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An Indirect Rangers-Series Scenario to Ponder

The Yankees are there. The Phillies are there. Not New York’s other team, the other alleged contender in the N.L. East, which was Sports Illustrated’s pre-season pick. And maybe the sorry state of the New York Mets is worth keeping an eye on for Rangers fans.

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Baseball Quick Hits

On Instant Replay

UPDATE: Click here for Joey Matschulat’s look at the state of umpiring in general this morning at BBTiA.

It’s been a rough October for MLB umpires, who have struggled to get some of the most obvious calls correct. Among a litany of his peers, Phil Cuzzi came under scrutiny in the ALDS series between the Twins and the Yankees when he ruled a Joe Mauer liner foul even though the ball landed well inside the chalk. The Twins went on to lose the game 4-3 in 11 innings and the series in three games.

But the general outrage may have culminated with Tim McClelland’s bizarre call Tuesday night — which you can watch here — that resulted in Robinson Cano being called safe at third base despite standing with his foot clearly off the bag as Angels catcher Mike Napoli tagged him with the ball. Though the call didn’t affect the outcome of the Yankees’ 10-1 blowout win, the miss was so evident that many fans and critics have spoken out for the expansion of instant replay in baseball.

Much maligned commissioner Bud Selig is uninterested in addressing the issue, seemingly not wanting to leave a legacy, fair or not, as the guy who let the Steroid Era happen and the guy who slowed the game down. The argument against says that a game based so heavily on pace and timing would be hurt by frequent interruptions to check fair or foul, out or safe, etc. And where do you draw the line? Foul tips? Hit batsmen?

But missed calls like we’ve seen so far can’t continue, especially not at this point in the year. After playing through a grueling 162 game schedule — 163 if you count their one game playoff with Detroit– the Twins were done in just three games, and at least one of them was affected by a shoddy call. And the fact that even experienced umpires are botching plays has only emboldened those who want to bring MLB into a more technological state of existence. So can baseball really afford to wait for a major umpiring meltdown before they implement some kind of change?

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Rudy Jaramillo To Sign With Cubs

According to Bruce Levine, Rudy Jaramillo will do his coaching in Chicago for a while. After already being one of the highest-paid coaches in baseball last year, Jaramillo will make more than $800,000 a season to fix a Cubs offense that broke in a big way in 2009, ranking 22nd in the majors in runs scored and 26th in team batting average. Jaramillo will be reunited with former Ranger Milton Bradley, assuming the Cubs don’t cast him aside in the offseason, who enjoyed a career year under Jaramillo in 2008. Alfonso Soriano, another former pupil, is also on the team.

Jaramillo took a lot of heat last season after the Rangers failed to score 800 runs for the first time since 1995 and ranked 24th in MLB in on-base percentage while leading the American League in strikeouts. But David Brown at Baseball Time in Arlington broke down Rudy’s tenure in Texas last week, which yielded some interesting results.

The Rangers, meanwhile, don’t seem to be very far along in the process of finding a replacement for Jaramillo.

Fixing A Leaky Pen

When Jimmy Rollins sent Jonathan Broxton’s 99 mph fastball screaming into the right-center gap of Citizens Bank Park last night, Dodgers right fielder Andre Ethier chased obligatorily after it, although he never really had a chance. The ball bounced off the wall, just below the scoreboard, and dribbled along the warning track before Ethier could finally scoop it up and fire it in to shortstop Rafael Furcal. Philadelphia’s Eric Bruntlett scored easily from second base, and Carlos Ruiz, despite his 5′10″, 216-pound frame and catcher’s knees, made it all the way around from first before Furcal could get the ball out of his glove. After being an out away from tying the NLCS at two games apiece, the Dodgers fell dangerously close to elimination with a 5-4 loss.

Broxton was only the second reliever to play a major role Monday, as just hours before Yankee closer Mariano Rivera worked out of a tight spot in the bottom of the 10th of their game with Los Angeles to keep it going. After the Angels put runners on the corners with no outs, Rivera forced three straight ground outs to push the game into a second extra frame, and though the Angels ended up winning in 11 innings, Rivera’s performance is a testament to the value of having a dominant pitcher in the back of a bullpen.

