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?

Frank Francisco and C.J. Wilson were Texas’ two closers in 2009 and, for the most part, they did a decent job. The pair combined for 39 saves, 23 holds, and eight blown saves while rotating back and forth between the closer and set-up roles. In all likelihood, they’ll be dueling it out for the same spots next year, barring some major acquisition or philosophical change.  So let’s break down the the candidates…

Frank Francisco

2009 Season

Francisco started the year on fire, rattling off 17.2 scoreless innings and converting his first 11 save opportunities before allowing an Adam Kennedy home run on May 31. He earned his 12th consecutive save on June 3 before making his second trip to the DL a week later. That’s when the wheels came off. From June 25 on, Francisco posted a 6.51 ERA and blew four saves while converting only 13. He finished the year with a 3.83 ERA and showed an unnerving tendency to implode.

The Good

Francisco has maintained excellent strikeout rates (9.95 K/9 for his career, 11.18 since 2008) and has steadily improved his control, walking a career-low 15 batters in 2009. He’s got a strong, mid-90s fastball to go with a hard curve and a good splitter, and he’s shown the confidence to throw any pitch in any count. He’s aggressive with hitters and seems to have the ability to forget about bad outings, a quality not all pitchers possess.

The Bad

Francisco is an extreme fly ball pitcher who plays in a park known to be a home run haven. For his career, his ground ball/fly ball ratio is 0.49, well below league average, and this year it reached 0.43, which was the lowest it’s been since his rookie season. Not surprisingly, this has caused a high HR/9 ratio for a closer of near 1.0, and it’s also led to a lot of extra base hits. In 2009 and 2008, Francisco allowed 40 percent and 43 percent of his total hits to go for extra bases, while the league average is 34 percent. His lack of grounders has also contributed to his forcing only one double play in 72 opportunities over the last two years. He’s not great at getting ahead of hitters and he seemed to have trouble stopping the bleeding when he struggled — in his four blown saves, Francisco allowed 15 runs in 2.2 innings.

C.J. Wilson

2009 Season

Coming off an awful 2008 campaign in which he allowed 35 runs in 46.1 innings, C.J. Wilson had a career year in ’09, setting personal bests in appearances, innings, ERA, strikeouts, and holds. Still, Wilson had his problems. Control issues led to a high walk rate and a 1.33 WHIP, which isn’t good for a reliever, and he was consistently inconsistent throughout the season.

The Good

Wilson’s got electric stuff. His fastball usually sits in the low- to mid-90s with plenty of life, though at times he cranked it up to 97 last year. His slider can disappear when he’s throwing it well, and he throws a solid changeup as well. Unlike Francisco, Wilson gets plenty of ground balls, leading to a low homer rate. He had a career high 10.26 K/9 ratio in 2009, and he dominated left-handed hitters to the tune of .206/.310/.237.

The Bad

Despite his arm, Wilson has a tendency to be too careful and not trust his stuff. Like Francisco, he struggled to get ahead in the count, and he especially struggled when facing the first batter of an outing. His walk totals, down slightly from the last two years, is still too high and put him in a lot of dangerous situations. Command is an issue, as it varies greatly from game to game, and righties can hit him fairly well. There have been questions about his maturity and whether he has the mental make up to be an effective closer.

Neftali Feliz

2009 Season

Feliz made his Major League debut in ’09, and did it in style — he struck out the first four batters he faced. Though he struggled a bit in September, he finished the season having allowed six runs in 31 innings while striking out 39. Truthfully, he’s not a closer candidate for the Rangers, at least not going into next year. But there some who think he doesn’t possess the secondary stuff to succeed as a starter, and that his ultimate role in the majors will be in the back of a bullpen.

The Good

The stuff. Feliz can hit 100 on a radar gun and make it look like a game of catch. And that’s not the best part. His fastball moves… a lot. His slurve and splitter were a pleasant surprises and he showed a fearlessness and cool that well exceed his young age. Opponents hit .124 off him with a .210 slugging percentage, and he held righties to an OPS of .274. Ridiculous.

The Bad

He’s young. He’ll turn 22 near the beginning of next season, and management didn’t seem to like the idea of pitching him more than a few times a week. His velocity was inconsistent, causing curiosity as to whether he was tiring out. Also, the Rangers seem intent on making him a starter, which is the right thing to do. With his stuff, Feliz could easily develop into a top-of-the-rotation pitcher, and getting 200 innings of Feliz annually would be much better than 60.

Outlook

There’s no doubt that the bullpen needs to be upgraded in the offseason, even if most of the changes happen internally. The middle innings became a major weak spot for the Rangers last year as Jason Jennings and Eddie Guardado showed an increasing inability to get outs and Neftali Feliz was kept on a short leash. Darren O’Day was spectacular in 2009, but it’s hard to know how he’ll perform next season. Relievers by nature are unpredictable from year to year, and pitchers with a gimmick, like O’Day’s sidearm delivery, seem especially prone to being figured out.

