Return of Ian Kinsler sparks Texas Rangers

Man it sure is nice to get quality starts on a consistent basis.

There are a lot of people who think that stat is flawed – and it is – but its main use is to determine whether or not a pitcher kept his team in the game.

Each of the last five games, the Rangers starters have done that.

Their record in those games?

4-1. There were two big stories in last night’s game – each pretty much equally important.

Colby Lewis’ start last night was one of the best pitching performances the Texas Rangers franchise has seen in the last ten years. And I know it was against the Mariners, not exactly one of the great offenses in the American League. But it came about three weeks after Lewis last faced the Mariners, and he shut them down. Nine shutout innings and ten strikeouts. The last 21 batters he faced were retired. Unreal.

A great job by Jon Daniels and the scouting staff of the Texas Rangers to discover Colby Lewis. He and C.J. Wilson have been a godsend to this team. Without them, I honestly don’t know where this team would be.

Just one more Lewis nugget: Colby Lewis is the American League leader in strikeouts with 38. Really.

The other big story was the return of Ian Kinsler to the Texas Rangers’ lineup. Kins’ return didn’t come a moment too soon, after Nelson Cruz had to go on the DL earlier in the week with a hamstring problem.

Yesterday’s outing against Cliff Lee was a tough assignment to draw in his first game of the season, but Ian managed an opposite-field single off of him (very encouraging) in five at-bats. He did strike out twice, but today’s contest against Felix Hernandez and crew was much better. Kins went 2-for-3 with two singles, two walks and two runs scored.

The bullpen has had a lot of heartburn-inducing moments, and it remains to be seen whether that will be the theme of the season.

The starting pitching has been decent, but a little discouraging with the struggles of Harden and Feldman. Still, the recent success is good to see, and hopefully it continues for the next couple of weeks with the A’s and the Royals on the docket.

But what needs to improve the most for the Texas Rangers is the offense. With the number of changes Jon Daniels and the front office have made to this team, a precedent has been established. Perform, or they will find someone who will.

And for the most part, these changes seem to be working. Justin Smoak has shown the ability to take pitches. Elvis Andrus has an on-base percentage of .400. Josh Hamilton has revamped his approach.

Ian Kinsler led the team in walks last year, so he’s just going to help the offense in that area. Not to mention the power and speed element he brings.

At the very least, it’s just nice to see him back in there. Makes me feel better about things.

Welcome back, Ian.

Lewis pic: http://www.fannation.com/truth_and_rumors/view/140970