To this point, the ‘09 playoffs haven’t been kind to closers. Maligned Angel’s closer Brian Fuentes blew a save in the 11th inning Saturday after allowing a homer to Alex Rodriguez. One day earlier, former Ranger Chan Ho Park earned an 8th inning blown save after he gave up two runs to the Dodgers. In the postseason’s first round, Huston Street allowed a run in the 9th inning of a tied game three against the Phillies. One night later, he came into the 9th inning of game four with a 4-2 lead, and left two outs later with a 5-4 deficit. Boston’s Jonathan Pabelbon, Minnesota’s Joe Nathan, and St. Louis’ Ryan Franklin all blew two-run, 9th inning leads in their respective divisional series, leading their teams to early ousters. Through 62-9th inning outs, the equivalent of 21 innings, 15 runs scored in the ALDS and NLDS, and there have been nearly as many blown saves (9) as saves (10).

Which brings us to the Rangers. Although they didn’t quite qualify for the postseason this year, it’s hard to imagine that they wouldn’t have been contributing to the bullpen debacle had they made it in. The Rangers closer situation was an interesting one in 2009. It started about as well as anyone could have hoped — with 17.2 scoreless innings and 11 saves from Frank Francisco — but the remainder of the season was marked with injury, uncertainty, a lot of collar loosening, and plenty of brow wiping. It got so bad by season’s end that some fans were calling for rookie Neftali Feliz or soft-tossing sidearmer Darren O’Day to take over the final frame. But with Feliz likely moving back into the rotation next year, O’Day’s unproven track record, and the relative unpredictability of relievers from year to year, should the Rangers be looking to stabilize the back of their pen?

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Pitching Profile – Final Edition

Just like we did at the end of May, at the end of June , and at the end of August - Here is the Final edition of our look at the Rangers starting rotation. The point of this exercise is to dig a bit deeper than the basic stats for each starting pitcher to see what they are good at – or what they are not good at.

In the final analysis, 10 pitchers started games for the Rangers this season. Kevin Millwood (31), Scott Feldman (31), Derek Holland (21), Tommy Hunter (19), Vicente Padilla (18), Brandon McCarthy (17), Matt Harrison (11), Dustin Nippert (10), Kris Benson (2), and Doug Mathis (2). This study will focus on the eight pitchers who have made at least 10 starts.

There is plenty of good news to report as they worked a significantly higher amount of innings while doing a great job at dropping the rotation’s ERA.

Both Kevin Millwood and Scott Feldman made over 30 starts with 18 Quality Starts each. That number may not blow your socks off, but those two seasons can rival pretty much any season we have seen around here by a starting pitcher in an awfully long time.

There were other signs of optimism as well, as the first year of the Nolan Ryan/Mike Maddux program seems like a perfect diving board to 2010.

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Lacking A Lackey

John Lackey might have pitched last game in an Angels uniform. With Los Angeles’ once-potent lineup plating just four runs in 22 innings against the Yankees, the Angels find themselves down two games to none in the ALCS and in need of a major turnaround to keep their World Series hopes alive. Lackey is scheduled to start game five, if the Angels can make it until then.

But no matter how long Los Angeles lasts, Lackey’s career in L.A. seems to be dwindling down to its final weeks. His contract expires at season’s end, and with the Angels facing the impending free agency of Chone Figgins, Bobby Abreu, and Vlad Guerrero as well, there may not be room to bring back the former 19-game winner.

According to SI’s Jon Heyman, Lackey rejected the Angels’ offer of 3 years and roughly $40 million prior to the start of the season, and when Lackey started having elbow problems, talks broke off entirely. L.A. then acquired lefty Scott Kazmir after the trade deadline, a move that not only seems to soften the blow of losing Lackey, but also provides another multi-million dollar hit to the payroll that further handcuffs the team financially. Supposedly, Lackey wants “A.J. Burnett money,” referring to the 5 year, $82.5 million deal that Burnett got from the Yankees last winter. And when you consider that Lackey’s number compare favorably almost across the board to Burnett’s, he can probably get it.

Enter the Texas Rangers.

