game on the A's and Darvish hurling tonight.

His changeup makes people look really foolish. When Donaldson tried to run over AJ it seemed like it lit a fire in the Rangers. Hopefully they will use that to get another W today.

[Cam]

His changeup makes people look really foolish. When Donaldson tried to run over AJ it seemed like it lit a fire in the Rangers. Hopefully they will use that to get another W today.

Is it just me...or do the A's look like a bunch of "smurfs"??......I think Fryman (1st baseman) is the only tall guy they have!.....One thing for sure, if the A's get in an all out brawl, it might work to their advantage since they're basically standin' at crotch level to everyone else......low blows would be abundant!.....Except for Colon...he'd be belly floppin' everyone!.....

[Deuce]

Is it just me...or do the A's look like a bunch of "smurfs"??......I think Fryman (1st baseman) is the only tall guy they have!.....One thing for sure, if the A's get in an all out brawl, it might work to their advantage since they're basically standin' at crotch level to everyone else......low blows would be abundant!.....Except for Colon...he'd be belly floppin' everyone!.....

Bad haircuts to!

[Slick50]

Darvish not throwing many strikes today

[Slick50]

Ol in state Astros helping out the Rangers again last night!!

[Saggy Aggie]

Ol in state Astros helping out the Rangers again last night!!

Yep was busy watching football last night so I wasn't following the game, but I saw the Astros got the W over the A's and Houston's SP pitched 7 inn and gave up 2 runs.

[Deuce]

Yep was busy watching football last night so I wasn't following the game, but I saw the Astros got the W over the A's and Houston's SP pitched 7 inn and gave up 2 runs.

I will root for the Astros unless their playing the Rangers. I will agree that the future looks good there. Hope they sweep them.

[Saggy Aggie]

I will root for the Astros unless their playing the Rangers. I will agree that the future looks good there. Hope they sweep them.

I still won't root for the Rangers LOL

[Deuce]

I still won't root for the Rangers LOL

They don't need your help anyway!

[Txbroadcaster]

I still won't root for the Rangers LOL

I have to ask..why? never been a real rivalry between the teams..I grew up loving both and still do

[Saggy Aggie]

I have to ask..why? never been a real rivalry between the teams..I grew up loving both and still do

Cuz rangers fans are douches.... LOL jk

It's just a Houston versus Dallas thing. Same reason I'll never root for the cowboys or Mavs.

Only thing that makes me happier than my teams winning is the Dallas teams losing :)

[Slick50]

You better start rooting for the Texans then and stay away from the Astros

[Deuce]

Cuz rangers fans are douches.... LOL jk

It's just a Houston versus Dallas thing. Same reason I'll never root for the cowboys or Mavs.

Only thing that makes me happier than my teams winning is the Dallas teams losing :)

Why do u waste so much of your time in this thread then? I guess everyone needs to feel like their a fan of a winner every once in a while.

[Slick50]

Why do u waste so much of your time in this thread then? I guess everyone needs to feel like their a fan of a winner every once in a while.
:fnypost:

[Saggy Aggie]

Lol don't make me remind you that the rangers have the doormat of MLB for 80% of their history. I spend time on this thread defending my team when rangers fans take shots at them. Basically 0 of my posts on here have anything to do with the rangers at all

[Deuce]

That's a bunch of defending to do since I believe your Astros are 2-14 on the year against the Rangers.

[Tejastrue]

Besides the fact I've defended the Astros many times on here it is kinda hard not to go after you when you post things like "suck it Rangers", "Rangers fans are douches", etc..

[Saggy Aggie]

That's a bunch of defending to do since I believe your Astros are 2-14 on the year against the Rangers.

Well yeah... But I'm still here. I wanna see all you rangers 'fans' on here defending them when they suck again sometime in the future :)

[Saggy Aggie]

Besides the fact I've defended the Astros many times on here it is kinda hard not to go after you when you post things like "suck it Rangers", "Rangers fans are douches", etc..

Lol, completely ignore the fact that I said 'LOL, jk....' Right after that....

I forgot to mention that rangers can't read too

LOL, JUST KIDDING...

[Tejastrue]

Rangers appear to be fading a bit. I sure hope not...dang it.

[Saggy Aggie]

Rangers appear to be fading a bit. I sure hope not...dang it.

Typical... Lol

[Tejastrue]

Get your As..tros back on your own thread. :tisk:

[Saggy Aggie]

Get your As..tros back on your own thread. :tisk:
:)

:)

[Tejastrue]

and what the heck is going on...you guys are suppose to be helping us. :(

[regaleagle]

Well, I hate to be the bearer of bad news....but its happening again. The Rangers are fading when they need to be playing good baseball most. All season they are one of the top teams...only to fade at crunch time. I truly believe they have a problem in the managing dept. with Washington. I said this last year and the year before. I do not think it is the players, the weather, or just happenstance that this team continues to have problems at key times. I believe its the management of the players and the team. It's obvious he's a "players coach", and that alone could be a huge part of the problem. I noticed Nolan and George Jr. sitting together last nite at the game. IMO, this is Wash's last stand....with the Rangers and maybe as a manager with MLB. He's been given every chance to produce. He's gone after the season, mark my word.

[Deuce]

Well, I hate to be the bearer of bad news....but its happening again. The Rangers are fading when they need to be playing good baseball most. All season they are one of the top teams...only to fade at crunch time. I truly believe they have a problem in the managing dept. with Washington. I said this last year and the year before. I do not think it is the players, the weather, or just happenstance that this team continues to have problems at key times. I believe its the management of the players and the team. It's obvious he's a "players coach", and that alone could be a huge part of the problem. I noticed Nolan and George Jr. sitting together last nite at the game. IMO, this is Wash's last stand....with the Rangers and maybe as a manager with MLB. He's been given every chance to produce. He's gone after the season, mark my word.

Didn't you say the same thing about Wash at the end of last year?

[Saggy Aggie]

and what the heck is going on...you guys are suppose to be helping us. :(
Hey, we won last night lol

[Deuce]

Didn't you say the same thing about Wash at the end of last year?

This year I might have to agree with you. I have always backed Wash, but if we can't turn this around the next couple of weeks, I have seen enough. Its time for JD to drop a bomb this winter.

[regaleagle]

YES, Deuce....read the post. I said it last year and the year before. AND now I'm saying it again, lol. I believe what I said then, and still believe Washington is not the best manager and leader for this team and this franchise at the everyday team level. What the club has been able to accomplish and not accomplish in some way is directly related to its field manager over this span with the players it has. Just about everyone agrees that the Rangers have had the teams to win a WS in the past 4 seasons, and it hasn't happened yet. I'm a firm believer in top-management in MLB at the clubhouse level to produce a WS winner. Just look at the Yankees. Or any other team that wins it, for that matter. The final result tells the story and the final result is all that matters when your team is loaded. Second best or 5th best doesn't count.

