Fully-Charged Battery: Matt Harrison And Taylor Teagarden Have Been Electric Together And More

SEATTLE - Carrying a 10-inning scoreless streak, LHP Matt Harrison makes his next start on Friday in Chicago.

Want to bet Taylor Teagarden will be behind the plate?

The Rangers may have found a battery made in heaven by teaming Harrison with Teagarden the last two starts. Harrison has picked up wins in both games and since Teagarden talked with him about balancing his quicker tempo with a consistent delivery, Harrison has not been scored upon. And giving Teagarden a project like working specifically with one pitcher might be a way to expand his role – and productivity – without it cutting too much into Jarrod Saltalamacchia’s starting time.

The duo seems to feed off each other. Not only is Harrison 2-0 with a 3.00 ERA in two starts encompassing 12 innings with Teagarden behind the plate, but Teagarden is 3-8 in those two games. He is 2-for-21 (.095) for the rest of the season.

Harrison has now made 20 major league stars, eight each with Gerald Laird and Saltalamacchia and two apiece with Teagarden and Max Ramirez. Here’s a look at how he’s fared with each catcher:

Gerald Laird: 5-1, 4.69 ERA in 48 innings.

Jarrod Saltalamacchia: 3-3, 5.91 ERA in 42.2 innings.

Taylor Teagarden: 2-0, 3.00 ERA in 12 innings.

Max Ramirez: 0-1, 15.26 ERA in 7.2 innings.

On one level the numbers are surprising because Harrison and Saltalamacchia have a level of familiarity with one another. They were teammates at Double-A Mississippi in the Atlanta organization in 2006 and for the start of 2007. On the other hand, though, perhaps its not so strange. Harrison was 8-11 at Mississippi; he was 33-19 at all other minor league stops.

Millwood’s Month: Kevin Millwood was named the Rangers Player of the Month for April for pitching at least seven innings in all five of his starts and compiling a 2.134 ERA, even though his record stood at just 2-2. He was also the overwhelming fan favorite in the “unofficial” voting done here at InsideCorner.

Millwood, however, had no shot at AL Pitcher of the Month. Zack Greinke, 5-0 with a 0.50 ERA and unscored upon until his final start of the month, was going to win that hands down.

But then again having a Ranger win the Pitcher of the Month award is a rarity. Kenny Rogers (May, 2005) and Frank Francisco (August, 2004) are the only ones to win in the last 10 years. A Ranger has won only happened nine times in the 30 years that the AL has had the award. In addition to Rogers (who, also won it in May, 1995), Rick Helling (Sept., 1998), Bobby Witt (shared the award with Angles Chuck Finley in July 1990), Charlie Hough (June, 1983 and June, 1984), Rick Honeycutt (April, 1983) and Jim Kern (May, 1979) were so honored.

Starting to get it: Since the first 10 games of the season – enough of a period of time for each starter to get two outings and get acquainted with Mike Maddux’s in-season demeanor – anybody want to hazard a guess at the Rangers’ starting rotation ERA.

If you guessed 4.38, you are right. Also, you are one of those people who just can’t take a round number guess. You’ve got to impress everybody with your attention to detail. But I digress.

Point is, Maddux has seemed to have an effect on Kevin Millwood, mostly by emphasizing quick pace. And Millwood’s success has seemed to have an impact on the rest of the rotation.

Also on the new philosophy of pushing starters to go a little longer, the team has had a guy throw at least 110 pitches seven times in the first 24 games. Last year, the Rangers had a guy throw that many pitches just 13 times for the season and it didn’t reach its seventh such game until June 15.

Briefly: Since allowing a game-winning hit to the first batter he faced as a Ranger, RHP Darren O’Day has allowed just one baserunner in 4.2 innings over five games. You saw him pitching in the eighth on Sunday; he’s quickly carved out a key role in the bullpen. … Look for the Rangers to keep SS Elvis Andrus in the No. 2 spot while CF Josh Hamilton is on the DL. Andrus may be the team’s best situational hitter, particularly when the situations in question are sacrifice bunts and hit-and-runs that can get runners to third base with less than two outs so 3B Michael Young can – they hope – get him home with a ground ball to the right side or a sac fly. Just as significant, it allows the Rangers to drop OF Marlon Byrd into a run-producing spot in the lower half of the lineup and the lower half has been an absolute desert when it comes to production over the last couple of weeks. … Sunday’s game was the first time the Rangers won this season without a multi-run inning. It was the first such win since a 1-0 win over Seattle last Sept. 3.  … Interesting split on the Rangers won-loss record. They are 9-4 against Baltimore, Cleveland and Oakland, the AL’s three last-place teams and 3-8 against their other opponents.