Post-Game Show: Red Sox 8, Rangers 4

D-tails
• Boxscore, AL West standings, Wild Card standings

Story Of The Game
A strike away from taking the lead in the AL Wild Card race, the Rangers watched as RHP Frank Francisco suffered a meltdown that had been unprecedented in his tenure as the club’s closer. Francisco, who resumed closing only last week, was handed a 4-2 lead going to the ninth. It was the first time he’s been asked to convert saves on consecutive days since April 27-28. Francisco, who has spent three stints on the DL this season with arm and respiratory issues, simply wasn’t up to the task.

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The Depot: Rangers-Red Sox Live Game Blog, News, Notes and More (Some Assembly Required)

6:30: The Homer Pool is ready. Are you?

6:52: A draft update here. And here’s an update on the update: The Riley Cooper signing is official and so is the signing of LHP Chad Bell (14th round selection) from Walters State (Tenn.) Community College. Cooper, Sean Blackwell and Bell ($450,000) all received well above the recommended slot bonus.

6:55: We’ve got some Rangers doodles (which are nothing like Cheez Doodles). And oodles of Red Sox stuff, including the esteemed Jeff Miller’s report on the State of the Sawx.

7:13: A couple of notable pitcher vs. batter matchups tonight: Rangers 3B Michael Young is 7-for-14 in his career against LHP Jon Lester and 2B Ian Kinsler is just 1-for-12 (which is why it made some sense to leave him out of the starting lineup when his original flight from Tulsa back to DFW was canceled). Mike Lowell is 2o-for-59 against RHP Kevin Millwood, C Jason Varitek is 12-for-29 and DH David Ortiz is 9-for-25 with three homers.

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Rangers Notes: Still a Bridge to Cross on Signing First-Round Pick/TCU Recruit Matt Purke

ARLINGTON - LHP Matthew Purke, the Rangers’ first-round draft choice, is undergoing a physical exam this weekend at the Rangers’ request, and while it doesn’t mean a signing is imminent, at least the sides remain amicable negotiations less than 80 hours before the draft signing deadline.

Daniels said there is still a significant gap to close in the talks, but also acknowledged the situation isn’t markedly different than it was in either of the last two years when the Rangers signed first-rounders RHP Blake Beavan and 1B Justin Smoak, within 24 hours of the deadline. If the Rangers don’t sign Purke by 11 p.m. CDT Monday, the club would lose the rights to him and would receive a pick in the same spot in the 2010 draft as compensation. Purke has also signed with TCU, but said, after he was drafted, that he wanted to play professionally.

“It’s probably about where you would expect it to be,” Daniels said. “It’s three days before the deadline and thre is still a bridge to gap, but the talks have been amicable and we continue to talk.”

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Boston Red Sox Signal S.O.S at SS, Sit Another Starter, Push Papi Down to Seventh in the Order

ARLINGTON - The Boston Red Sox on Friday made a move to improve their infield play, will open the series against the Rangers sitting one of their regulars for the second consecutive day (aside from Kevin Youkilis’ misconduct penalty) and will bat David Ortiz seventh for the first time in six years.

Seventh? No surprise to Big Papi: “Hitting like [bleep]. That’s why.”

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Nelson Cruz to DL

The Rangers placed OF Nelson Cruz on the disabled list this afternoon with a sprained left ankle. Cruz has not played since spraining his ankle on the final play of the game at Oakland on August 3. The club back-dated the DL move to August 4 and Cruz will have to miss five more games. Meanwhile, 2B Ian Kinsler is being activated, but he has not yet arrived from Tulsa due to travel delays. Kinsler played the last two days for Frisco at Tulsa on a rehab assignment. Omar Vizquel is playing second tonight.

Belly Flop in the Home Run Pool

Friday afternoon at the Home Run Pool is always a great time. We have the HR Pool Chicks. They come by and serve lots of beverages, many of them frozen and fruity (but no umbrellas). There is a nice breeze always wafting over the deck. And somewhere, you can smell the faintest smell of cheeseburgers grilling. There is a killery game of pool volleyball, too. Or, of course, those could all be figments of my imagination.

What is real, though, is the pool. ‘Course we don’t have the lineup yet, but don’t expect 2B Ian Kinsler to be in it. He is apparently delayed in transit on the way back from Tulsa. I believe Kinsler will be activated from the disabled list, but I don’t think he will start.