[regaleagle]

The Rangers are having difficulty winning at home against a .500 Pittsburg team in this series. Too many RISP left on base lately, and giving up lots of runs. I've noticed passed balls, errors, base-running mistakes....mistakes that good clubs like the Rangers shouldn't be making this time of the season. Also good pitches down the middle of the plate when the count is in favor of the pitcher....giving up hits and homers because of it. And just the opposite for the Rangers....not swinging at good hittable pitches, but fishing and guessing later in the count and going after bad pitches. These are not recommended traits of a team to win late in the season. It shows a kind of desperation....lack of confidence, and lack of self-discipline in the clutch. Where does this suddenly come from? It shows up every year with this team at this time. Mental mistakes, lack of self-discipline at the plate, base-running errors(mental), misplayed routine outs(mental), stupid pitches with an advantageous count...these are the differences that take a team to a WS. YES, I don't like our everyday manager in the clubhouse. He's not a disciplinarian, does not get the team ready, and does not make changes when needed. He's a player's coach, plain and simple. That's not usually a winning combination....it's for so-so teams.

[Saggy Aggie]

The Rangers are having difficulty winning at home against a .500 Pittsburg team in this series..

Wait... What? Maybe I'm just confused but Pittsburgh is 83-61...?? Not .500...

[LewPatt]

http://youtu.be/tW1tIpE95kc

[regaleagle]

Yeah, they are. They were talking about them being right at the .500 mark at this time of the season last year, and how they have eclipsed that this season. I was using the fact that the Pirates shouldn't be drilling the Rangers in Arlington right now comparing the talent level on each squad and their recent histories. Fact is the Rangers winning percentage at home this season stinks. The Rangers ability to win against teams like the Pirates is not good either. They seem to do better against the contenders than those teams like the Twinkies and Mariners, that are not in the race. Again, lack of self-discipline and mental mistakes for teams they should win series against.

[regaleagle]

Pirates sweep the Rangers in Arlington with less than 20 games left in the season.....tsk, tsk, tsk. And it wasn't just this series that is a cause for concern. I see a definite let-down going on in the last 10 days or so. Kevin Busby, Tom Grieve, Mark McGuire, and John Radigan are trying to stay positive for the fans....but they know what they are witnessing here in early September is not what a championship caliber team looks like going into the final month of the season to make the playoffs. This skid is a skid, at the most important time of the year. Bad news in Arlington.

[Deuce]

I am still not giving up. This team has the pitching staff to do it if they can get to the playoffs. Crazy things can happen if u can just get in. I thing there is no doubt that Cruz will be in the lineup if we do make the postseason.

[Tejastrue]

Pirates sweep the Rangers in Arlington with less than 20 games left in the season.....tsk, tsk, tsk. And it wasn't just this series that is a cause for concern. I see a definite let-down going on in the last 10 days or so. Kevin Busby, Tom Grieve, Mark McGuire, and John Radigan are trying to stay positive for the fans....but they know what they are witnessing here in early September is not what a championship caliber team looks like going into the final month of the season to make the playoffs. This skid is a skid, at the most important time of the year. Bad news in Arlington.


:vrycnfsd:

[Tejastrue]

I am still not giving up. This team has the pitching staff to do it if they can get to the playoffs. Crazy things can happen if u can just get in. I thing there is no doubt that Cruz will be in the lineup if we do make the postseason.

No reason to give up. They missed some golden opportunities in this series. Beltre has looked rather average at the plate though but they can easily right this ship. Go Rangers.

[LewPatt]

Hopefully, the Rangers can do some good when Oakland comes to town this weekend.

[waterboy]

This is definitely not the time of the year to go into a slump. The Rangers have to right the ship quickly, and get the bats going again if they are to do anything this season. It starts this weekend with the A's coming to town. Let's do this, Rangers!

[regaleagle]

I know it's Friday nite under the lights time in Texas right now, but the Rangers do have a big series starting against the A's tonite at the Ballpark. I'll be checking in from time to time as I'm listening to the Argyle/Paris game, watching college football, and High School Football Live on FoxSW. A busy but happy sportsnight for me at home since I can't see the Argyle game in person. Go Eagles!!! Go Rangers!!! Gig Em, AGGIES!!! What a weekend for sports this is gonna be. And the season's just starting. Then there's Pro Football on Sunday and Monday Nite. YIPPIE!!! Oh....I gotta go now. It's Boise State kicking off to Air Force right now!

[regaleagle]

Holland is on the mound tonite for the Rangers, and right off the bat in the top of the first he allows 2 hits and a 3-run shot over the leftcenter power alley by Cespedes to make the score 3-0 after 1/2 of an inning. It may be a looong nite for the Rangers.

[regaleagle]

Okay, after 1 inning it's the A's 3, the Rangers 2. Gives Hollland a bit more room to work his magic now. Maybe he will settle down and try to limit this A's offensive attack.

[regaleagle]

Now it's the top of the 5th with the A's batting and it's now 8-2 Oakland. They are pounding the ball on the Rangers pitchers.

[movethechain]

Anyone still watching this game tonight. "It ain't over till it's over". 9-8 bottom of the 9th.

[regaleagle]

Really???? What's the final outcome? I guess I'll have to switch it to Quick Pitch to catch the final.

[regaleagle]

Looks like the Rangers lost again, and now have lost 10 of the last 13. They lose a full game to the A's and are now 3.5 games back and hold the slimmest of margins in the Wild Card over the Rays. The Astros actually win against the Angels(nightmare season) and one of the 'Stros players hit a grand slam. I didn't catch who it was.

Holy Smokes....watch the highlights and see how the Rangers were robbed on a critical bad call at third in the 9th that may have affected the outcome and even more.

On a side note, Chris Davis hits his 50th homer tonite for the Orioles...tying the franchise record for homers in a season.

[Deuce]

Am I dreaming or did the Rangers win last night? Time to get on a roll now! If the bats can stay hot I think our pitching staff can figure it out.

[Deuce]

Quick stat from Newburg. There only 2 teams that could potentially make the playoffs for the 4th consecutive season. The Rangers and Yanks!

[regaleagle]

I'm not sure this team has the discipline at the plate or the drive to turn on the jets. They appear to be worn down, not healthy, and teetering as a team. Too many RISP have been left on base during the skid, and untimely poor at bats where the discipline at the plate with RISP was inexcusable. At least 4 games in that stretch were directly a result of this poor execution. A few others from rudimentary base-running mental mistakes. This lack of concentration and mental drop-off cannot be turned on and off like a light switch. Desire to win is not enough.....the players must maintain a high degree of mental toughness and sharpness this time of the season.....or they will just beat themselves.

[SintonFan_inAustin]

Went a week without watching the Rangers and they lose 7 straight games!! watch them last night and Voila they win!! They're barely holding on to one of the playoffs spots :(

[Slick50]

Were gonna get on a roll now and make some noise in the playoffs!!

[SintonFan_inAustin]

must win tonight, Rangers go up a run in the 11th

[Deuce]

must win tonight, Rangers go up a run in the 11th

And Nathan blows it! Very frustrating. On a positive note, a win today puts the Rangers back on top of the wild card.