But the back of the bullpen shouldn’t be a major concern. Injuries really seemed to hamper what started as an excellent season for Francisco, but if he can get healthy he should be able to play out 2010 as the closer. Wilson’s inconsistency can be maddening at times, but three of his four blown saves came in the 8th inning or earlier, meaning he was 14 for 15 in 9th inning save chances. So long as he doesn’t have another year of regression like 2008, his stuff should play well in the 8th or 9th inning.

And with the price of big name closers commonly reaching eight digits a season, the Rangers simply can’t afford to chase after a Jose Valverde type this winter. Besides, the Mets, Angels, and Indians spent big money last offseason on Francisco Rodriguez, Brian Fuentes, and Kerry Wood respectively in hopes that they would solve their late-inning issues, but they’ve turned out to be busts so far.

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.

When Byrd arrived in Arlington three years ago, he had just spent the ’05 and ’06 seasons struggling for playing time with the Washington Nationals, who, incidentally, finished last in the N.L. East both years. Byrd was 29-years-old, owned a career OPS of .692, and had been designated for assignment by one of the worst teams in baseball. After spending spring training with the Rangers, Byrd was promptly sent to triple-A in favor of guys like Brad Wilkerson and Jerry Hairston, Jr. In other words, his career was hanging by a thread.

But he got his chance in late May of 2007, and played in 109 of the Rangers’ final 116 games while posting career highs in batting average, slugging percentage, and OPS.  Prior to his stint in Texas, Byrd had never hit 10 homers, driven in 50 runs, or cracked an .800 OPS at the Major League level. He’s accomplished all three of those feats in each of his seasons as a Ranger.

So, obviously, Marlon Byrd’s been productive in Texas. He’s a gap hitter with a solid average and 10-20 home run power, putting him in the same category as quite a few well-known major leaguers. Offensively speaking, Byrd’s numbers compare to those of Randy Winn, Jose Guillen, or Alex Rios. Carl Crawford and Shane Victorino, save for the stolen base numbers, also bear a statistical resemblance and, to a lesser extent, so does Raul Ibañez. Though Ibañez’s statistics in the years leading up to his ’08 free agency were definitely superior to Byrd’s, they’re at least in the same stratosphere, and Ibañez managed to overcome the recession and land a three year, $31 million contract at the age of 36.

Then again, Bobby Abreu only managed a one year deal worth $5 million despite owning six — and now seven — straight seasons with at least 100 RBI, so who knows. But if there’s one common thread between all the aforementioned players, it’s that they make a lot more money than Marlon Byrd did last year. Jose Guillen earned $12 million with the Royals as part of a three year, $36 million contract he signed at 32-years-old, the same age Byrd is now. Carl Crawford brought in $8.2 million, Randy Winn made $9.6 million, and Alex Rios signed a six year, $64 million extension in 2008.

According to FanGraphs, Byrd accounted for 2.4 WAR, or Wins Above Replacement, which ranked him as the 21st best outfielder in the A.L. and put him in the middle of the pack.

At least financially, Byrd’s in good company. But on the down side, he ranked second to last in walk rate and dead last in BB/K ratio among all qualifying A.L. outfielders in 2009. He made some spectacular diving catches on defense, but those may have been covering up for a lack of range brought on by below-average speed in center field. While Byrd’s UZR (Ultimate Zone Rating) was 2.1 in left field and 1.6 in right field, it was an ugly -5.3 in center, a number that only figures to get worse with age.

So, if the Rangers plan on bringing Byrd back to roam center field, relieving Josh Hamilton’s weary body and giving Julio Borbon time to learn the position, they might want to think again. While Byrd seems to catch everything he gets to, he might not get to as much as he should, and the notion of sticking him in a corner outfield spot seems to defeat the purpose of bringing him back, especially with Hamilton, Borbon, David Murphy, and Nelson Cruz already available there.

All things considered, it’s hard to imagine that Byrd could land an Ibañez-type deal that pays him $10 million annually. More than likely, Byrd will get a three or four year deal that will make him $6-8 million a year. The question is, are the Rangers willing to shell out $21 million for three more years of Marlon? It’s not the type of contract that would handcuff a franchise, and with Kevin Millwood’s salary coming off the books at the end of 2010, the Rangers could conceivably add a few big contracts in the coming years without actually adding payroll in the long-term. But if Tom Hicks’ financial situation means Marlon Byrd is the only big name the Rangers can bring in for the upcoming season, is that really enough?

Byrd figures to qualify as a type-B free agent, meaning if the Rangers offer him arbitration — which they should — and Byrd politely declines it — which he should — then at the very least, Texas would be compensated with a “sandwich pick,” which, unfortunately, isn’t as delicious as it sounds. MLB compensates teams that lose type-A and type-B free agents with an extra pick that falls between the 1st and 2nd rounds of the amateur draft. Recently, the Rangers have used sandwich picks to snag Julio Borbon and former Fresno State ace Tanner Scheppers, who could be at the top of Ranger prospect sheets next year.

