Rangers Scratch Vicente Padilla From Tonight’s Start

ARLINGTON - The epidemic of flu-like symptoms running through the Rangers’ clubhouse has knocked another player on his back.

RHP Vicente Padilla, who was scheduled to start tonight against Boston, was scratched Wednesday afternoon because of the bug. The Rangers had to send LHP Eddie Guardado home on Tuesday when he reported ill and SS Omar Vizquel was scratched from the starting lineup on Tuesday as well. RHP Frank Francisco also has pnuemonia and was placed on the DL on Monday. The Rangers don’t believe Francisco’s condition and that of the other three players is related.

Assistant GM Thad Levine, who handles all inquiries about club health issues, said on Tuesday night that the team was taking precautions to ensure that whatever is running through the clubhouse does not become a team-wide issue. He said the Rangers are not concerned about the Swine Flu.

The Rangers are expected to patch the game together with relievers with RHP Dustin Nippert starting. RHP Willie Eyre, who was called up Monday, and RHP Jason Grilli could also be asked to pitch multiple innings.

Padilla has been one of the club’s most effective pitchers for the seven weeks since the Rangers placed him on waivers. His first start after clearing waivers was at Boston on June 7. He went seven innings and allowed three runs (two earned) in that game.

Padilla

Rangers Battling Clubhouse Flu Pandemic

ARLINGTON - The Rangers sick bay now has three patients. And counting.

Assistant GM Thad Levine confirmed that both LHP Eddie Guardado and INF Omar Vizquel both were unavailable with flu-like symptoms on Tuesday a day after putting RHP Frank Francisco on the DL with walking pnuemonia. Levine said there was a significant differences in the illnesses Guardado and Vizquel are dealing with and the viral infection that has knocked Francisco out of action.

Levine also said the club is taking precautions to try and ensure the flu bug doesn’t spread further. He also said team doctors do not believe the problem to be related to Swine Flue. It’s uncertain if other members of the team have been dealing with the issue.

“We’ve spoken with our doctors and they don’t think what we have is contagious,” Levine said. “We are taking precautions and we have a very clean clubhouse. We sent Eddie home [Tuesday] as a precaution against anything else.”

Rangers Frank Francisco Headed To Disabled List

UPDATED (4:25 p.m.)

ARLINGTON – RHP Frank Francisco has walking pnuemonia and is headed to the disasbled list. The Rangers have recalled RHP Willie Eyre to replace Francisco, whose DL placement is retroactive to July 11. He would be eligible to return on Sunday when the Rangers are in Kansas City if he responds to medication.

Francisco was first bothered by flu-like symptoms on Saturday night and the situation got progressively worse on Sunday. He was unavailable to pitch in Sunday’s 5-3 12-inning win over Minnesota. He was told not to report to the ballpark on Monday. If the Rangers have a save opportunity on Monday, it’s likely they will turn to LHP C.J. Wilson, even though he threw 28 pitches in two innings of work on Sunday.

More Surgery For Eric Nadel; Wish Him Well Here

Rangers radio broadcaster Eric Nadel has hardly been able to believe his eyes this year as the club has surged into the pennant race.

Not because he didn’t believe in the club, but because of continuing problems associated with tears in the area where his retina attaches to his right eye.

Nadel hopes to put an end to the problem once and for all on Monday when he’ll undergo his second surgical procedure in a month. After essentially having the attachment “soldered” (hat-tip to Tim Perkins) back to the eye in emergency surgery in New York in early June, he will undergo a full-scale attachment procedure Monday morning at UT-Southwestern. Noted retina specialist Dr. Yu-Guang He will perform the surgery. Nadel will miss Monday’s series opener against the Los Angeles Angels, but should be able to return to the booth at some point during the homestand. He will, however, miss the upcoming road trip to Anaheim and Seattle.

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Texas Rangers To Place Matt Harrison on DL; Recall Tommy Hunter

ARLINGTON – The Rangers will place LHP Matt Harrison on the DL for the second time this season Sunday and will recall Tommy Hunter to replace him in the starting rotation on Sunday. It’s uncertain whether Hunter would get more than one start since the Rangers have an off day on Thursday and could juggle the rotation leading up to the All-Star break.

