Texas Rangers vs. LA Angels 8/5-8/7

[Hambombs]

ehh. dont agree about the great defense. I personally think this year its been below average. We've got the talent for it, especially on our left side of the infield, but its pretty awful right now imo.

Not really awful except a few people. Our defense is very good

 

[Windingmywatch]

Which is what works against us, Rangers have a bad habit of getting shut down by pitchers they haven't seen a lot of. I just see this as a trap game is all.

"I just see this as a trap game is all ... although I am clueless as to who the pitcher is".

First you thought it was Jerome Williams and he had handled TEX recently ... and then you say Richards will be tough because TEX hasn't seen a lot of him.

Stick to a spot. Figure out who is playing ... then go look at their numbers.

... And all games against sub .500 teams ... are trap games.

 

[terpsfball09]

Guys how can you say our defense is great when we're like 10 in the AL...

 

[pegasusredleg]

TEX has only seen Garrett Richards for 1.2IP of RP this season back in April. Since 2011 in only 27ABs against him ... this is how TEX individually has done against him ... Murphy and Kinsler have had success especially.

Garrett Richards vs. Batters - Baseball-Reference.com

Thanks for providing this.

 

[pegasusredleg]

Hmmm so a possible another 10 strikeout game?

Let's just hope Yu is not smoked after his last game.

 

[pegasusredleg]

Over the coming weeks OAK has what the numbers say is the tougher schedule ... yet I think it's wiser for TEX to just play the games it has and not scoreboard watch. They don't advance unless they win the games on its schedule regardless of what OAK does.

Good points. I hope we win tonight since we have Ogando tomorrow and he has been shaky.

 

[jta4437]

ehh. dont agree about the great defense. I personally think this year its been below average. We've got the talent for it, especially on our left side of the infield, but its pretty awful right now imo.

I looked up numbers, but didn't want to bore anyone with those

C- AJP: Average (sucks at balls in the dirt, pretty solid at everything else)
1B- Moreland: Above Average (Has the occasional miscue or brain fart, but has been very good most the rest of the year)
2B- Kinsler: Above average (Ranks 4th in dWAR among 2B and is having an above average year by his standards)
3B- Beltre: Above average (Errors are killing him this year, but we all know what he's capable of)
SS- Andrus (See Kinsler, 4th among SS)
OF- Murphy: average, Martin: above average, Beltre: above average, Gentry: great, Butler: below average (from everything I've read)

Profar: at SS: above average, everywhere else: average, with flashes
Baker: below average (just about anywhere)
Soto: above average

Take all that together and we have a pretty good defense, I'm not going to argue great vs pretty good, but one thing to keep in mind;

Andrus, Kinsler, Moreland, Beltre and Profar on the IF get to more balls than most players at their respective positions because of their range, and just about anytime that happens, you have more errors

I used dWAR, and other numbers, to determine OVERALL how these guys are, they all stack up pretty well

 

[bradw516]

"I just see this as a trap game is all ... although I am clueless as to who the pitcher is".

First you thought it was Jerome Williams and he had handled TEX recently ... and then you say Richards will be tough because TEX hasn't seen a lot of him.

Stick to a spot. Figure out who is playing ... then go look at their numbers.

... And all games against sub .500 teams ... are trap games.

Outside of one inning with a fluke triple, Jerome Williams did handle them and you can't dispute that. I never indicated once that it was Williams playing tonight, I'm well aware he pitched last night, as I am also well aware that Richards is pitching tonight. We have a very small sample as a team against Richards, and Rangers always seem to struggle against pitchers they aren't familiar with.

Maybe instead of trying to belittle me, you should work on your comprehension skills.

I say this game in particular is a trap game because it's Yu vs. an unknown commodity and people are already penciling in a win. Yu hasn't gotten very good run support since his hot start, and that's a fact you can't ignore.

 

[Windingmywatch]

Guys how can you say our defense is great when we're like 10 in the AL...

Ninth. Only SEA in the ALW is ahead of TEX.

Beltre with team high 12E is the surprise this year ... last year for the season he had 8. Kinsler's defensive play is far better than last year ... as is Elvis'. OF play is improved defensively too ... with Hamilton's 7E gone. Gentry's last error was in 2011. He has only 2 errors in his career.

 

[jta4437]

Guys how can you say our defense is great when we're like 10 in the AL...