So, in reality, there could be some value in losing Byrd. Not only could it free up the cash to make a big splash in a greater area of need, but it would give the Rangers the means to acquire another high-profile prospect. If Hicks decides re-signing Byrd doesn’t mean the Rangers are done for the winter, or Marlon decides he’d be willing to stick around for a one or two year deal, then his return likely won’t even be an issue.

But for all the strides the Rangers made in 2009, they still finished 10 games behind the Angels in the A.L. West and eight games back of the Red Sox in the Wild Card. And while it’s truly impossible to put a value on what a guy like Byrd can bring to a clubhouse, the fact remains that the Rangers have more players that can replace the production of a Marlon Byrd than, say, a Ben Sheets, assuming he’s healthy. All we know is, come April, the Rangers will take the field again, and Marlon Byrd will be ready to show off his fat new contract. They might just have to happen in two different places.

For the purpose of this exercise, I’ve looked at the last 10 complete regular seasons and annually grouped the teams into three areas: the elite eight who were the last ones eligible to win the overall championship (E8), the worst eight according to records (W8) and those in between (M). For baseball, the E8s are the teams that qualified for the playoffs. In the other leagues, it’s the teams that reached the conference semifinals. Not necessarily the best teams based on won-lost records, but I consider this the best way to compare teams across the sports.

Teams get one point for every season that they finished among the elite eight and get one point deducted for every season in the worst eight. The best score would be +10 (10-0-0) for 10 seasons among the last eight alive, the worst score -10 (0-0-10).

MLB has the most teams with a score of at least +5 with six: Yankees (+9), Cardinals (+7), Angels (+6), Red Sox (+6), Athletics (+5) and Braves (+5). MLB also has the most teams with a score of -5 or worse with five: Nationals (-6), Orioles (-7), Pirates (-7), Rays (-7) and Royals (-7).

The NFL has the most movement in and out of its elite and bottom feeders. Only three teams were at least +5: Colts (+6), Eagles (+6) and Patriots (+5). Only two were -5 or worse: Browns (-5) and Lions (-6).

MLB and the NBA had the fewest cases of teams jumping straight from the worst eight to the elite eight in one season or vice versa with eight compared to 14 in the NHL and 16 in the NFL.

In MLB, there were seven teams that never made the elite eight (or the playoff field) from 2000-09, including the Rangers. The NHL likewise had seven franchises fail to reach the conference semis, the NBA five and the NFL five.

Teams that failed to fall into the worst eight? The NHL had seven, MLB and the NBA five each, and the NFL only one (Colts).

It’s tougher to turn things around for a bad baseball team, and it doesn’t appear to be getting any easier. The Yankees are in the playoffs for the ninth time in 10 years. The Red Sox have made it three straight and six of seven. The Angels three straight and six of eight. The Twins are in for the fifth time in eight years. Of the four teams in the N.L. Division Series, all four have qualified at least twice in the last five years.

Seven baseball franchises have reached the elite eight at least half the time during the past 10 seasons compared to seven in the NHL, five each in the NBA and NFL. In the NFL, only three teams have spent at least half that time in the bottom eight compared to five in the NBA and NHL and six in MLB.

Does MLB need to tweak its structure in some fashion? Commissioner Bud Selig wants to institute an international draft to better level the field for incoming talent. He also wants a rookie slotting system. That tells me there’s concern about competitive balance.

I welcome your input. Below are the teams’ rankings by sport (there were some ties in MLB’s worst eight since there are no tie-breaking procedures between leagues). Tie-breakers are most appearances in the top category. An asterisk indicates an expansion team started at or during the 10-year period:

Major League Baseball

The NFL

The NBA

The NHL

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.

12:38: John Lackey does not intimidate the Rangers. Ever. His career ERA at Rangers Ballpark is now 6.38.

1:04: Ian Kinsler’s sacrifice fly is first RBI since Sept. 8 and only second since Sept. 1.

1:59: So, now, if the Angels go on to win this game and put the Rangers’ slightly re-kindled hopes to bed once and for all, the second guess that will have to be discussed is whether starting Derek Holland over the more experienced Kevin Millwood was the right way to go.

2:05: With three homers allowed this afternoon, Derek Holland has allowed 25 in 127 innings this season. That’s an average of 1.77 per nine innings. It now ranks as the worst homers-per-nine rate among AL pitchers with at least 100 innings this season. Since the shutout of Los Angeles on August 9, Holland has allowed an average of 2.75 homers per nine innings. Coincidence? Or did something change after those nine innings?

