Rangers back out on the road, first stop is Motor City: TEX @ DET 6/16-19

[BULLPEN FAILURE]

Your second place Texas Rangers roll into Tiger Town for an extended weekend series. Thankfully no bullpen games this time; Perez. Gray, Hearn, and Dunning are your starters. East coast times this go around, 6-6-3-12:30 are your game times.

The dog days of summer are here... stay cool and hydrated.

 

[saddles]

This will be our view Saturday afternoon

 

[DTC]

Hoping for a sweep and back to .500!

 

[Kelleyman]

Well still early to assess SD signings but….

 

[Kelleyman]

Was thinking IKF was preferred to Baez in my mind until one of our guys developed if need be

 

[Kelleyman]

Just for fun

 

[Kelleyman]

 

[saddles]

Rangers Beat
By Kennedi Landry
June 16, 2022

Ezequiel Duran
Coaches and veteran players around the Rangers call Ezequiel Duran “The Kid” when talking about him. It’s not all that shocking considering he’s 23 years old, born in 1999 and the youngest player with the big league club at the moment.



But for all his youth, Duran has held his own since making his big league debut on June 4. Duran, the Rangers’ No. 4-ranked prospect, is 13-for-40 in 10 games at the big league level after hitting .317/.365/.574 with Double-A Frisco this season.



Yes, Double-A. Duran skipped Triple-A altogether after injuries to Brad Miller and Josh Smith -- who was called up just a week before Duran -- as well as underperformance by Andy Ibáñez forced the Rangers to call him up to play third base.



“He's a very talented young kid, and he's always willing to learn, and he learns pretty fast,” Adolis García said through interpreter Raul Cardenas. “It doesn't surprise me that he belongs here.”



With Miller already back healthy and Smith nearing a return, it would seem that Duran’s big league days are numbered, at least for the moment. But the infielder may be forcing the issue. Manager Chris Woodward admitted that Duran is doing much better than maybe anybody expected, regardless of how highly they think of him.



He’s playing out of his traditional position, at third base instead of second, and he’s done it without skipping a beat. He’s fearless at the plate and seamlessly makes adjustments on the fly when he needs to. His baserunning, while not always flawless, has embodied exactly the type of aggressiveness that the Rangers want.


He’s even had his fair share of clutch hits, with a go-ahead homer against the Mariners on June 5 -- just one day after his debut -- and a game-tying RBI single against the Astros on June 13.

Ezequiel Duran's game-tying single
“He's big-time,” Miller said. “He really impressed in camp, just how he holds himself now in the big leagues and how he handles himself. Same with Josh [Smith] and all these young guys. This was a new organization for me, and I thought the younger guys are pretty impressive all around.”



It’s obviously a small sample size, but in a short amount of time, the youngest player on the team is performing and going about his business just like a veteran. Woodward noted that he genuinely trusts The Kid in any situation more and more every day.



“I know Josh Smith and him are pretty tight,” Woodward said. “Josh has gone out of his way to tell all of us that this kid is special. And Josh is obviously special, too. They're both beyond their years as far as the ability to take coaching and go out there and take a game plan and be fearless. It’s really, really impressive … this kid’s got a good heartbeat out there.”



It’s yet to be seen if Duran will stay in Arlington in the short term, but there’s no doubt he’ll be part of the Rangers’ long-term plans.



“I’m not surprised,” Duran said through Cardenas. “I’ve been working my entire life for this. It’s all I ever wanted to do, and I’m super content and thankful for the opportunity the organization has given me. I’ve always worked so hard, so I’m just happy to be here.”

 

[BULLPEN FAILURE]

the ebbs and flows of baseball

 

[jta4437]

Would not hate to see when Smith comes back

C: Heim/Huff
1B: Lowe/Huff
2B: Semien
3B: Duran
SS: Seager
LF: Calhoun
CF: Smith
RF: Garcia
DH: Garver/Lowe

Bench: Miller, Culberson, Huff (Tavares sent down)

 

[scotsman1948]

June 16: LHP Brett Martin activated off COVID-19 IL
Martin, who was added to the COVID-19 related IL ahead of Tuesday’s doubleheader against Cleveland, cleared health and safety protocols and was activated ahead of Thursday's series opener in Detroit. Manager Chris Woodward said Martin was available to pitch immediately.

 

[BULLPEN FAILURE]

June 16: LHP Brett Martin activated off COVID-19 IL
Martin, who was added to the COVID-19 related IL ahead of Tuesday’s doubleheader against Cleveland, cleared health and safety protocols and was activated ahead of Thursday's series opener in Detroit. Manager Chris Woodward said Martin was available to pitch immediately.

doesn't do much for me

 

[Duane1952]

Would not hate to see when Smith comes back

C: Heim/Huff
1B: Lowe/Huff
2B: Semien
3B: Duran
SS: Seager
LF: Calhoun
CF: Smith
RF: Garcia
DH: Garver

Bench: Miller, Culberson, Huff (Tavares sent down)

Smith played CF some in AAA, while Travares played right.

 

[scotsman1948]

doesn't do much for me

i understand but when Martin and Otto were placed on the COVID IL, Tyson Miller and Jesus Tinoco were brought up as Replacement Players and not on the 40-man roster. they sent Miller down yesterday and added Martin as required and as soon as Otto is cleared to come back Tinoco will get sent down. it's the rule

 

[jta4437]

Heim is a switch hitter that MURDERS LHPs, 1.071 OPS (199 OPS+) but struggles against RHPs (.626/77), Lowe is a LHH that has a reverse split of .931/156 versus LHPs and .689/98 versus RHPs, Garver, a RHH, is .576/64 versus RHPs and .913/154 versus LHPs, and Huff is a RHH that, in a small sample size, is .759/121 versus RHPs and is .727/102 versus LHPs

The first 3 guys, that is on par with their career trends, Huff is a bit more of an unknown

 

[DT LUNA]

When Jung appears at 3b, the OF begins to get interesting.
Smith Duran White and Garcia make up a good group. Lot of talent there.

 

[DTC]

Heim is a switch hitter that MURDERS LHPs, 1.071 OPS (199 OPS+) but struggles against RHPs (.626/77), Lowe is a LHH that has a reverse split of .931/156 versus LHPs and .689/98 versus RHPs, Garver, a RHH, is .576/64 versus RHPs and .913/154 versus LHPs, and Huff is a RHH that, in a small sample size, is .759/121 versus RHPs and is .727/102 versus LHPs

The first 3 guys, that is on par with their career trends, Huff is a bit more of an unknown

Maybe heim should just stick to hitting right handed even vs RHP?
Isn’t the purpose of switch hitting so you don’t fail as bad facing same handedness? In this case he has not much to lose.

 

[scotsman1948]

When Jung appears at 3b, the OF begins to get interesting.
Smith Duran White and Garcia make up a good group. Lot of talent there.

unfortunately we might not see Jung until next season

 

[DTC]

unfortunately we might not see Jung until next season

Hopefully he can DH in some games from mid august through September and get in 120 AB. Probably in AAA. Then play in the Arizona Fall League and get another 80 AB or so.

 

[DTC]

Leclerc is back!
Gotta get him in some easy peasy situations and build that trade value. We have about 7 weeks