I’ve done a couple informal studies, and the results are overwhelming:

If Darth Vader had a favorite baseball team, it would be the New York Yankees.

In an unrelated story (as far as you know), every time I hear someone talk about the Yankees, I hear this.

So how our plucky little Rebels – the Texas Rangers – going to take down the Galactic Empire, er, New York Yankees?

Find out after the jump.

Luke Skywalker (Cliff Lee) takes down Darth Vader (Derek Jeter) and Emperor Palpatine (Mariano Rivera) – The character closest to jumping to the New York Yankees must be considered Luke. Good thing for the Texas Rangers that he’s already a full-blown Jedi. I’m not quite sure if I could be a bigger Cliff Lee fan at this point, but it’s still unbelievable that one of the best postseason pitchers in baseball pitches for the Texas Rangers. It’s still not quite real. Kinda like the hologram at the end of Return of the Jedi that’s now Hayd———-.

Ooooh. Let me just stop right there. Painful subject.

But Cliff is going to strike at the heart of the Yankees (their offense) just like Luke struck at the heart of the Empire (the emperor). Plus I wouldn’t be surprised to see Cliff Lee’s arm turn into a green lightsaber by the end of the Series.

Han Solo (Josh Hamilton) and Chewbacca (Ian Kinsler) lead the invasion on Endor to destroy the shield generator (bludgeon the starting pitching) – We’re just going to pretend like the Ewoks aren’t really around. And that last series Josh Hamilton was still shaking off the effects of being frozen in carbonite. Anywho, Josh gets his mojo back early in the series with a couple of big hits against Sabathia (taking down Boba Fett, and what Jabba the Hutt joke? I don’t see any Jabba the Hutt jokes around here…) then leads the Rangers’ offense to enough runs to beat up the starting pitching and get into the soft underbelly of the New York Yankees (the bullpen before Mariano Rivera).

Admiral Ackbar (Ron Washington) and Mike Maddux hold off the Star Destroyers (deflect all criticism) – The media was all over these two guys for their handling of the bullpen in Game 3 of the Tampa Bay series, which was pretty undeserved in my opinion. Yeah Ron had a couple of quick hooks on a couple of guys, but a lot of the bullpen just flat struggled on Saturday night. Most of the time, that doesn’t happen. They’ll be just fine. Plus, it’s funny to think of Admiral Ackbar and Mike Maddux in the same ship.

IT’S A TRAP!

(Sorry, had to get that in. I’m good now.)

Biggs (Colby Lewis) and Wedge (CJ Wilson) cover Luke on the first strike on the Death Star (Games 1 and 2) – These are key games for the hopes of the Texas Rangers. If they can win at least one of the first two games (and pick up the first home playoff win in franchise history), their hopes for the series jump up a notch. That sets up Cliff Lee to win Game 3 to take a 2-1 lead. If the Texas Rangers get one of the following three games, they’re guaranteed to see Cliff in Game 7 at Rangers Ballpark. And, if you’ll let me shift into generic commentator mode for a second…

You know, if the Rebel Alliance hadn’t taken down the Death Star, the whole SERIES would have been different!

Lando Calrissian (Nelson Cruz) and Wedge Antilles (Michael Young) take down the Second Death Star (win the ALCS) with clutch hits – So what if Wedge was already used? He was promoted. Cruz was on fire during the ALDS, despite his unfortunate decision to admire his near homer in Game 5 (kinda like Lando’s unfortunate decision to trust Darth Vader). I expect that run to continue. I would certainly expect to see some late-inning heroics from the Boomstick in this series for the Texas Rangers. Michael Young didn’t have a huge role in the Division Series win, but the three-run homer in Game 2 sure was big. Somehow, he’ll find a way to have another big knock.

Prediction: The Rebels win, of course. In how long? Count the number of movies. (Even the prequels.)

Darth pic: http://deathstarpr.blogspot.com/2010/09/darth-vader-behind-mask.html

Excerpt for TXCN.com
The office suites beyond center field at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington may have some of the best seats in the house. But come Saturday, when the Texas Rangers play their first postseason home game in 11 years, those seats won’t be free.

