Cleaning Up: Hitting Fourth, Nelson Cruz Pushes Short-Handed Rangers To Win Over Houston

D-tails: Rangers 6, Astros 3
Boxscore; Standings; Depot live game blog

HOUSTON – On Saturday morning, the Rangers faced a short-term lineup crisis, namely how to fill out a batting order that didn’t include either Michael Young or Ian Kinsler.

The long-term significance of the day, however, may be not who was missing, but who was moved.

Manager Ron Washington decided to go with a “gut feeling,” and push Nelson Cruz into the cleanup spot for the first time since opening day. Two homers and a 6-3 win over Houston later, the manager was left to ponder whether Cruz in the fourth spot might be more than just a one day experiment.

(more…)

Post-Game Show: Rangers 6, Astros 3

C.J. Wilson makes it look relatively easy in closing out the Astros for the save, which also keeps Frank Francisco fresh for Sunday’s series finale.

So, here’s the post-game topic: Are you comfortable enough with Nelson Cruz’s progress right now to give him an extended look at the cleanup spot? I’m not just asking you, I’ll be asking Ron Washington that, too.

The Depot: Live Game Blog, News And Notes

The Astros just honored Ivan Rodriguez for reaching 300 career home runs, of which exactly one came as a member of the Astros. Rodriguez does have five total homers as an Astro to push him to 304.

Hey, these days, you honor who you can when you can and hope it sells a few more tickets.

3:21: Today marks the first time that both Michael Young and Ian Kinsler were on the active roster and neither one of them was in the starting lineup. Neither one was in the lineup four times late last year, but Kinsler was on the DL at the time.

3:24: Every exciting moment in Rangers’ history. It’s the first-ever instant replay review of a homer. The Rangers appealed on Miguel Tejada’s ball to right field. First base umpire Fieldin Culbreth, who ruled it a homer, has adjourned to a replay booth along with 2B umpire (and crew chief) Gary Cederstrom and 3B umpire Jim Wolf.

(more…)

Rangers Report: Is Hank Blalock Done In The Cleanup Spot?

Also in this report: Are any Rangers having more quality at-bats than Elvis Andrus?

HOUSTON - There is an interesting twist to the Rangers lineup beyond the absences of 3B Michael Young and 2B Ian Kinsler.

Even without the duo, manager Ron Washington has decided to drop Hank Blalock, who is playing third today, out of the cleanup spot. RF Nelson Cruz, who hit the game-winning homer in the 10th inning Friday, is batting fourth for the first time since opening day. Blalock is hitting fifth. It could be argued that Washington is simply trying to split up the lefties in the lineup, but he’s still got Blalock back-t0-back with another left-handed hitter in 1B Chris Davis (who is hitting sixth today).

A more plausible explanation: The Rangers are simply trying to get more out of Blalock. Throughout his career, Blalock has been a different hitter – and not in a good way – when moved into the cleanup spot. He’s a career .265 hitter in the fourth spot, one of four positions in the lineup in which he has more than 200 career plate appearances. It’s the lowest batting average of any of the four spots. For his career, Blalock has a career .325 cleanup OBP and a .765 cleanup OPS. Those numbers rank him 63rd and 65th respectively among the 67 active players with at least 500 at-bats in the No. 4 spot.

(more…)

Home Run Pool: No Michael Young Or Ian Kinsler Edition

3B Michael Young will not go today – his on-field workout didn’t go great – and slumping 2B Ian Kinsler is getting a day off, so it looks like the Rangers are going to go with this lineup against RHP Brian Moehler:

2B Omar Vizquel, LF David Murphy, CF Josh Hamilton, RF Nelson Cruz, 3B Hank Blalock, 1B Chris Davis, C Jarrod Saltalamacchia, SS Elvis Andrus and RHP Scott Feldman.

Go ahead take your pick. We will play two versions of the HR pool today. Once the Rangers hit a homer, the second round will kick in. Here’s how it works: You pick your guy and his vitals,  as usual. If a homer is hit, the second round begins immediately with the very next hitter. But the window for second-round entries will only be open from the time the first homer is hit until the next homer is hit or the Rangers come to the plate again – whichever comes first. Does that have you completely confused. Oh, I certainly hope so.

Ian Kinsler Will Sit Today

Whether Michael Young plays today or not, 2B Ian Kinsler, in a 4-for-33 slump, will get the day off. Manager Ron Washington said that Omar Vizquel will play second. If Young can’t go, Hank Blalock will probably play third.