[Farmersfan]

Unfortunately cheering for the Rangers to squeak into the last wild card spot after such a horrendous slide late in the season is like saying it's better to be the smartest person on the short bus. If I heard it correctly this morning the Rangers are something like 3-13 during this slide. My question is how does the manager still have his job? The Rangers lost a 13 game lead late last season to force a 1 game playoff with the A's which of course they lost. Ron Washington has exhausted his "benefit of a doubt" credit that he earned with the WS appearances a long time ago. Injuries and suspensions might be beyond his control but the constant base running mistakes and the bad outfield play are 100% his responsibility.

[SintonFan_inAustin]

Unfortunately cheering for the Rangers to squeak into the last wild card spot after such a horrendous slide late in the season is like saying it's better to be the smartest person on the short bus. If I heard it correctly this morning the Rangers are something like 3-13 during this slide. My question is how does the manager still have his job? The Rangers lost a 13 game lead late last season to force a 1 game playoff with the A's which of course they lost. Ron Washington has exhausted his "benefit of a doubt" credit that he earned with the WS appearances a long time ago. Injuries and suspensions might be beyond his control but the constant base running mistakes and the bad outfield play are 100% his responsibility.back to back September collapses :(

playoff through wildcard only hope to atleast get back in and see if they can turn it around when it really counts!

[coach]

Unfortunately cheering for the Rangers to squeak into the last wild card spot after such a horrendous slide late in the season is like saying it's better to be the smartest person on the short bus. If I heard it correctly this morning the Rangers are something like 3-13 during this slide. My question is how does the manager still have his job? The Rangers lost a 13 game lead late last season to force a 1 game playoff with the A's which of course they lost. Ron Washington has exhausted his "benefit of a doubt" credit that he earned with the WS appearances a long time ago. Injuries and suspensions might be beyond his control but the constant base running mistakes and the bad outfield play are 100% his responsibility.

his lineup is trash. when you lose nellie, hamilton, napoli and young its hard to win. not to mention their 2nd best pitcher for the entire year. one of the best setup men and a real good bullpen guy in Koji.


They will give him one more year but it will be on a short leash. remember, ever since they have pulled nolan from decision making the team has gone downhill

[Deuce]

Its funny that about a 6 weeks ago, people were saying that Wash should get Manager of the Year consideration with all the injuries that this team has had and how good the Rangers were doing. Now everyone wants his head. I even said that I was tired of it. The fact is though that this team has lacked another big bat all year, and I put that on JD. Beltre has no protection in the clean up spot since Cruz got suspended and that is killing this team along with other mistakes. But then again, who was out there for JD to go get? I also believe that Wash will still be here one more*year, but there will be no room for error. Wish the Rays would go into a slide and we could get Joe Maddon but I doubt that will happen!

[GrTigers6]

his lineup is trash. when you lose nellie, hamilton, napoli and young its hard to win. not to mention their 2nd best pitcher for the entire year. one of the best setup men and a real good bullpen guy in Koji.


They will give him one more year but it will be on a short leash. remember, ever since they have pulled nolan from decision making the team has gone downhill

With Hamilton and youngs batting record this year they wouldn't be much of an improvement

[Tin Cup]

I think the Rangers are right about where everyone thought they would be at this point in the season. Fighting for dear life to make the playoffs. We are just disappointed that we ended up in this position after a promising first half. I thought we played above ourselves most of the year honestly. Now our inexperience is choking.

[regaleagle]

Unfortunately cheering for the Rangers to squeak into the last wild card spot after such a horrendous slide late in the season is like saying it's better to be the smartest person on the short bus. If I heard it correctly this morning the Rangers are something like 3-13 during this slide. My question is how does the manager still have his job? The Rangers lost a 13 game lead late last season to force a 1 game playoff with the A's which of course they lost. Ron Washington has exhausted his "benefit of a doubt" credit that he earned with the WS appearances a long time ago. Injuries and suspensions might be beyond his control but the constant base running mistakes and the bad outfield play are 100% his responsibility.

What was this poster extolling last season.....and I caught flack on here for it. He's not a top-flight manager. He's proven he isn't. If the Rangers still had Buck Showalter, he'd have taken several of these Rangers teams to the Championship. They'd be wearing their rings by now with Buck in charge. Wash is a "player's coach".....not what a team needs toward the end of the season and not what a quality team needs. Players coaches are for struggling teams only, imo. I think the rift between Nolan and ownership was a difference in opinion over re-signing Wash this season.

[Txbroadcaster]

What was this poster extolling last season.....and I caught flack on here for it. He's not a top-flight manager. He's proven he isn't. When the Rangers has Buck Showalter, he'd have taken several of these Rangers teams to the Championship. They'd be wearing their rings by now with Buck in charge. Wash is a "player's coach".....not what a team needs toward the end of the season and not what a quality team needs. Players coaches are for struggling teams only, imo. I think the rift between Nolan and ownership was a difference in opinion over re-signing Wash this season.

When has ole Bucky won a ring as a manager? He was hated GREATLY by the time he left..We used to have Greg Rosenthal on our show in Shreveport each week back then and he talked about the players openly talking about how he lied to players in their face..how he was a huge douche...so I do not know why you think he would do much better than a guy that has taken Rangers to two WS and three straight play offs..and I am not a huge fan of Wash but what he has done cannot be denied.

[regaleagle]

Because ole Bucky has a winning resume and a resume of establishing some team discipline. He's done pretty well since leaving the Rangers organization, I'd say. When Buck took over the Rangers they were losing. Not so when he left. If he had this group of talent, no question in my mind he'd have succeeded with them. He's just a better manager of the talent.

[Txbroadcaster]

Because ole Bucky has a winning resume and a resume of establishing some team discipline. He's done pretty well since leaving the Rangers organization, I'd say. When Buck took over the Rangers they were losing. Not so when he left. If he had this group of talent, no question in my mind he'd have succeeded with them. He's just a better manager of the talent.

uhh he was fired because they were losing..he had one winning season( his 2nd year)..lost over 90 games once.never finished above 3rd....and right now he is answering questions as his own team has started to falter

I just do not see this team needing some kind of discipline as you do or a manager known to be a hard ass

[regaleagle]

So you don't think the problem with this much talent not succeeding is not Ron Washington??? If you believe that then you are in the twilight zone. There's sufficient evidence on Buck Showalter's winning resume over the years, and the problems the Rangers were having at the time was severe lack of team chemistry. Maybe he wasn't a good fit for those players at that time, I'm not debating that era, but I'm simply stating this particular era the Rangers seem to need a manager that will help them finish. Wash seems too hesitant at times to make tough moves during the game. And his overall management of playing time is questionable. And then there's the new players coming up from the minors he's too quick to play right in the middle of the pennant race. Just doesn't seem to work out for the team. This team was way out in front again this season, only to hit the skids at crunch time. Why is that a trait with this team?