10 in the AL in what? Fielding %, please take a deeper look

 

[terpsfball09]

I looked up numbers, but didn't want to bore anyone with those

C- AJP: Average (sucks at balls in the dirt, pretty solid at everything else)
1B- Moreland: Above Average (Has the occasional miscue or brain fart, but has been very good most the rest of the year)
2B- Kinsler: Above average (Ranks 4th in dWAR among 2B and is having an above average year by his standards)
3B- Beltre: Above average (Errors are killing him this year, but we all know what he's capable of)
SS- Andrus (See Kinsler, 4th among SS)
OF- Murphy: average, Martin: above average, Beltre: above average, Gentry: great, Butler: below average (from everything I've read)

Profar: at SS: above average, everywhere else: average, with flashes
Baker: below average (just about anywhere)
Soto: above average

Take all that together and we have a pretty good defense, I'm not going to argue great vs pretty good, but one thing to keep in mind;

Andrus, Kinsler, Moreland, Beltre and Profar on the IF get to more balls than most players at their respective positions because of their range, and just about anytime that happens, you have more errors

I used dWAR, and other numbers, to determine OVERALL how these guys are, they all stack up pretty well

Yes they get to more balls... but that would only be reflected in amount of errors and not fielding % right? If that's the case, Texas is very very average. Infact they are 15th.

 

[terpsfball09]

10 in the AL in what? Fielding %, please take a deeper look

Tag said they were during the game yesterday in errors... but I do understand that because of how many balls they get to that normal infielders dont its a little squed.

 

[jta4437]

Yes they get to more balls... but that would only be reflected in amount of errors and not fielding % right? If that's the case, Texas is very very average. Infact they are 15th.

errors determine fielding %

 

[pegasusredleg]

We have all the elements to win the division. A piece here and there would help but we can not depend on that happening. However we have been playing a little to lose and must tighten up on the base paths and plate discipline. Bad decisions such as Murphy playing right field immediately led to runs in the first inning. Most seemed to agree he was not the one to play RF. In my opinion these are examples where we can best help ourselves become a better ball club.

On the Murphy in RF deal, I agree with regards to arm strength. But Murph has played that position (as one poster pointed out) 184 times in his career. So I don't think his miscues last night had to do with not being familiar with the position. What we had out there last night were two CFers in Martin and Beltre and a usual everyday LFer in Murph. Wash in the past tends not to put youngsters with little MLB experience in high stress situations right away. That is why he put a vet like Murph in RF where the great Nelson Cruz played and limited the pressure on E. Beltre. That holds true with the CF position for Beltre. So what does Wash have to work with in his platoon of OFs? He has three CFers in Beltre, Martin and Gentry (Gentry fits nice anywhere in the OF) and Joey Butler who played RF for RR. Against RHP if we want to keep it as leftie as possible we get what we had last night. I have seen E. Beltre play CF at AAA RR and he is awesome. Perhaps Wash did not want him in CF or wanted a vet "filling shoes" of the suspended Cruz given it was an emotional time for the team.

 

[pegasusredleg]

ehh. dont agree about the great defense. I personally think this year its been below average. We've got the talent for it, especially on our left side of the infield, but its pretty awful right now imo.

You getting any "info" on any potential waiver trades?

 

[pegasusredleg]

Which is what works against us, Rangers have a bad habit of getting shut down by pitchers they haven't seen a lot of. I just see this as a trap game is all.

And you know the Angels have plenty of videos to study Darvish over and over. Thing is they don't know the permutations

 

[Hambombs]

Rangers are 9th in MLB in team UZR that's pretty good. This team is a top 5 defense without Cruz

 

[jta4437]

On the Murphy in RF deal, I agree with regards to arm strength. But Murph has played that position (as one poster pointed out) 184 times in his career. So I don't think his miscues last night had to do with not being familiar with the position. What we had out there last night were two CFers in Martin and Beltre and a usual everyday LFer in Murph. Wash in the past tends not to put youngsters with little MLB experience in high stress situations right away. That is why he put a vet like Murph in RF where the great Nelson Cruz played and limited the pressure on E. Beltre. That holds true with the CF position for Beltre. So what does Wash have to work with in his platoon of OFs? He has three CFers in Beltre, Martin and Gentry (Gentry fits nice anywhere in the OF) and Joey Butler who played RF for RR. Against RHP if we want to keep it as leftie as possible we get what we had last night. I have seen E. Beltre play CF at AAA RR and he is awesome. Perhaps Wash did not want him in CF or wanted a vet "filling shoes" of the suspended Cruz given it was an emotional time for the team.

Martin has played in 15 games, and started 9, there this year, its not like he was out of place or out of his element, in fact he's been the guy getting shuffled around all year, Murphy has not

Beltre can probably play a much better CF on his worst than Murphy can play in RF on his best, so the justification just doesn't hold water

 

[pegasusredleg]

Yu hasn't gotten very good run support since his hot start, and that's a fact you can't ignore.

He received 7 runs in support of his last win.

 

[whittler]

Joe Blanton Mopped up the Rangers , 9 up, 9 down, 3 innings 21 pitches. He hasn't done Squat all year.
Just sayin ,you never know.

Yu needs a Low pitch game