Series Thread: Rangers travel to the Motor City to play the Tigers 5/6-5/8

[Kelleyman]

Considering it seems the club intends to keep Mazara in the lineup when Choo gets back I got to thinking what I hope the lineup looks like, and what I think it will look like.

Hope/Realistic:
2b Odor
LF Mazara
3b Beltre
RF Choo
CF Desmond
DH Fielder
1b Moreland/Rua
SS Andrus
C: Holaday/Wilson


What I think it will look like at least initially
2B Odor
RF Choo
3B Beltre
DH Fielder
CF Desmond
1b Moreland
LF Mazara (Fucking waste of his ability to hit him here but... Banister)
SS Andrus
C Holaday/Wilson

Like I said, I ain't watching anymore Ranger baseball till Banister pulls his head out of his ass about hitting fielder cleanup.

Ok yes I like your lineup

 

[Duane1952]

I wonder if the Astros will be firing a coach or two soon.

Their starting pitching is terrible.

 

[WastinSomeTime]

I already gave my preferred lineup.

I liked your preferred one.

 

[WastinSomeTime]

Brinson could gain 20 lbs and next year I'd say, "this kid could gain 20 lbs and still would be slender."

And Maz will gain some mass as well. Just hope they never become too bulky like JuanGone and some like that as it seems to lead to too many injuries.

 

[Kelleyman]

Twitter reacts to Bartolo Colon hitting his first career home run

Off topic but just in case missed

 

[RevSader]

Luis Valbuena tied the game in the 9th with a homer...I hate everything about him as a player. He hits the occasional homer and he think he is Barry Bonds. Glad that Cano got a cheapy homer in the Crawford Boxes for their 20th loss.

 

[saddles]

Rangers Interested In Kyle Lohse

Tha Angels can have him.

 

[DT LUNA]

Rangers Interested In Kyle Lohse

Tha Angels can have him.

Plz No

 

[WastinSomeTime]

Luis Valbuena tied the game in the 9th with a homer...I hate everything about him as a player. He hits the occasional homer and he think he is Barry Bonds. Glad that Cano got a cheapy homer in the Crawford Boxes for their 20th loss.

Cano is off to a ridiculous start. But glad the media's love child is getting beat down right now.

 

[Bmurph]

Fatolo hits a HR off Shields and it was no cheapie

 

[Bmurph]

Need to beat up on Verlander early and often!

TEXAS AT DETROIT
Time: 01:10 P.M. ESTVenue: Comerica Park
There was a time when the Detroit Tigers could call on Justin Verlander to play the stopper's role, though those days seem less prevalent now.

The reeling Tigers are hoping for the Verlander of old as they attempt to prevent a sixth consecutive loss in Sunday's series finale with the Texas Rangers.

Detroit (14-15) fell under .500 for the first time this season following Saturday's 10-5 defeat. The Tigers have been outscored 35-13 during the losing streak, during which their pitchers have combined for a 7.07 ERA and they're hitting just .213.

"It can drive you nuts at times, quite frankly," manager Brad Ausmus told MLB's official website. "All types of facets of the game, sometimes three of the four go well, and it's that one other part that costs you a game."

The skid began with Tuesday's 7-3 loss at Cleveland in which Verlander (2-3) was tagged for seven runs in five innings to raise his ERA to 6.49. The 2011 AL MVP has allowed seven home runs in 34 2/3 innings, nearly half his total over 20 starts last season.

"I felt good physically out there, I just did a bad job of pitching," he said.

Verlander likely won't get much of a reprieve from a Rangers offense that produced a season-high five homers Saturday. Three came after the fifth inning as Texas (17-14) rallied from a 5-2 deficit to position itself for its first three-game sweep at Comerica Park since Aug. 3-5, 2004.

"I don't think we've had more than three in any one game, but we know it's in our guys," manager Jeff Banister said. "We know our guys are going to hit home runs for us. But it was sure nice to see them show up in that quantity."

Adrian Beltre had a pair of two-run homers to break out of a 7-for-43 slump and Mitch Moreland snapped a 5-all tie with a two-run shot in the sixth.

