Star-Telegram.com: Texas Rangers

Feldman, Rangers hold off Mariners

Sat, 11 Jul 2009 01:18 CDT

JEFF WILSON

Two innings this season have been more difficult for Scott Feldman than any others, though it’s hard to find fault in his overall body of work since joining the Texas Rangers’ rotation.

But the trouble he has encountered in the first inning has a direct correlation to what he has done in the sixth, and has been the main reason why he had yet to pitch seven full innings entering Friday night.

Feldman just missed the magic number again at Safeco Field, but he continued to do what he has done in all 15 of his start this season — give the Rangers a chance to win.

He allowed only a pair of runs on seven hits in 6 2/3 innings, and the Rangers hit three home runs as they topped Seattle 6-4 and stayed atop the American League West.

Feldman has given the Rangers at least five innings in each of his 15 starts this season, and his 10 quality starts are second-most on the team. The Rangers are 11-4 in games he has started.

Those are numbers the Rangers will take just about every time and have delighted in since Feldman joined the rotation April 25, even though he still hasn’t given them seven full innings. He was awfully close Friday.

Ronny Cedeno’s chopper got through the middle for a base hit on Feldman’s 102nd pitch in the seventh. With the left-handed-hitting Ichiro Suzuki and Russell Branyan due up, manager Ron Washington removed Feldman in favor of left-hander Derek Holland.

Suzuki reached on a double that snuck out of third baseman Michael Young’s glove, but Holland fanned Branyan on three pitches to keep Feldman in line for his eighth victory.

Seattle, which scored three in the eighth inning of a 3-1 victory Thursday, started fast with two runs on three hits in the first. It has been Feldman’s toughest inning, as he has allowed eight runs, 15 hits and nine extra-base hits.

The Mariners, though, would manage only four hits against Feldman the next 5 2/3 innings, and none were hit solidly. One rolled about 30 feet along the third-base line for an infield single, and another pop-up found the outfield grass as left fielder Marlon Byrd and shortstop Omar Vizquel appeared to think the other was going to catch it.

His good work gave the Rangers plenty of time to erase a 2-0 deficit. Hank Blalock started the comeback with a solo homer off Brandon Morrow (0-4) in the second, and Michael Young put the Rangers ahead in the third with a three-run shot.

Nelson Cruz, named to the All-Star team as a replacement for the injured Torii Hunter, launched a two-run shot in the eighth to give the Rangers some breathing room.

They needed it, because the Mariners scored twice in the eighth. The put runners at first and second against Holland, and both runs scored after he was replaced by Jason Jennings.

Closer Frank Francisco, though, pitched around a two-out walk in the ninth for his 14th save and gave the Rangers their sixth victory in seven games this season against Seattle.

Cruz to participate in Home Run Derby

Sat, 11 Jul 2009 01:22 CDT

Cruz replaces Hunter as All-Star

Sat, 11 Jul 2009 00:28 CDT

By JEFF WILSON

SEATTLE — Nelson Cruz received a phone call Friday morning that he that essentially blew his mind. The right fielder had been added to the American League All-Star team.

AL manager Joe Maddon needed an outfielder to replace Torii Hunter, who went on the disabled list with a strained adductor muscle. Cruz was the next name on the list in league-wide player voting two weeks ago.

"I was kind of nervous. I was like, 'What?’ Cruz said. "I’ve been through so much the last two or three years. I just thank God."

The All-Star appearance completes an impressive comeback for Cruz, who didn’t make the roster out of spring training in 2008 and had to clear waivers to stay in the organization.

He continued to work and transformed himself into the MVP of the Pacific Coast League. He was recalled in August and has been the Rangers’ regular right fielder since.

"I couldn’t be happier for him," general manager Jon Daniels said. "To his credit, he was open-minded when he went down. He wanted to work and make adjustments, and you’ve seen the results up here."

Cruz, who entered Friday’s game with 20 home runs and 50 RBI, returned to the starting lineup after missing three consecutive games. He was there, though, only because David Murphy has a jammed right index finger.

Manager Ron Washington said the recent stretch on the bench shouldn’t be taken as a reflection on the Rangers’ third All-Star selection.

"It had nothing to do with Nelson," Washington said. "I have four guys I have to get in that outfield, and they all can play. When one of them is out of the lineup, don’t read anything into it."

