Series Thread: Houston "you have a problem", the Texas Rangers 9/14-17

[WastinSomeTime]

Can you tell how I start off the day. Great night as Twins and Angels also lost along with our beating Houston. Don't stop now.

 

[handicappers]

Sounds like you had a good Grandfather.

Yeah, he was a good dude.....I miss going to the games with him. He sure loved his Rangers. They lived in Abilene but during the season he wouldn't miss a game on TV and would take us to a handful of games in the summer.

He never got to see a post-season game.

 

[RevSader]

Can you say enough how incredible it's been to watch Roogie grow up as a player this year? I've never seen such a drastic turn around from a guy who was utterly hopeless.

 

[romeo212000]

Can you say enough how incredible it's been to watch Roogie grow up as a player this year? I've never seen such a drastic turn around from a guy who was utterly hopeless.

Correa is getting all the love, but Roogie has been better since coming back from his AAA stint I think. I'll have to double check the numbers later to back that up, but I think that's right. Dude looks like a perennial all star.

 

[saddles]

Fielder wrapped up his 20-home run season in the third inning. It was a solo shot that raised the Rangers' lead to 7-0, but I wouldn't call it superfluous, given how the Astros bounced back Tuesday night. The game did appear beyond the visitors' grasp when Fielder delivered his next blow, this one more of a line drive into the upper deck that contained interesting overtones of its own.

It came off seldom-used reliever Michael Feliz, who spent most of this season with the Corpus Christi Hooks in Double-A. Feliz, a solid 21-year-old prospect, is the player the Astros chose to protect on their 40-man roster instead of outfielder Delino DeShields last winter.

The Rangers have thanked Houston for that move all season.

HaHa. And the Phillies have thanked us all season for not protecting Odubel Herrera.

 

[saddles]

I believe I heard this morning that this is only the second time that a pitcher who had an ERA of 2.25 or lower with at least 25 starts in a season has given up this many runs. Teams just don't do that to aces this late in the season.

 

[saddles]

Cowlishaw: Ian who? Rangers' Prince Fielder owns the Astros

No one has confused Jeff Banister's lineup with what Ron Washington had the good fortune to manage. But with Mike Napoli and Rougned Odor taking Keuchel deep in the first inning from the Nos. 5 and 8 spots in the lineup, this game at least had a throwback nature to it.

No, Fielder isn't the 50-home run man he was back in '07 or the 46-home run producer of '09 in Milwaukee. In fact, his power was slipping in his two seasons in Detroit (30 in '12, 25 in '13) before general manager Jon Daniels pulled the trigger on a Fielder-for-Ian Kinsler deal that looked disastrous in 2014 when Fielder had to undergo season-ending neck surgery.

That's all changed this season with Fielder sitting on 21 home runs, 83 RBIs and a .314 average. Kinsler, a 30-30 man in home runs and steals twice as a Ranger, isn't close to halfway in either category, while the Detroit GM who made that trade has been forced to find new employment in Boston.

 

[RevSader]

Cowlishaw: Ian who? Rangers' Prince Fielder owns the Astros

No one has confused Jeff Banister's lineup with what Ron Washington had the good fortune to manage. But with Mike Napoli and Rougned Odor taking Keuchel deep in the first inning from the Nos. 5 and 8 spots in the lineup, this game at least had a throwback nature to it.

No, Fielder isn't the 50-home run man he was back in '07 or the 46-home run producer of '09 in Milwaukee. In fact, his power was slipping in his two seasons in Detroit (30 in '12, 25 in '13) before general manager Jon Daniels pulled the trigger on a Fielder-for-Ian Kinsler deal that looked disastrous in 2014 when Fielder had to undergo season-ending neck surgery.

That's all changed this season with Fielder sitting on 21 home runs, 83 RBIs and a .314 average. Kinsler, a 30-30 man in home runs and steals twice as a Ranger, isn't close to halfway in either category, while the Detroit GM who made that trade has been forced to find new employment in Boston.