Rougned Odor led off the contest with a solo homer, his second of the series. The young second baseman, who went 3 for 5 with three RBIs to back Cole Hamels' seven scoreless innings in Friday's 5-1 win, is hitting .395 over his last eight games.

Odor is 0 for 8 against Verlander, who held the Rangers to two earned runs over 13 innings in splitting two 2015 matchups. He yielded one run in six innings in a 7-4 win at Texas in September.

Martin Perez (1-2, 3.60) hopes for another power surge from his teammates as he tries to halt a road winless streak of over two years. The left-hander is 0-8 with a 4.98 ERA in 12 away starts since tossing a three-hit shutout at Oakland on April 23, 2014, a month prior to undergoing Tommy John surgery.

Perez was in line to end the drought after exiting Tuesday's outing in Toronto with a 1-0 lead after five innings, but the Blue Jays rallied for a 3-1 victory in 10. The 25-year-old earned his lone 2016 win in his previous start by limiting the Yankees to two runs through six innings on April 27.

He hasn't fared well against Detroit, going 0-2 with a 9.53 in three starts and allowing three runs in five innings of a 4-0 loss at Comerica Park on Aug. 20.

Perez will have to contend with a red-hot Nick Castellanos, who's 16 for 32 with 14 RBIs over a nine-game stretch and drove in two runs Saturday. Miguel Cabrera ended 4 for 5 and is hitting .388 over his last 12.

The Tigers are 5-8 at Comerica Park and have lost five straight and seven of eight at home to Texas.

 

[WastinSomeTime]

Need to beat up on Verlander early and often!

TEXAS AT DETROIT
Time: 01:10 P.M. ESTVenue: Comerica Park
There was a time when the Detroit Tigers could call on Justin Verlander to play the stopper's role, though those days seem less prevalent now.

The reeling Tigers are hoping for the Verlander of old as they attempt to prevent a sixth consecutive loss in Sunday's series finale with the Texas Rangers.

Detroit (14-15) fell under .500 for the first time this season following Saturday's 10-5 defeat. The Tigers have been outscored 35-13 during the losing streak, during which their pitchers have combined for a 7.07 ERA and they're hitting just .213.

"It can drive you nuts at times, quite frankly," manager Brad Ausmus told MLB's official website. "All types of facets of the game, sometimes three of the four go well, and it's that one other part that costs you a game."

The skid began with Tuesday's 7-3 loss at Cleveland in which Verlander (2-3) was tagged for seven runs in five innings to raise his ERA to 6.49. The 2011 AL MVP has allowed seven home runs in 34 2/3 innings, nearly half his total over 20 starts last season.

"I felt good physically out there, I just did a bad job of pitching," he said.

Verlander likely won't get much of a reprieve from a Rangers offense that produced a season-high five homers Saturday. Three came after the fifth inning as Texas (17-14) rallied from a 5-2 deficit to position itself for its first three-game sweep at Comerica Park since Aug. 3-5, 2004.

"I don't think we've had more than three in any one game, but we know it's in our guys," manager Jeff Banister said. "We know our guys are going to hit home runs for us. But it was sure nice to see them show up in that quantity."

Adrian Beltre had a pair of two-run homers to break out of a 7-for-43 slump and Mitch Moreland snapped a 5-all tie with a two-run shot in the sixth.

Rougned Odor led off the contest with a solo homer, his second of the series. The young second baseman, who went 3 for 5 with three RBIs to back Cole Hamels' seven scoreless innings in Friday's 5-1 win, is hitting .395 over his last eight games.

Odor is 0 for 8 against Verlander, who held the Rangers to two earned runs over 13 innings in splitting two 2015 matchups. He yielded one run in six innings in a 7-4 win at Texas in September.

Martin Perez (1-2, 3.60) hopes for another power surge from his teammates as he tries to halt a road winless streak of over two years. The left-hander is 0-8 with a 4.98 ERA in 12 away starts since tossing a three-hit shutout at Oakland on April 23, 2014, a month prior to undergoing Tommy John surgery.