Little progress on picks

The Rangers have five more weeks before the Aug. 17 deadline to sign first-round pick Matt Purke and sandwich pick Tanner Scheppers, and Daniels expects both will sign even though there has been little progress since the First-Year Player Draft last month.

Purke, a left-hander from Klein who has committed to TCU, has said that he is seeking a contract similar to the one Detroit gave Rick Porcello two years ago — more than $7 million.

Scheppers is also expected to sign for more than slot money.

The Rangers, though, might not be held to the Aug. 17 deadline on Scheppers. Daniels said the players association and Major League Baseball are determining if the deadline applies to Scheppers, who no longer has amateur eligibility after playing in an independent league this season.

The deadline applies to draft choices who are eligible to pitch collegiately.

Nippert on Sunday

Right-hander Dustin Nippert will be the Rangers’ starting pitcher in the first-half finale Sunday at Safeco Field. Nippert said he was informed of the decision while throwing his normal bullpen session Thursday.

He made his 2009 debut Tuesday against Los Angeles, throwing 3 2/3 innings and allowing three runs. Nippert threw 72 pitches, though, and manager Ron Washington wants to see him work easier innings.

Just about all bullpen arms will be available, as four days of rest awaits each reliever. But the Rangers won’t remove Nippert just to give a reliever, say rookie Derek Holland, work before the break.

"If Nippert is dealing, he’ll stay out there," Washington said. "The only way we can manipulate it to get people in because of the break is if we get a huge lead. Other than that, we’ve got to win the ballgame with who we’ve got to win it with."

Feliz’s back-to-back outings put on hold

Sat, 11 Jul 2009 00:28 CDT

SEATTLE — A possible starting assignment at the Futures Game on Sunday in St. Louis has complicated the Texas Rangers’ plan to throw right-hander Neftali Feliz on back-to-back days for the first time.

The top prospect was moved to the bullpen with Triple A Oklahoma City last month as the Rangers seek ways to improve the club from within. They like how Feliz has performed in relief, but he needs to pass the back-to-back test before he can be considered for the big-league club.

General manager Jon Daniels said Feliz would have attempted it Friday had it not been for the Futures Game, which features baseball’s top prospects.

Daniels said Feliz could be the starting pitcher for the World team and pitch two innings, and the Rangers didn’t want him to make the start with only a day’s rest after working back-to-back games.

Feliz will likely attempt to go back-to-back just after the All-Star break, and the expectation is that he will join the Rangers at some point in the second half.

"His fastball command has really improved, he’s holding runners better, and he’s able to get his curveball over for a strike," said Daniels, while adding that Feliz still has room to improve with his secondary pitches. "We wouldn’t have moved him to the bullpen if we didn’t think he had a chance to help us there this year."

— Jeff Wilson

Feldman pitches Rangers to victory

Sat, 11 Jul 2009 00:41 CDT

By JEFF WILSON

SEATTLE — Two innings this season have been more difficult for Scott Feldman than any others, though it’s hard to find fault in his overall body of work since joining the Texas Rangers’ rotation.

Feldman just missed the magic number again at Safeco Field, but he continued to do what he has done in all 15 of his starts this season — give the Rangers a chance to win.

He allowed only a pair of runs on seven hits in 6 2/3 innings, and the Rangers hit three home runs as they topped Seattle 6-4 and stayed atop the American League West.

Feldman has given the Rangers at least five innings in each of his 15 starts this season, and his 10 quality starts are second-most on the team. The Rangers are 11-4 in games he has started.

Suzuki reached on a double that snuck out of third baseman Michael Young’s glove, but Holland fanned Branyan on three pitches to keep Feldman in line for his eighth victory.

Feldman’s good work gave the Rangers plenty of time to erase a 2-0 deficit. Hank Blalock started the comeback with a solo homer off Brandon Morrow (0-4) in the second, and Michael Young put the Rangers ahead in the third with a three-run shot.

Nelson Cruz, named to the All-Star team as a replacement for the injured Torii Hunter, launched a two-run shot in the eighth to give the Rangers some breathing room.

They needed it, because the Mariners scored twice in the eighth. They put runners at first and second against Holland, and both runs scored after he was replaced by Jason Jennings.

Closer Frank Francisco, though, pitched around a two-out walk in the ninth for his 14th save and gave the Rangers their sixth victory in seven games this season against Seattle.

ONLINE: texasrangers.com

Late homer pushes Mariners past Rangers

Fri, 10 Jul 2009 01:00 CDT

JEFF WILSON

Felix Hernandez was as good as manager Ron Washington has ever seen, but the Texas Rangers had scratched out the game’s only run entering the eighth inning.