[regaleagle]

It would be almost crazy if the Rangers were to make the playoffs, then win the AL pennant, and then win the WS this season. That would be most improbable, but stranger than truth, lol. But sometimes that's how baseball goes. It's very tough to predict the outcomes of baseball series. At least the Rangers do have the composition to do it, and maybe getting Nellie back will help, I dunno.

[Txbroadcaster]

So you don't think the problem with this much talent not succeeding is not Ron Washington??? If you believe that then you are in the twilight zone. There's sufficient evidence on Buck Showalter's winning resume over the years, and the problems the Rangers were having at the time was severe lack of team chemistry. Maybe he wasn't a good fit for those players at that time, I'm not debating that era, but I'm simply stating this particular era the Rangers seem to need a manager that will help them finish. Wash seems too hesitant at times to make tough moves during the game. And his overall management of playing time is questionable. And then there's the new players coming up from the minors he's too quick to play right in the middle of the pennant race. Just doesn't seem to work out for the team. This team was way out in front again this season, only to hit the skids at crunch time. Why is that a trait with this team?


Rangers were never way out front this year...The line up was flawed from beginning and that was before they lost Cruz...I think people are forgetting most had Texas in 3rd this year battling for a Wild Card...well they are 2nd battling for a Wild Card...seems to me Wash has done pretty good this year

for the record Wash has a higher winning % than Buck and has been two pennants..Buck has none

[regaleagle]

That record only reflects Wash at the helm with the Rangers being loaded. When Buck had the team they were not. That's the whole point....they're loaded and Wash hasn't taken them to the promised land. Stats are just stats.....they don't tell the real story. You should know that. He's has failed to make this special group of players that the organization has assembled World Series champions. They've been close, but there seems to be something missing. I'm not about to give Ron Washington all the credit here. I feel there are better managers in MLB right now that could have done a better job with the Rangers in the last 3 years.....Buck Showalter being one of them. I not necessarily high on Buck, just used him as an example. I'm just not sold on RW......he continues to do nothing most of the time. Next thing ya know, he's got some minor league upstart in the game fresh from the farm, right when the Rangers need their dependable line-up. I watch practically every game....I see the non-moves and the goofy ones. No sir.....I'm just not a believer in RW and you or nobody else is gonna convince me otherwise. I've seen enough already.

[Txbroadcaster]

funny most people said last year he used veterans too much,,yet you claim he went too much with younger players...btw..look at the 2006 line up and tell me how many are still on roster...Wash built a team...does he make stupid mistakes..yes..but he is also one of the managers that goes with his gut for right or wrong

[regaleagle]

I've stated my opinion of Ron Washington. If you are happy with the Rangers management....goodie for you. I've been a rabid fan of theirs since inception, supporting them through thick and thin, all through the years, even when they were losing. I still support them....I'm just not a Ron Washington fan and feel the Rangers could have made a change after last season. They didn't and that's their choice. We'll see what happens. They may win it still, but it won't be because of RW....it will be in spite of him.

[regaleagle]

Of course, they've already missed two seasons of golden opportunity with him at the reins, so let's just see if the third one is a charm, lol.

[Txbroadcaster]

I've stated my opinion of Ron Washington. If you are happy with the Rangers management....goodie for you. I've been a rabid fan of theirs since inception, supporting them through thick and thin, all through the years, even when they were losing. I still support them....I'm just not a Ron Washington fan and feel the Rangers could have made a change after last season. They didn't and that's their choice. We'll see what happens. They may win it still, but it won't be because of RW....it will be in spite of him.


same here..ranger fan since birth..I just do not see it like you do...not the biggest fan of Wash, but also don't not think he is the biggest reason they have not a WS

[Macarthur]

Wash is a real tough call for me. I love his way of managing the players. The guys love him and I think that is worth a lot.

However, his decision making is, at times, horren. And when he has to go to a NL park, he typically get his pants managed off by the other manager. It just so happens that you have to win in some NL parks to win a WS. :-) and I hate the bunt and wash loves the bunt.

I don't have strong feelings one way or the other on whether they should keep him. I would love to see what a guy like Joe maddon could do with this team.

[Farmersfan]

Seems to me this argument is very reminiscient of the constant discussion we have had about the team around Tony Romo and how talented it really was or wasn't. Did Ron Washington ride a great talent wave to the top and back down again or was he responsible for turning a bunch of average players into near world Champions? I think the real answer is somewhere in the middle. Wash's management style worked very well for that particular group of players at that particular time. Just like Jimmy Johnson came into a perfect situation where he had a TON of young raw talent to mold into a world championship and he took advantage of that to seal his legacy. But Jimmy Johnson understood when to step down. We can argue all day long about the problems between Jimmy and Jerry but I will always believe that Jimmy understood that his "hard ass" style worked well with young inexperienced players but it would NEVER work for a group of All Pros who had 2 Superbowl rings under their belt. He got out because he had to get out or things were going to fall apart very guickly. And it's time for Ron Washington to get out. His effectiveness on the key players on this team seems to be greatly diminished at this point. If I watch another one of the Ranger's superstars get thrown out on a stupid base running mistake I might just stop watching them altogether. There comes a point when all the excuses must be dropped and everybody has to take responsibility for their bad play and lack of production. Yet Wash is still making excuses. I want to scream every time I hear him say something like "that's how baseball go". That is putting excuses in the minds of his players. Ron Washington should have been fired last season after they lost a 13 game lead late in the season.....

[coach]

Seems to me this argument is very reminiscient of the constant discussion we have had about the team around Tony Romo and how talented it really was or wasn't. Did Ron Washington ride a great talent wave to the top and back down again or was he responsible for turning a bunch of average players into near world Champions? I think the real answer is somewhere in the middle. Wash's management style worked very well for that particular group of players at that particular time. Just like Jimmy Johnson came into a perfect situation where he had a TON of young raw talent to mold into a world championship and he took advantage of that to seal his legacy. But Jimmy Johnson understood when to step down. We can argue all day long about the problems between Jimmy and Jerry but I will always believe that Jimmy understood that his "hard ass" style worked well with young inexperienced players but it would NEVER work for a group of All Pros who had 2 Superbowl rings under their belt. He got out because he had to get out or things were going to fall apart very guickly. And it's time for Ron Washington to get out. His effectiveness on the key players on this team seems to be greatly diminished at this point. If I watch another one of the Ranger's superstars get thrown out on a stupid base running mistake I might just stop watching them altogether. There comes a point when all the excuses must be dropped and everybody has to take responsibility for their bad play and lack of production. Yet Wash is still making excuses. I want to scream every time I hear him say something like "that's how baseball go". That is putting excuses in the minds of his players. Ron Washington should have been fired last season after they lost a 13 game lead late in the season.....

Is there anybody you do like?