Lackey, who was born and raised in Abilene, is a proud Texan and the closest thing to an ace that will hit the free agent market this offseason. The Rangers play in Texas and are in desperate need of said ace. So what’s not to like? Well, the price tag, for one. And there’s the question of whether Lackey’s a bona fide ace, or just a top-of-the-rotation kind of pitcher. And then there’s his age. And his health. And whether or not he’d wither in the Texas heat like so many before him.

The Rangers would be remiss if they didn’t at least explore all avenues in regards to Lackey. But even if the Rangers can afford to pay him the $16.5 million-per-year he’s hoping to emulate from Burnett, and even if they’re willing to commit their entire offseason to one player, one big question still looms.

Should they?

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Report: Rudy Jaramillo Will Not Return To Rangers

After fielding one of the worst offenses in the history of the Rangers Ballpark in Arlington era, Evan Grant is reporting that the Rangers will not retain the services of hitting coach Rudy Jaramillo. According to the report, the club extended a one year offer to Jaramillo, but he declined it and will explore other options via free agency.

Jaramillo has been the Rangers hitting instructor since the 1995 season, and from 1996 through 2004, the Rangers ranked in the top five in batting average, runs scored, slugging percentage, home runs, and hits. Texas is also only a year removed from leading the majors with 901 runs scored.

But 2009 was a different story, as the Rangers failed to crack 800 runs for the first time since ‘95, Jaramillo’s first year on the job. Texas also led the A.L. in strikeouts (1253) and ranked 12th out of 14 teams in walks (472), seeing a 20.6% drop in free passes from last year. The Chicago Cubs and Houston Astros have already been listed as potential suitors for Jaramillo.

Catching Cold: Taking A Look At The Ranger Catchers

A year from now, assuming the Minnesota Twins aren’t still battling for a World Series title, Joe Mauer will be sitting at home and pondering his future. Mauer’s contract expires after next season, and he’ll have his choice of where he wants to play baseball in 2011. If he leaves his native Minnesota for, say, New York or Boston or Los Angeles, he could very well sign one of the richest contracts in baseball history. If he stays with the Twins, he’ll probably have to settle for less… somewhere in the $15 million a year range. In other words, Joe’s no ordinary Joe.

The reason for all the hype around Mauer is quite simple: good catchers are hard to come by, and a truly great catcher, like Mauer, can be once in a generation. Which helps to explain why only one catcher in the last 32 years — the Rangers’ own Ivan Rodriguez in 1999 — has earned an MVP award in either league (though that could  change in a month if Mauer is named A.L. MVP, as expected). It’s also why rookie catcher Matt Wieters, who the normally conservative PECOTA system pegged for a .949 OPS this year, received a standing ovation as he approached the plate for his first major league at-bat back in May.

There just aren’t many guys that can withstand six month’s worth of beatings behind the plate and still crank out a hit or two per game. So when Texas traded Gerald Laird, a solid starting catcher with two controllable years left, because they seemingly had too much catching last December, quite a few teams looked on in envy. The parting was mutual: Laird wanted a chance to be “the man” behind the plate, and the Rangers were ready to show off a deep farm system that boasted prospects like Jarrod Saltalamacchia, Taylor Teagarden, and Max Ramirez, as well as Tomas Telis, Manny Pina, and Leonel De Los Santos at the lower levels of the minors. But less than a year later, things aren’t so rosy. After a season in which none of their young catchers established themselves at the big league level, the Rangers have been left to wonder if their future backstop is even on the current roster.

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On T.O., Texas and TCU, Stars’ Start, Etc.

While the Cowboys’ defense was seemingly setting new lows for offside penalties, Terrell Owens’ new offensive unit had 11 false starts.

While Miles Austin was setting the Cowboys’ record for receiving yards in a game with 250, Owens was piecing together a season high in catches with four. He doesn’t have 250 receiving yards this season. His team gave up six points and lost by three. Wonder if he texted Austin with congratulations.

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Bringing Back The Byrd

It’s only been seven days since the Texas Rangers ended their ‘09 campaign with a loss to King Felix and the Mariners in Seattle. It’ll be another 176 days before they take the field again — not that we’re counting or anything. And though there’s still a month of baseball left for the elite, or perhaps more aptly labeled, well-funded teams, it’s just not quite the same without a hometown team to root for.

