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Rangers ace Kevin Millwood deserves an All-Star selection
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Jim Reeves
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ARLINGTON — The shame of it is that Tampa Bay manager Joe Maddon couldn’t have made his way south to Texas a couple of days earlier, instead of waiting until this weekend when he comes to town with the Rays.
Then he could have seen this year’s version of Kevin Millwood. He would have noticed the same differences we’ve been seeing all season. Even better, he could have noted the killer look in Millwood’s eye, the determined set of his jaw, and Maddon then would know what we know.
One look, one game, and Millwood’s rightful place on the American League All-Star team, the one that Maddon will help choose and announce Sunday, would be guaranteed.
He could have put Millwood to the personal eyeball test. That would have done it.
Instead, with Maddon 1,200 miles away in Toronto, Millwood was exactly where the Rangers needed him most, outdueling Angels ace Jered Weaver in what was supposed to be a nice little 7-4 Rangers’ victory — right until Frankie Francisco, freshly inserted back into the closer’s role, served up a game-tying, two-out, three-run homer to Juan Rivera in the ninth inning, blowing what would have been Millwood’s ninth victory of the season.
That left it to Hank Blalock to win it 9-7 with a walk-off two-run homer, the first of his career, with two outs in the bottom of the ninth.
Don’t look now, but the team that many fans were writing off a few days ago is now just a half-game back of the Angels and 15-4 against American League West opponents.
Millwood will miss Maddon and the Rays this weekend and that’s too bad, but the Rangers’ ace — and I don’t use that term lightly — wouldn’t have it any other way. He’d be the first to say that what he’s doing this season isn’t about him; it’s about team.
That’s exactly why Millwood is the one Ranger who most deserves to be in St. Louis when the game’s best players convene there July 13-14.
Yes, Ian Kinsler should be voted onto the team by the fans and Michael Young is so popular with players around the league, it won’t surprise me if they vote him in, too, and that would be great.
But if Millwood isn’t there, it will be a huge injustice.
Unfortunately, we see major All-Star ripoffs at this time every summer, which is why I’m making my pitch to Maddon now. Just in case that’s not enough, I suggest the Rangers compile a short DVD of Millwood highlights.
Except, by necessity, it wouldn’t be that short.
Of course, if he wants to do it the easy way, the Rays’ manager could check with his counterpart in the home dugout while he’s here this weekend.
"Undoubtedly he deserves to be on the All-Star team," said Rangers manager Ron Washington, who could have helped an obviously tiring Millwood by pulling him in the seventh before the Angels made things tighter than they should have been with a three-run rally. "He’s given us All-Star caliber starts. He’s been about as good as anyone in the league to this point.
"When we’ve had bad spells, he’s been the guy to go out there and straighten us back out. When we need a lift, he lifts us up. He’s throwing the ball as well as anybody’s ever seen him throw it."
And if Maddon wants a second opinion, Texas pitching coach Mike Maddux will be happy to provide it.
"I’m biased," Maddux confessed. "I don’t know the league stats, who’s done what, but I know what [Millwood] has done and he’s been pretty damn good. He’s been the model of consistency.
"Innings pitched, that’s the telltale sign right there. You don’t go out there and log the innings by accident."
In fact, the numbers are the first thing Maddon no doubt will check and that’s fine. What he’ll discover is that Millwood is ranked among the league leaders in wins (tied for sixth with 8), ERA (5th at 2.80) and innings pitched (first with 119). Of Millwood’s five losses, three have been by one run and a fourth was a 2-0, complete-game loss to the Royals.
All this might make it sound like Millwood is a lock, but that’s hardly the case. These things are never easy and the way I figure it, Millwood is probably on the bubble, which is why I wish Maddon could have had an close and personal look Wednesday night.
Here’s how it will work: The players will vote eight of the AL pitchers onto the team — five starters and three relievers. MLB added a 13th pitcher to the team Wednesday, so that leaves five more for Maddon to choose and he can mix and match starters and relievers any way he likes.
Kansas City’s Zack Greinke (10-3, 1.95), Toronto’s Roy Halladay (10-2, 2.56), Boston’s Josh Beckett (9-3, 3.67) and Seattle’s Felix Hernandez (8-3, 2.54), would seem like locks.
Millwood is at the top of the next tier of starters along with Detroit’s Justin Verlander (8-4, 3.54, a league-leading 130 strikeouts) and Edwin Jackson (6-4, 2.49), Minnesota’s Kevin Slowey (10-3, 4.41), Boston’s Tim Wakefield (10-3, 4.18), Weaver (8-3, 2.65) and Chicago’s Mark Buehrle (7-2, 3.26).
How many relievers Maddon will want is the joker in the deck. Closers such as the Angels’ Brian Fuentes, the Twins’ Joe Nathan, the Red Sox’s Jonathan Papelbon, the Yankees’ Mariano Rivera and the White Sox’s Bobby Jenks will likely get votes and/or Maddon’s attention.
But it just won’t be right if Millwood is not there.
"It would be a huge honor, without a doubt," he said before taking the mound Wednesday night. "It would mean a lot to me. I’d enjoy it.
"But I’m not hanging my hat on it. If I don’t make it, I won’t be hugely disappointed. I can definitely think of something to do [with a four-day break]. Then again, it would be something fun to do."
It would be more than fun for Millwood, who hasn’t been to the All-Star game since his second year in the majors in 1999, when he won 18 games for the Braves. It would be validation of everything Millwood has worked so hard for this year, from changing his body, his mind-set, everything.
"It would be special because it’s been so long," he finally conceded. "It would be fun, something to share with my kids and have them there."
Millwood has earned it and I’m counting on Maddon to know that.
I’d just feel better about it if he’d been here Wednesday night to see for himself.