[Farmersfan]

same here..ranger fan since birth..I just do not see it like you do...not the biggest fan of Wash, but also don't not think he is the biggest reason they have not a WS



Does he need to be the "Biggest" reason? Changes are made everyday to fix all the other reasons they have not won a WS so why wouldn't they fix the management position if it represents even a very small reason?

[Farmersfan]

Is there anybody you do like?



That list just shrunk by one coach!!!!! :flaming:

[coach]

That list just shrunk by one coach!!!!! :flaming:


:clap:

[Deuce]

Lmao. We have been in the playoffs 3 straight years and right in the middle of trying to get in the playoffs for a 4th straight year and all everyone wants to do is blow this thing up and fire the coach. My how times have changed for Rangers fans. As far thinking Showalter could do a better job, I thing that is just as crazy. The guy has 2 seasons in which he has won 90 or more games and only 7 seasons out of 15 in which he won 80 or more. His total winning percentage is only .516 over is career.

For me, I still have some faith in Wash, but if Maddon wanted to come here Wash would be on the 1st train out of town. For now we are still in the hunt, so let's win this series this weekend!

[Slick50]

Showalter couldn't carry Wash's hairspray.

[Farmersfan]

Lmao. We have been in the playoffs 3 straight years and right in the middle of trying to get in the playoffs for a 4th straight year and all everyone wants to do is blow this thing up and fire the coach. My how times have changed for Rangers fans. As far thinking Showalter could do a better job, I thing that is just as crazy. The guy has 2 seasons in which he has won 90 or more games and only 7 seasons out of 15 in which he won 80 or more. His total winning percentage is only .516 over is career.

For me, I still have some faith in Wash, but if Maddon wanted to come here Wash would be on the 1st train out of town. For now we are still in the hunt, so let's win this series this weekend!



There is a big difference in a middle of the pack team battling their butts off to get into the playoffs and a divisional leader who goes into a late season slide of terrible baseball and damn near falls short of even making the playoffs..... That is what most people are angry about.

[Slick50]

How about Wash now, did he make Feliz throw 4 straight balls???

[regaleagle]

The Rangers are not hitting with RISP. In fact, the at-bats are not consistently good for the team as a whole right now. Yes, Feliz stunk in that situation, but where's the hitting? They should be able to handle this Royals club and outscore them. I mean....KC did only earn one lousy run. You cannot play baseball like this in Sept. and expect your team to be competitive on a daily basis. They have hit the wall, imo. Just like last season. Otherwise, they'd be hitting on a lot more cylinders. The talent is there, obviously.

[Txbroadcaster]

The Rangers are not hitting with RISP. In fact, the at-bats are not consistently good for the team as a whole right now. Yes, Feliz stunk in that situation, but where's the hitting? They should be able to handle this Royals club and outscore them. I mean....KC did only earn one lousy run. You cannot play baseball like this in Sept. and expect your team to be competitive on a daily basis. They have hit the wall, imo. Just like last season. Otherwise, they'd be hitting on a lot more cylinders. The talent is there, obviously.

I dont think the talent is there at all...I think it can be..but youth and lack of power( who thought we would ever say that about Rangers lol)...this was a flawed line up from the get go and got worse with the Cruz deal

[regaleagle]

Lmao. We have been in the playoffs 3 straight years and right in the middle of trying to get in the playoffs for a 4th straight year and all everyone wants to do is blow this thing up and fire the coach. My how times have changed for Rangers fans. As far thinking Showalter could do a better job, I thing that is just as crazy. The guy has 2 seasons in which he has won 90 or more games and only 7 seasons out of 15 in which he won 80 or more. His total winning percentage is only .516 over is career.

For me, I still have some faith in Wash, but if Maddon wanted to come here Wash would be on the 1st train out of town. For now we are still in the hunt, so let's win this series this weekend!

You guys don't read too well do you. I said I used Showalter as an example only. You'll jump on anything you can to discredit the posts of another, twist the meaning to suit your purposes, and then pick one of the better managers in baseball as the answer. Well whoop-ti-do. You haven't said anything of value as far as I can see. Every baseball fan can agree with your statement. But I think Wash is a major problem for this Rangers organization and doubt we will see him in a Rangers uniform next season. I've stated that opinion on here as far back as 3 seasons ago, for your information. Have the Rangers won a WS like most predicted under Wash yet??? That's a big NO!!! I rest my case. RESULTS are all that matters, and RESULTS tell the story over a 162 game schedule.

HELLO>>>Using Showalter as an example was only to accentuate how badly I think the Rangers need a better manager. Can you grasp that concept????

[Txbroadcaster]

You guys don't read too well do you. I said I used Showalter as an example only. You'll jump on anything you can to discredit the posts of another, twist the meaning to suit your purposes, and then pick one of the better managers in baseball as the answer. Well whoop-ti-do. You haven't said anything of value as far as I can see. Every baseball fan can agree with your statement. But I think Wash is a major problem for this Rangers organization and doubt we will see him in a Rangers uniform next season. I've stated that opinion on here as far back as 3 seasons ago, for your information. Have the Rangers won a WS like most predicted under Wash yet??? That's a big NO!!! I rest my case. RESULTS are all that matters, and RESULTS tell the story over a 162 game schedule.

HELLO>>>Using Showalter as an example was only to accentuate how badly I think the Rangers need a better manager. Can you grasp that concept????

I do not think anyone is trying to discredit you..I think some disagree that Buck is a better manager is all...you make good points about him, I just think he is not good and grinds teams down as the players get older...I think his style i good for young teams needing to follow a regime..I just think this Ranger squad would not answer to his style at all

[regaleagle]

I dont think the talent is there at all...I think it can be..but youth and lack of power( who thought we would ever say that about Rangers lol)...this was a flawed line up from the get go and got worse with the Cruz deal

I can see your thinking there, TB....but the Rangers do have the talent on the club right now to win it all. Just because Josh and a few others are gone doesn't mean the Rangers have lost anything. Moreland, Beltre, Elvis, Kinsler, Pierzynski(an improvement at catcher) and definitely Nellie was plenty of talent to win the division. And they should at least garner a playoff spot with this kind of lineup. The D is excellent, as is the pitching. Overall, they have performed as expected until they hit this Sept. wall again. Wash has done nothing to solve this delimma. Samo-samo. You cannot look at the stats and say this team is not good enough....that's copping out on the reality of what the stats show. This team still has plenty of talent in all areas to contend, and the stats in those areas bear this out. The stat of RBI with RISP stinks all season, and team batting average is lower than it should be mainly because the walks are low with poor discipline at the plate with RISP. And I don't know exactly, but many games this season were lost because of bone-head baserunning mistakes. I can remember at least 5 games I watched where basic baserunning errors caused a loss instead of a win. There were probably at least 10 games this season where that happened.....too many for any contender.

