The little things

My esteemed colleague cites the oppositions' home run production as the reason for the 4-5 road trip not being a 6-3 or 7-2 road trip. Certainly the opposition was hitting the ball with more authority and power, and the Rangers were laboring in home run friendly parks two out of three cities (BAL and NYY).

I have a differing opinion and it's not backed up with a single statistic. Only observation. If I had the time to labor over the stats, I might find that I was wrong. But here's what I saw. . . . .

Pitching. Particularly at the back end, our pitching wasn't terribly strong. Against weak hitting foes like BAL and DET, the starters were, for the most part, adequate (spot starter Bush was living on the edge his entire time). But the bullpen wasn't shut down, which they needed to be because. . . . .

Hitting. They're just now coming around, but Kinsler, Andrus, and Beltre were very light in the numbers. Some of those games shouldn't have been that close, particularly in DET. The hitters are handcuffed a bit because. . . .

Hamilton. Even when he's off kilter a bit, Josh is such a presence at the plate that it affects the way pitchers operate against everyone else in the line up. With him gone, the pitchers had a different approach to the rest of the line up. If I were to do a statistical analysis, I might be proven otherwise. And MYoung has stepped in admirably, but he is not the same basher as Hamilton. He strikes fear, but not trembling, the hearts of opposing pitching.

MY two cents worth. But Rob could be totally correct.

Home Runs

After the Rangers returned home from a 4-5 road trip, many people have spent ink and talk on what was contributing to their struggles.  

Bad Weather

Slumping hitters

Bullpen woes 

All these are valid reasons, and there is one that I have not heard mentioned: home runs. Through the first ten games, the pitching staff gave up 6 home runs or .6 per game.  The next five games, they gave up 7 home runs or 1.4 per game.

Here is why I am focusing on the home runs. All of the games that Texas lost were close.  At some point doing each of those losses, the pitching staff, starters or relievers, gave up a key home run that either won the game or put the game out of the reach for our struggling offense.

My two cents.

An answer to a strange Rangers question

The biggest question among Rangers fans in the last four weeks has been a question we're not used to asking.

If you've followed this team, even for a couple of years, the seemingly eternal question has always been "When are we gonna get some pitching in here?" Last year was no exception, being among baseball's leaders in ERA, HR allowed, runs allowed, etc. etc. etc.  Why?  We play in a 'hitter friendly' park; the Texas heat wears out pitchers; and no free agent in their right mind wants to come here are the typical reasons on why we can seem to pitch our way out of a paper bag.

And Ranger fans have also been wondering what's happened to the defense over the past few years. Until recently, we've had trouble identifying a long term solution at CF and SS. We haven't seen a catcher like Pudge in awhile and we've had a rotation of guys playing 1B since Texieria thankfully left town.

Nope, the questions are no longer about the pitching and defense. Our current pitching staff is pretty darned good and we're getting great performances out of old friends and new discoveries. The bullpen has shaped up and we have an above average closer, when healthy.  On the defensive side, we have Young's move to 3B, the discovery of Elvis at SS, the ungodly stretches of Davis at 1B, an improved defensive Kinsler and solid outfield.

Nope, it's not the pitching and defense. Those elements have been keeping us in games this year. The question is this: What's going on with this offense?  When's the last time you've asked that question about the Rangers.  When was the last time you cringed not at the pitching, but at the hitting?

Looking at the last two months, one could find at least one explanation for the alleged swoon this offense: We’ve been playing good teams with good pitchers (it should be noted that we've avoided some good pitchers as well). And while the pundits have been going on and on about how Kinsler, Young, Andruw and others have been swooning as of late (and how Salty and Davis are rally killers) I believe there is an obvious reason why this offense is off track. And there are good reasons to believe that they’ll get back on track in late June and July. That reason? Hambone.

When Josh Hamilton went on the DL with an abdominal issue, one might surmise that the offense wasn’t going to get too derailed losing a .250BA cleanup hitter. The outfield law office of Andruw, Murphy, and Byrd seemed primed to take over in Hammy's absence.

However, since Hambone went on the DL, the offense has sunk to .218. .218?!?! A Rangers offense?

The way I see it is this: Even with Hamilton hitting below what would be hoped, its obvious that he’s still a dominate force in the lineup. When the top four hitters on the lineup card read KINSLER-YOUNG-HAMILTON-CRUZ, the manager and starting pitcher of the other team have to change their approach. When Ron Washington bumps Young to 3rd in the lineup (a place he admits that he's uncomfortable) and puts any other hitter (Elvis, Murphy, Andruw, Omar) in the 2 spot, the whole demographic changes. As a result, Young doesn’t get as many good pitches to hit (although his BA is still pretty stout). Cruz isn’t as effective as Hamilton in protecting the spot above him on the lineup card. Additionally, Kinsler hasn’t been getting on base as much (his walks are way down) and he can’t be as disruptive on the basepath.

Perhaps the most insane observation is that the Rangers have become a bit quieter on the basepath. Obviously, if you aren’t on base, you can’t steal (or double steal, a category the Rangers have all to themselves), apply the sac bunt or engage any other disruptive play.  In the months of April and May, this team was dizzying on the path.

Yes, we have two below average lefties playing 1B.  Yes, Davis and Salty are squashing more rallies than Iran's Revolutionary Guard.  Yes, we have put everyone but Millwood in the number 2 spot in the batting lineup (although he's pitched so well this year, I think he'd probably hit pretty good too).  And yes, we're probably leading the league in RISP.

But I think the rest of the lineup will hit much better with Josh Hamilton creating fear and doubt in the minds of opposing managers and pitchers. When Hambone's in the lineup, the other hitters will get better pitches, there'll be more baserunners on base to disrupt the flow of the opposing defense and the dominate offense that is the Rangers will no longer be a question.

Well, it is Memorial Day

As my podcasting partner twittered, "It's Memorial day weekend and our Texas #Rangers have the best record in the AL. Awesome!  Hope the same is true on Labor Day."

What promises this Memorial Day has for Rangers fan.  We have the best record in the American League. Plus, we are playing the New York Yankees.  I am not all that keen on the Yankees, but in order, to be taken seriously, the Rangers need to beat the Yankees while in the spotlight.  Why? The Yankees have the ultimate argument ender with 27 World Series rings.  Also, the Yankees are also as hot as the Rangers (8-2 in last 10). They get the spotlight because of media market size and past history.

Texas has historically not played well against the Pinstripes.  The Yankees are 348-240 in the lifetime series against the Rangers.  Last year, the Rangers won the season series 4-3.  So is it a sign that Rangers are turning the corner against the Yankees? Too early to tell.

One thing is for certain that the Rangers have not had as good as a pitching staff to go up against the Nuevo Bronx Bombers.  The Rangers already have 5 complete games.  They only had six last year.  The bullpen is rested because Washington has not needed them as much as last year.

With strong pitching and hopefully more patience at the plate with out hitters, Texas will show the Yankees that very good ball is being played in Arlington.