IDK if I like Cowlishaw coming out of nowhere to write stuff like he's actually being paying attention the whole season....We know he didn't.

 

[saddles]

IDK if I like Cowlishaw coming out of nowhere to write stuff like he's actually being paying attention the whole season....We know he didn't.

I guess I have a different perspective on him since I listen to him on the radio several times a week. On his radio talk show he seems to keep up with the Rangers well enough. On the other hand I don't read his articles very often at all so I am not sure how he comes across in them on any kind of consistent basis. Of all the local radio talk show hosts I would just as soon listen to him and Norm talk about the Rangers as anyone else.

 

[WastinSomeTime]

IDK if I like Cowlishaw coming out of nowhere to write stuff like he's actually being paying attention the whole season....We know he didn't.

I like him on the radio but there is no point in even bringing up Kinsler's name especially Ian Who. It's not like Kinsler was demanding a trade. Media needs to quit with that nonsense.

 

[RevSader]

I like him on the radio but there is no point in even bringing up Kinsler's name especially Ian Who. It's not like Kinsler was demanding a trade. Media needs to quit with that nonsense.

Yeah well Chuck Cooperstein thought the walk off celebration the other night was little too much...some writers just feel out of touch.

 

[WastinSomeTime]

Correa is getting all the love, but Roogie has been better since coming back from his AAA stint I think. I'll have to double check the numbers later to back that up, but I think that's right. Dude looks like a perennial all star.

I have been following Odor since Myrtle Beach while many were following Sardinas, Gallo and others at Hickory. But when it comes to defense Correa has him beat from what I can see. That is where Odor still needs some work. But I love the guy and said at the beginning of the year he will be a 20 HR guy eventually. Did not think it would be this year but if his results in the 1st half of the year were the average of his 1st half and 2nd half he would have hit that mark.

 

[WastinSomeTime]

Yeah well Chuck Cooperstein thought the walk off celebration the other night was little too much...some writers just feel out of touch.

He needs to stick with the Mavs. If I hear that voice on radio I immediately turn it off. I am not sure how he is now but he would just berate someone that called in if they disagreed with him.

 

[saddles]

He needs to stick with the Mavs. If I hear that voice on radio I immediately turn it off. I am not sure how he is now but he would just berate someone that called in if they disagreed with him.

Yes, he was really bad when he first came here from Philly I believe. I remember him calling Rangers fans zombies because they kept showing up at the ballpark even when the team wasn't very good. I haven't heard him lately, but I would imagine he is complaining now because not enough people are showing up.

 

[ESPN Refugee]

I guess I have a different perspective on him since I listen to him on the radio several times a week. On his radio talk show he seems to keep up with the Rangers well enough. On the other hand I don't read his articles very often at all so I am not sure how he comes across in them on any kind of consistent basis. Of all the local radio talk show hosts I would just as soon listen to him and Norm talk about the Rangers as anyone else.

I've always thought Cowlishaw was ok and his better writing work is probably Cowboys related. The only thing I do not like him writing about is anything hockey and Dallas Stars.

Yeah well Chuck Cooperstein thought the walk off celebration the other night was little too much...some writers just feel out of touch.

I was following that on Twitter and I couldn't believe he took that stance. I like Coop in general but when it comes to Twitter fighting he is always game and does never back down to anyone. It's actually quite amusing to watch b/c it happens all the time.

 

[WastinSomeTime]

Does anyone really care if Chirinos and Corps come back? I kind have like having Gimenez and Wilson catching and let Gimenez get 75% of the work for the remainder of the season.

 

[DT LUNA]

Does anyone really care if Chirinos and Corps come back? I kind have like having Gimenez and Wilson catching and let Gimenez get 75% of the work for the remainder of the season.

For me, it's a draw w/Gimenez Chirinos and Wilson. Corp is the odd man out. All have done a good job when we had no solid catcher. Any two of the three are going to do a good job.If a steal comes by we might want to upgrade but I'm not willing to spend any big money at this time.