[Txbroadcaster]

I can see your thinking there, TB....but the Rangers do have the talent on the club right now to win it all. Just because Josh and a few others are gone doesn't mean the Rangers have lost anything. Moreland, Beltre, Elvis, Kinsler, Pierzynski(an improvement at catcher) and definitely Nellie was plenty of talent to win the division. And they should at least garner a playoff spot with this kind of lineup. The D is excellent, as is the pitching. Overall, they have performed as expected until they hit this Sept. wall again. Wash has done nothing to solve this delimma. Samo-samo. You cannot look at the stats and say this team is not good enough....that's copping out on the reality of what the stats show. This team still has plenty of talent in all areas to contend, and the stats in those areas bear this out. The stat of RBI with RISP stinks all season, and team batting average is lower than it should be mainly because the walks are low with poor discipline at the plate with RISP. And I don't know exactly, but many games this season were lost because of bone-head baserunning mistakes. I can remember at least 5 games I watched where basic baserunning errors caused a loss instead of a win. There were probably at least 10 games this season where that happened.....too many for any contender.

The thing with this year...I dont think anything could be done..I think this year far more than any it was done with smoke and mirrors for so long that we as fans expected more..they never got out to a big league this and have chased most of it

Wash last was blamed for sticking with Vets as they struggled...so this year he changed his style and became a line up juggler...and everyone was great with that as they won..then now they struggle the blame is..Wash wont have a consistent line up...the life of a manager with expectations...people blame no matter what

I never was happy with this line up...I said it in spring..I think the organization took a step back on purpose...not to try not to win..but to finally let some young guys in line up and force maturation..give a season up if it makes the next 10 in contention...then the Rangers played above IMO their line up..pitching kept giving them great games even when it was a minor league guy
for a spot start...problem was bullpen getting used up early...bats started being figured out etc etc

I think 1B is a glaring weakness Moreland not consistent enough...corner out field glaring weakness..not enough power...and I disagree about D I think on paper it is ok..but should be better..and that is on Wash who is supposed to be a fundamentals type of guy in field....Again I do not think Wash is perfect but I dont hang it all on him

[regaleagle]

I agree with the youth movement ideology from management as well. And I too was happy to see some youthful talent interjected early in the season this year. But throwing in fresh from the farm starters and relievers at crunch time in a pennant race is a different scenario altogether. Overall, I think the organization has done well with the moves they made.....except for Davis at first. Lack of a power bat in the outfield(other than Nellie) is a glaring need, I agree. But the team has contended without it, and the defense has been better than most other contending teams. Baserunning mistakes has been a huge disappointment, but stolen bases has been very good. Lack of plate discipline and low number of walks hurts this team significantly. These are areas that are easily repaired, but it did not happen this season. That's on Wash....he's the manager of this team and has coaches that he is the boss over. His decision-making is questionable at best. Like you said, the players like him. But is that what this team needs to get back to the WS? I say no it isn't. They need someone with more experience and more discipline, jmo. We've tried it the other way for 3 seasons now and have gotten basically the same results and the same lack of discipline staring us in the face. Look at Tampa and the A's for comparison.

[Txbroadcaster]

I agree with the youth movement ideology from management as well. And I too was happy to see some youthful talent interjected early in the season this year. But throwing in fresh from the farm starters and relievers at crunch time in a pennant race is a different scenario altogether. Overall, I think the organization has done well with the moves they made.....except for Davis at first. Lack of a power bat in the outfield(other than Nellie) is a glaring need, I agree. But the team has contended without it, and the defense has been better than most other contending teams. Baserunning mistakes has been a huge disappointment, but stolen bases has been very good. Lack of plate discipline and low number of walks hurts this team significantly. These are areas that are easily repaired, but it did not happen this season. That's on Wash....he's the manager of this team and has coaches that he is the boss over. His decision-making is questionable at best. Like you said, the players like him. But is that what this team needs to get back to the WS? I say no it isn't. They need someone with more experience and more discipline, jmo. We've tried it the other way for 3 seasons now and have gotten basically the same results and the same lack of discipline staring us in the face. Look at Tampa and the A's for comparison.

and Tampa made one WS and lost..eliminated by Texas twice...A's nice run last year but out in first series...and that is the point IMO...Not alot of managers right now with his Resume..and no he is not perfect...but I also think he gets under appreciated

I only think a manager can do so much...you can preach better at bats..better situational stuff...but certain players are not wired that way..no matter who is telling them..and if the talent behind them is not marginally better nothing a manager can do..I personally think hitting coach is more of an impact on at bats..they are the ones who work day to day with them on the approach

[regaleagle]

and Tampa made one WS and lost..eliminated by Texas twice...A's nice run last year but out in first series...and that is the point IMO...Not alot of managers right now with his Resume..and no he is not perfect...but I also think he gets under appreciated

I only think a manager can do so much...you can preach better at bats..better situational stuff...but certain players are not wired that way..no matter who is telling them..and if the talent behind them is not marginally better nothing a manager can do..I personally think hitting coach is more of an impact on at bats..they are the ones who work day to day with them on the approach

I'm in total agreement with your statements above, and I hold the manager responsible to make sure the hitting coach is doing due diligence to rectify poor performance in plate discipline. That one aspect of the game greatly impacts the team and is of prime importance at the major league level.

[Txbroadcaster]

I'm in total agreement with your statements above, and I hold the manager responsible to make sure the hitting coach is doing due diligence to rectify poor performance in plate discipline. That one aspect of the game greatly impacts the team and is of prime importance at the major league level.

i agree and I think Wash had alot to do with firing the hitting coach in season last year(last year right?)..felt it was not working early and made a move

[regaleagle]

In summary, the Rangers are still fighting for a playoff spot and it ain't over til it's over. Look what happened to the A's last season as they caught fire about this time. It could happen in reverse.....that would be something if it did, huh? Go Rangers.

[regaleagle]

Rangers get by with another close win over the Royals....while the Rays and the A's win also. The Rangers are fighting for the last playoff spot in the AL, trying to just stay in the hunt as the season comes to a close. It's nip & tuck here at the finish in this AL Wildcard Race. There's about 5 teams still alive for the slots.

[SintonFan_inAustin]

Rangers get by with another close win over the Royals....while the Rays and the A's win also. The Rangers are fighting for the last playoff spot in the AL, trying to just stay in the hunt as the season comes to a close. It's nip & tuck here at the finish in this AL Wildcard Race. There's about 5 teams still alive for the slots.Forget about the A's, Rangers put themselves in this postion for a playoff spot and might take them to win out or come close to it get in. Can't afford a lost when the other teams ahead win at this point of the season.

[Deuce]

You guys don't read too well do you. I said I used Showalter as an example only. You'll jump on anything you can to discredit the posts of another, twist the meaning to suit your purposes, and then pick one of the better managers in baseball as the answer. Well whoop-ti-do. You haven't said anything of value as far as I can see. Every baseball fan can agree with your statement. But I think Wash is a major problem for this Rangers organization and doubt we will see him in a Rangers uniform next season. I've stated that opinion on here as far back as 3 seasons ago, for your information. Have the Rangers won a WS like most predicted under Wash yet??? That's a big NO!!! I rest my case. RESULTS are all that matters, and RESULTS tell the story over a 162 game schedule.

