Post-Game Show: Rangers 7, Yankees 2

D-tails
• Boxscore, AL West Standings, AL Wild Card Standings
• Rangers cut ties with RHP Jason Jennings

Story of the Game

Sometimes the middle comes early.

On Thursday, the same day the Rangers cut ties with their primary middle man for the first half of the season, the Rangers needed the middle of their bullpen in the fourth inning to preserve a slim lead. RHP Jason Grilli, who hadn’t retired a batter in his first two outings after coming off the DL, entered with a one-run lead and two men on base. He proceeded to use an old trick on Alex Rodriguez – a slider that Rodriguez has never had much success against – to get the last out of the inning. Rodriguez is now 0-for-5 in his career against Grilli.

He followed it up with two more perfect innings to hand the lead, which had grown to four runs, to the back end of the bullpen. LHP C.J. Wilson pitched around a spot of trouble in the seventh by striking out Rodriguez, Hideki Matsui and Nick Swisher in succession and then added a perfect eighth. Rather than take chances, manager Ron Washington turned a five-run lead over to RHP Frank Francisco in the ninth.

“You have to pitch to beat these guys and our bullpen did a great job,” manager Ron Washington said. “Jason got us to the back of the bullpen so we could set things up the way we wanted. It was huge because we needed that out and then he gave us two more efficient innings.”

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No Relief: Texas Rangers to Cut Ties with Starter-Turned-Reliever Jason Jennings, Add Pedro Strop

NEW YORK – In the end, there simply was no role for RHP Jason Jennings.

After a solid start, cracks started appearing in the game of the converted starter trying to reinvent himself as a middle reliever after two years of arm problems. Initially, he simply couldn’t pitch on back-to-back days. Then, there appeared problems with him inheriting another pitcher’s runners. He fell in the pecking order as rookie RHPs Doug Mathis and Neftali Feliz started establishing themselves as reliable options. And finally, on Wednesday, when it became apparent hitters were no longer chasing his slider and instead waiting for his average fastball and change, there simply wasn’t a place for him on the roster anymore.

Shortly after he made a fielding error Wednesday, then allowed three solid hits accounting for three runs of his own and two of starter Derek Holland, the Rangers decided they had no choice but to move on. So,  Thursday, four days before rosters could be expanded to 40 players, th e club purchased the contract of RHP Pedro Strop and placed Jennings on waivers for the purpose of giving him his unconditional release.

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The Depot: Rangers-Yankees Live Game Blog, News, Notes – Now Completey Free of Brett Favre Talk

11:30: The home run pool is open for lunch time swim. Also, your Flying Fish $5 off coupon can still be printed for use at lunch today, though after game time, it’s likely to disappear. And speaking of lunch, I didn’t get to a New York deli this trip, but perhaps you’d like to hear me and some of my deli-loving friends discussing Dallas’ newest attempt at a delicatessen.

12:34: So, what do you think the chances are we are going to be seeing RHP Pedro Strop (rhymes with “soap”) this afternoon? I’d put them at better than 50-50- since RHP Dustin Nippert walked three batters in the first inning and threw 36 pitches.

12:52: If Nippert ever hopes to get a long-term shot at the rotation, he’s going to have to do some of the “little things” bettter. In particilar, that means holding runners (they are 8-for-9) stealing againstm him this season. They are 18-for-21 against him in his career. He also made a fielding error this year in seven chances. He’s made three in 30 career chances.

1:16: More complete story on the Jason Jennings-Pedro Strop move.

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Pool Time

You’ve already heard the big news of the day: The Rangers have designated RHP Jason Jennings for assignment and purchased the contract of RHP Pedro Strop. More on that in a bit. In the meantime, let’s all get in the pool. Here is your homer pool entry form for the day. The Rangers lineup against RHP A.J. Burnett goes a little something like this: DH Julio Borbon, 3B Michael Young, CF Josh Hamilton, RF Nelson Cruz, 2B Ian Kinsler, LF David Murphy, C Taylor Teagarden, 1B Chris Davis, SS Elvis Andrus and pitching for the Rangers. … RHP Dustin Nippert.

The Rangers are again without OF Marlon Byrd, who is back with the team after spending most of yesterday being treated for a 4 mm kidney stone in his left kidney. Byrd had the stone bombarded with ultra-sound waves in an effort to break it up. While he’s no longer in the agonizing pain associated with stones, he is sore from the ultra-sound treatment, which leaves the back and side feeling bruised for a good 24-48 hours. He should be able to swing a bat today – if necessary – and I expect he’ll be capable of returning to the field Friday at Minnesota.

Jason Jennings Designated for Assignment

Just got off the phone with Evan who relays that RHP Jason Jennings was designated for assignment to make room for Pedro Strop on the Rangers’ roster. Evan will have more shortly.

Bulletin From Bronx: Pedro Strop in Clubhouse

That’s what Evan just passed along from Yankee Stadium. The minor league right-hander isn’t on the 40-man roster according to what I just looked at on the Rangers’ web site. The Rangers have announced no roster move. In 36 relief appearances for Frisco before promotion to Oklahoma, Strop worked 51.1 innings, allowing 48 hits and 29 walks with 48 strikeouts. ERA of 4.38 with a 5-5 record. At OKC, 12.2 innings, 13 hits and four walks with 13 K’s. ERA of 7.38.

Priority #1: Keep QB Healthy

I am often asked who I read when it comes to football coverage. So, without even having to think about it, here are the guys I read every chance I get for my NFL stuff:

Peter King – Sports Illustrated
Michael Lombardi – National Football Post
Football Outsiders.com
Pat Kirwan, NFL.com
Rick Gosselin, DMN

Obviously, I include others for Cowboys-specific reading, but mostly, those are the 5 sources of my daily football reading. They are all geniuses in their own way. I highly recommend them all, as in pretty much every case, I have been following their writing for years and years.

With that in mind, I wanted to draw your attention to a conversation Pat Kirwan was having yesterday on Sirius NFL Radio when I rolled by his show with Tim Ryan.

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Road To Arlington: Rangers Farm Report (8/27)

Triple-A: Postponed

Double-A: Frisco4 @ San Antonio 3

LHP Kasey Kiker (7-7; 3.86) struggled with his control again, allowing three runs on five hits, four walks, and a wild pitch in 4.1 innings. Kiker now has 15 walks in his last 19 innings and has a 4.7 BB/9 ratio for the season. RHP Brennan Garr (3-3; 4.09) got the win with two scoreless innings and RHP Clayton Hamilton (1-3; 4.57) earned a one out save.

RF Steven Murphy (.203/.266/.374) was 2-4 with a single and a two-run homer and 1B Chad Tracy (.278/.328/.489) drove in Frisco’s other two runs with a double in the 4th. LF Dustin Majewski (.265/.359/.349) singled twice and walked in four plate appearances.

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