Harrison, who spent three weeks on the DL with shoulder soreness earlier this month, is returning with soreness in the shoulder/biceps area. He has struggled in two starts since returning from the first stint on the DL. Most recently, he allowed Arizona, which ranks 15th of 16 teams in the NL in batting average, seven hits, four walks and seven runs in 3.2 innings on Tuesday.

Hunter made one emergency start for the Rangers on May 29, lasting 5.1 innings against Oakland and allowing three runs on seven hits. It will be his fifth major league start. He is still seeking his first big league win, though the Rangers did end up winning the Oakland game.

Moving Harrison to the DL will make the fifth DL assignment for a member of the Rangers’ Opening Day rotation: Two for Harrison and one each for Kris Benson, Brandon McCarthy and Vicente Padilla.

Rangers Now Believe Josh Hamilton Could Be Back Before All-Star Game

Just got an email from GM Jon Daniels suggesting that there is a “reasonable” chance Hamilton could return to the playing field before the All-Star Game and, if elected, he’d like to participate in the game. The Home Run Derby is almost certainly out, however. Daniels said the Rangers would support Hamilton’s decision if he wants to play.

Hamilton has been among the leaders in votes for the AL outfield despite a subpar offensive year. But his time on the DL could discourage fans from voting for him, thinking he might not be back in time. Based on his current level of activity, Daniels believes its reasonable Hamilton could be activated before the first half ends.

Frank Francisco Placed On Disabled List Retroactive To June 4; Warner Madrigal Recalled

ARLINGTON - The Rangers placed closer Frank Francisco on the 15-day disabled list retroactive to June 4, the day after he pitched in the middle game of the series at Yankee Stadium. He would be eligible to return Friday in the opener at San Francisco but probably won’t be ready to pitch until Saturday, after a Friday rehab session. Warner Madrigal has been recalled.

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Update On Rangers Closer Frank Francisco

The lastest schedule for RHP Frank Francisco is that he will pitch a “ramped-up” session in the bullpen on Sunday and, like everybody in the clubhouse, get an off day on Monday. The Rangers will re-evaluate him on Tuesday. If he’s ready to pitch Tuesday, the club will have saved two days off a DL assignment. But, manager Ron Washington has also indicated that Francisco might return in a low-pressure, non-closing appearance or two before resuming the role of closer. So, one way or another, it appears they will go without Francisco as the clsoer for at least 15 days.

Sans Francisco: Frankie’s Better, Not Good Enough

ARLINGTON - After Rangers BP, Ron Washington said closer Frank Francisco’s throwing session this afternoon went well and he felt good but hasn’t reached the point that he’ll be available tonight. Still day to day, Washington said.

Josh Hamilton Plans On Playing In All-Star Game If Asked

ARLINGTON – Josh Hamilton returned to the Rangers clubhouse on Thursday and indicated that he expects to be on the short end of the suggested four-to-six week recovery period from his surgery to repair a torn abdominal wall muscle.

Hamilton said he intendes to play in the All-Star Game in St. Louis if he’s voted on the team. The All-Star Game is 33 days – 4 ½ weeks – away.

“If I’m asked to play, I plan to play,” Hamilton said.

Hamilton started walking on a treadmill the day after the surgery in Philadelphia. He said doctors have told him he could resume baseball-related activities in about 10 days.

“I know what I’ve got to do to get back and I’ve got a plan of action to do it,” Hamilton said.

Eric Nadel To Return To Rangers Radio Booth On Wednesday

After missing just six games of what was expected to be an absence of perhaps more than two weeks, Rangers raradio broadcaster Eric Nadel will return to the booth on Wednesday.

Nadel, 58, has been given clearance by both the surgeon who performed the laser surgery in New York last Thursday and doctors in Dallas. Nadel will, however, have to wear a patch to protect his right eye. Nadel was diagnosed with two tears in his retina last Thursday, less than a day after feeling some wateriness and cloudiness in his vision.

This is exceptionally good news for the Rangers and their radio fans. Nadel had gone 3,176 consecutive games between absences from the broadcast. He missed four games in 1989 after the death of his father.

