Texas Rangers Success Not Certain

While the Rangers have what casual fans are considering an insurmountable 7.5 lead in the win column in the West going down the stretch, I am not yet ready, to quote a famous former Dallas coach in another sport, ‘to apply the anointing oil’ to this team and usher them into the World Series. Until and only when the sacred division magic number is zero, I have many doubts.

Aside from controlling how the Angels perform down the stretch, what is evident in the recent box scores this August should raise some eyebrows as there are some trouble spots that may both prohibit a run to the division title and even worse impair the Rangers in the play-offs. How the team rides these out will determine both their fate in the division and the hopes of any post-season success.

Why all the Gloom & Doom? Well, just like a pot hole on the heat drenched metro-area road grid, it only just recently surfaced and shows signs of impeding progress to the final destination.  Prior to events in August I was a happy band-wagon jumper like everyone else. But now I am trying just to navigate to get to the final destination, and the journey is going to take longer, if I even make it.  These are my reasons to express such concerns with the ball club:

The team needs Kinsler. While he is not the face of the franchise (Young), nor the super-star of the team (Hamilton), Ian Kinsler is once again hurt, out of the line-up, and sorely missed. No worries you say? In most instances I would agree with you. But his moxy and importance to this team cannot be over stated or easily measured: on most other teams players would take up the slack during his stay on the disabled list, but this is not the majority of other teams nor is he the run-off-the-mill player that can be filled in for.

Kinsler is, and I have always stated this, a catalyst to the team. The numbers do not always indicate this, (I always say “look at the record” to try and provide statistical proof) but his lack of presence does: (can Bill James elaborate on this?).  He always seems to come up with the spark-plug clutch hit to sustain a rally AND defensive play to kill a rally. These are not the type of numbers that are evident  in the box score, but are just equally as important. Rather they are the type to keep pitching coach Mike Maddox from a visit to the mound; or just as important providing a call to the bullpen fating the  current opposing pitcher to get the hook. Either way Ian has a knack for stopping or insuring baseball appears on the nightly highlights and that cannot be under-estimated.

Secondly both Vlad and Young are struggling mightily. For the month of August, these dudes are hitting a combined .160. Let me repeat that: my 10 game spread-sheet shows they are a combined 8 hits in 50 at bats. Not just to be attributed to weariness, this is troubling for these reasons: Young is historically a slow starter; unlike the pitching, he gets going in the summer like a jalepeno on the vine and thrives on the Texas heat. An August swoon is not typical. Vlad on the other hand is an unknown commodity; given up for dead in Anaheim as damaged goods after so many productive years, one has to question his once legendary durability. He certainly adjusted to Texas and the designated hitter role, but is he now damaged?

Could both be hurt? If so, what gives?

Isolated, the team can absorb an injury and cold streak of either and hope to advance towards the Fall Classic. But when potentially combined, these present problems in achieving the goal of post-season success that I don’t think can be filled easily with the boys in Ok City or Frisco…

Thirdly, what is preventing the move to the bullpen of for many years the labeled ‘enigmatic’ or ‘potential’  but deservedly so  burdensome Rich Harden? He was a major sighing in the off season that has no panned out, so now the question is asked when does this club finally realize that the man does not live up to his potential and instead try best to utilize him in a suitable capacity?

While he may now be healthy, his plate dreadful and tiring painting of the strike zone is not working; on the opposing hitters nor with the umpires. During his last outing in Oakland when ‘Money Ball’ once again appeared  as every batter took all of his pitches, I believe he threw more balls than strikes and it resulted in Harden deservedly getting yanked in the third inning. Why he continues to start is beyond me.

Perhaps Ron Washington gave him one last go-around in the rotation before accessing his decision. We hope. Once Tommy Hunter returns, what do you do? I hope it was a ‘get er’ done’ ultimatum that the organization feels has conclude. Either way, I would rather see Feldman, who appears to have performed above his potential last year, and is now properly utilized in the bull pen as long relief, get the start knowing that Harden is ready on short relief. Reverse the roles Ryan! Let’s mix it up!

There you go Texas fans.

These are the concerns. Weigh them as you will, but I feel the combination of them all may hinder a division title and advancement in the post-season. Daniels did good in making the trades to get people here to make a run for the division title, but nothing can account for this lack of questioning of availability for the clutch players and the back-end of the rotation.

Yes we have good things going on in Lee, Lewis, Wilson, Hamilton, Feliz, Cruz and others, but how will the Rangers fare against the Chisox, Rays, Twins and Yankees is the big question?

These concerns need to be addressed NOW while the team is in first place in the division to insure success in the fall classic.

Tagged as: MLB, Texas Rangers