So while a long offseason looms for us Dallas die-hards, the question of what key changes will be made to the Rangers roster for 2010 will likely have an answer by January. In truth, Texas doesn’t figure to throw a lot of money around on the  free agent market because, well, Tom Hicks doesn’t have it. It doesn’t help that the Rangers owe Vicente Padilla and Frank Catalanotto a couple million each to buyout their contracts, despite the fact that Cat hasn’t donned a Rangers uni in over a year and Padilla spent his Saturday pitching the Dodgers to their second straight NLCS berth (I slept until two and ate a day-old burrito. To each his own, I guess). But the Rangers supposedly aren’t looking to shed payroll, and if Evan Grant’s math is right, Jon Daniels and company could have at least a little cash to play with over the coming months.

Which brings us to Marlon Byrd.

Byrd started 100 games for the Rangers in center field this season and tallied another 41 starts in the corner outfield positions, providing much needed versatility in an outfield plagued with injuries and inconsistency. He got nearly half of his 547 at bats in prime run-producing positions, rewarding Ron Washinton’s confidence in him by posting a combined slash line of .305/.370/.554 while driving in 55 runs from the three and four spots in the order. By all accounts, he was a tremendous leader and clubhouse presence on a team rife with 20-somethings. He’s said that he wants to remain a Ranger. His teammates have spoken out about how vital his return is, with Michael Young being his most vocal supporter. Even the normally tight-lipped GM Jon Daniels, who prefers to play most things close to the vest, had this to say in a recent chat with Richard Durrett…

As we’ve told Marlon and his agent Sam Levinson, we’d like to have him back. Now it comes down to what fits for us financially, given the makeup of this team, and what he feels he’d accept. We’re not at the point just yet of exchanging specifics #s but we probably will be soon. If he’s not back, we have quality depth in the OF and we’ll also pursue alternatives via trade/FA.

It seems all parties want to get a deal done. So what’s the problem? At 32-years-old, Byrd is running out of time to really cash in on his playing career.  Sure, he’s earned about $5 million in the last two years, which is more than most people see in a lifetime. But that’s a pittance compared to what some of his peers make, and it’s what Alex Rodriguez pulled in for a month’s work this year, not including endorsements. So while Byrd and the Rangers have both said they’d like to reach an agreement, that’s no guarantee. Because talk is cheap, and Marlon Byrd won’t be.

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On Valley Ranch Rules, Crabtree, Tippett, Etc.

Media access to the Cowboys and all NFL teams has changed greatly from the days when Pete Rozelle ran the league and Tex Schramm ruled Valley Ranch. We now have situations like this week, when it took three days for reporters to learn Jason Garrett’s thinking near the Denver goal line, and when there was a 24-hour period from late Monday to late Tuesday when the local populace wondered if Tony Romo had lost track of downs.

In the case of Garrett, he’s made available once a week. That’s actually a 100 percent improvement over the Parcells rules, which treated all assistants as if hidden in a monastery. Romo’s designated day to address the media is Wednesday. When local media assumed for the better part of a day that Romo went into the final snap thinking it was third down, the Cowboys were compelled to issue a statement to the contrary.

NFL media policies are meant to minimize negative spin. Sometimes, they simply allow it to fester.

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Major League Baseball’s Playoffs Are Finally Here; Haven’t We Seen This Movie Already?

Baseball’s playoffs have begun. And don’t the teams look familiar? When compared to the other three sports over the past 10 years, MLB has had less movement between the haves and have nots, according to calculation performed by yours truly. While I can’t approach Sports Sturm in detailed dissection of numbers, I offer the following in trying to examine parity in the sports leagues – and how it’s decreasing in baseball.

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One Last Home Run Pool of Sorts for 2009

The hardware (SSE Baseball)

No prizes awarded. (Did Evan take them all with him?) But you have until 1:37 p.m. today – first pitch of Division Series opener – to emphatically state who will beat whom in the World Series in how many games. First tie-breaker will be results of League Championship Series. Second tie-breaker will be World Series MVP.

Example: Cardinals over Yankees in six. Cards will beat Phillies, Yankees will beat Red Sox. Series MVP: Chris Carpenter

And does anyone care that the Rangers finished with the fourth-best record in the American League, better than the Twins? (Not related to HR Pool at all. Just curious. No wrong answers.)

