Dallas Round-Up: Rangers AL West Run, Cowboys Preseason

NFL football betting players are getting ready for the regular season, and the Dallas Cowboys began their preseason slate with the Hall of Fame Game.  But we’re going to start with the Texas Rangers, who proved that they could hang with the best team in baseball, and they’ll continue their run through the American League East.

Texas Rangers

The Rangers began their week last Friday with a 5-1 win Oakland, but they dropped the last two games of the series against their American League West rivals.  The Rangers then had a couple of days off before they welcomed the defending World Series champion New York Yankees for a two-game set at the Ballpark.  If MLB betting players are going to take the Rangers seriously, they would like to know how they would fare against the best, and Texas definitely showed a good account of themselves, earning a split, and they would have won the second game if not for a late rally by the Yankees.  They got surprising power from the likes of David Murphy and Taylor Teagarden, who went deep twice each last week, while Murphy also led the team with eight RBIs.  Cliff Lee made two starts, winning one and taking a no-decision in an 11-strikeout performance against the Yankees, but Neftali Feliz blew a save opportunity against the Bronx Bombers, and the Rangers will need him to be steady against the best teams in the league.  This week, the Rangers are off on Thursday, then they’ll host the Boston Red Sox for three games before heading to Tampa Bay early next week for a three-game set.

Dallas Cowboys

Some college football betting players in Dallas will have been disappointed not to see rookie Dez Bryant in last week’s Hall of Fame Game against Cincinnati, but the Cowboys won a sloppy 16-7 game in which they forced four turnovers.  Tony Romo and the first-team offense looked good in their minimal playing time, but the team looked pretty solid as a whole, albeit a bit rusty, which is a given.  The Cowboys controlled the clock, holding the ball for over 36 minutes, and as we said, in the little time that their defense was on the field, they completely dominated the Cincinnati offense, holding them to 179 total yards, including a measly 43 on the ground.  The Cowboys have a short week now as they turn around and host Oakland at Cowboys Stadium on Thursday night, and with each game, the starters will play more and more, which will give you a better feel for how the Cowboys will play this year, although they’ll still be watching out for injuries.  The Cowboys are a 3-point favorite on Thursday night according to sports betting odds, so get some early preseason research in on Dallas this week.

Dallas Round-Up | Rangers Stretch Lead | Cowboys Making Noise In Camp

Those doing their college football betting online are gearing up for the beginning of their season, but the baseball betting season is starting to heat up, and Texas is well on their way to the American League West crown.  In the NFL, Dez Bryant is getting off to an interesting start with the Cowboys.

Texas Rangers

The Rangers will be aiming to take the rubber match of their three-game set with Oakland at home, wrapping up a week in which they took three of four against the Los Angeles Angels at home last weekend.  Michael Young went deep three times for the Rangers last week, hitting .318 with four RBIs, while Nelson Cruz batted .417 with a pair of homers and four RBIs.  If the Rangers can continue to prove that their lineup isn’t just Josh Hamilton and Vladdy Guerrero, who struggled last week, their MLB betting odds will improve.  Cliff Lee continues to be a monster for the Rangers, going 1-0 in two starts last year, tossing 17.1 innings, and he struck out 17 batters….without walking a single one.  Neftali Feliz was perfect in three save opportunities for the Rangers, who have another important week coming up.  The Rangers head out on the road for a nine-game trip with teams from the West, beginning with a three-game set in Los Angeles against the Angels this weekend, following by a visit to Seattle, Lee’s former team. If they can manage to at least split their six games in the next week, the Rangers should be sitting pretty in the West.