Major League Baseball has informed the dozen or so businesses renting office space there that they will be charged $25 for each guest they invite to their balconies to watch the Rangers play the Tampa Bay Rays.

“Basically they are going to charge me to come to my office,” said Chuck Elhoff, a personal financial planner who moved into his ballpark office in 1994. “Why is Major League Baseball doing this? It’s a money grab.”

Source:TXCN

However, now Texas Rangers fans that normally wouldn’t be able to sit in the outfield office suites have a chance to sit in these boxes. We found one Luxury Suite that does not mention whether they allow individuals to come in, but we have been told you can contact them from their website ballpark308.com contact form to ask to be put on their guest list for a game.

12:11 CT – Great to see Josh Hamilton in that red Majestic pull over. Looks great.

12:12 CT – Remember when David Aldridge used to do basketball? Yeah, now he’s the dugout reporter for the Reds-Phillies series. How did that happen?

12:17 CT – The first Conan ad. Vegas has the over/under listed at 16.5 for the Rangers-Rays game. 49.5 for the day.

12:21 CT – Since I know you’re all wondering – I’m sporting the red Cliff Lee player tee today. And I’ll be listening to Eric Nadel. Not the TBS broadcasters. Game on mute, radio blaring. Isn’t that how our forefathers would have done it?

12:24 CT – Reason #134 I like the Rangers to win this series – David Price is on the cover of Sports Illustrated this week. That has to bode well, right?

12:26 CT – I liked Matt Winer a lot better on SportsCenter. I thought he was extremely underrated.

12:27 CT – THERE HE IS!!!! CLIFF LEE!!!! HE’S REALLY ON OUR TEAM!

12:31 CT – There was the intro. Oh well. I was listening to Michael Young. Come on Eric – I want to hear your intro.

12:33 CT – TBS goes to break showing a Rangers uniform that hasn’t been worn in two years. Nobody does it better than TBS!

12:34 CT – Ahhh, the pleasant sounds of Eric Nadel. Hello Eric!

12:35 CT – Lineups: TEX: Elvis, Mike, Josh, Vlad, Nellie, Ian, Frenchy, Cantu, Molina. TB: Bartlett, Upton, Crawford, Longoria, Pena, Baldelli, Zobrist, Shoppach, Rodriguez.

12:37 CT – Could I be more excited? I don’t think so. LET’S GO ELVIS. We are under way! 0-1 to Elvis.

12:40 CT – Elvis has a great playoff beard going right now. And a great at-bat to start off the game.

12:41 CT – Eight pitches to lead off the game, but Elvis bounces out to third. Like those long at-bats.

12:42 CT – Short at-bats for Mike and Josh, but a bloop single for Josh keeps the inning alive for Vladdy.

12:44 CT – Price really trying to establish that fastball so far. Up to 15 pitches in the first.

12:45 CT – CLAW! Vlad gets a single up the middle – 2 on, 2 out for Nellie.

12:47 CT – First breaking ball of the inning finally fouled off – 21st pitch of the inning.

12:48 CT – Nellie right on that fastball. Good at-bats to start off the game for the Rangers. Nellie bounces to first, but 24 pitches for Price in the first. Not bad.

12:49 CT – Conan count: 2.

12:54 CT – Bartlett leads off with a Texas Leaguer into right. Tough to double up Upton.

12:55 CT – Striking him out is a lot easier. How about we keep Crawford off base? Hmm? That would be nice.

12:57 CT – Nuts. Single for Crawford just out of the reach of Cliff. 2 on for Longoria with one out.

12:59 CT – Gulp. Loaded for Pena – this is not exactly how I wanted the first inning to go.

1:00 CT- WHOA! Looked like 3-1, but Pena called for the accidental foul. WOW – lucky break for the Rangers! 2-2 count. Didn’t look like it hit anything, but suddenly it’s 2-2. LET’S GET A K!

1:03 CT – No low strikes called yet for Cliff. The 2nd pitch should’ve been strike 2.

1:04 CT – THERE’S THE LOW STRIKE! Pena down looking.

1:06 CT – YES!!!! Lee strikes out the side. Whiffed Baldelli on three pitches. Hopefully I survive until the end of the game. This playoff baseball thing is probably not good for your health.

