Series Thread: tRangers travel to LaLa land. Hopefully bullpen doesn't suck: 4/7-4/10

[WastinSomeTime]

I feel like this team's hitters out think themselves a lot.

Yes they do.

 

[WastinSomeTime]

I think Gallo will adjust and have a solid career and hit a lot of HRs, but that doesn't mean I'm wrong in thinking Mazara will have a better overall career

i can see that myself. I was hoping they would call Maz up for this game. I was not sure how he would do but I like what we have coming to a show near you soon.

 

[donaldson79]

What makes me the most crazy about our offense is this: Beltre, EA, MM, and Prince have seen Weaver how many times? And yet, here we are talking about the same stuff, with the same frustrations again. For heavens sake, if we can figure it out, why can't these professionals do it?

EA swung at numerous bad pitches, which is exactly what he's become I guess.

I know this group got 3 of our 7 hits today, but none of those hits came in any type of timely fashion. In fact, Moreland stood there and took a good called 3rd strike with 2 men on early in the game when we could have jumped Weavers butt.

 

[saddles]

Oh I know, but I wanted to put my perspective on it, I in no way took your post as directed towards me

I actually picked Gallo, but not after I thought for awhile about both Brinson and Mazara. In doing so I wondered if I was short changing Profar to not really consider him.

 

[donaldson79]

Yeah, I sure did. Heh that didn't make much sense the way I worded it now did it.

Nope! ha ha ha......But at least you caught yourself.

Although, I honestly thought I knew what you meant.

 

[RevSader]

Nope! ha ha ha......But at least you caught yourself.

Nah, I straight up didn't until JTA asked me.

 

[jta4437]

Highest floor - Mazara
Highest ceiling - Brinson
Lowest ceiling - Gallo
Lowest floor - Gallo

 

[Bmurph]

We have to start getting better results vs. division opponents pitching. Continuing to get poor results vs Weaver and Iwakuma are not going to help in our quest for another division title. Our offense has to start having good AB's vs these guys and the offense has to put up more than 2-3 runs per game for our pitchers to win games. Asking our pitching to give up 2 runs or less per gam isn't going to be a recipe for success.

 

[Bmurph]

TEXAS AT SEATTLE
Time: 10:10 P.M. ESTVenue: Safeco Field

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They were one of MLB's most injury-depleted clubs over the past two seasons, so the last thing the Texas Rangers wanted to see was a continuation of that trend early this year.

After top prospect Nomar Mazara provided reason for optimism in the wake of two more injuries, the visiting Rangers hope to end their win drought versus right-hander Hisashi Iwakuma on Monday night in their series opener against the Seattle Mariners.

Texas (3-4) set a big league record for number of players used in 2014 en route to a last-place finish in the AL West. The club then had to overcome the loss of No. 1 starter Yu Darvish and more than 1,400 player games to the disabled list last year to win the division.

So it was d??j?? vu on Sunday when Texas announced Shin-Soo Choo will miss at least four weeks due to a strained calf and Robinson Chirinos will be out at least 10 weeks because of a broken forearm. Choo has started 3 for 16, while Chirinos is 4 for 15 with a home run.

Choo's injury, however, is giving the Rangers a chance to get an up-close look at Mazara, their 2015 Minor League Player of the Year. The 20-year-old outfielder lived up to the hype in his debut, going 3 for 4 with a home run in Sunday's 3-1 road loss to the Los Angeles Angels.

''It was an incredible debut for a guy who's extremely young for the major league level, and an incredible weekend for him,'' said manager Jeff Banister, whose club only had four other hits.

Now the Rangers could have a difficult time getting going offensively in their second look at Iwakuma over the past seven days. He's been outstanding against the Rangers, going 6-0 with a 2.87 ERA over his last eight starts and 8-1 with a 3.00 mark in the past 12.

Iwakuma (0-0, 3.60 ERA) allowed two runs over five innings but failed to pick up his seventh consecutive victory in this series in last Tuesday's 10-2 victory at Globe Life Park.

Elvis Andrus had two hits and an RBI off Iwakuma in that contest, but he's 8 for 36 (.222) lifetime in the matchup. Adrian Beltre has had the most success, batting .308 with three home runs in 39 career at-bats after going 1 for 3 when facing him last week.