Dallas Cowboys

NCAA football betting players know that Dez Bryant had a tough time at Oklahoma State, missing virtually all of last year because he lied to NCAA investigators about a meeting with Deion Sanders, and it’s things like these that caused him to slip in the draft (some folks call them “character issues”.  Then, Bryant made a fuss earlier this week when he refused to carry the pads of Roy Williams, who many people feel Bryant will replace in the starting lineup.  Bryant then said he wasn’t aware of the tradition that has been going on not only in the NFL, but in most professional sports, for years.  Rookies, no matter how highly touted or where they were drafted, are usually counted on carry pads, buy dinners, and be generally subservient to the veterans, and it’s not like they were trying to tape him to goalposts or anything.  Of course, the media took and made way too big of an issue, but Bryant is going to have to learn to be more humble and realize that he’s part of a team now.  Little things like that can mess with a team’s online betting odds.

Trading Jarrod Saltalamacchia Could Be a Bad Move

Over the last few years the Rangers have made some pretty good personnel moves: the signing of Vladimir Guerrero, The Cliff Lee Trade, Edinson Volquez for Josh Hamilton and of course the famous Mark Teixeira Trade. They have also made some bad ones: Chris Young for Adam Eaton, Alfonso Soriano for Brad Wilkerson, and John Danks for Brandon McCarthy.

The most recent move by the Rangers was trading catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia to the Boston Red Sox for right hand pitcher Roman Mendez, first baseman Chris McGuiness, a player to be named later and cash considerations. The move was done because they were disappointed in Saltalamacchia’s performance, but it was also done to bulk up their roster as they make a serious run for the post-season.

Getting to the post season in Major League Baseball is probably more difficult than other professional sports such as the NHL or the NBA, so making deals that help a team in short-term is commonly accepted. However; are the Rangers hurting themselves in the long-run by parting with a catcher who has the potential to be one of the best in the league? Will this move join the list of regrettable trades made by the Texas Rangers?

Read more

Cristian Guzman traded to Texas Rangers? Confirmed

Twitter is buzzing and the Washington Post is reporting that there is more Texas Rangers news, 2B/SS Cristian Guzman is heading to Texas. The Rangers traded prospects to the Washington Nationals for the veteran infielder. There are no more details yet on the trade, and we will update this post when we here more details on the Texas Ranger’s Cristian Guzman trade.

Washington Post Articte: Cristian Guzman Traded to Texas Rangers
Photo Credit: Sports of Boston

Rangers-Astros Rivalry Needs a Spark

The Rangers have wrapped up inter-league play and just recently concluded the annual Lone Star Series with the Houston Astros. Once again, the Rangers have won the series. But did anybody really notice or even care?

Before we start this discussion, a little back ground on the series is needed. The series began in 2001. It’s a six games series and the winner is awarded the Silver Boot – a 30-inch tall display of a cowboy boot cast in silver. To date the two teams have played sixty games. The Texas Rangers lead the series with seven silver boots and thirty three wins. The Astros have three silver boots and twenty seven wins.

Over the years there have been some memorable moments, but is this series on par with the classic cross-town inter-league rivalries we see in other baseball towns? Does the Lone Star series fuel a competitive fire between the two teams that spurs fan interest?

There are many cross-town rivals/series that do. The Freeway Series (Angels vs Dodgers); the Windy City Show Down (Cubs vs White Sox), The Bay Bridge Series (Giants vs Athletics) and the Subway Series (Yankees vs the Mets). These series generate fan interest and create atmospheres similar to Texas-OU weekend.

The reason these series are so successful is because of two key ingredients: a rich history and both teams being located in the same city or metropolitan area.

Read more

The Borbon Ultimatum

At the end of 2009 Julio Borbon looked like a lock to solid contributor for years to come. In 46 games Julio sported an impressive .312 avg with 19 swiped bags. Conventional wisdom said that with a slight improvement in plate disciple and fundamentals this man could be a force in the lead off spot. As they say, “Speed never goes into slumps”.

What a difference a year makes. Julio has looked nothing like his 2009 self. With every passing day he looks increasingly lost at the plate. Through 119 plate appearance Julio is carrying a .221 avg, (which drops to .157 with RISP) and a K/BB ration of 18/2. To compound the issue, his woeful on base percentage (.246) has lead to a significant drop in stolen bases. One of the truly telling moments of this season for Borbon came in an early May 7-6 loss to the A’s. Down by one with Gentry on second and no outs, Ron Washington took the bunt off and allowed Julio to swing away against Andrew Bailey. This resulted in a shallow fly to left that left the tying run stuck on second. It left me with the feeling that the club has no faith in Julio’s ability to drop down the most basic of bunts. The most fundamental weapon for any speedster.

