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Rangers Michael Young Is AL Player of the Week

Michael Young’s week generated a lot of chatter about the possibility of him winning the MVP. It’s still unlikely that Young can overtake Mark Teixeira or Joe Mauer for the season, but for the week, he was the best in the league. It’s the second AL Player of the Week award for Young. He also shared the award with Detroit’s Robert Fick for the week ending June 16, 2002.

A look at his stats:

Young batted .500 (15-30) with two doubles, a triple, a homer, and eight RBI in seven games last week. He led the major leagues in hits and ranked among the A.L. leaders for the week in average (T2nd), runs (T3rd, 7), total bases (T3rd, 22), on-base percentage (4^th, .516), and RBI (T4th).

The third baseman hit safely in all seven games with five multi-hit contests to increase his current streak to 11 games, the longest active span among major league players. This is Young’s 19^th career hitting streak of at least ten games, tying Ivan Rodriguez for the most in club history.

Blogging on the Rangers from 33,000 Feet Just Because I Can: Couple of Quick Nuggets

SOMEWHERE ABOVE SOUTH CAROLINA – Good afternoon from another American Airlines flight equipped with the greatest invention since the Cuban Sandwich press – in-flight wireless service. I’m wingin’ my way to New York City to catch up with the Chris Davis-infused Rangers. Hoping to use my off night in NYC to see Inglorious Basterds.  And maybe hit one of the great delis the city has to offer.

Anyway, if you are going to use the in-flight wireless and if you are going to bill said usage to the company, you better at least use it for work. So here I am, blogging from the sky.

Heard two things last night on ESPN that really stuck with me and wanted your thoughts and input:

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Rangers’ Lineup Conundrum; Play Manager Again

From the very easy-to-navigate Tampa International Airport, I bring you this dispatch. It’s another version of last weekend’s exercise in which I asked you to figure out the lineup. Well, things have changed now with Chris Davis getting set to rejoin the club. For the time being, we’ll leave discussion of who goes to make room for Davis (can’t see the Rangers shifting to six relievers, so it most likely must be a position player) for later.

In the meantime, how would you organize your lineup against New York’s Joba Chamberlain for Tuesday’s series opener. And remember, you better be ready to explain why. Here’s my proposal:

DH Julio Borbon, 3B Michael Young, RF Josh Hamilton, CF Marlon Byrd, LF David Murphy, 2B Ian Kinsler, 1B Chris Davis, C Ivan Rodriguez, SS Elvis Andrus.

My reasoning for key moves:

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Rangers Scott Feldman Throws Rays a Curve … and a Fastball, Slider and Change, as well, in 4-0 win

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – You could have walked around the Rangers clubhouse Sunday and asked a handful of different people why RHP Scott Feldman is suddenly not only a successful pitcher but a strikeout guy, as well, and received a handful of different answers.

And that’s about the best compliment a pitcher can be paid.

Strikeouts on curveballs? Check. Strikeouts on sliders? Check. Fastballs, too? You betcha? And before you even ask, yeah, he got one of his career-high 11 strikeouts on a changeup, too. All in a day’s work of 4-0 win over Tampa Bay that ran his record to 13-4 and moved the Rangers back within a game of the wild card lead. The 11 strikeouts were the most by a Rangers starter in a decade.

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Road To Arlington: Rangers Farm Report (8/24)

Triple-A:

Game 1 – @Omaha 8, Oklahoma City 3

RHP Bryan Corey (6-7; 5.64) was roughed up for eight runs on ten hits and a walk in 4.2 innings. LHP Mike Hinckley (1-1; 3.15) closed out the seven inning game with 1.1 scoreless innings from the pen.

1B Justin Smoak (.247/.370/.362) went 2-3 with a double. CF Brandon Boggs (.274/.387/.399) also had a 2-3 night, and C Max Ramirez (.237/.313/.339) drove in a pair of runs withs a 2nd inning double. He also walked.

Game 2 – Oklahoma City 4 @ Omaha 2

The pitching was great through six innings for the RedHawks, with RHP Elizardo Ramirez (8-10; 4.67) tossing five innings of five hit, shutout baseball. RHP Pedro Strop (1-1; 7.82) followed with a perfect sixth inning, but RHP Warner Madrigal (2-1; 2.09) gave up a two-run homer before recording three straight groundouts to end the game.

1B Justin Smoak continued his slow progression through triple-A with a single and three walks in four plate appearances. C Kevin Richardson (.225/.291/.428) and 2B Adam Fox (.217/.217/.261) each went 1-3 with an RBI double from the bottom of the RedHawks’ order. DH Chris Davis (.327/.418/.521) combined an 0-3 game one with an 0-4 game two for an 0-7, three strikeout performance on what could be his final day in Oklahoma City. (more…)