The Rangers had stolen a victory the last time they faced Hernandez, back in May when Chris Davis hit a walk-off homer for the Rangers’ fifth victory in five games against the Seattle Mariners.

No. 6 was in reach late Thursday night. The Rangers had two outs and a matchup they wanted: C.J. Wilson against Ken Griffey Jr.

But the future Hall of Famer drew a two-out walk to extend the inning, and Franklin Gutierrez followed with a three-run homer that sent the Mariners to a 3-1 victory.

The Rangers saw their lead in the American League West trimmed to a half-game over idle Los Angeles, and the Mariners are 3 1/2 back in third place.

Guiterrez got the curtain call from the Safeco Field crowd, but the Rangers believed that the Griffey walk was the difference between a win and a loss.

“The key at-bat was Griffey,” Washington said. “If we get him out right there, we’re set up like we want. You’ve got to give them credit, though. They kept coming, and Gutierrez got us.”

Griffey went ahead 3-0 in the count as Wilson tried to beat him with fastballs inside. But Wilson came back with two strikes and saw Griffey foul off two more pitches.

The eighth pitch of the at-bat was off the plate away, and Griffey trotted down to first base.

“I thought I had him on that last pitch,” said Wilson, who had allowed only one run in his previous 12 appearances. “It was just a little outside. I thought he was going to swing at it.”

Pitching coach Mike Maddux went to the mound to discuss how to pitch Gutierrez. A left-handed hitter, Ryan Langerhans, waited on deck. But the Rangers believed Wilson (4-4) could get them out of the inning without walking Gutierrez to load the bases to get a lefty-lefty matchup.

Gutierrez sent a towering shot over the left-center-field wall on a 1-0 sinker that cut back over the middle of the plate. Wilson, who Washington has called the bullpen MVP this season, said it’s the first time he has missed with that particular pitch this season.

“It was supposed to be down and away,” said Wilson, who allowed a leadoff double to Ichiro Suzuki. “It just didn’t have the action on it that I wanted. It wasn’t in the right spot. He hit it pretty well, obviously.

“There’s always a little hope when a guy hits it in the air here. But he got everything on it.”

The home run spoiled six scoreless innings from right-hander Tommy Hunter, who allowed only four hits in his fourth start of the season. He saw some flaws in his performance, though, namely falling behind to too many hitters and walking three.

His pitches mounted, and he was done after throwing 104 pitches.

“There are always things to improve,” said Hunter, who saw his ERA fall to 2.35. “I started a lot of guys 2-0, and that put me in difficult situations. I need to go deeper in the game.”

Hernandez (9-3) went eight innings, striking out seven, but he was headed for a loss after Ian Kinsler almost single-handedly manufactured a run in the sixth.

He walked with two outs, went to second on Michael Young’s single and took third on a double steal. Kinsler bolted home when ball four to Josh Hamilton bounced away from Mariners catcher Rob Johnson.

That run looked like it would hold up until Griffey walked and Gutierrez connected.

Rangers a different team with Hamilton

Fri, 10 Jul 2009 00:00 CDT

By JEFF WILSON

SEATTLE — The statistic, manager Ron Washington said, speaks for itself, but he still seemed a little surprised when told how well his Texas Rangers have fared when Josh Hamilton is in the lineup.

"We’re 23-11 [prior to Thursday] with him in the lineup?" Washington said. "Just stay in lineup, Josh."

Hamilton said he saw the stat flash on the scoreboard at Angel Stadium early in Wednesday’s game, when the Rangers were a mere 22-11 with him in the lineup.

"I don’t know what it tells me," he said. "I hope it keeps going in an upward direction."

The Rangers were looking to better the mark Thursday at Safeco Field in the first of four games against Seattle to end the first half of the season. They did so with Hamilton in his usual spot, batting third, playing center field, and impacting the game simply by being on the lineup card.

"We’re a better team when he’s in the lineup, bottom line," outfielder Marlon Byrd said. "I don’t know any teams that do well without their superstar."

The Rangers haven’t seen Hamilton produce like he did last year, when he hit .304 with 30 homers and 130 RBI. He entered Thursday with a .254 average, six homers and 24 RBI in a season in which he’s been on the disabled list twice.

Even Hamilton will admit that his numbers aren’t where he would like them to be.