Defensively, Julio has been fine. His sub-stellar instincts in center are generally quelled by his speed, allowing him to make all the routine plays. It’s well chronicled that his arm is nothing short of a noodle, but that is a problem that can be worked around (Think Johnny Damon in his Red Sox days). To date, he has a UZR/150 rating of -1.7 (explanation here). Nowhere near a “liability”, but still not what you dream of from an every day center fielder. Especially one with his speed.

The Rangers have shown no signs of wavering from their commitment to Borbon, and that is admirable. You don’t want to destroy a young mans confidence, and possibly change his baseball future forever. Julio could easily turn out to be the every day CF they need. Baseball is a streaky game, and the man could easily light on fire. But the Rangers are in a very winnable division, and have a very talented team. That means if his numbers don’t improve, their hand will become forced and something will have to be done. Especially since there are very tangible benefits to having him on the bench. He would be an incredibly valuable 4th outfielder in case of injury, with the added bonus of being a phenomenal pinch-runner in big spots. I’ve decided to take this opportunity to brainstorm hypothetical outfield fixes if Mr. Borbon keeps up his horrid start.

1. Move Josh Hamilton to CF, Murphy to left.  It has worked before, it can work again. David Murphy has capitalized on the increased playing time he has received with Nelly on the DL. If the struggles continue this scenario seems obvious enough. The biggest plus to this plan is that it’s free. The Rangers love free about as much as i love pie. That’s a lot. Why? Because pie is delicious (or because the Rangers are broke, depending on what you were inquiring about). The downside is that Josh Hamilton is a very streaky fielder.
2. Trade for an every day center fielder. This is without a doubt the sexiest of the options. Every fan loves when their team acquires a shiny new toy. When dealing with the Rangers, the biggest concern is money. The team is virtually broke, which makes taking on salary rough. If the Rangers were to dig deep into shallow pockets, it would most likely be for an every day catcher. However if they were able to enter the market the first and most likely spot to look would be to the Royals. All of their outfielders (Ankiel, Dejesus, Guillen, Podsednik) come off of team control at seasons end, so they are all easy enough to acquire. Jose Guillen is pretty much a full time DH these days and carries a mammoth contract. Thus, he is not at all an option. The other three, however, are certainly possible. Podsednik is far and away the most appealing. He has a batting average of .296, an OBP of .352, and has swiped 14 bags. Combine that with the fact that he makes a very manageable 1.65mm, and he becomes a pretty dreamy option. On the flip side, Dejesus and Ankiel both come with major concerns. Ankiel is aging, injury prone, and not at all playing well. He is batting only .210, and comes with a higher (2.75mm) price tag. Dejesus is a solid contributor, but comes with a 4.7mm price tag that I am not sure the Rangers would be thrilled about picking up. However, if the deal were right any of the three are possible. Outside the Royals, acquirable everyday center fielders are scarce. If the Mets fire Omar Manaya, they could start moving everyone. That would make Angel Pagan an interesting option. Now that Roy Oswalt has helped the Astros realize their need to wave the white flag on this season and next, there is an outside chance Michael Bourn could be available. Richard Justice of the Houston Chronicle reported that, “There are 25 guys on their roster, and none of them are untouchable.”. This is of course the best of best case scenarios, as Michael Bourn is one heck of a ball player. Offensively, he is on the same pace as Scott Podsednik. However, he is an exceptional defensive center fielder and is much younger. It’s not a likely scenario,but, armed with massive amounts of pitching prospects and Chris Davis, it’s not an impossible one either.
3. Trade for a left field upgrade and move Josh Hamilton to CF. If the Rangers don’t love the idea of playing David Murphy day-in-day-out there are two intriguing LF options that are sure to be available come the trade deadline. The first, and in my opinion most appealing, is the Nationals’ Josh Willingham. Willingham is almost always amidst trade talks, and he is a consistent offensive contributor. He is not rock solid in left, lacks tools, and comes in at 4.6mm. But I believe his offense would overshadow those issues in the Ballpark At Arlington. Another LF option could be Conor Jackson of the Diamondbacks. While not often mentioned in direct trade talks, his time with the Dbacks is expiring and they could certainly use some prospects to fuel a rebuilding effort.
4. Acquire a utility outfielder: A scenario that comes to mind is in a deal with the Tigers. They have a ton of depth in the outfield, and also have a wealth of LH relievers (Coke, Fu-Te-Ni, Thomas, and Schlereth) that the Rangers could be interested in. They have to be terrified that 39 yr old Darren Olvers arm will fall off with a full seasons workload, and their bullpen is suspect to begin with. The Rangers may kill two birds with one stone and acquire a lefty and a utility man in one deal. Ryan Raburn seems like a likely candidate, as he was mentioned in trade talks this spring. If the Mets do end up in an “everyone must go” situation, then the Rangers could inquire about young utility man Daniel Murphy.
5. Await the return of Endy Chavez. Endy Chaves will be coming back from injury soon, and likely serve as the Rangers 5th outfielder. However, elevating him beyond is a little terrifying. It’s probably not a good idea to rest many hopes on an outfielder coming off of a knee injury who hasn’t played a full season in nearly two years.
6. And finally, Promote an outfield prospect from the minors: No. I’m kidding. There are none. Neither of the Rangers top minor league prospects are ready yet. Mitch Moreland is batting .240 in AAA Oklahoma City, and Engel Beltre is still playing A ball.