HELLO>>>Using Showalter as an example was only to accentuate how badly I think the Rangers need a better manager. Can you grasp that concept????


I haven't said anything of value but everyone would agree with my statement? That makes a lot of sense.

[regaleagle]

Right, lol. Everybody knows that a manager like Joe Madden would be a plus for most MLB baseball clubs.....that's a no-brainer. Certainly, he'd be an improvement over Wash. But he ain't leaving the Rays for the Rangers, either.

[regaleagle]

Rangers go to the top of the 8th in KC still without a run scored, tied at 0-0. Just not getting it done at the plate against a team they should dominate on their way to a win....a needed win....a must win.

[Deuce]

I dont think the talent is there at all...I think it can be..but youth and lack of power( who thought we would ever say that about Rangers lol)...this was a flawed line up from the get go and got worse with the Cruz deal

This is spot on!

[regaleagle]

If you don't score, ya can't win. An absolute fizzle by the Rangers at the end of the season, without question. Have we seen this before? Major league ballplayers....good players....not getting it done. I don't need to hear the why's.....those are excuses. They fizzled, didn't produce at crunch time after being in position....with no life. The pitching was more than adequate. Time to find the answer. Samo-samo not getting it done.

[Aguilafanatico]

It's an easy lineup to pitch against IMO. They don't make pitchers work. If you don't have power, you have to do everything else well and that means working counts, walking, running the bases well, executing..... I thought Berkman could help as he does work counts and is a tough out historically. The fact that he has been a non-factor the past two months and Cruz has been gone, not to mention that Murphy has given them NOTHING and Moreland has dropped off the face of the earth all add up to what we are seeing today.

Very frustrating. I think Daniels is getting a pass here but is culpable. They needed a bat before Cruz went out and Daniels didn't get them one or two. Rios was good but he just served to replace Cruz.

[regaleagle]

Even though the Astros may have scored a 0.0 in the Nielsen Ratings the other night at home, I can pretty much guarantee their games this week with the Rangers will be watched by many baseball fans and clubs. This series has serious consequences on the outcome of that final Wildcard spot the Rangers are competing with several other teams for. The Rangers pretty much need to sweep this series with the Astros, then try to sweep against the Angels(asking a lot) to gain the spot. Not necessarily, but maybe.

[Txbroadcaster]

For all those wanting to get rid of Wash..the Rangers are 27-22 since Aug 1st...so lets not act like they have had some major collapse..sometimes the other teams just win more like Oakland going 31-18

[regaleagle]

That means they could possibly go 33-22 or .666 winning percentage in the last 60 days while leading their division and still not get a Wild Card. That's pretty unbelievable if you had mentioned that scenario at the beginning of this season. But it could possibly happen. With the big skid they took in that timeframe, are you sure about your numbers???? That just don't sound right to me.

[Txbroadcaster]

That means they could possibly go 33-22 or .666 winning percentage in the last 60 days while leading their division and still not get a Wild Card. That's pretty unbelievable if you had mentioned that scenario at the beginning of this season. But it could possibly happen. With the big skid they took in that timeframe, are you sure about your numbers???? That just don't sound right to me.

yep Evqan Grant of the DMN posted it

[SintonFan_inAustin]

Hopefully Indians or Tampa Bay stumble this weekend.

[Farmersfan]

For all those wanting to get rid of Wash..the Rangers are 27-22 since Aug 1st...so lets not act like they have had some major collapse..sometimes the other teams just win more like Oakland going 31-18



Wow! Talk about slanting a negative into a positive! The Rangers went 20-7 for the month of August thanks in part to 7 wins being against the Astros and as of last night 8-15 for the month of Sept. with 3 wins against the Astros. There is no way to slant the team's performance in September to make it acceptable. We all better be thankful the Astros came along when they did or the Rangers most likely would have gone 5-18 for the month. BTW: The Rangers went 3-7 against the A's the last 2 months of the season. Isn't that a 8 game swing in the standings? Combine this with the huge lead they lost to the A's last season late in the year and Ron Washington should be TOAST!

BTW: The 3 teams that have already or are about to overtake the Rangers in the Wildcard race have put together winning Septembers: Tampa 14-10, Cleveland 17-6, Royals 14-9.............

[Deuce]

Wow! Talk about slanting a negative into a positive! The Rangers went 20-7 for the month of August thanks in part to 7 wins being against the Astros and as of last night 8-15 for the month of Sept. with 3 wins against the Astros. There is no way to slant the team's performance in September to make it acceptable. We all better be thankful the Astros came along when they did or the Rangers most likely would have gone 5-18 for the month. BTW: The Rangers went 3-7 against the A's the last 2 months of the season. Isn't that a 8 game swing in the standings? Combine this with the huge lead they lost to the A's last season late in the year and Ron Washington should be TOAST!

BTW: The 3 teams that have already or are about to overtake the Rangers in the Wildcard race have put together winning Septembers: Tampa 14-10, Cleveland 17-6, Royals 14-9.............

Royals are already eliminated from the wild card.

[Txbroadcaster]

Wow! Talk about slanting a negative into a positive! The Rangers went 20-7 for the month of August thanks in part to 7 wins being against the Astros and as of last night 8-15 for the month of Sept. with 3 wins against the Astros. There is no way to slant the team's performance in September to make it acceptable. We all better be thankful the Astros came along when they did or the Rangers most likely would have gone 5-18 for the month. BTW: The Rangers went 3-7 against the A's the last 2 months of the season. Isn't that a 8 game swing in the standings? Combine this with the huge lead they lost to the A's last season late in the year and Ron Washington should be TOAST!

BTW: The 3 teams that have already or are about to overtake the Rangers in the Wildcard race have put together winning Septembers: Tampa 14-10, Cleveland 17-6, Royals 14-9.............


and if they had flipped and struggled in Aug but won in Sept you would be saying the August collapse was the reason..simple fact 27-22 ( now it is what 28-22?) is winning baseball since Aug 1st

[Macarthur]

I'm leaning more toward FF on this one. I love wash and what he brings to the table but also think he has huge flaws that are magnified when the season is shortened as in a playoff series. His almost stubbornness can be really good over the course of a season but in a 7 game series, stubbornness will get you beat. He always gets out managed in a NL park. And his recent comments are frustrating about the fans not supporting the team. Thats BS. They still are having good crowds. Better than Oakland and TB.

I'm not saying I'm ready for wash to be gone but I think he's hanging by a thread.

[Txbroadcaster]

I'm leaning more toward FF on this one. I love wash and what he brings to the table but also think he has huge flaws that are magnified when the season is shortened as in a playoff series. His almost stubbornness can be really good over the course of a season but in a 7 game series, stubbornness will get you beat. He always gets out managed in a NL park. And his recent comments are frustrating about the fans not supporting the team. Thats BS. They still are having good crowds. Better than Oakland and TB.