Perez was in line to end the drought after exiting Tuesday's outing in Toronto with a 1-0 lead after five innings, but the Blue Jays rallied for a 3-1 victory in 10. The 25-year-old earned his lone 2016 win in his previous start by limiting the Yankees to two runs through six innings on April 27.

He hasn't fared well against Detroit, going 0-2 with a 9.53 in three starts and allowing three runs in five innings of a 4-0 loss at Comerica Park on Aug. 20.

Perez will have to contend with a red-hot Nick Castellanos, who's 16 for 32 with 14 RBIs over a nine-game stretch and drove in two runs Saturday. Miguel Cabrera ended 4 for 5 and is hitting .388 over his last 12.

The Tigers are 5-8 at Comerica Park and have lost five straight and seven of eight at home to Texas.

I just hope we do not fall into the same trap with Verlander as we do with Weaver and some others and act like we are facing their greatness from past years instead of the mediocrity that they are now.

 

[donaldson79]

Question: What's the reasoning behind Nicholas being sent back down? I thought he was doing a good job (better than Holaday), and they brought a guy that is hitting .160?

Evan Grant: Give you the same answer to a similar question I just got. But first, remember that Nicholas has less than 40 major league plate appearances, so it's unfair to say that offensive success is predictive of the future. ... Second, Nicholas had minor league options remaining and the idea right now is to collect and protect catching assets. The Rangers felt a three-man catching unit of Holaday, Wilson and Nicholas was better than Holaday, Nicholas and Chris Gimenez. So they essentially swapped out Gimenez for Wilson..... Here's the answer to why they view Wilson as an upgrade: He's a backup/No. 3 catcher. Just like Brett Nicholas, Bryan Holaday, Chris Gimenez all are. The upgrades/differences from one to another are not significant. Gimenez is the worst thrower of the group. Wilson probably the best game-caller. Holaday probably the best thrower. Nicholas probably the most offensively-appealing. If you could combine Wilson, Holaday and Nicholas, now you'd be talking about a significant catching upgrade. Alas, you are not.

 

[saddles]

Question: What's the reasoning behind Nicholas being sent back down? I thought he was doing a good job (better than Holaday), and they brought a guy that is hitting .160?

Evan Grant: Give you the same answer to a similar question I just got. But first, remember that Nicholas has less than 40 major league plate appearances, so it's unfair to say that offensive success is predictive of the future. ... Second, Nicholas had minor league options remaining and the idea right now is to collect and protect catching assets. The Rangers felt a three-man catching unit of Holaday, Wilson and Nicholas was better than Holaday, Nicholas and Chris Gimenez. So they essentially swapped out Gimenez for Wilson..... Here's the answer to why they view Wilson as an upgrade: He's a backup/No. 3 catcher. Just like Brett Nicholas, Bryan Holaday, Chris Gimenez all are. The upgrades/differences from one to another are not significant. Gimenez is the worst thrower of the group. Wilson probably the best game-caller. Holaday probably the best thrower. Nicholas probably the most offensively-appealing. If you could combine Wilson, Holaday and Nicholas, now you'd be talking about a significant catching upgrade. Alas, you are not.

I think I would have simply kept things the way they were.

 

[WastinSomeTime]

I really do not want to move Odor and Maz out of the 1-2 spot where they have been very successful so I did not like this thought from Grant on Choo taking either the 1 or 2 spot and moving Odor or Maz down to the bottom third. And his last thing about Fielder makes no sense because he has had plenty of opportunities with runners on base.

Evan Grant: I think the catalyst would be getting Choo back and then having a deeper lineup. Whether he hits first ahead of Mazara or second behind Odor, he helps things out. Rangers need that. Put Mazara or Odor back in the bottom third of the lineup and that group is now really dangerous.... Also, Fielder has got to get things going. Not sure what will drive that. Having more opps with runners on base can't hurt.