1:10 CT – Frenchy rocking the nice playoff beard…AND DELIVERS A FIRST-INNING RBI DOUBLE!!! CLAW! CLAW! CLAW!

1:13 CT – Okay, a first-pitch RBI double. Sorry. Got a little excited. Sure would be nice to see Bengie knock in Jeff here for a 2-0 lead.

1:16 CT – Molina delivers! RBI single makes it 2-0! Jon Daniels looks like a genius!

1:19 CT – Only 2 come across, but Price now up to 43 pitches after 19 in the 2nd. More importantly, THE RANGERS HAVE A 2-0 LEAD!

1:22 CT – Semi-depressing stat: The Rangers with two 2nd-inning runs have now scored more runs in the playoffs this year than they have in their last two trips.

1:25 CT – The low strike has not been called consistently for Cliff today. Got the big call on Pena, but the last couple haven’t been called for him.

1:28 CT – No low strikes at all! Fortunately, Cliff has gotten the last two, and Josh ALMOST doubled off Zobrist there. Get Bartlett…

1:32 CT – CLIFF LEE! Five K’s through ten hitters!

1:38 CT – Not a great AB there by Josh, and Vlad rips a ball right at Bartlett, but Cruz works it to 3-0 and BREAKS OUT THE BOOMSTICK! 3-0!

1:40 CT – Kinsler pops out, but another run for our guys. (TM – Hawk Harrelson)

1:46 CT – Well that was fun. A seven-pitch third for Cliff and another shut-down inning. Couple of loud outs, but at this point, all that matters is the outs themselves.

1:49 CT – Seriously, TBS? Why do I need a graphic for where the ball crosses the plate AND the pitch tracker?

1:55 CT – Sorry, blacked out there for a minute. Could have sworn I saw Bengie Molina just make it 4-0 with a homer.

1:59 CT – WHEEEEEEEEEE!!!!! Pena strikes out looking again, this time on a curve.

2:01 CT – Seven strikeouts for Cliff Lee through four innings with only 60 pitches. Only 17 the last two innings. Nine Rays sent down in a row.

2:04 CT – Sure would be nice to see another run or two this inning and get into that Tampa Bay bullpen soon.

2:08 CT – This game is so much fun. Hamilton reaches on error, steals second, Vlad doubles on a 3-0 pitch to make it 5-0. Again: WHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE.

2:14 CT – Rangers can’t get the sixth run home. Still 5-0 halfway through with Lee cruising and Price approaching 90 pitches.

2:19 CT – Great start to the 5th for Cliff. First pitch pop-up and then a K of Rodriguez – number 8 on the day.

2:20 CT – Nolan and Chuck shot. Here’s a chance to thank Chuck for those great “Medical Excuses” that were sent this morning.

2:22 CT – A harmless fly ball ends the 5th for the Rays. Another Conan ad, although I’ve missed a few. Upping the count to 6 just because.

2:27 CT – Oh no! Molina finally made an out!

2:28 CT – What an awesome bunt by Elvis. Just perfect.

2:30 CT – Price now at 101 pitches as Elvis gets thrown out to end the top of the 6th. Cliff Lee? Only at 71.

2:38 CT – Disappointing play there by Elvis to let Upton on, but Crawford quickly bounces into a fielder’s choice. Sure would be nice to keep the five-run lead into the 7th.

2:41 CT – A HUGE out there against Longoria. Now get Pena and you’re still up 5 going to the 7th.

2:46 CT – SAH-WING BATTER! Cliff Lee strikes out Pena to end the 6th and sets the Ranger playoff record in the process. 10 K’s now for Lee on 91 pitches.

2:52 CT – Day over for David Price after 6.2 IP – 5 R, 107 pitches, 9 hits, 8 K’s. Chad Qualls now in for Tampa. Vlad salivating.

2:54 CT – At the stretch, the Rangers are leading 5-0. Lee at only 91 pitches. If I’m Ron, I leave Cliff in for 120 pitches or until he runs into trouble. Hopefully that gets you through the 8th, and Feliz comes in to shut the door in the 9th.