I think it is probably too early to panic, but that doesn’t mean panic is far off.  I would give it until mid June, but no longer. The last thing a contender needs is an average fielder who looks like he is swinging a garden hose at the plate.

Dallas Round-Up – Rangers Move Up To First; Mavs Looking To Blow It Up?

Before you settle into some Preakness betting, you should check out the status of the Texas Rangers, who are making moves up the ranks in the American League West, while the Dallas Mavericks wonder if they should start all over again.

Texas Rangers

The Rangers have had a great week, sweeping Kansas City at home in a four-game series, and they had split the first two games of their three-game set with Oakland heading into Thursday afternoon’s finale.  The last week has been kind to Vladimir Guerrero and Josh Hamilton, the duo that many thought would power the Rangers to the top of the division, and over the last seven days, they’ve shown why.  Guerrero had a .348 average in six games last week, along with four homers and eight RBIs.  Hamilton wasn’t far behind with a .296 average, three homers and nine RBIs.  If they continue to hit like this, the Rangers will have one of the premier power duos in the entire majors, but Guerrero and Hamilton have to stay healthy.  As for the pitchers, C.J. Wilson and Derek Holland both had excellent starts against the Royals and Athletics, and Wilson is being counted on for the win in Thursday’s finale against Oakland.  Coming up this week, the Rangers will head to Toronto for the weekend before returning home for meetings with Guerrero’s former team, the Los Angeles Angels, as well as a visit from Baltimore. The Rangers’ MLB betting odds are looking up.

Dallas Mavericks

The Mavericks are still sorting through the rubble of their first-round implosion against San Antonio, and even though NBA championship odds thought they would challenge Los Angeles for the Western Conference title, all there is another opening-round exit for a team that has won 50 games or more in each of the last 10 seasons. Dirk Nowitzki is the biggest question as he has a $21.5 million player option, which many think he’ll take, but he has to wonder about the state of the team.  Will Jason Kidd be moved after an awful postseason, especially if they try and give more minutes to Roddy Beaubois?  Shawn Marion is another piece of trade bait who didn’t perform that well, especially own the stretch.  They would probably like to move Erick Dampier as well, but with $13 million owed to him next year, it may be hard to find a dance partner.  The Mavericks don’t have much in the way of cap room unless they make some moves, but they’re becoming the NBA’s version of the San Jose Sharks.  However, even the Sharks broke through this year, which means that maybe next year will be the Mavericks’ time if you’re going to bet on sports.

