MVN - Most Valuable Network

Brewers Rock Rangers, 12-6; Millwood On The Comeback Trail?

Matt Harrison: 2.1 IP, 6 H, 5 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 0 K.

Omar Poveda: 0.1 IP, 3 H, 4 R, 0 ER, 3 BB, 0 K.

Jason Davis: 1.2 IP, 2 H, 3 R, 1 ER, 3 BB, 1 K.

No, folks, those aren’t typos. Your beloved Texas Rangers surrendered eight unearned runs to the Milwaukee Brewers on Wednesday afternoon.

Behold the power of the almighty error.

[3:00 PM CST Update: Major League Baseball has since deemed all four of the runs allowed by Poveda as earned, meaning the Rangers actually surrendered just four unearned runs on the day. Thanks for ruining my lead-in, guys.]

Even though the Brewers’ 12-6 thrashing of the Rangers at Surprise Stadium was, quite frankly, anything but memorable, there were nonetheless several notable items worth taking away from the day’s diamond happenings:

● Right-handers Kazuo Fukumori and Frankie Francisco, both of whom are current front-runners for two available spots in the Rangers’ crowded bullpen picture, combined to toss 2.1 hitless, walkless and scoreless innings in relief.

Granted, that snapshot fails to encompass Fukumori’s fifth inning plunking of left fielder Ryan Braun with a pitch, or for that matter, Francisco’s prompt issuance of a wild pitch upon inheriting a two-out, two-on jam from Jason Davis in the seventh. Fortunately for Davis (and perhaps Frankie as well), neither baserunner was on third at the time, and Francisco was able to safely work his way out of the inning.

Francisco did give the Rangers a brief scare with two outs in the top of the 8th inning after landing awkwardly on his left ankle during his followthrough, but a hurried visit to the mound from manager Ron Washington, pitching coach Mark Connor and trainer Jamie Reed yielded no disheartening news. After tossing several warmup pitches to ensure his health, Frankie settled back in and retired shortstop Ozzy Chavez to end the frame.

By the way, I was able to catch the second half of Wednesday afternoon’s contest via MLB.tv - and just as Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News noted back on February 23rd, Fukumori doesn’t have any type of hesitation or hitch in his delivery. Heck, I just barely noticed the hip twist; it’s very subtle.

His deceptiveness will have to be generated almost solely through his repertoire of pitches, as opposed to any type of quirky foreign delivery (such as the one Akinori Otsuka possessed). That being said, there was none of that deceptiveness present on Wednesday - Fukumori said after the game that he didn’t utilize his curveball or four-seam fastball during his one inning of work. Go figure.

● After going 0-for-2 at the plate against Brandon Webb and the Arizona Diamondbacks on Tuesday, second baseman Ian Kinsler began a new hitting streak on Wednesday, slapping a two-out single back through the box in the bottom of the 3rd inning. However, the same good fortune couldn’t be said for designated hitter Josh Hamilton, whose own personal four-game spring hitting streak evaporated after an 0-for-2 offensive showing.

What, you honestly thought he could maintain a batting average north of .600 the whole season?

● Shortstop Ramon Vazquez had perhaps the most impressive day of any Ranger, lacing three singles in three plate appearances in three consecutive innings after replacing starter Michael Young before the onset of the top of the 6th inning. He also made a fine defensive play on a hard-hit ball up time that took a tricky hop, recovering in time to flip the ball to second baseman Edgardo Alfonzo and begin a 6-4-3 double play.

It’s still hard to imagine anyone other than Vazquez (who is batting .500/.538/.500 through 12 spring at-bats) filling the utility infielder void when it’s all said and done. That being said, there’s still plenty of time left for Washington to fall in love with Alfonzo’s “grittiness” and “veteran leadership,” or some other random non-roster invitee who has no business making the club out of spring training.

● Southpaw Eric Cyr made his first appearance of the exhibition season on Wednesday, retiring right fielder Corey Hart on a popup to escape a bases-loaded jam in the top of the 3rd inning - although not before walking in one of the baserunners he inherited from Omar Poveda.

Why do I mention this seemingly irrelevant tidbit? Because a thought just occurred to me: if the Rangers brain trust is suddenly enamored so with the idea of only bringing “character players” into the fold, then why, precisely, did they sign Cyr last December - who pleaded guilty to a charge of misdemeanor sexual assault (and later served 30 days of jail time) after allegedly assaulting a 15-year-old girl in an airplane lavatory while aboard an international flight in January 2001? For that matter, why is he still collecting a paycheck from the Rangers?

From the outside looking in, that appears to be a fairly damning condemnation of this purported newborn organizational philosophy. In fact, it borders on downright hypocritical.

But, hey, that’s just my take.

* * * * *

On a slightly more optimistic note, right-hander Kevin Millwood tossed a successful 38-pitch simulated game on Wednesday morning, during the course of which the 33-year-old veteran experienced no pain or discomfort in his tender right hamstring.

The latest plan calls for Millwood to throw a couple more bullpen sessions, and then participate in fielding drills on Sunday. Should everything go according to plan, Millwood would start next Monday against the San Diego Padres and pitch three innings.

Keep your fingers crossed.