2:58 CT – Rays finally on the board with a Ben Zobrist solo shot. One out in the 7th.

3:00 CT – Two outs in the 7th now, both Darrens throwing in the pen. Rodriguez lines out to Francoeur, and that will probably end Cliff’s day. 5-1 Rangers heading to the 8th.

3:06 CT – My two cents for the 8th inning: Bring in O’Day for Bartlett and Upton, then Oliver after that.

3:10 CT – Offense has been quiet since the Vlad double back in the 5th. Sure would be nice to scratch out an extra run or two. Cliff looks to be done for the day.

3:14 CT – So nothing in the 8th for the Rangers. O’Day in to start the 8th against Jaso, a pinch-hitter. It REALLY would be nice to see Julio Borbon come in for Francoeur for defensive purposes right now.

3:17 CT – Nervous times right now. O’Day allows a leadoff single to Jaso. Somehow have to get Upton right here.

3:18 CT – Wow. O’Day just made Upton look silly. One out, Darren Oliver coming in to face Crawford, Longoria and Pena (most likely).

3:21 CT – Accompanying move for Jaso PH will be for Brignac to come in for Shoppach.

3:22 CT – Both Feliz and Ogando are up right now. Darren REALLY needs to get Crawford, please.

3:24 CT – Two flyballs to Hamilton and Oliver gets the Rangers through the 8th. Due up for Tampa in the 9th: Pena, Baldelli, Zobrist. Interesting to see how Wash will play this.

3:27 CT – Feliz back up now. Wouldn’t be all that bad to leave Oliver in to face Pena and Baldelli in my opinion. Although another run or two would probably make that more likely as Bengie Molina singles. Bengie now 3/4 today.

3:30 CT – Elvis DP, Feliz coming in for the bottom of the ninth. And another Conan promo. How many is that? 7? Way under what I thought it would be.

3:32 CT – PH for Baldelli: Dan Johnson. Pena trying to avoid the golden sombrero to lead off the inning. First fastball at 97 MPH for Feliz.

3:36 CT – Leadoff walk brings up Johnson. Neffy a little wild so far.

3:39 CT – Neftali walks the first two. Zobrist now up, a tough out so far today. Nobody out. Nerves rising.

3:41 CT – EXTREMELY hard hit ball caught by Francoeur for out #1. Now Brignac, who hasn’t seen live pitching today. Tough to come off the bench and see Neffy’s heat. Feliz jumps ahead 0-2.

3:42 CT – Channeling Harry Doyle (Bob Uecker in Major League): THREE STRAIGHT HEATERS, AND (BRIGNAC) IS BLOWN DOWN!

3:43 CT – Neffy really bringing it now.

3:44 CT – BALLGAME! Neftali strikes out Brignac and Joyce on six straight fastballs. Rangers lead, 1-0! The 2nd playoff win ever! See everybody tomorrow!

Cliff Lee will be on the hill for the local nine as they go up against their first non-Yankees playoff opponent ever. The Tampa Bay Rays posted the best record in the American League this year (96-66), but it was only six games better than the record of our favorite claw-wielding players.

It really is a shame that this playoff series is going to be banished to the middle of the afternoon. This should be a VERY exciting, tense, no-no-no-no-YES, oh-my-god-how-did-he-do-THAT series between two of the most exciting teams in Major League Baseball. So how do the Texas Rangers stack up against their opponents from the Sunshine State? Hit the jump like you’ve got seven at a blackjack table to find out.

Lineup: It appears that Evan Longoria has overcome his quadricep injury (or will in time for Wednesday) and will be back in his cleanup spot for Tampa Bay. That should be an advantage for the Rangers, although it seems more so like that will be a wash considering Josh Hamilton is coming off a longer injury as well. Still, both offenses are pretty similar in that they are focused on only a couple of players. Crawford and Longoria are the heart of the Rays offense, while Cruz and Hamilton fill those positions for the Rangers.

What will be key will be how the rest of the lineups perform. Can the Rangers get good production out of Ian Kinsler, Vladimir Guerrero and Michael Young? What will Carlos Pena do? Can the Rangers contain Ben Zobrist? How many baserunning plays will affect these games? Can Bengie Molina avoid hitting into too many double plays? Will Elvis Andrus have his Ozzie Smith moment? Call me crazy, but I think the Rangers have a couple more weapons than the Rays do.