But the Rangers’ numbers take off when Hamilton plays. Entering Thursday’s game, their average and on-base percentage were both 33 points higher, their slugging percentage jumped 110 points, and they averaged 1.61 more runs.

In his first three games back from a second stint on the disabled list against the Angels, the Rangers scored 20 runs, had 33 hits, seven homers and batted .295..

Hamilton, who was 5-for-13 (.385) against the Angels, changes how pitchers approach the top of the lineup. No opponent wants to see leadoff man Ian Kinsler or No. 2 hitter Michael Young on base when the Rangers’ RBI machine comes to the plate.

The Rangers have an edge when opponents know they have to face three consecutive All-Stars, and he gives the entire lineup an extra dose of confidence. While Hamilton was out for 30 games with a torn abdominal muscle, the Rangers used five different players in the No. 3 hole.

"We get Kins back to where he’s comfortable, and Mike back to two and Josh three. Then, you can mix and match from four on," Byrd said. "Your 1-2-3 is set. You don’t have to try me or [David] Murphy or Andruw [Jones]. It solidifies our lineup, and they [opponents] know every day they have to get those three outs to beat this team."

Said Washington: "Now that he’s back, he gets everyone else in that lineup different pitches to hit. You make a pitcher think a little differently with him in that lineup and he brings the potential of hurting you."

The Rangers are 24-25 without Hamilton, hitting only .246 and slugging at .415. They played all of June without him, going 11-15 and watching a 5 1/2 -game lead in the AL West disappear.

But the Rangers survived and regained sole possession of first place by taking two of three games from the Angels as Hamilton returned.

"All we did while he was gone was just try to hold are head above water," Byrd said. "We lost that 5 1/2 -game lead, but we’re still in the thick of things."

ONLINE: texasrangers.com

Ian Kinsler falls short in final All-Star vote

Fri, 10 Jul 2009 00:00 CDT

Ian Kinsler again fell just short in fan balloting for the All-Star Game, this time in the ASG Sprint Final Vote for the final spot on the American League roster.

Detroit third baseman Brandon Inge edged Kinsler and will be in St. Louis on Tuesday. Kinsler, who narrowly finished second to Dustin Pedroia in fan balloting to select the starters, said he appears to be headed toward a movie theater or a couch with his video-game console.

The Texas Rangers’ second baseman also said he doesn’t feel much disappointment at not participating in the Midsummer Classic for a second consecutive year.

Josh Hamilton and Michael Young will be the Rangers’ All-Star representatives this year.

"It’s something that is cool to be a part of, but at the same time, there’s only a certain number of people who can go," said Kinsler, who entered Thursday hitting .252 with 20 homers and 54 RBI. "Whoever is in that game is supposed to be there."

He returned to the starting lineup Thursday to open a four-game series at Seattle after a day off Wednesday. It was only the second time in 83 games that Kinsler had sat, and he felt the time off would benefit his mind more than his body.

"Physically, you’re not going to feel any different," he said. "I’m ready to play. It’s just a mental break."

— Jeff Wilson

Nelson Cruz is odd man out of Rangers lineup

Fri, 10 Jul 2009 00:00 CDT

By JEFF WILSON

SEATTLE — Nelson Cruz has started 75 of the Texas Rangers’ 84 games this season, but the right fielder was out of the lineup again Thursday as the Rangers opened a four-game series against Seattle.

Cruz, who is tied for fifth in the American League with 20 homers, has sat the past three nights as manager Ron Washington tries to find a way to rotate five players into four spots.

The lineup Washington used was almost identical to the one that piled up 12 hits in an 8-1 victory over Los Angeles on Wednesday. Josh Hamilton, Marlon Byrd and David Murphy were the three outfielders, and Andruw Jones was the designated hitter.

Jones started for the fourth consecutive game. His bat, which produced home runs in his first three at-bats Wednesday, is too hot to take out of the lineup.

"Three bombs last night? I can’t pull him," Washington said. "It’s not that vicious, where I’m sitting Nelson Cruz. It’s just that those guys out there did such a great job, how can you pull them off the field?"

Cruz said he will continue taking batting practice and working in the outfield before games to stay sharp. He could be used in right-handed-heavy lineups Saturday and Sunday against Mariners left-handers Jarrod Washburn and Erik Bedard.

But the past three days haven’t been easy.

"It’s not good," Cruz said. "I’m here to play."

