Land Of The Lost: Texas Rangers Waste Opportunity To Return To .500 In 8-5 Loss To Baltimore

• D-tails – Boxscore: Orioles 8, Rangers 5; Standings; The Depot live game blog; Post-Game Show comment thread

BALTIMORE - The Rangers were enjoying a perfectly lovely Sunday afternoon down by the Inner Harbor. They had already piled up three homers. They had chased Baltimore starter Brad Bergeson from the game. They had a big lead, two men on base, and nobody was out in the fifth inning.

They were on their way to a third consecutive win, to clinching a winning road trip and to evening their season record.

Yep, too good to be true.

Just when it seemed like the season was headed back in the right direction, it all collapsed in an ugly 8-5 loss to Baltimore. The lineup suddenly stopped hitting. After dancing with danger for the first four innings, RHP Brandon McCarthy finally let trouble lead. And RHP Jason Jennings, one of the few reliable pieces in the bullpen, couldn’t hold a shrinking lead.

(more…)

2009 NFL Draft: Cowboys Round-Up

The Cowboys had the most picks of any team on Day 2 (rounds 3-7) after staying quiet on Day 1. Will all 12 of these players make the roster? Who knows, but Jerry & company addressed most of their needs and added quality depth. Let’s take a look at the newest Dallas Cowboys, pick-by-pick:

Round 3 (#66) Jason Williams, LB, Western Illinois, 6-1, 240 lbs.

The “experts” called this pick a reach, but I had Williams rated as a solid 4th round  player so it wasn’t too big of a risk in the 3rd round. He has excellent size and speed combo with a reportedly sub 4.5 40-yard dash, but wasn’t invited to the combine. Williams is expected to add depth at linebacker in the middle and compete for a starting job down the road.

(more…)

Game 4: Mavs 99, Spurs 90 (3-1)

First off, sorry for the tardiness on getting this post up, but sometimes stuff like the NFL Draft and church get in the way. I’ll try not to let it happen too often, because this was a game worth writing about.

Now, on to the Game 4 victory that was very enjoyable to ponder for the last several hours. Sometimes, when you are really close to something, you do not see the full reality. I wonder if that is the case with the Mavericks and many of us (including me) as I consider what happened Saturday afternoon.

Let me explain: There are a few beliefs many of us subscribe to. They are, 1) This team is as good as Dirk makes it on offense. And if Dirk doesn’t carry this team to a big win, then this team is as good as Jason Terry makes it. The reason we say that is that those are two guys who can score on this team. Everyone else needs transition or a loose ball or a wide open shot. But, in the half-court offense, only two guys can consistently get a hoop and the opposition cannot stop them: Dirk and Jet. Those two must be better than the best two on the team the Mavs are playing. The other belief is 2) The Dallas Mavericks are the same team that we have seen in 2007 and 2008.

(more…)

Post-Game Show: Orioles 8, Rangers 5

Two things the Rangers can’t do this season:

1. Waste big leads.
2. Waste big offensive days.

The Rangers have done the former twice, including Sunday when they blew a 5-1 lead. They have done the latter once, losing to Baltimore 10-9 on April 13. Right now those three games stand between the Ranegers and a winning record. Had they won two of those three, they would now find themeslves at 10-10 instead of 9-11 9-9 instead of 8-10 (thanks, Chris).

The Depot: Live Game Blog, News and Notes

Kris Benson update: He played catch today. Will play “long-toss” tomorrow. And will then throw a bullpen session in Arlington either Tuesday or Wednesday. Also, given his injury history, it’s pretty safe to assume, he’ll have to make a rehab start before re-joining the rotation but that hasn’t been finalized. It almost certainly means he will be out for another week. RHP Scott Feldman will start against Oakland on Thursday.

12:32: David Murphy will hit second today because Ron Washington wants to get him some more fastballs to hit and because the Rangers lineup is jumbled with OF Josh Hamilton sitting out. If its fastballs Washington wants Murphy to see, then putting him between 2B Ian Kinsler and 3B Michael Young is a smart move. They are the two most dangerous hitters in the Rangers lineup. One thing to keep in mind: An 0-for-3 for Murphy would tie him with Ted Kubiak for the longest ofer to start a season (0-for-25) in Rangers history.

(more…)

Who Needs Some Pool Time?

Disclaimer: Pick first Rangers home run hitter of day, inning and men on base. First tie-breaker: Count; Second: Distance. You pick no homers, you have to pick total runs for the Rangers scored. … You win, you get free stuff.

Rangers lineup on a steam Sunday against RHP Brad Bergesen (nobody has faced him): 2B Ian Kinsler, LF David Murphy, 3B Michael Young, DH Hank Blalock, CF Marlon Byrd, RF Nelson Cruz, 1B Chris Davis, C Jarrod Saltalamacchia, SS Elvis Andrus and pitching for the Rangers … RHP and InsideCorner blogger Brandon McCarthy.

More on the funkiness of the lineup in The Depot. Bottom line: Josh Hamilton’s sore ribs are still causing him great discomfort and he’s headed to get some X-rays to insure there is no crack there. But breathing has been painful. … And Murphy is hitting second in an effort to get him a fastball or two to hit. Situating him between Kinsler and Young is a good way to do that. They are the two most dangerous hitters in the lineup.

Road To Arlington: Rangers Minor League Report (4/26)

They haven’t even unleashed guys like Neil Ramirez or Joe Wieland yet, and the youthful Class-A Hickory pitching staff — featuring teenagers Martin Perez, Carlos Pimentel, Joseph Ortiz, Wilmer Font and Wilfredo Boscan — has posted the Sally League’s lowest ERA through 17 games: an impossible 1.94.

The best of the bunch so far, of course, has been the guy you are looking at right now, Wilfredo Boscan. The 19 year old Venezuelan whose calling card is an extremely advanced approach and uncommon command of three pitches has a 0.51 ERA through three starts. His WHIP is also 0.51 (I’m not kidding). His K/BB ratio is 5.00.

But he’ll be out of action for awhile, at least a week, as he was placed on the 7-day DL with sensitivity in the ribcage / oblique area. He’ll been seen by a doctor this week. It’s just another reminder that the Road to Arlington is hardly ever smooth.

(more…)