3:17: Well, it’s over. The game. The glimmer of hope the Rangers generated for themselves last night. The season. They are 7.5 down with 14 to play. At this point, sweeping four games in Los Angeles next week would only get the Rangers to within three games. They need help from so many other places. And that help would only matter if the Rangers started playing better. A lot better. Just for reference: If the Rangers go 12-2 the rest of the way, the Angels could still win the division by going 5-8.

This week was shaping up as such a huge week for the Rangers. When they came home from sweeping Cleveland, the Rangers seemed to be in prime position to make a real run at two different playoff spots. They had manageable deficits in both the AL West race and the wild card. And to start the homestand off, they’d have six games against the non-contenders in the division and a day off while the division-leading Angels faced a three-game series at wild card leader Boston.

The way everything was shaping up, they’d know by this evening exactly which playoff spot was theirs for the taking and then they could go out and try to seize upon it with a sea of red-clad fans in a three-game series against the Angels over the weekend. The Rangers – believe it or not – threatened to make the official regular season opener of Cowboys Stadium a second-tier event.

And then this week happened. Three rain delays. Four losses in five games. Three shutouts. One run in the 37 innings. Who saw this coming?

Not me.

That’s why I need your help today. Give me your best theory as to why this season turned so rotten so quickly. It would have been one thing had the Rangers faced the Angels this weekend and simply gotten beat, but the series has been rendered all but useless before it even started. The Rangers will be not better than 5.5 games out in the division when the series starts, meaning they’d have to sweep the final seven games against Los Angeles this year in order to erase the deficit.

Let’s spend some time today examining what you think happened and why it happened. Because right now, I’m kind of at a loss. And listen, don’t think I don’t still recognize that this team has made significant progress this season. It has. There will be time to celebrate and enumerate what all took place on that side. For now, though, I need your input on why this fade (it’s actually been more like a spiral) has taken place.

6:30: The home run pool is up and running. Also, we’ve got words from and video of Michael Young talking about his early return from a hamstring injury.

7:16: The Rangers are pushing RHP Kevin Millwood back to Monday, meaning the veteran won’t pitch against the Los Angeles Angels this weekend.

The Rangers will instead go with RHPs Tommy Hunter and Scott Feldman and rookie LHP Derek Holland. Even though Holland has struggled recently, too, the Rangers like the lefty matchup vs. the Angels. Holland pitched a three-hit shutout at Los Angeles in August, but is 0-4 with a 13.50 ERA in his last four outings. Pushing Millwood back gives the Rangers a chance to let him get in two extra bullpen throwing sessions in addition to the two he has already had.  Millwood said he’s “definitely” getting something out of the extra work, but also was disappointed about not pitching in what figures to be the biggest home series of the season.

7:24: Maybe I’m biased because I’ve covered the guy from Day 1, but I thought Michael Young should have received a standing ovation upon stepping into the batter’s box tonight. Young is taking some risk with his hamstring, but the Rangers need an injection of energy. There should never be any doubt that this guy is willing to sacrifice his body for a chance to win. Some in the relatively small crowd did stand, but I think it was worth a full-fledged Standing O.

7:29: Eight pitch at-bat for Young before he flies out. I think it’s pretty clear he’s not at 100 percent. Besides his own admission, there is some body language that suggests he might occasionally feel a twinge. But it’s a good, long professional at-bat.

7:40: Simply can’t walk in a run, which is what Brandon McCarthy just did in the second. He allowed three walks around a two-out single to force in a second run. Also, seems to be very deliberate on the mound. Wondering if he’s feeling some physical issues.

7:52: 61 pitches through two innings for McCarthy. Not going to make it through five at this pace.

8:00: There was a question in the comments about Tom Hicks. There was news involving Hicks yesterday. Out of England, where HSG-owned Liverpool has sold the shirts off its collective back for approximately $134 million. The British press wanted to know where that $134 million would go. They were assured it would go into the club’s operation and not back to “Dallas and Montreal.”

8:07: Young’s comeback lasts one at-bat. Nelson Cruz on deck.

8:09: No physical setback for Young is report from clubhouse. After one at-bat, he feels it best if he wait another day or two.

8:22: As it appears yet another game may be slipping from the Rangers’ grasps, you are left with these options: Turn off TV and spend time with family … or find stuff like this to kill time. I’ll give you a couple of minutes to use it on your own and then we’ll plug in some Ranger names. Me? I’m Graven Ant.

8:33: Rangers end scoreless streak at 22 innings on David Murphy’s leadoff homer in fourth.

8:57: Rangers are 0-for-7 with runners in scoring position tonight. Can’t make the playoffs playing non-playoff caliber baseball. They are 2-for-25 with RISP on this homestand. Big fail in the fifth was Nelson Cruz popping out to first baseman in foul territory with runners on second and third and one out.

9:05: You know you are having a bad day when Happy Hour doesn’t even make you feel better.