Highland Park’s Kershaw Will Get the Ball on Saturday for Reeling Dodgers (One Up, Two to Play)

That once massive L.A. Dodgers lead in the N.L. West – 15.5 games over the Colorado Rockies on June 3 – is one game over Colorado on Oct. 3 after the Rockies’ 4-3 win at Dodger Stadium on Friday night. That was L.A.’s fifth straight loss. The Dodgers have looked like zombies recently against the likes of the Nationals, Pirates and Padres. Hit like zombies, more specifically.

Highland Park’s own Clayton Kershaw (8-8) will get the start on Saturday night to try to finally deliver the division clincher. Both the Dodgers and Rockies are already in, one as the division champ and the other as the wild card.

The 21-year-old lefty will be making only his third start since missing three weeks with an injury to his right shoulder. He dislocated it in early September when he ran into the outfield wall while shagging fly balls during batting practice. Here are his starts for the season.

Series Preview: Rangers at Mariners

Despite completing a sweep of the A’s last night and owning an ML best +22 win differential from 2008, the Seattle Mariners don’t really have much left to play for. Except maybe second place.

The Rangers will head to Seattle to wrap up their season with a three-game series against the Mariners, and while neither team will be playing in the postseason, the M’s front office was pleasantly surprised by the team’s turnaround. After needing to win their final three games of 2008 just to avoid having baseball’s worst record, Seattle played well enough in ‘09 to earn every coach an invite back for next season.

A huge reason for their success has been a lethal combination of pitching and defense. Seattle’s pitching staff is anchored by Cy Young candidate Felix Hernandez and they  lead the A.L. by a wide margin in team ERA, while also ranking first in MLB in almost every defensive metric imaginable. So the reasons for their turnaround are obvious, but one thing that isn’t quite as clear is who should be the team MVP. Hernandez, who the Mariners are trying to lock down long-term, is an obvious candidate. But so are Franklin Gutierrez and recently reactivated Russell Branyan, both of whom had breakout seasons.

Ken Griffey Jr., on the other hand, might have to fight for a chance to play again after he posted some ugly numbers this season. Veteran Mike Sweeney might be in the same boat. And even 25-year-old Brandon Morrow, who the Mariners picked over Washington-native Tim Lincecum in the 2006 Rule IV Draft, is starting to look more like Chad Gaudin than Lincecum.

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Linkin’ Park: Lurking Around The Web For You

The door closed on the Rangers’ chances at a division title on Monday with an ugly 11-0 loss in Anaheim. Last night, the Red Sox shut the window too. Had Boston lost their final six contests and the Rangers won out, Texas could’ve snuck into October as the wild card team in a scenario ESPN gave a 0.1 percent chance of happening. But the Rangers didn’t take long in extinguishing that option.

Just a night after the Angels celebrated their third straight A.L. West title right in front of them, Texas did what seemed all but a formality for the last week — they officially eliminated themselves from playoff contention. And now there’s not much left to do but commend the team for their most successful season in years and look to the future.

Probably the biggest question in need of an answer moving forward is who the Rangers will retain in the offseason. Both Marlon Byrd and Pudge Rodriguez figure to qualify as type-B free agents, meaning the Rangers would get compensated for losing either as long as they offer them arbitration. But Byrd, coming off a career year, will be looking for a big contract which could make it tough for the cash-strapped Rangers to bring him back, despite the fact that a few players are already publicly hoping for his return.

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From the Rangers Clubhouse: Sickly Silence and Dejected Acceptance of Losing AL West

ANAHEIM, Calif. – It was quiet enough in the Rangers clubhouse beneath Angel Stadium to hear the celebration across the hall.

While the Los Angeles Angels were celebrating their third consecutive AL West title, the Rangers were dealing with being the vanquished contenders. It’s not a role many of them are used to because the Rangers haven’t been in playoff races this late in a season in a long time.

“This is not a good feeling,” said 3B Michael Young, who returned from four weeks of dealing with a strained hamstring to have a pair of hits in Monday’s 11-0 loss. “Right now, I don’t care about the future or how our team shapes up for next year. It’s about winning or going home. We did not get it done. And that is really an unpleasant feeling. The Angels deserve a lot of credit for overcoming a lot of adversity and doing what it took to win. From our side, we’ve got to get better. It’s as simple as that.”