Brandon McCarthy To DL With Stress Fracture In Right Scapula

Brandon McCarthy has a stress fracture in his right scapula, a similar injury to the one that knocked him out for a month in the second half of the 2007 season. After he struggled against New York last week, McCarthy complained of the sore shoulder. An MRI on Monday revealed the stress fracture. McCarthy is going to be out a while. GM Jon Daniels said it would probably be “several weeks” before McCarthy picks up a ball.

If RHP Doug Mathis is not needed out of the bullpen tonight, he will start on Tuesday. If the Rangers do need to use Mathis tonight, RHP Guillermo Moscoso would be the likely callup. Moscoso has been scratched from his scheduled start at Triple-A Oklahoma City tonight as a precaution. RHP Tommy Hunter is currently scheduled to pitch for Oklahoma City tomorrow and could also be an option.

Rangers Outfielder Josh Hamilton To Undergo Surgery Tuesday, Out At Least Four More Weeks

• Also: RHP Frank Francisco still iffy; minor leaguer suspended after arrest for rape.

ARLINGTON – Rangers GM Jon Daniels said Monday that CF Josh Hamilton will undergo a surgical procedure on Tuesday in Philadelphia to repair a partial tear of his abdominal muscle and will miss at least four more weeks.

Hamilton agreed to undergo the procedure after meeting with Philadelphia-based surgeon Dr. William Meyer, who has had success with quick recoveries for a less-invasive procedure than typical hernia repair. In a traditional hernia operation, a mesh is stretched across the herniated area and then “tacked” to the abdominal wall. That procedure usually requires eight to 10 weeks of recovery. In Dr. Meyer’s procedure, the area is essentially sutured up. Dr. Meyer has performed this surgery on Philadelphia Eagles QB Donovan McNabb and former baseball player Trot Nixon.

“Given what it could have been, this is certainly better than that,” Daniels said.

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Matt Harrison’s Return Could Push Derek Holland To Bullpen And Kris Benson Out Of Rangers Plans

BOSTON - The Kris Benson Experiment hasn’t worked out as the Rangers or the starter-turned-reliever hoped.

It may soon come time to decide whether to forge ahead or end the project altogether.

If Matt Harrison returns to the rotation this week after a sharp, but short rehab outing, the Rangers could have some shuffling to do in their bullpen. Derek Holland would likely move back to the bullpen, manager Ron Washington indicated. That would create a logjam among the long relievers.

Benson, meanwhile, acknowledged Sunday that he still feels weird in his new role, that he’d liked to return to a starting rotation and that, yeah, he’s thought about asking for a release so he could try and catch on as a starter elsewhere.

For now, though, Benson’s sole goal is to improve as a relief pitcher. It has been no easy transition for the former overall No. 1 pick in the draft, who had been exclusively a starter until May.

“I’m kind of learning on the job,” said Benson, who has a 7.94 ERA in six relief outings (it is 8.46 overall). “I haven’t had a spring training to make the transition. I’m more comfortable than I was when I took the mound the first time, but it still feels a little weird.”

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Frank Francisco Has Sore Shoulder; Not Considered Serious

BOSTON - Frank Francisco was unavailable Friday night because his oft-injured right shoulder felt stiff, perhaps due to cool weather, before the Rangers game with Boston.

Though Francisco has a long history of arm troubles and missed two weeks already this season with biceps tendonitis, the Rangers don’t believe the injury to be serious. Manager Ron Washington said the disabled list is not a concern at this point. After pitching the ninth on Wednesday and briefly warming up Thursday, Francisco couldn’t get loose before Friday’s game. The Rangers made a game-time decision to not use him. They stuck with that even after Francisco called the dugout in the ninth inning with Boston rallying. The answer was a firm no.

“We weren’t going to let him try to get loose,” said Washington, who allowed RHP Darren O’Day to work his way through a ninth-inning jam in the Rangers’ 5-1 win. “You’ve got to take everything into account. He said he didn’t feel very good before the game, so that was it.”

Said Francisco: “I told them I wanted to go. They told me they needed to make sure they’d be able to have me in September.”

More on Francisco coming up in our game coverage.