9:51: Two men on, no outs in seventh. Julio Borbon grounds out and Nelson Cruz strikes out. Rangers are 0-for-9 with RISP tonight and 2-for-27 in the homestand.

6:30: The home run pool is open for your predicting pleasure.

7:07: There have been no decisions made on when Kevin Millwood will pitch again, but manager Ron Washington seems to be pretty steadfast that Millwood will, indeed, make another start for the Rangers.

7:13: The Rangers have released their Fall Instructional League roster. Perhaps the most significant names on the list are  a pair of 16-year-old infielders, Jurickson Profar and Luis Sardinas. The duo, who each received $1.5 million signing bonuses, were the top amateur free agents the Rangers signed this summer. RHPs Michael Main (first round, 2007), Neil Ramirez (supplemental first round, 2007) and LHP Martin Perez (the club’s No. 1 pitching prospect) will all participate.

7:35: Just in case you are wondering on my take on Kevin Millwood, it’s this: I’d start him on Sunday. If there were clear cut choices to move into that spot, I’d have no problem pushing Millwood back. RHP Brandon McCarthy, who will probably pitch Sunday, has  a nice record (7-2), but its not like he has dominated when healthy this year. He’s made two starts since coming back from the DL. He was sharp against Toronto, but allowed Cleveland five runs in 6.1 innings. The other option is LHP Derek Holland and he simply hasn’t been very good since the start of August.

Millwood was a huge part of the Rangers’ early-season success and was the model for the ohter pitchers to follow at the start of this season. That’s a good engouh tiebreaker for me to give him a shot. But it should also be mentioned he has playoff race experience.

7:59: Omar Vizquel has handled his only chance in this game cleanly (well, he bobbled it, but did recover in time to throw the runner out). Vizquel, who has started at second, short and third this season, has 188 chances without an error. Only four players – OF Darryl Hamilton (389, 1996), 1B David Segui (323, 2000), C Bill Haselman (247, 2001) and 1B-OF Frank Catalanotto (200,2007) – have had at least 200 chances in a season with no errors in Rangers history. With the exception of Hamilton, who played center, none of them played “premium” defensive positions.

8:42: You know things are going really bad for the offense when Julio Borbon hits into a double play, but that’s what he did to end the sixth. It’s the first time he’s into a double play in 90 major league at-bats.

9:30: Rangers have not been shutout in back-to-back games since August 14-15, 2008 when they lost the final game of a three-game sweep at Boston and then lost the first game of a homestand to Tampa Bay. The Rangers were shutout six times last year; four of them came in an eight-day period from August 7-15. That week dashed any hope of a miraculous playoff run. Could the same thing be happening now?

9:41: Here is what makes this game particularly difficult to swallow if you are a Rangers fan. It is not like the weakened offense is facing a Cy Young candidate. RHP Brett Tomko, who has allowed four hits on 98 pitches in eight innings, is on the verge of a complete game shutout. How rare is that for Tomko, the ultimate in a “journeyman?” Well, he hasn’t had a complete game since 2005 and has exactly one shutout in his career of 266 starts. He has the second most starts in history to have no more than one shutout. Kirk Reuter had one in 336 starts from 1993-2005.

9:57: And that’s a wrap. Question to discuss while we construct the Post Game Show: Is this the most disheartening Rangers’ loss of the year? Perhaps a better question might be: Is anything else even close?

Allowing Millwood to make another start would almost certainly insure the financially-strapped Rangers would be on the hook for $12 million for his seemingly declining services  2010. The only way it wouldn’t is if Millwood makes another start like the one he did Saturday. And if he makes another start like Saturday, it just might sabotage any remaining chance the Rangers have of reaching the playoffs.

So, yeah, the money is a big deal, but the bigger issue right now is whether keeping Millwood in the rotation is the best option for the team on the field, not the one in the front office.

And you can be sure the Rangers are thinking about the issue long and hard. How can you be sure? Well, consider these events:

On Saturday night, after Millwood lasted just 3.2 innings against the worst offensive team in the AL, I asked Rangers manager Ron Washington if he still had enough confidence in Millwood to make his next start. The tentative date for that start: Friday, the series opener against the Los Angeles Angels.

Washington’s response: “Of course. We’re not going to get to this point in the year and not have confidence in him. You’ve got to take the good with the bad.”

By Sunday, the Rangers were backing away from that.

“For me to definitely say that, I don’t know,” Washington said in an mlb.com story.

Millwood could have work sessions Monday and Wednesday in preparation for the Angels start. Or he could have more work than that if the Rangers decide to push him back farther.

On Saturday, the only thing Washington could really find to use as praise for Millwood was that he didn’t walk guys like he had been. But even that had to be qualified. Millwood didn’t issue a walk in the first three innings, then, after the Rangers rallied for a pair of runs to cut the deficit to 3-2, he walked the first batter of the fourth inning, who just happened to be the .213-hitting Jack Hannahan . He also walked the nearly unwalkable Jose Lopez – on four pitches – to force his exit from the game. In between there were a pair of outs and a pair of hits. And a whole bunch of mediocre fastballs.