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The Depot: Rangers-Angels Live Game Blog, News, Notes and Teary Farewell Thoughts

Well, that’s that. Rangers eliminated from playoff contention.

9:13: In case you missed my announcement from earlier in the day, here is the link. In case you missed our story about Josh Hamilton not playing today and perhaps not again this year, it’s here.

9:22: Michael Young admitted that even though he’s in the lineup, he is not 100 percent. You know what might be the best thing for the Rangers at this point? It might be best if Los Angeles did what seems inevitable and clinched quickly. That way, maybe some Ranger core players could just rest over the final week of the season. Not saying that’s what I’d like to see happen, but I’d hate to see Young or Josh Hamilton try to do something this week and suffer an injury that lingers into 2010. Young doubled in his first at-bat, but he is basically jogging on the bases.

9:31: After Kendry Morales homer, the Angels take a 3-0 lead with two outs in the first. In the time the Rangers have recorded their last six outs, they have allowed 10 runs.

9:53: Dustin Nippert is up in the second inning. It’s the third time he’s been up and throwing in the last 30 hours.

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Series Preview: Rangers at Angels

There was about a ten minute period Sunday afternoon when it looked as though the upcoming four-game series between the Rangers and Angels might have playoff implications after all. The Oakland A’s had run off four straight runs in the late innings against the Angels to pull within one, while Texas needed to maintain a 6-3 lead for just three outs to complete a sweep of the Rays. A Rangers win combined with an Angels loss would’ve pulled Texas to within 4.0 games in the A.L. West and effectively given them control of their playoff destiny.

But the A’s rally fell short, and the Rangers’ bullpen imploded. Darren O’Day, C.J. Wilson, and Frank Francisco faced 11 batters and recorded only two outs, while the Angels picked up a pair of insurance runs and turned to Brian Fuentes, who locked down his 45th save of the season.

So here we are. The Rangers are six games back with seven to play, and they absolutely have to sweep the Angels to keep their playoff hopes alive.  And it’s not one of those, “They need a sweep or it’ll be tough to get in,” kind of things. It’s more like this: if the Rangers don’t take all four in L.A., they’re mathematically eliminated.

But there’s a sliver of hope. Though the Angels are on the cusp of setting franchise records for offensive prowess led by Kendry Morales’ breakout season and Howie Kendrick’s excellent September, the bats are struggling at the moment. And when a team which has relied on offense all year stops hitting, they stop winning. So at least the Rangers have that going for them.

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Series Preview: Rangers vs. Rays

While the Rays played their way out of playoff contention with an 11 game losing streak that culminated on September 13 with a pair of losses to the Red Sox, they were officially eliminated until a few days ago. That day is nothing but a formality at this point for the Rangers, with the Angels’ magic number down to four. So the upcoming weekend series between Texas and Tampa will serve little purpose other than to showcase the plethora of young talent on each side and ponder the future.

For now, the Rays’ future is third baseman Evan Longoria, whose strong finish to the season has some wondering about his MVP credentials. Tampa is also hoping Ben Zobrist can maintain his personally unprecedented performance next year after posting a 7.4 WAR season. But history’s not necessarily on his side, and he wouldn’t be the first former Rays All-Star to see a drop off after a career year.

Tampa Bay’s future success could hinge on their ability to find a true ace to anchor a solid pitching staff, whether they acquire one — like Felix Hernandez — or develop one. David Price was supposed to be that ace, and nearly everybody had him ranked as the game’s top prospect prior to the season. But a concerningly bad slider and mediocre results have taken some of the luster from the Vanderbilt product and left some to wonder whether he’ll ever be a top notch starter. The good news for Rays fans is that Price, who will start the finale on Sunday against the Rangers, has posted a 3.41 ERA since July 31 and has shown marked improvement on his slider. And between Price, Matt Garza, James Shields, AL Rookie of the Year candidate Jeff Niemann, and newcomer Wade Davis, the Rays are stocked with five quality starting pitchers aged 27 or younger.

