May 15th, 2012 at 1:22 PM
By Jeff MuddWhile many of his teammates have been on cruise control this season, Texas Rangers outfielder Nelson Cruz has sometimes been stuck in neutral.
The slugger may finally be kicking it into gear, however, after going deep for the second straight night in the Rangers' 3-1 loss to the Kansas City Royals last night. The 2011 playoff hero, who homered a record six times in an American League Championship Series defeat of the Detroit Tigers, has raised his average 38 points in the past week to .273 and has batted .390 over his past 10 games after a drought that saw him go 27 days without a long ball.
In fact, last week Texas manager Ron Washington spoke of giving the 6-foot-2, 240-pound right-fielder a day off or at least inserting him into the designated hitter spot. Cruz, who was on the disabled list five times in the last two seasons, would have none of it. In fact, he responded almost immediately with a pair of three-hit nights against Baltimore and a four-hit outing against the Los Angeles Angels.
"Not right now, I'm feeling good," Cruz reported on the Rangers' mlb.com site. "When it (a day off) comes, I'll take it. If not, I'll keep playing."
Overall, Cruz, the only Texas regular to have started all 36 games this season, now has four homers and 20 runs batted in.
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Read more... Join the Conversation... May 14th, 2012 at 8:42 AM
By Jeff MuddTexas Rangers' pitcher Colby Lewis put on a show that hadn't been seen in 94 years in the Rangers' 6-5 loss to the Baltimore Orioles in the first game of a doubleheader last night at Camden Yards.
Of course, some acts aren't meant to have an encore.
Two nights after Rangers slugger Josh Hamilton set an American League mark by accounting for 18 total bases in a four home-run explosion, Lewis revisited the record books in a different manner. He allowed just five hits and fanned a career-high 12 Orioles; however, all five hits sailed over the outfield wall, the first time a pitcher has allowed five long balls while striking out at least 10 since 1918.
This was no ordinary night. Then again, just 48 hours after Hamilton's heroics, this has been no ordinary series.
"It was just a weird game," Lewis (3-2, 3.69) reported on the Rangers' mlb.com site. "I felt like I had some of my best stuff all year. When I came out, I didn't even feel like I had thrown.
"I don't know how to justify that game."
*** Photo 1 *** It was indeed a Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde night for Lewis. The right-hander opened the game by surrendering consecutive home runs to Ryan Flaherty, J.J. Hardy and Nick Markakis, the first time in AL history that a team greeted a contest with three straight homers. Lewis then settled down and retired 18 straight Orioles – fanning 11, including six straight at one point. Then, leading 3-1, Baltimore touched Lewis for two more long balls in the seventh, this time from Adam Jones and Wilson Betemit., to assume a 6-1 lead.
Read more... Join the Conversation... May 10th, 2012 at 2:11 PM
By Jeff MuddDown on the farm, the Texas Rangers announced the club’s minor league award winners for April, including Pitcher of the Month Justin Grimm (Frisco, AA), Player of the Month Chris Grayson (Hickory, Low A), Defender of the Month Kellin Deglan (Hickory) and Reliever of the Month Randol Rojas (Hickory, Myrtle Beach, High A).
Grimm posted a 4-1 mark with a 1.59 earned run average in five starts for Frisco. In holding opposing Texas League hitters to a .194 average, the University of Georgia talent fanned 27 against just six walks with an 0.92 WHIP. Grimm, a 6-foot-3 right-hander who is 6-1 with a 1.60 ERA overall, was a fifth-round selection of the Rangers in 2010.
Grayson, a 13th-round choice in 2011 out of Lee (TN) University, batted at a .400 clip last month with two homers, 10 doubles, 16 walks and 11 RBI for Hickory of the South Atlantic League. The 22 year old also boasted a .500 on-base percentage – third-highest in the minor leagues - and hit safety in 19 of 21 games.
Canada native Deglan, 20, had a perfect defensive month statistically with a 1.000 fielding percentage on 171 total chances. The 2010 first-round selection also threw out nine of 22 would-be base stealers (41%) and batted .257 with three homers and and nine doubles in 22 contests.
With stops in both Hickory and Myrtle Beach, Rojas posted a 1-0 mark and 0.48 ERA over six appearances. Now 3-0 overall, the 21-year-old righty whiffed 17 and walked seven while limiting opposing batters to a .107 average. Overall, Rojas is 3-0 with a 0.82 ERA.
Read more... Join the Conversation... May 9th, 2012 at 10:17 AM
By Jeff MuddCall it bargaining power.
While still without a new contract, Texas Rangers outfielder Josh Hamilton both strengthened his financial stance and made an assault on the record books last night, belting not one or two or even three home runs. No, the 2010 American League MVP littered Camden Yards with four (yes, four) two-run home runs in a 10-3 victory over the Baltimore Orioles that saw the sweet-swinging slugger set more records than Casey Kasem.
Even on his way to earning April AL Player of the Month honors (9 HR, .391 avg. 24 RBI), Hamilton kept insisting that he had yet to find his groove. Consider him grooved. The 2010 AL MVP went deep in the first, third and seventh innings, then smoked an 0-2 eighth-inning sinker that forgot to sink from former Ranger Darren O'Day over the center-field wall to become the first player since Carlos Delgado - and 16th all-time (sixth in the AL) - to hit four home runs in a game.
For good measure, Hamilton also stroked a measly double in the sixth inning and finished 5-5 with eight RBIs and 18 total bases. No American League player has ever accounted for more bases in one contest, and only Seth Green, who had 19 total bases for the Dodgers a decade ago, has ever topped it. Consider this – with the 18 total bases in one night's work, Hamilton touched more bases than heralded LA Angels slugger Albert Pujols has this month (17).
Read more... Join the Conversation... May 8th, 2012 at 12:17 PM
By Jeff MuddIn the offseason, Brandon Snyder's departure from Baltimore caused barely a whimper.
On Monday night, he returned to Camden Yards as a member of the Texas Rangers and made plenty of noise indeed.
Snyder, a 2005 first-round draft pick of the Orioles, had three hits and knocked in six runs during the Rangers' 14-3 rout of his former teammates. For a squad scuffling to a 2-5 mark over the past week, the outburst was a welcome sight for the Rangers, and to Virginia native Snyder in particular.
"I'm going to wake up in the morning and read something to make sure it happened," Snyder reported on espn.com. "It's a special night, being back in Baltimore, but especially having my family here."
Snyder, a former catcher-turned-infielder subbing at third base for injured starter Adrian Beltre, had a two-run single with two down in the second to give Texas an early lead. He then blasted a three-run homer in the sixth -chasing Orioles starter Brian Matusz - before getting into the fun during the Rangers' seven-run ninth with an RBI single.
For Texas starter Matt Harrison, Monday marked a returned to form. After allowing 15 runs and 22 hits during his previous two outings, the lefty improved to 4-0 lifetime against the Birds by scattering six hits and allowing three runs over seven innings of work.
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