Texas counters with right-hander Colby Lewis, who is 1-4 with a 5.00 ERA while allowing 10 home runs in his last seven starts versus Seattle (2-4). He received a no-decision after allowing three runs over six innings in last Wednesday's 9-5 loss to the Mariners.

Robinson Cano is 8 for 21 with a home run when facing Lewis (0-0, 4.50), while Franklin Gutierrez has gone 6 for 16 with two homers and Kyle Seageris 10 for 29 with two homers.

Cano is 2 for 12 with one extra-base hit since going deep four times in the season-opening series. The star slugger is batting .341 over an 11-game hitting streak against the Rangers.

Former Rangers Nelson Cruz and Leonys Martin each had two hits Sunday, but the Mariners went 0 for 8 with runners in scoring position in a 2-1, 10-inning home loss to Oakland. They totaled four runs with a .155 average in dropping all three in the series.

''We're just not getting it done with the bats right now," manager Scott Servais said.

 

[saddles]

Jamey Newberg had a very good report this morning. Here is what he said:

This all happened in the space of about 23 hours, beginning late Saturday afternoon in Des Moines, Iowa.

Round Rock right fielder Nomar Mazara singled to center in the top of the first inning.

Mazara singled to right in the top of the third inning.

Mazara homered in the top of the fifth inning.

He didn’t appear in the ninth.

Mazara presumably went to sleep (though it would be understandable if he didn’t).

He then boarded a plane in Des Moines on Sunday morning with his buddy Brett, because Rangers Director of Travel Josh Shelton told them where to be, and when.

They flew west, about 1,425 miles.

They got off the plane and into a car and found their way to a ballpark that holds about four times as many people as Principal Park, home of the Iowa Cubs.

And then?

Rangers right fielder Nomar Mazara singled to center in the top of the first inning.

Mazara singled to right in the top of the third inning.

Mazara homered in the top of the fifth inning.

He didn’t appear in the ninth.

All I changed in the last four sentences was replacing “Round Rock” with “Rangers.” That simple.

Which is basically what Mazara’s big league debut felt like: A change in the name on the front of the jersey, but otherwise pretty much no difference.

It’s just baseball.

Nomar Mazara is pretty good at baseball.

I’m looking forward to tonight’s game in Seattle.

But not as much I am to the career that launched yesterday, starting with a 1,425-mile trip and peaking at 443.5 feet to right center, at 105.4 miles per hour.

 

[saddles]

 

[saddles]

 

[saddles]

 

[saddles]

Card is Only Available for Purchase Until 4/12/16 at 12 pm

20 year old Nomar Mazara goes 3 for 4 with a HR in debut - Available Until 12pm 4/12/16, Plus Free Shipping!

 

[saddles]

Carlos Correa Wants to Change Baseball's Unspoken Code of Conduct

"You've got to be able to show your emotions, to show your personality. Curry hits a three to tie the game, he does a shimmy. In football, some of them Dab, they dance. In baseball, fans don't see anything from the players. It's just: play the game, get to the dugout, celebrate with your teammates. The fans want to be involved, they want to see more fun on the field. I feel like that's what's going to take baseball to the next level."

I don't believe the game needs that at all. I don't watch much basketball, but I get tired of all of that nonsense in football. I have never heard anyone say they watch football for the celebrations. If he wants to do something different then he needs to say so and let it go at that. Don't make up reasons why you should be able to do what you want to do. The fans will celebrate when the players give them something to celebrate. The more the players give the fans something to celebrate the better the game will be.

The best memories I have of football players celebrating is when Dennis Thurman broke up the Fun Bunch celebration and when George Teague clocked Terrell Owens at the Star.

I do think one thing some fringe fans hate about baseball is that there is too much down time. I believe the desire of almost all of the teams to extend at bats and make the batter see more pitchers is hurting in that respect. I am not sure what the solution is, but it makes the game more boring for the fringe fans and baseball probably does need the fringe fans.

 

[saddles]

 

[saddles]

All these young guys with crooked numbers in the hit column. Is this Spring Training?