Slight Edge: Rangers

Uniforms: The Rays do have nice baby-blue uniforms that they wear as alternates, although they have ugly dark blue ones they wear on the road as well. I expect the red uniforms out for the home games for the Rangers, although I still have a tough time getting over the fact that they don’t have a uniform that says ‘Rangers’. The deciding factor here is that Tampa Bay can’t decide on what exactly they are. Are they Rays of the sun? Are they Rays of the sea? Make a decision.

Edge: Rangers

Pitching: The starting pitching matchups for all four of these games all could favor the Texas Rangers. At the very least, they certainly are a far cry from the days of Rick Helling and Esteban Loaiza starting playoff games in the late ’90s.

Here are the matchups (Ranger pitcher listed first):

Game 1 – Cliff Lee vs. David Price

Game 2 – C.J. Wilson vs. James Shields

Game 3 – Colby Lewis vs. Matt Garza

Game 4 – Tommy Hunter vs. Wade Davis

Game 5 – Cliff Lee vs. David Price

Those are really competitive matchups. The Texas Rangers and Tampa Bay Rays certainly are close in the starting pitching department.

At the end of the game, the Texas Rangers are going to have their hands full with the Rays’ three-headed bullpen monster of Rafael Soriano, Grant Balfour and former Ranger Joaquin Benoit. I understand that Benoit was talented and had a couple of good years for the Rangers, but it’s still a little hard for me to get over the fact that Joaquin Benoit is a major contributor for one of the best teams in the American League.

The Rangers’ bullpen is no slouch either, however, with Neftali Feliz looking like a lockdown closer considering he’s only blown one save since June 1. Darren O’Day, Darren Oliver and Alexi Ogando have been key cogs at the back end as well.

All in all, the pitching staffs are just as even as the lineups. The Rangers trailed the Rays in team ERA by only .15 this year (3.78 to 3.93), trailed in team strikeouts by only 8, but also permitted 73 more walks. Not a good sign against the team with the most walks in baseball.

Starting Pitching Edge: Rangers

Bullpen Edge: Rays

Ballpark/Fan Experience: Ha.

Massive Edge: Rangers

Defense: The Rays are a VERY good defensive team. Extremely athletic and talented at just about every position. The Rangers would be better off defensively with Borbon in center, Hamilton in left and Cruz in right against righties, but that’s not going to fly against lefties. We all know about Michael Young’s struggles at third, but Elvis and Ian are quite good as a double-play combo. The biggest question for the Texas Rangers will be how do they control the Rays’ running game? If the Rays don’t completely run rampant on the bases, it will be a success.

Edge: Rays

Notable fans/celebrity power: Not a ton between the two teams, so I think it has to come down to Nolan Ryan vs. Dick Vitale. And, I mean, come on.

Edge: Rangers

FINAL CALL: This is going to be a tough series for both teams. It’s far from out of the question that the winner of this series could win the World Series. The offenses are very similar and very good – the matchups earlier this year featured a lot of offense. The bullpens are both good, although the absence of Francisco tips the scales towards Tampa Bay. The starting pitching favors the Texas Rangers, especially considering Cliff Lee is the kind of pitcher that gives the Rays fits (i.e. left-handed and pounds the strike zone).

**Groundbreaking point coming**

The team that wins will be the team that makes the fewest mistakes. As long as the Rangers don’t give away outs and make the Tampa Bay Rays hit their way on, they should be able to win a playoff series for the first time in franchise history.

The pick? Rangers in four.

It’s Time.

Cliff Lee pic: http://bookieboss.com/blog/?paged=3

Season after season without a whole lot of hope, until the last couple, which seemed to give a glimpse of what this franchise was capable of.

But today is why it’s worth it. Today is why it’s worth it to be involved with the Texas Rangers.

Obviously I’m not going to compare what I or any other fan has gone through to what Michael Young went through. The Face of the Franchise has played more than 1,500 games in the majors without a playoff appearance. But that will come to an end next Wednesday when the Rangers play in Game 1 of the American League Division Series, in search of their first playoff series victory ever.