According to the MLB.com boxscore, Millwood hit 90 mph with just two of his 69 pitches. Both came in Franklin Gutierrez’s fourth-inning at bat with two outs. The second, Gutierrez ripped for a two-run double. For the most part, though, Millwood’s fastball ranged from 86-88 mph. His changeup sat at 83-84. When your fastball and changeup are bunched that closely in velocity, you aren’t going to fool anybody.  The slider registered 81-83 mph. And so, unless it had David Cone’s sweeping break, batters could look for the fastball and still be able to hit the slider. Millwood had decent success with his curve, which dropped down to the 70-71 mph range. He got a pair of strikeouts on the curve, including one of Ichiro Suzuki. And yet, he threw the curve only five times.

It raises this question: Is he healthy?

Washington said he asked Millwood that and Millwood responded in the affirmative. The media asked Millwood the same question and he responded  that he absolutely physically felt fine.

Except I’m still not sure. Remember the start of the second half of the season? The Rangers gave Millwood, who had spent the first half of the season as their most effective starter, extra rest. He went nine days between his last start of the first half and his first of the second. And in his second start following the break, he left after just two innings with a strained gluteus maximus muscle.

He has not been the same since. Since returning from the glute injury, he’s 1-3 with a 5.97 ERA. The Rangers are 1-6 in his seven starts; they are 18-9 when anybody else pitches. The velocity continues to drop. He looks worn out in the second or third inning almost every time out. Since coming to Texas, he’s now 4-11 with a 5.48 ERA in September. He’s one more poor start from making September the worst month for his ERA during his Texas time (it’s currently 5.61 in May). He’s also probably just one more start from forcing the Rangers to commit to him for $12 million in 2010.

From a business perspective, the choice would be an easy one: Sit him down and avoid saddling the club with a big and unnecessary salary for 2010.

And until a few weeks ago, it would have been seen as nothing more than a penny-pinching gesture from a financially-troubled organization.

But, now, the issue has become more complicated because it might just be in the best interest of the Rangers’ 2009 season.

7:22: Hey, what do you know we’re playing. Surprised me. Also, apparently surprised the computer, which gobbled up tonight’s home run pool. I’m blaming it on faulty plumbing.

7:24: First pitch is hit for a double by Ichiro Suzuki. No surprise. He’s now 27-for-66 in his career against Millwood. He has three more hits to go to reach 200.

7:34: Another amateur weather update. It appears that there should be no rain for about an hour or 90 minutes, then light showers for a period of time before it gets heavier. But as long the weather holds up long enough for an official game, the Rangers will have dodged a huge logistical bullet. Then, of course, there is the matter of Sunday when the forecast is better, but still not great.

7:42: In anticipation of the kickoff of NFL season (that Thursday night tricked-up deal doesn’t count in my mind), I interviewed many Rangers for an in-depth NFL preview. I’ll sprinkle their answers throughout tonight’s blog. I mean this is heavy-hitting, nuts-and-bolts, in-your-face football talk. Ready? OK.

Here is RHP Scott Feldman:

Projected Super Bowl: Pittsburgh over Philadelphia (“An all Pennsylvania game,” he said. Sure it has nothing to do with the fact his dad grew up in Pittsburgh).

Projected Cowboys record: 0-16 after initially picking 4-12 (this can be blamed on his love of the 49ers.)

Projected BCS Championship Game: USC over Texas.

7:48: There has been some conjecture that the Rangers might shut RHP Kevin Millwood down after this start at the behest of Major League Baseball. The suggestion is that MLB is running the Rangers and that MLB could order the Rangers to keep Millwood from reaching 180 innings, which would lock in a vesting option worth $12 million for 2010. That’s taking conspiracy theories a little too far.

First, it should be noted that Millwood’s agent is Scott Boras and Scott Boras would salivate at the notion that a team, acting on orders from the league, kept a healthy player from participating simply to block him from reaching an incentive. Boras and the Players Association would file a grievance so fast and so punitive in nature it would cost the league more than the 2010 option is worth in lawyer fees alone.

Second, if the idea is to keep Millwood from reaching 180, why would the league’s overlords allow him to start tonight? What would they do if he had a shutout going through seven innings? Demand his removal?

Look, things are tight in the Rangers’ offices right now and they may get tighter still. But MLB isn’t running the club and isn’t involved unless the Rangers have to exceed a budget line for any particular reason (the Matt Purke negotiations ring a bell?). Otherwise, day-to-day operations remain relatively normal.

8:05: Ichiro has two hits in two at-bats, double and a homer. Odds he reaches 200 hits tonight and does it by hitting for the cycle?

