Texas Rangers Report – September 8 2009

The Rangers’ World Series odds make them one of the longest shots, but if they can just make it to the playoffs, they could cause some problems. Ahead of a doubleheader against Cleveland on Tuesday, the Rangers trailed Boston by 2.5 games in the American League wild-card race, and the Angels by five games in the West.

Current record: 76-60
AL West rank: 2
AL wildcard rank: 2
Odds to win World Series: roughly 45/1

THE LINEUP

Nelson Cruz continued his hot streak by going 10-of-27 over the week with three homers and eight RBIs, while Josh Hamilton wasn’t far behind with a pair of homers with four RBIs, hitting .357 in four games. Many wonder what the Rangers’ season would be like if Hamilton had been healthy all season, but there is still time for him to make waves. Elvis Andrus scored seven runs over the last week, the most of any Ranger.

THE ROTATION

Scott Feldman has to be one of the biggest surprises of the season, and he’s giving the Rangers a chance for an online betting win every time he heads to the mound. Feldman allowed a run on four hits over 6.2 innings of a 5-1 victory in Baltimore for his sixth win in seven starts. More impressively, of those six wins, five have come away from home. Dustin Nippert was moved back to the bullpen in place of Brandon McCarthy, who made a victorious return to the lineup by beating Toronto after missing three months with a shoulder injury.

THE BULLPEN

Frank Francisco had a very good week, going 3-for-3 in save attempts this week, while C.J. Wilson held Toronto twice. The addition of Nippert to the bullpen makes the Rangers deeper, and it also helps as Wilson has been awful on the road in 2009.

OVERALL OUTLOOK

Offshore sportsbook players aren’t putting much faith in the Rangers, but they have a favorable week coming up. After a four-game set in Cleveland, the Rangers host Seattle and Oakland starting on Friday. September is ticking down, so every win counts. A good week could start to persuade those who make MLB picks that the Rangers are worth a shot.