What will happen in that playoff series is a subject for another day and another post. But for right now, I just want to revel in how great this season has been.

I’m not sure if it’s possible to express how much fun I had cheering and supporting this team this year. Yeah, there have been some rough patches. Earlier this month was pretty ugly. Heck, the first two series of this road trip were no fun to watch.

But I just hope Ranger fans everywhere realize how fun this team is to watch. This is a youthful, talented squad that should be able to compete for division titles and hopefully more for years to come.

They have one of, if not the best front offices in baseball, complete with an ownership group willing to spend money and a general manager and player development team that is all too eager to put those resources to good use.

They have a great core of players that should only get better next year. Hamilton, Kinsler and Cruz are the core of a high-quality offense. Vlad Guerrero and Michael Young each contributed to a great rebound year for the offense.  Elvis Andrus and Julio Borbon each had their struggles, but their speed and defense isn’t going anywhere.

Are there areas for improvement? Absolutely. First base and catcher are major problem spots that must be addressed for next year. Re-signing Cliff Lee seems to be Priorities #1-3 for Greenberg and Co. Sure would be nice if the top three of the playoff rotation this year could be back next year.

And as for that playoff rotation? If Tampa Bay is the first round opponent for our beloved Rangers, I believe that Cliff Lee and CJ Wilson should start Games 1 & 2. The Rays struggle somewhat against left-handed starters, compiling a line of .251/.341/.402 against southpaws this year. Throw Colby Lewis in Game 3 and then go from there (although rolling with Lee on three days’ rest would be the option I suggest).

Only one more thing to look forward to before the regular season ends for the Texas Rangers: the return of Josh Hamilton.

Until then, it’ll be a good old-fashioned party at the Ballpark. Enjoy it.

It’s Time.

Perhaps this is a loser’s mentality. Perhaps I shouldn’t be as thrilled that the Rangers are 15 games above .500, and have a 3.5 game lead in the AL West.

But I can’t help myself. I’ve been waiting for a team like this for so long, I just don’t know what to do with myself.

Keep on reading for some thoughts on each part of the Texas Rangers.

Offense: Last year, strangely, the offense was the problem for this team. Multiple positions on the field were struggling and in turmoil, which contributed to the Texas Rangers falling short of the playoffs yet again. This year? No such problems. Vlad Guerrero leads the American League in RBIs, Josh Hamilton is back to his ’08 form, Ian Kinsler and Elvis Andrus are getting on base at great rates and Michael Young is continuing to be a very solid performer at third base.

Not to mention where this team would be without the contributions it got from Nelson Cruz in the first month of the season. It’s a shame that Nelson has missed so much time with those balky hamstrings – he clearly doesn’t have the timing he had earlier in the year. Still, it doesn’t seem like a problem that is impossible to fix. Those are the first six hitters in the lineup. No problems there.

Julio Borbon started very slow, but has been better lately, and has been just fine in a position, center field, that requires a better glove than bat. Bengie Molina and Matt Treanor are just fine as your catchers. Defensively solid, veteran guys that will occasionally do something positive for the offense. Fine there.

Justin Smoak is only two years out of college. This guy only had a little more than one full season in the minors. He is STRUGGLING right now. Am I saying he should be sent down? No, but I’m trying not to lean that way. I want Justin to give me a reason not to lean that way. If he could hit .250 the rest of the way with his normal plate discipline, I’d be thrilled.

Defense: Sometimes I think people forget that the Texas Rangers are a very good defensive team. The outfield is blessed with very good speed and strong arms in the corners (Julio’s leaves a little something to be desired). The infield has very good range. Well, except for Michael Young. Mike’s a defensive liability over there. But I don’t want to do anything with him – his offense more than makes up for his defense. Besides – he can’t get worse, right?

Starters: The starting rotation for the Texas Rangers has not been horrible. Colby Lewis has really been a godsend, with 104.2 IP and a 3.35 ERA. He’s striking out more than eight batters per nine innings, a very nice number. He’s not walking all that many hitters either. But people are worried about him breaking down, even though the point of getting Lewis was for him to be an innings-eater. If he needs some extra rest like he did last week, that’s fine, but I don’t understand why everybody’s so worried about him wearing out. He’s got another start on Wednesday, then he gets some time off for the All-Star break. He’s a nice #2-#3 guy.