8:18: MLB.com’s TR Sullivan spoke to Rangers owner Tom Hicks this afternoon about the “who’s in charge” question. Hicks says he is. And that operations remain normal, as long as the club stays within its budget. Here’s the key quote:

“We are free to operate the Texas Rangers baseball operations in the normal course of business, consistent with our budget and normal business practices,” Hicks said. “There is nothing from Major League Baseball that restricts us. There are no restrictions, as long as we stay within our budget.

It’s when the Rangers go over budget that I’m hearing the team must consult MLB. This is where MLB could have stepped in after the Rangers spent a lot of money on international players and for several draft picks other than first-rounder Purke. Hicks maintains the Rangers were willing to offer Purke $4 million and that the Purke family demanded $6 million.

8:32: Not the way to start an inning after Rangers rally back into the game. A walk to a guy hitting .213 and a single to a guy hitting .207. Dustin Nippert is up in the fourth inning.

8:46: Yes, Kevin Millwood’s performance was worse than the weather. No other way to describe it. Just awful.

8:58: So, back to football predictions for a few moments. Brandon McCarthy, what do you have:

Super Bowl: Packers over the Steelers (I don’t know why, the Packers just came to me).

Cowboys record: 1-15 (he also is a 49ers fan; at least they don’t harbor any grudges).

BCS Championship Game: LSU over Texas (I had already written in LSU as his answer because he’s a total LSU fan).

9:01: Current Rangers pitcher Dustin Nippert’s football picks:

Super Bowl: “Don’t know. Don’t care. I’ll be huntin’ deer. Probably in Arizona at the time.”

Cowboys record: “How many games they play? 16? I’ll go 11-5. Don’t know anything about the team, but my dad’s a Cowboy fan.”

9:25: Football preview rolls on.

Reliever Darren O’Day’s Super Bowl pick: New Orleans over Pittsburgh.

Cowboys record 9-7.

BCS Championship: Florida over Texas (Guess where he went to school).

10:16: Red Sox are in a delay, but that game is official if it stays as is – 9-1, Boston. A loss tonight would drop the Rangers three back in the wild and would shape Sunday as potentially the season’s definitive day. There could be as much as two games at stake in that race tomorrow. Rangers could pick up two with a sweep and if Boston were to be swept by Tampa Bay. They could lose two games, if they are swept and Boston sweeps the Rays. A one-game deficit with the Angels going to Boston to start the week is as good as being tied. A five-game deficit with 20 to play? It would be over, I’m afraid.

As for the AL West, the Rangers stand to be 5.5 games back going into tomorrow. Getting swept on Sunday could either cost them a half-game (if Los Angeles loses) or 1.5 if the Angels win. So, the Rangers could be anywhere from four to seven games back in the division race come Monday. It’s a big, big day.

10:34: We are in the bottom of the ninth. They have taken the teams off the field.

10:38: The Rangers have two runners on base and nobody out, but it’s really questionable about whether they’ll be able to resume this game at any point. If not, it’s official and the Rangers lose 8-3.  I feel like I speak for everyone when I say this has been a thoroughly horrible night.

11:30: The future of this game is solely in the umpires’ hands. They have waited the mandatory 30 minutes they must wait before they take control of the decisions. The field is in such bad shape from the downpour that drenched it before the delay that it would take a good hour to get ready to play again – if it stops raining. The umpires want to make sure the Rangers get every at-bat and every chance, but this team’s best chance might be to go home, get a good night’s sleep and hope to erase today from its collective mind.

11:45: Game is final. Finally.

12:04: Post-Game Show has been cancelled by rain. Rant here instead. We refuse to start a post-game show within 12 hours of the next pre-game show.

“The Rangers got the news that, as expected, Michael Young has a significant strain of his left hamstring. “Significant” usually means a Grade II and early speculation on the timeframe matches that. The best case has him back in two weeks, just in time for a big series with the Angels. The more realistic case has him out until about the end of the month. Some people caught that my ERD for Young was very optimistic yesterday, spotting him at the 12th. Since Young won’t have to go on the DL (almost no one will in September), the Rangers can play a bit faster and looser than normal. Young is undergoing the fashionable treatment, platelet rich plasma injections, to try and heal up. I think in about ten days, Young will have made enough progress that he’ll push himself into a discussion with the Rangers brass about playing. I’m not sure if it will be a full start or some lesser role, pinch hitting perhaps, but I think we’ll end up seeing Young more quickly than most. The downside here is the recurrence risk, but the Rangers are going to have trouble keeping Young on the bench.”

Follow the jump for more from Carroll on the Platelet-Rich Plasma (PRP) and the Michael Young case.

Evan: Will, what are your first thoughts when I tell you a guy is having platelet therapy for a hamstring strain?