 

[romeo212000]

I really do not want to move Odor and Maz out of the 1-2 spot where they have been very successful so I did not like this thought from Grant on Choo taking either the 1 or 2 spot and moving Odor or Maz down to the bottom third. And his last thing about Fielder makes no sense because he has had plenty of opportunities with runners on base.

Evan Grant: I think the catalyst would be getting Choo back and then having a deeper lineup. Whether he hits first ahead of Mazara or second behind Odor, he helps things out. Rangers need that. Put Mazara or Odor back in the bottom third of the lineup and that group is now really dangerous.... Also, Fielder has got to get things going. Not sure what will drive that. Having more opps with runners on base can't hurt.

Evan is a dunce.

 

[donaldson79]

Today's game is back on FSSW at 12:10.

 

[Bmurph]

Rangers Place A.J. Griffin On DL With Shoulder Stiffness

By Connor Byrne | May 8, 2016 at 9:55am CDT

The Rangers have placed right-hander A.J. Griffin on the disabled list with shoulder stiffness, tweets the team’s executive vice president of communications, John Blake. In a corresponding move, Texas recalled left-handed reliever Alex Claudio from Triple-A Round Rock.

Griffin will undergo an examination Monday in Arlington, according to Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram (Twitter link), after exiting his start in the third inning Saturday. Injury troubles are nothing new for Griffin, who missed the previous two seasons because of elbow and shoulder problems. Griffin bounced back well prior to his latest issue, posting a 2.94 ERA, 7.49 K/9 and 3.74 BB/9 in 33 2/3 innings, and will leave a void in a Rangers rotation whose results (3.57 ERA) have been vastly superior to its peripherals (4.52 FIP, 4.67 xFIP).

With Griffin unavailable for what might be an extended period of time, the Rangers could aggressively pursue free agent Kyle Lohse, in whom they’re reportedlyinterested.

 

[RevSader]

Need good Teen today.

 

[Bmurph]

Think I would rather just go with Ranaudo

Rangers Interested In Kyle Lohse

By Connor Byrne | May 7, 2016 at 9:31pm CDT

If the Angels wish to bolster their depleted rotation by adding free agent Kyle Lohse, they might face competition from a familiar foe, reports MLB Network’s Jon Heyman, who tweets that the AL West rival Rangers are also interested in the 37-year-old. Heyman adds that there may be other clubs in pursuit, too, on the heels of the right-hander’s Thursday showcase.

The Rangers aren’t in need of rotation help as much as the Angels, as Texas’ starters have so far pitched to a 3.48 ERA – the seventh-best mark in the majors. They’re seventh from the bottom in both FIP and xFIP, however, and right-hander A.J. Griffinmay have opened up a spot in the rotation when he left his start in the third inning Saturday with stiffness in his throwing shoulder. While Griffin has fared well early this season with a 2.94 ERA, 7.49 K/9 and 3.74 BB/9 in 33 2/3 innings, injuries are nothing new for the 28-year-old – who missed the previous two campaigns because of elbow and shoulder troubles.

If Griffin’s current injury proves serious, it would leave the Rangers with Cole Hamels, Martin Perez, Derek Holland and Colby Lewis as their top four starters. The only member of that group worth counting on is Hamels, which could be why the Rangers are turning their attention outward. Lohse doesn’t exactly look like a cure-all, though, having posted a 5.85 ERA, 6.4 K/9, 2.5 BB/9 and 38.6 percent ground-ball rate in 152 innings with Milwaukee last season. He did produce a respectable 3.62 ERA/3.86 FIP/4.10 xFIP in 888 1/3 frames from 2010-14, and the Rangers would certainly hope to get that version of Lohse if they were to sign him.

Regardless of whether Texas lands Lohse, its rotation will get a significant boost soon with the return of ace Yu Darvish, who hasn’t pitched in the majors since August 2014. Darvish, on the comeback trail from March 2015 Tommy John surgery, threw a 50-pitch rehab outing for Triple-A Round Rock on Friday and touched 97 mph several times, according to Anthony Andro of MLB.com. Darvish is on track to rejoin the Rangers either later this month or in early June.