Yesterday, I wrote after Kinsler’s first at-bat that he didn’t do his job because he swung at the first pitch of the game from RHP Felipe Paulino, a hittable fastball. That perhaps was unfair. Kinsler is an agressive hitter, who lives for the fastball. He got what he wanted, but just didn’t do anything with it. This comes up because I was digesting at-bats yesterday in anticipation of writing a post on the quality of Elvis Andrus’ recent at-bats. After seeing seven pitches in his first at-bat against Paulino, Andrus jumped on the first pitch in the second at-bat for a homer. So was that at-bat a quality at-bat because he homered or was it a quality at-bat because he had seen all Paulino had to offer in his first at-bat and was better prepared to jump on the first pitch.

It’s a good baseball debate. Your thoughts?

Fast Starts and Slow Play at the Nelson?

UPDATE at 12:15 p.m.
Justin Leonard just carded a -4 round of 66 to follow up on his round of 63 yesterday. If he didn’t shoot 5 over par 75 on Thursday, he would be right in the thick of the hunt. As it stands now, he’s still tied for 15th. Not bad.

I watched a Playing Lessons with the Pros that featured him on the Golf Channel a few days ago and I have to say, the guy can really putt. That seems to be playing a major role this week. More on the other local players coming soon.

_____________________________

(more…)

Michael Young’s Availability In Question

Michael Young rolled his right foot trying to get back to first base on a pickoff play Friday and immediately felt pain. He remained in the game, but once he took his cleat off the top of the foot swelled. Young left the park Friday on crutches and hobbled into the clubhouse on crutches this morning. He went to a local hospital for X-rays on the foot, but those have not been read as of yet.

He is still hopeful of playing, providing there is no break, but that won’t be determined for some time.

Road To Arlington: Rangers Minor League Report (5/23)

Hickory's Yoon-Hee Nam

Yeah. Engel got one and his hitting streak has now reached 18 games.

But it’s time to focus on yet another fast-rising LHP prospect in a system that is suddenly loaded with southpaw pitching prospects.

Bakersfield’s LHP Mike Kirkman is a phenomenal story that we’ll get to one of these days. The Blaze’s LHP Richard Bleier is certainly showing something. Back in Surprise, high-upside LHP’s Geuris Grullon and Robbie Ross await short-season assignments.

The Rangers are spanning the globe looking for talent and while “Korean pitcher” evokes some horrendous memories for most Rangers fans (CHoP, CHoP), the guy you are looking at right now just might someday make everyone forget John Hart’s $65 million mistake.

(more…)

Rookie Ball: Derek Holland Impressive In First Major League Start; Rangers End Four-Game Skid

D-tails: Rangers 6, Astros 5
• Boxscore; Standings; The Depot game blog; Post-Game Show comments
• Andruw Jones auditioning for more regular playing time?

HOUSTON – As usual, a Rangers rookie went to the mound for his first major league start full of nerves Friday night.

Derek Holland’s first pitch as a major league starter was 96 mph, low, away and out of the strike zone to Houston’s Michael Bourn. The second was in almost the same spot at 95 mph.

Here, however, is where Derek Holland differs from other Rangers rookies who have come before him in recent years: The case of nerves lasted all of two pitches.

“I said to myself, ‘Come on, I’ve been here. Let’s get it together and throw strikes’,” Holland recounted much later after the Rangers’ 6-5 10-inning win over Houston. “That’s really all it took to settle down.”

(more…)

Getting An Early Start At The Nelson

It is early, and it is necessary, if you believe the weather reports. With bad weather moving into the Metroplex area this afternoon, tournament officials made the decision to stack the tee times in the morning. While the players aren’t used to playing threesomes and going off both number 1 and 10 tees during the weekend rounds, I don’t think you will hear any complaints from them. As I mentioned in my Thursday recap, I thought the afternoon rounds were going to play more difficult because of the humidity and the golf course substantially firming up. The scoring average for afternoon rounds yesterday was almost a stroke and a half higher than the morning rounds. That might not seem like a big deal, but when you’re talking about one putt or one errant shot costing guys thousands of dollars, you quickly realize that the morning tee times are to be coveted on this course. Fortunately for those making the cut this week, they all have the same conditions today.

As far as players to watch during today’s rounds, I’m not as confident as I was yesterday. Sure, I think Sabbatini will play well today and Parnevik will probably post another 67 or 68, but the weather is the real unknown. If it starts raining or even sprinkling, that could dramatically affect how this course plays. The longer roll that players have been getting in the fairways (which incidentally let a “short knocker” like Justin Leonard shoot 63 yesterday) will go away somewhat and leave them having to hit more drivers off the tee and longer irons into the greens. I would expect the tournament officials to set up the course much like they did yesterday with more pins accessible than not and with the teeboxes allowing some opportunities to take chances. If the rain stays away, and the players have overcast conditions with little to no wind, I would expect to see more low scores posted today than there were yesterday.

(more…)