So is Tommy Hunter. The guy is 5-0, with a 1.98 ERA in six starts. Will that continue? No. But this is still a guy who has a career ERA of under 4.50 at 24 years old, doesn’t walk guys (averaging about two per nine innings this year) and has shown to be fairly durable. Maybe he’s just another #3 type, but he sure can be a valuable member of a rotation.

C.J. Wilson sure started strong, but has fallen back of late. He’s got good stuff, but needs to take a lesson from Tommy Hunter on how to throw strikes. Plus he’s got the factor of his innings total to deal with as well. If he could quit nibbling, he would be able to go deeper in games and save the bullpen a little more. What is clear is that he MUST cut down on the walks. At all costs.

Omar Beltre has good stuff but is filler right now, waiting for Rich Harden and Derek Holland to get back. Matt Harrison has been sent down to AAA, but was the definition of mediocre before he was bumped down to the bullpen.

Rich Harden has been bad, but the Texas Rangers have too many dollars sunk into him to give up on him. Derek Holland has really good stuff and could be a GREAT addition to this rotation in the second half.

But Scott Feldman? Sorry. Right now he can’t be a part of this rotation. He’s got his last start before the break Friday, but if Harden and Holland are eligible to come off the DL, Beltre and Feldman should be bumped out of the rotation. Feldman has an ERA of over 5.50. Seriously.

Bullpen: They’ve been great. Feliz, Oliver, Francisco, O’Day, Ogando all are great coming out of the bullpen at the end of the game. Dustin Nippert? Not so much. But Pedro Strop has good stuff, and is better than Chris Ray as the last guy in the bullpen. Still, worries persist that this bullpen is going to wear down. Eventually Ogando will give up a run. But nobody in the Wolfpack is on pace to pitch 80 innings this year. I’m not real sure where the angst comes from regarding these appearances.

The Texas Rangers probably could use another arm out of the bullpen (although Pedro Strop really could be that guy), but that’s low on the list of needs. What the Rangers really need is Derek Holland and Rich Harden to get healthy, CJ to cut down on the walks and Justin Smoak to hit .250 the rest of the way.

Does the schedule get tougher? Yes. But will this team make the playoffs? I believe they will. Keep the top six of that lineup healthy and this team will be able to hang with these teams.

And Cliff Lee? I’ve got a feeling he’s coming here, and a lot of people will be unhappy with what the Texas Rangers gave up. And they’ll forget about it once Lee gets the Texas Rangers back to the playoffs.

Except for guys who can’t throw strikes. They need to be dreaded.

The Texas Rangers‘ bullpen had a bad April. It was full of guys who gave up too many hits, couldn’t throw strikes and generally just sucked.

In May, they’ve been much better, locking down a lot of leads in a seemingly endless string of close games.

But are there reasons to be concerned? An explanation after the jump.

- The Rangers have played 18 one-run games, including an amazing six on this homestand alone. They went 4-2 in those six, a fine mark. They’ve played the most one-run games in the American League, with only Dusty Baker’s Cardiac Reds matching them for most in baseball.

- What does that mean? It means that the best bullpen arms for the Rangers have to be relied upon a lot. A LOT. It’s as if each member of the bullpen is a weightlifter and each game is five pounds that gets added on to the barbell. Sooner or later, they collapse. Also known as “Jamey Wright syndrome”, this collapse occurs when a pitcher is overworked in the first half of the season and proceeds to have an ERA in the neighborhood of 8 over the last couple of months.

- Only two pitchers for the Rangers last season had as many as 60 appearances: C.J. Wilson and Darren O’Day. Both had stellar years out of the bullpen, and O’Day has continued that (Saturday notwithstanding) with Wilson moving into the rotation with great success, despite struggling lately. All things considered, the Rangers bullpen was pretty solid last year, especially once Neftali Feliz joined the fun.