Dallas Round-Up – With Mavs Out Of The Way, Rangers Get Full Attention

Once again, Dallas’ NBA championship odds went up in flames at the hands of a bitter rival for another big upset in the playoffs.  With the Stars quietly mulling over their offseason options, that will leave the Rangers to draw the ire of Dallas fans in Texas.

Dallas Mavericks

The Mavericks seemed like they weren’t even interested in staving off elimination as they were down 22-8 at the end of their first quarter in the sixth game of their first-round series with San Antonio, but to their credit, they fought back gamely.  However, it wasn’t enough as the Mavericks fell 97-87 to the Spurs, falling out in the first round for the third time in four seasons.  Dirk Nowitzki tried to put the team on his back with 33 points, while Caron Butler had 25 points, but Jason Kidd finally started to look his age with a 1-of-6 performance, even though he added eight boards and six assists.  Now, the Mavericks will wonder if Nowitzki will opt out of the final year of his deal and test free agency, although it’s pretty unlikely that he’ll leave the only franchise he has ever played for in 12 years of NBA action.  Kidd was not present at the final team meeting of the season, and they could look to move the veteran point guard to give more time to Roddy Beaubois, who had 16 points in 21 minutes of the Game 6 loss.  Either way, there may be a change to the Mavericks, who must look at Spurs Suns betting odds and feel sick.

Texas Rangers

The Rangers swept the Mariners in Seattle last weekend, with two of the wins coming in extra innings, while Rich Harden began a three-game set in Oakland by getting a win against the team that drafted him in 2000, and where he spent 5 ½ seasons before he was traded to Chicago, where the Cubs were looking to improve their MLB betting odds in the National League.  The Rangers then dropped the last two games of the series in Oakland, and heading into the first of their four-game set at home with Kansas City, the Rangers were 14-14, which is good for second behind the Athletics in the American League West by a half-game.  The Rangers will go up against the reigning Cy Young winner, Kansas City’s Zack Greinke, on Friday night, while Harden will go the next day on Saturday night.  After the Royals, the Rangers will then welcome Oakland to town for their second series of the season against their West rivals before they gear up for a trip north to Toronto.  The Rangers are easing Ian Kinsler back into the lineup after his ankle injury, and as he gets more comfortable, online sports betting players will get more comfortable with picking the Rangers.

Texas Rangers Spotlight: CJ Wilson

Before the 2010 season started everyone expected Scott Feldman and Rich Harden to carry the load for the Texas Rangers starting pitchers. However the Rangers two most dominant starting pitchers didn’t start a single game last year. CJ Wilson was the Texas Rangers setup man and part time closer last year and everyone was shocked when we heard that he would be in the starting rotation this year. The other starting pitcher that has been getting the job done for the Texas Rangers has been Colby Lewis, who pitched in Japan last year. Below you will find a spotlight on the Texas Rangers starting pitcher CJ Wilson that will include stats, twitter, and other interesting facts.

CJ Wilson Bio:

CJ Wilson was born in Newport Beach, California on November 18, 1980 and graduated Fountain Valley High School in 1998. Wilson also attended Santa Ana Junior College and Loyola Marymount University before turning professional after being drafted by the Texas Rangers 141st overall in the 2001 MLB Draft. Wilson moved his way up through the Texas Rangers minor league system before making his debut with the Rangers on June 10, 2005. CJ Wilson does have a verified twitter account and website, and you can check them out here:

CJ Wilson Twitter & Website Information
CJ Wilson on Twitter: @str8edgeracer
CJ WIlson Website: http://www.leftylefty.com/

Read more

Dallas RoundUp – Kinsler back soon for Rangers

Next Page »