 

[Bmurph]

I missed most of the fun in this one last night, glad to see it in the box score though

 

[jta4437]

Correa is getting all the love, but Roogie has been better since coming back from his AAA stint I think. I'll have to double check the numbers later to back that up, but I think that's right. Dude looks like a perennial all star.

Since June 15, Offensively Roogie has the advantage Average wise, most of the other numbers are a draw, but Correa is going to have a big advantage defensively

Correa: 17 2b, 0 3B, 16 HRs, 48 RBIs, 11 SB, .276 AVG, .348 OBP, .495 SLG, .843 OPS
Odor: 18 2B, 5 3B, 13 HRs, 46 RBIs, 4 SB, .320 AVG, .362 OBP, .566 SLG, .929 OPS

Odor's advantage in AVG is going to skew his OBP & SLG numbers somewhat though

 

[Bmurph]

HOUSTON AT TEXAS

Time: 08:05 P.M. EST Venue: Globe Life Park in Arlington

Lance McCullers must've been experiencing flashbacks while watching the Texas Rangers hang a six-spot on teammate Dallas Keuchel in the first inning Wednesday.

McCullers, too, surrendered six first-inning runs the last time he took the mound in Arlington. The major difference is that his Houston Astros were still seven games clear of the Rangers in the AL West following his rough outing Aug. 3.

He'll face Texas again Thursday night, this time with Houston trailing the first-place Rangers and hoping to prevent a four-game sweep.

McCullers (5-5, 3.10 ERA) had the worst performance of his rookie season the first time he faced Texas, allowing eight of the nine hitters he faced to reach base before being removed in a 12-9 defeat.

The right-hander was sent to the minors for nearly three weeks following that outing, but he's posted a 2.88 ERA in four starts since returning.

"This is just baseball," McCullers said after allowing two runs in five innings of a 3-2 loss to the Los Angeles Angels on Saturday. "I mean, yeah it's a little more under the microscope and we're down the stretch a little bit, but if you try to approach the game different than you've been approaching it (the whole season), that's when things are going to go bad."

Houston's issues away from home certainly haven't gotten any better. The Astros (77-69) are tied with Baltimore for the AL's worst road record at 29-45 after falling to 2-7 on their season-high 10-game trip with Wednesday's 14-3 defeat, dropping 1 1/2 games behind Texas.

They had been in first place since July 28 before losing Tuesday's series opener.

"Our guys are very well aware of where we are in the calendar and what we need to do to make things better," manager A.J. Hinch said. "We have some time to correct it and salvage a game tomorrow."

Texas (78-67), meanwhile, has won nine of 10 at home, four in a row overall and six straight against Houston - all in Arlington.

Prince Fielder hit two of the Rangers' season-high five homers and drove in five runs as his club scored nine times off Keuchel, who entered with the AL's best ERA.

"We can't let up now, we've still got games to play," said Fielder, 8 for 13 with eight RBIs in this series.

Texas is averaging 9.3 runs during its four-game win streak, but Colby Lewis (15-8, 4.45) didn't need much support Friday in one of the best starts of his career. He had a perfect game through seven innings and finished with a two-hitter in a 4-0 win over Oakland.

The right-hander dropped his previous three outings with an 8.62 ERA.

"The things that he's gone through and the resilience that he has, I've got to believe, a pretty tough cat," manager Jeff Banister said of Lewis, who set a career high for wins. "I don't think you're going to push him around much."

The Astros got to Lewis last month when he opposed McCullers, though. He went six innings but allowed seven runs on a two-run homer to Carlos Correa, a solo shot to Luis Valbuena and a grand slam to Jason Castro. Lewis, though, won that game and is 7-0 with a 2.57 ERA in his last nine starts versus the Astros.

Houston will be without closer Luke Gregerson, who left prior to Wednesday's contest after his wife went into labor with the couple's first child. Hinch said Castro could play after missing the last 17 with a right quad strain.

Lets hope their closer wouldn't have gotten a save opportunity anyway