I'm not saying I'm ready for wash to be gone but I think he's hanging by a thread.


oh no..like I said earlier in thread..if they can get someone better than Wash I am 100% for it..but I also think this year the building of the teams was taking a step too youth and the fact they had good early results actually hurt Wash and the team now because expectations...if they had started slow and rolled up to this point we would all be like wow..whole rotation at one point or another goes down..lose your opening day guy...lose Cruz..Young...Hamilton and still in contention amazing....instead it is wait you were winning earlier now your not..who is at fault.

Just have to be careful making a change to make one not always best move

[coach]

oh no..like I said earlier in thread..if they can get someone better than Wash I am 100% for it..but I also think this year the building of the teams was taking a step too youth and the fact they had good early results actually hurt Wash and the team now because expectations...if they had started slow and rolled up to this point we would all be like wow..whole rotation at one point or another goes down..lose your opening day guy...lose Cruz..Young...Hamilton and still in contention amazing....instead it is wait you were winning earlier now your not..who is at fault.

Just have to be careful making a change to make one not always best move

Not to mention Napoli, Harrisson, Koji Ureja, Colby Lewis, and, the set up man from last year (cant rememember his name)

[Deuce]

Not to mention Napoli, Harrisson, Koji Ureja, Colby Lewis, and, the set up man from last year (cant rememember his name)

Adams was setup man, but I think we have upgraded with Scheppers. The pitching has not been the problem with this team though. Its the bad offense!

[Macarthur]

oh no..like I said earlier in thread..if they can get someone better than Wash I am 100% for it..but I also think this year the building of the teams was taking a step too youth and the fact they had good early results actually hurt Wash and the team now because expectations...if they had started slow and rolled up to this point we would all be like wow..whole rotation at one point or another goes down..lose your opening day guy...lose Cruz..Young...Hamilton and still in contention amazing....instead it is wait you were winning earlier now your not..who is at fault.

Just have to be careful making a change to make one not always best move

Agree. Its been the arguments with getting rid of Jason garrett or Romo or whoever. Tell me who else you'regoing to get and iI'll tell you if I like it. Its a big risk.

And I agree with your point to a degree. But playing well at the end of the year is critical. Weve hammered the Cowboys for years about starting strong only to fade late. I agree that the rangers lost some talent but they also got much stronger pitching than what most of us expected. There really is no excuse for their Sept record this year. Its unacceptable really.

[Farmersfan]

and if they had flipped and struggled in Aug but won in Sept you would be saying the August collapse was the reason..simple fact 27-22 ( now it is what 28-22?) is winning baseball since Aug 1st


So apparently you would have been ok with it if Ron Washington had told the media after the great August that if "they only win 5 games in Sept and fail to make the playoffs it would be ok because they played so well in August"? Have you ever heard of a novel concept called "Raising the Bar"? We set expectations based on what the team shows it is capable of doing. To me the success of August does NOTHING to reduce the failure of September. If anything it makes it worse because we know these guys are more capable than they have shown in September....

[Farmersfan]

Agree. Its been the arguments with getting rid of Jason garrett or Romo or whoever. Tell me who else you'regoing to get and iI'll tell you if I like it. Its a big risk.

And I agree with your point to a degree. But playing well at the end of the year is critical. Weve hammered the Cowboys for years about starting strong only to fade late. I agree that the rangers lost some talent but they also got much stronger pitching than what most of us expected. There really is no excuse for their Sept record this year. Its unacceptable really.



It's a "Big Risk"? So you aren't willing to risk giving up the 8-8 seasons that Romo is giving us? 8-8 every seasons are franchise killers. 2-14 seasons clean the house and get you good draft picks. 8-8 seasons keep hope right on the outer fridges and prevent the kinds of moves it takes to start over at QB..............

[Macarthur]

It's a "Big Risk"? So you aren't willing to risk giving up the 8-8 seasons that Romo is giving us? 8-8 every seasons are franchise killers. 2-14 seasons clean the house and get you good draft picks. 8-8 seasons keep hope right on the outer fridges and prevent the kinds of moves it takes to start over at QB..............

You'renot going to draw me offsides.

Romo is not the reason the Cowboys have been a .500team.

[Farmersfan]

You'renot going to draw me offsides.

Romo is not the reason the Cowboys have been a .500team.


You argue in a circle Mac. And you live "OFF SIDES".

I asked you why you aren't willing to "RISK" the 8-8 seasons that we've had with Romo? If we get another QB and go 8-8 again then we've lost nothing and gained nothing! If we get another QB and go 4-12 then we gained the ability to rebuild that position. 8-8 seasons are like kissing your sister........... Whoops! Might have stumbled on your weakness there by accident! sorry if I did. :blush:

[Macarthur]

You argue in a circle Mac. And you live "OFF SIDES".

I asked you why you aren't willing to "RISK" the 8-8 seasons that we've had with Romo? If we get another QB and go 8-8 again then we've lost nothing and gained nothing! If we get another QB and go 4-12 then we gained the ability to rebuild that position. 8-8 seasons are like kissing your sister........... Whoops! Might have stumbled on your weakness there by accident! sorry if I did. :blush:

Nice try. Ain't gonna work anymore.

[Deuce]

4 errors in one inning sets a Rangers record. Fire Wash, its all his fault. Lol!

[Tejastrue]

For those of you that think Gentry is not an every day starter..:p:tisk:. Rangers hanging on...you guys could at least wait till they are out of it to pick apart the team. smh

[regaleagle]

Your hooter and mine....it ain't over yet and they're still hangin'. We know only one game can make a difference at this point.....but it may come down to the last game of the season.

[SintonFan_inAustin]

For those of you that think Gentry is not an every day starter..:p:tisk:. Rangers hanging on...you guys could at least wait till they are out of it to pick apart the team. smh

Hanging in there, but looks like the best shot is finishing tied for the 2nd wildcard and playing a tie breaker game for that spot. Have they mention where that game would take place if they finish tied with the Indians? Also that would mean Nelson Cruz could play in that game if he's put back on the team. Going to miss them on TV Friday and Saturday so going to follow through updates.

[Deuce]

Hanging in there, but looks like the best shot is finishing tied for the 2nd wildcard and playing a tie breaker game for that spot. Have they mention where that game would take place if they finish tied with the Indians? Also that would mean Nelson Cruz could play in that game if he's put back on the team. Going to miss them on TV Friday and Saturday so going to follow through updates.

If they tie with Cleveland, Rangers would play there.

[Farmersfan]

Nice try. Ain't gonna work anymore.


What if I told you Romo was a space alien who was sent down here to suck all the talent out of the greatest sports franchise in the history of the world?

[Txbroadcaster]

thought this was cool

Jurickson Profar joined Jimmie Foxx in 1928 as the only players in MLB history to hit a pinch-hit, walk-off HR before turning 21


at this point Rangers just have to win..cannot control anything else

[coach]

What if I told you Romo was a space alien who was sent down here to suck all the talent out of the greatest sports franchise in the history of the world?

The New York Yankees? LA Lakers?