UPDATED, 3:48: Against LHP Jon Lester, the Rangers are running this lineup out: 2B Omar Vizquel, 3B Michael Young, CF Marlon Byrd, DH Andruw Jones, RF Josh Hamilton, 1B Hank Blalock, LF David Murphy, C Jarrod Saltalamacchia, SS Elvis Andrus and pitching for the Rangers … RHP Kevin Millwood.

Series Preview: Rangers vs. Red Sox

It’s the biggest series of the season. For real this time.

With fewer than 50 games remaining, a time by which they’re usually playing for a draft pick, the Rangers find themselves in the thick of a few playoff races. While they’ve has managed to stay within striking distance of the Angels for the AL West crown, a run at the first wild card berth in team history could be their best shot to make it to October.

Which is why a matchup with an East Coast team — the Boston Red Sox — has major implications moving forward. The Rangers are 5-1 against Boston this year, including a perfect 3-0 in Arlington, but despite the fact that the Sox are coming off a 2-0 loss to Ranger tormenter Justin Verlander on Sunday, they’re feeling pretty good about themselves.

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Friday Rangers Doodles: Notes Of News, Oodles Of Opinions And Random Rumors

UPDATED, 12:54: Red Sox acquire SS Alex Gonzalez; won’t arrive until Saturday.

It’s been a busy week in the world of the Rangers. Starting with last Friday’s announcement that the club had seen the last of Vicente Padilla, it’s just been one thing after another. Josh Hamilton’s revelation of his relapse in the battle against alcoholism followed. Then the Rangers briefly moved into a tie for the wild card lead. Rookie pitchers Derek Holland and Tommy Hunter nearly rolled off consecutive shutouts. And then Neftali Feliz, younger than both of them, rolled off seven consecutive strikeouts over two outings to tie the club record for consecutive strikeouts. Some guy named Ryan had it.

Oh, and now the Rangers, trailing Boston by a half-game in the wild card race, host the Red Sox for three games starting tonight. LHP Jon Lester, one of only two pitchers to post a complete game win against the Rangers this year, starts for Boston. Lester has the Red Sox only win against Texas this year. RHP Kevin Millwood, who has twice smothered the Red Sox this season, starts for the Rangers tonight.

As we get ready for the start of the big series, here are some reactions and thoughts about various news stories from the week that impact the Rangers.

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Preseason Game 1: Oakland 31, Dallas 10

Surely, it is live football. It is real blocking and tackling. So, we should take note of some good things and bad things that happened last night in Oakland.

And, of course, we would start with the scoreboard. Not only did Oakland outscore the Cowboys, 31-10, but they also outgained the Cowboys in yardage, 456-274. From the Bill Parcells school of scoring, every 100 yards should account for 7 points. Therefore, by that rationale, the Raiders should have scored about 31 and the Cowboys about 19. Regardless, it was not very close last night in the 2nd half.

This speaks to what we have been saying all along about the state of the Cowboys. If the final record is completely dependent on the 22 starters of each team, then the Cowboys will have a very successful season. However, the NFL is a league of attrition. Injuries can and do happen. And often times it comes down to your 40th man on the roster doing his job or the 47th man on the roster doing his. In these battles, because of what appears to be some very sub-par drafting since 2006, the Cowboys do not appear to have a whole lot of quality depth.

Incidentally, this premise may explain the Dallas Cowboys’ performance in December and down the stretch each season. Hypothetically, the stretch is where you test the depth of a team. And if you continuously come up short late in the year, it may be because your 4th safety or 8th offensive lineman fails his mission.

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Road To Arlington: Rangers Farm Report (8/14)

Triple-A: OFF

Double-A: Frisco 8 @ Tulsa 6 in 10 innings

It got ugly again for LHP Kasey Kiker (7-6; 3.81), who allowed six runs on five hits and four walks in five innings. The RoughRiders used four relievers to pitch a shutout the rest of the way. RHP Pedro Strop (5-5; 4.53) got the win after fanning three Drillers in 1.2 innings.

1B Chad Tracy and 3B Adam Fox provided the offense for Frisco with four homers and seven of the team’s eight RBI between them. Fox (.282/.334/.516) put the Riders on the board with a solo shot in the 2nd, but Frisco didn’t score again until Tracy (.269/.320/.470) belted a 3-run homer in the 8th. Fox followed with his second blast to tie it at six, and Tracy put Frisco ahead for good with a 2-run shot in the 10th.

Ian Kinsler was 0-5 with a strikeout. (more…)