Will Carroll: PRP (Platelet-Rich Plasma) and the prolotherapy kick we’ve seen in baseball this year has yet to convince me that it’s effective. I recently read a study on PRP in a general population and also the Wired article about placebo effectiveness. There seems to be some middle ground. Look, it doesn’t seem to hurt, but it’s pretty unclear if it helps. We’ve seen some positives (Andrew Miller), some negatives (Xavier Nady), and some “shrugs” …

Evan: Can you brief our folks on the Miller and Nady cases?

Will Carroll: Miller had an oblique strain and credits PRP for getting him back quickly. Downside there is it wasn’t a significant advance on the timeline – he was at the low end of normal expectations – and he didn’t pitch that well when he came back.

Nady had PRP in hopes of avoiding Tommy John surgery. This was ligament/tendon (Nady had previous TJ, so there’s debate on what his ulnar collateral ligament) rather than muscle like Young. It didn’t work for Nady, but it was worth the try.

Evan: If that’s the choice of treatment, does it give any indication how severe the strain may be?

Will Carroll: No, I think the strain is what it is. It’s in the middle given what I know about the injury, likely a Grade II. Given that and the normal time frame and the time of year, plus the Wild Card chase, I think the Rangers will give it a shot.

Evan: OK, I should have asked you to explain this earlier, but I’ve linked a couple of basic stories on Platelet-Rich Plasman Therapy. Can you give our readers a quick, basic explanation of what it is and why it is supposed to work.

Will Carroll: For anyone that went to college and wasn’t rich, they’re familiar with donating plasma. It’s a similar procedure, but instead of having just the plasma, they leave in the platelets. Platelets are what clots up when you cut, so no one really seems sure about why they help with healing, other than maybe stopping the bleeding internally. There’s a lot of claims with PRP, not a lot of scientific data.

Evan: Is there a hamstring case study out there to cite?

Will Carroll: Case study … Well, there’s a comparable player, but I don’t think Rangers fans are going to want to hear that Jose Reyes is the best comp here. It didn’t work. Reyes is still not back, never got that close, and while it was a different injury (Hamstring tendon vs. hamstring muscle), it’s not a great comp.

Evan: Young says the injury is in the lower part of the hamstring, but not the tendon. Does the area make a difference in recovery time?

Will Carroll: Yes, it does. The muscle heals better than the tendon and the closer to the “belly” of the muscle, the easier it is to heal. The ends have less fibers so the same tear takes out more stability. Low is better than high in baseball. I can’t tell you why, but it’s functional demands on the muscle.

Most of the issue for Young is going to be pushing out of the batter’s box, no surprise since that’s how he injured it. At 3B, he’ll have less “turn and run” plays. 3B is more reaction and quick lateral steps.

I doubt they’d try it, but it’d be interesting to see Davis/Blalock at 3B and Young at 1B. I don’t know if the defensive drop would be worth it.

Evan: I don’t think they’d risk weakening themselves at multiple defensive positions if they can at all avoid it. And like you said, the biggest issue for Young is going to be pushing off out of the batters box.

Will Carroll: Very true. Us writers can theorize all we want, but it’s harder to make changes than most think.

Evan: Also, let’s clear up the grading issue of the strain. Young said it was called a “Grade 1-plus.” What is a Grade 1 strain? And what is Grade 2?

Will Carroll: Strains are graded as either 1, 2 or 3, usually written as I, II, III to be extra confusing. Worse, we have “+” added in, like “it’s a I+ strain.” All that means is it’s in between 1 and 2. A 1 strain is some mild tearing of the muscle. It hurts, it gets sore, but it heals up quickly. You hobble a bit, you ice it, you rest and back out there. A 2 strain is characterized by tearing – a “palpable defect.” You can actually feel in many cases where the muscle fibers have torn.

Evan: But in a 2, nothing becomes detached, correct? You get detachment and you are into a 3 and headed for surgery, no?

Will Carroll: A 3 strain is often called a “tear” or “rupture.” Of course, any strain involves tearing. (I am convinced my tombstone will say “a strain is a tear!”) It’s a complete or near-complete tear. The muscle goes in opposite directions. Think Dean Palmer … or don’t. Correct on a 3, that’s when the muscle becomes detached, but short of a 3, surgery is seldom the answer. You’ll occasionally see severe 2′s and 2+’s that surgery helps speed the healing. Athletes have different timelines than normal people.

Evan: Not sure what info you’ve got on Young’s injury or what you know about Young, but do you think it’s realistic he will be on the field for the Sept. 18 game against the Angels?

Will Carroll: Young’s so determined that I do think he’ll push to be back out there for that or even sooner. I know the Angels are a division foe, but it’s clear that every game counts at this point of the season.

That determination — “gritty, gutty” — can be good or bad, depending on if he pushes out too soon. A re-injury would do him in longer. I think Jamie Reed and Keith Meister (plus whoever is doing the PRP) will keep a close eye on him, not to mention Ron Washington.

Evan: Will, you’ve been a great help. Thanks for helping us better understand the situation.