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Evan is on His Way

Hi Ranger fans! Evan is running a little late tonight. I, like Eric Nadel, suffered a torn retina and Evan, being the great guy that he is, pinch hit for me at a D Magazine event this evening. Meanwhile, carry on. Open the Home Run Pool and tread water until he arrives. He’s a peach.

Linkin’ Park: Lurking Around The Web For You

Sure, the Angels’ magic number down to five with 11 games still left on their schedule and the Rangers’ shot at making the postseason is essentially gone at this point. And true, Michael Young is still out indefinitely and Ian Kinsler is growing frustrated by dwindling crowds at the ballpark. But the Rangers still have 12 games to play, and with Josh Hamilton looking ready to return, a solid run at a 90 win season isn’t out of the question.

Realistically, however, it’s not too early to start looking ahead to 2010 and beyond, especially for a team that can boast as much young talent as the Rangers can. One of Texas’ biggest bullpen bolsters, flame throwing Neftali Feliz, might move away from his current relief role next year, at least according to Rob Neyer. Neyer doesn’t see how the Rangers rotation can be successful without Feliz in it, especially in light of Derek Holland’s struggles throughout his rookie campaign. But, as Joey Matschulat points out, there’s still a lot to like about Holland despite his unsavory statistics.

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The Depot: Rangers-A’s Live Game Blog, News, Notes, and Celestial Body Viewings

7:30: Home Run Pool is open. And for your pre-game reading enjoyment, we’ve got some notes, quotes and anecdotes.If I’m not here before game-time, I should be back right around first pitch. I’m having a spot of grown-up dinner. Yay!

10:35: Elvis Andrus ties Ian Kinsler for the team lead in steals with a sixth-inning swipe. It gives him 29 in 33 attemps (87.9 percent). Among the majors most frequent runners, Andrus’ steal percentage is the best in baseball. The Rangers, currently with an 81.8 percent success rate, are on pace to set the AL record for best stolen base percentage among teams with at least 150 attempts.

Series Preview: Rangers at Athletics

Back in July, the Rangers didn’t made a blockbuster move to assist in what was going to be a strenuous sortie with the Angels for AL West supremacy. Instead, they stood pat at the trade deadline and hoped their young team could spin a surprising postseason berth without any outside help.

Now we know better. And with Texas’ playoff hopes seemingly wilted and only a few weeks until they’ll spend a long October at home, they’re allowed a hypothetical do-over. But, in truth, they probably wouldn’t trade for Roy Halladay or Cliff Lee to anchor the pitching staff, or Victor Martinez or Nick Johnson to curb their bouts of offensive anemia. And quite frankly, those guys might not have been enough anyway.

My guess is the Rangers would go back to September 4 and swap schedules with the Oakland Athletics. That was the day Oakland hit rock bottom following a 6-3 loss to the Mariners that pushed the Athletics to a season-high — or season-low — 17 games under .500. The Rangers, meanwhile, pulled within 3.5 games in the division and 2.0 in the wild card chase after a 5-1 victory in Baltimore. Since then, the A’s have won 12 of their last 14 and seven straight to move to 71-78 on the season, while Texas owns a 5-9 record over that stretch, being shut out in five of their nine losses.

So if anyone has Doc Brown on speed dial, now might be a good time to speak up.

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The Depot: Rangers-Angels Live Game Blog, News, Notes and Noontime Prayer Vigil for AL West Race

11:30: The home run pool is open. And it’s glistening under this strange yellow light up in the sky. I’m not sure what you would call it, but it’s not the usual gray we are used to.

12:30: With runners on the corners and one out, Marlon Byrd takes a contested called third strike and it looks like first inning opportunity might evaporate. Then Hank Blalock bloops a two-out, two-strike single to left field for a hit. He drove in the winning run last night and has put the Rangers on top today. And, so, for all the complaining about his disappointing performance this season, there are reasons why you keep veterans around.

12:34: Another two-out, two-strike hit for Rangers, this one from Nelson Cruz. He had been in a 3-for-30 slump.  First multi-run inning for the Rangers since the first game of last Sunday’s doubleheader. It’s the first time they’ve scored as many as three runs in an inning since the ninth inning of a 10-0 win over Cleveland on Sept. 9. Quite a stretch.

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