- This year the Rangers have five players who already have more than 20 appearances, with Dustin Nippert sitting at 19. Doug Mathis has already been shipped back to AAA, and Guillermo Moscoso earned himself a return ticket to Oklahoma City after Thursday night’s display in the blowout of Baltimore. So Ron Washington has pretty much been forced to go with a six-man bullpen this year.

- Is this such a bad thing? Of the five main pitchers in the pen (Feliz, Francisco, Oliver, Ray, O’Day), only Darren Oliver is averaging more than 1 inning per appearance. (Feliz is at 23.1 IP in 23 games, but that’s close enough to 1.) The question is whether these pitchers will wear down from continuous use or overuse. While all of them are on pace to average in the mid-80s in appearances, none of them would be close to 90 innings pitched on the season if they keep their current averages.

- In the end, it’s probably a moot point. If we are still worried about these pitchers being overworked in August, that means they will have remained healthy for the entire season. That bodes well for the fortunes of this club, because the bullpen has been just fine in the month of May. It’s not a coincidence that the Texas Rangers are 15-8 in the month of May with the stabilization of the bullpen. All five of the most-used pitchers are pitching well right now, and I feel pretty comfortable with each of them in the game.

- There are reinforcements coming. Matt Harrison reportedly will replace Guillermo Moscoso on Friday when he’s eligible to come off the disabled list Friday and serve as another left-hander in Ron’s arsenal, with Dustin Nippert moving to more of a long-relief role. The less stress that has to rest on the 39-year-old arm of Darren Oliver, the better.

- Tanner Scheppers and Alexi Ogando will see time in Arlington this year, although it would be better for both if they spent a little bit more time in AAA. Scheppers is now reportedly being stretched out to become a starter, which is what he was in college and last year with the St. Paul Saints of the American Association. Ogando is a power righty arm that will come out of the bullpen. Can never have enough of those guys.

But what will really save the bullpen? More innings from the starters. Right now the starters are slumping a little bit, but it happens over the course of a long season. Hitters slump sometimes. Pitchers slump sometimes. The key is not having both slump at the same time.

Harrison pic: http://www.daylife.com/photo/01krbzy3Qwd38

But as the Texas Rangers pass through customs for a relatively big series against the surprising Toronto Blue Jays, all I’ve got to say is one thing:

The boomstick is back, baby.

(Well, okay, maybe more than one thing.)

Since Nelson Cruz was last in the lineup, the Texas Rangers have gone 10-4. That doesn’t really seem possible considering how red-hot he was, but the bullpen has been a little better, the starting pitching has stabilized and the lineup has changed for the better.

I think everybody who’s been following the Texas Rangers is excited to see what this offense can do when Nelson Cruz is hitting behind Ian Kinsler. Tonight’s lineup is very interesting (especially against the lefty Brett Cecil), as the only left-handed hitter is Josh Hamilton. Max Ramirez gets his second start in three days, and Craig Gentry gets a start in center (before he’s presumably sent down).

The catching situation with this team has been a borderline disaster, but Ramirez seems to be giving the team a little bit of a spark. Nothing against Matt Treanor, but he’s a nice backup. There’s nothing wrong with that, and that’s what he’s been his entire career. But it’s probably good for this team that Ramirez is getting a few more starts.

It’s still amazing to me though that the two best pitchers for the Texas Rangers were the two guys that most people had the most concerns about coming into the season. C.J. Wilson has started the season with seven consecutive quality starts. That’s unreal. Colby Lewis is in the top ten in strikeouts in the American League. That’s almost more unreal.

But there are still some areas of concern. Currently the biggest is Rich Harden, who gave up a three-run lead in five hitters just now, although he had looked better of late. Scott Feldman also MUST be better. Whether it’s worrying over the contract, or just pressing, the “ace” of the staff is sporting the highest ERA of any current starters.

The bullpen has looked better of late as well, and it was really nice to see Frank Francisco have a nice outing yesterday. Really the only worry about the bullpen is the guys getting overworked. Both of the Darrens have seen a lot of action, but you know what? It doesn’t matter.

I started this blog post before tonight’s game.

As I type this now, it’s 15-10 in the 5th.

So whatever I say is meaningless right now.

Let’s Go Rangers.