Byrd iffy on report

Marlon Byrd said he hasn’t seen a Yahoo Sports report that quoted sources who said he had a teleconference with Major League Baseball on Thursday to discuss his relationship with Victor Conte, the man at the heart of the BALCO steroid scandal.

Byrd declined comment until seeing the report for himself, though he saw a story on mlb.com that paraphrased the Yahoo piece. His reaction seemed to indicate that there were inaccuracies within the report.

"They need to clear it up first, then I’ll talk," said Byrd, who confirmed last month that Conte has been supplying him with supplements for about 18 months. Byrd has not failed a drug test in that span.

Taking a dive

Josh Hamilton said he didn’t think twice before diving and catching a second-inning fly ball Wednesday night at Angel Stadium. He dove headfirst, landing on his rib cage and abdominal muscle that have both been injured this season.

Everything checked out healthy after the game.

"I wasn’t going to let it fall, especially if I could get to it," he said. "Hopefully, that answered a lot of questions. I didn’t think about it, which I guess is a good sign. I just went and got it. Afterward, when I realized what I had done, I was like, 'Cool.’ "

Hamilton was playing right field for the first time this season as Ron Washington attempts to give the All-Star center fielder an easier night on his legs. But if the Rangers are putting Hamilton there to keep him from smacking into walls, he said they might want to reconsider.

"I don’t mind anywhere in the outfield," he said. "If they say they want to move me to a corner to avoid running into walls, that defeats the purpose because there are more walls in a corner position. I want them to put me wherever they feel like is best to help us win."

Padilla hat, hand update

Vicente Padilla said his right hand is only slightly bruised after it was hit by a Howie Kendrick grounder in the seventh inning Wednesday night.

HBO film takes an edgy look at Ted Williams

Thu, 09 Jul 2009 22:59 CDT

RAY BUCK

The Splendid Splinter was also the unhappiest man on the planet.

That’s what I got from HBO’s Ted Williams: There Goes the Greatest Hitter That Ever Lived, to premiere 8:30 p.m. Wednesday.

The 75-minute film is raw, edgy, exhilarating ... and sad. The ending is as hard to watch as the Curious Case of Benjamin Button.

Even in death (July 2002), Ted Williams exceeded the standards and created controversy.

His only son — John Henry Williams — had his famous father’s body taken to a cryogenics lab in Scottsdale, Ariz., and suspended in liquid nitrogen at 320 degrees below zero.

The original Williams will expressed a wish to be cremated, but he apparently changed his mind and requested biostasis, or the act of being cryogenically preserved.

This two-sentence, hand-written directive on a scrap of heavily stained paper was produced by John Henry Williams, who died of leukemia less than two years later. He was 35.

The second "will" was signed by the elder Williams, John Henry and his sister, Claudia, who supposedly formed a pact to take "a chance" on science being able to reunite them in the future.

Claudia, the lone survivor of the three, spoke to the HBO filmmakers.

Meanwhile, a nephew of the late Hall of Fame slugger (and the last major leaguer to bat .400) is hurt by the way that his famous uncle is remembered.

"Not as Ted Williams, the great hitter; Ted Williams, the great war hero, [or] Ted Williams, the great fisherman," the nephew told HBO. "No ... 'Ted Williams, the frozen guy.’ That’s the sadness."

Teddy Ballgame has become "a punch line in death," said longtime Boston Globe columnist Dan Shaughnessy on camera.

The 75-minute film is laced with offensive language, so just be careful who’s in the room. (Ted, in his own voice, drives much of the story. Enough said.)

"Ted was the best curser in the history of the human race," cracked his biographer, Leigh Montville.

Williams spent a lifetime being obsessed with hitting a baseball. He would take his bats to the post office and weigh them to make sure they hadn’t gained an ounce of moisture.

His story begins with modest/unhappy San Diego roots. He quickly becomes a Boston demigod, and eventually an antagonistic/aging folk hero who ends up being the first manager of the Texas Rangers (1972). Buckle up; it’s quite a ride.

In spite of losing five years of at-bats to military duty (WW II and the Korean Conflict), which interrupted his career twice, he finished with 521 home runs, including No. 521 on his final at-bat. (Afterward, he ducked the media.)

He flew so many missions over Korea, his ears bled.

At home, he battled another foe: Joe DiMaggio of the rival New York Yankees. DiMaggio won nine World Series rings; Williams, none.

In ’41, Joe D put together a record 56-game hitting streak; Williams hit .406. Guess which one was selected MVP? DiMaggio.