Manager Ron Washington noted on Wednesday that though catchers Jarrod Saltalamacchia (.222/.300/.444 in 9 AB) and Gerald Laird (.375/.375/.875 in 8 AB) would continue to alternate starts behind the plate, they would also both get playing time in the same game for most of the 23 games left remaining on the spring exhibition schedule. Here’s to hoping the former settles into a prolonged offensive groove at the plate - and soon.

MLB.com’s Alan Eskew reports that outfielder Milton Bradley, coming off surgery last September to repair a torn ACL and meniscus in his right knee following a bizarre altercation with umpire Mike Winters, is slated to begin DHing in minor league games starting on March 12th. From that point, Bradley would be less than a week away from being able to DH in Major League games:

“Then we’ll judge from there,” Washington said. “That’s about the timetable we’re looking at. I’m OK with that timetable. There’s nothing I want to rush with Milton. I want him to be right because if he’s right, he’s going to be productive. I don’t want him coming in worried about anything. We’re going to take our time and see where we go.”

It doesn’t particularly sound as though Bradley will be ready to play the outfield by Opening Day, which presents an added wrinkle to the ongoing roster battle. Should that scenario come to fruition, Frank Catalanotto would likely be forced into part-time service in left field (at least against right-handed pitching), with Marlon Byrd moving to right field indefinitely and David Murphy helping out wherever needed.

Make sure to check out the latest edition of Evan Grant’s fantastic “Inside the Rangers” weekly newsletter, which leads with an brief discussion regarding how the front office’s heavy reliance on both scouting and sabermetric information gives them a competitive edge over the opposition.

Grant also further expounds upon the potential swapping of Triple-A minor league affiliates between the Rangers and Houston Astros four years down the line, a possibility which he first mentioned back on February 21st:

Q: It’s been reported that Texas’ contracts with Oklahoma and Frisco will run out at the same time as Houston’s contracts with Round Rock and Corpus Christi (the teams Nolan Ryan owns). If the Rangers decided to move one of their affiliates, how does that work? Do all the players and staff simply pack up and move to the new location or is there more involved? Also, why is there ever movement amongst minor league teams. Why don’t major league teams simply sign lifetime contracts to keep control of an affiliate?

Matt, Mesquite

GRANT: Teams switch affiliations for a number of reasons, and don’t think it’s always the big-league club dictating the terms. Minor league clubs look for the best possible fit to help them sell tickets, since that is their sole purpose for being. They control nothing when it comes to player or staff assignments. The minor league teams want a club with good prospects, who aren’t likely to yank those prospects out of the league in the middle of a pennant race, and preferably a team with a little big league cache and with a geographic tie-in. Easier to sell tickets to see Rangers prospects in Oklahoma City or Round Rock than perhaps in Richmond, Va., or Indianapolis.

Big league clubs look for the best facilities for their clubs and they also want a geographically attractive group of affiliates. With all the movement that goes on in a minor league season, it’s most helpful if you can control some costs by cutting down on how much it costs to move a player from Double-A to Triple-A or from Triple-A to the majors. Currently, for the Rangers, it’s no more than a three-hour drive from Frisco to Oklahoma City or from Oklahoma City to Arlington. The other thing that is a factor is proximity to the big league club for rehab assignments. Players love being able to work out with the big league club, then hop in the car for a 45-minute drive to play for Frisco. Nobody wants to pack up and get on those minor league buses if they can avoid it.

As for the Rangers and Oklahoma vs. Round Rock, that’s still four years away, but there are reasons why a switch might make some sense. First, there is the Ryan tie-in. Second, there is the Rangers’ desire to expand their fan base, and Central Texas has historically been Astros territory.

Make it so, Nolan.

Mike Heika of the Dallas Morning News writes that team owner Tom Hicks is allegedly trying to fund a financial takeover of Liverpool FC “through efforts that would include adding new investors to his Hicks Sports Group, the parent organization of the Texas Rangers and Dallas Stars.”

According to an anonymous source cited by the Associated Press, investment bank J.P. Morgan Chase & Co. will “seek to raise private equity through the sports group,” which could mean selling an unknown percentage of the organization. On Tuesday, Hicks said that he had rejected an $800 million bid from Dubai International Capital to buy the storied soccer franchise, and was reportedly making a push to purchase co-owner George Gillett Jr.’s 50 percent share of the club.

What type of implications will these events carry for the Rangers? Probably none. All the same, it’s fascinating to watch Hicks dig himself into a deeper and deeper hole - and in a foreign country, no less, where he is almost universally loathed and despised thanks to his horrid mismanagement of Liverpool to date.

And finally, Kevin Goldstein of Baseball Prospectus pegs the Rangers’ resurgent farm system as the third best in all baseball, behind only the Tampa Bay Rays and the Oakland Athletics:

Why They’re Up: Deadline deals filled the system with prospects, as six of Top 11 weren’t with the organization at the beginning of year; Chris Davis turned into legitimate power-hitting prospect.

Strengths: Young power arms; high-tools prospects; catching.

Weaknesses: Left-handed pitching; outfielders.

Outlook for 2009 Ranking: Holding the line, if not going up, as only Eric Hurley might lose eligibility.

On February 14th, 2007, Goldstein penned the following on a farm system that, at the time, ranked just 22nd:

Some of their top pitching prospects have taken steps backwards of late, but Eric Hurley made up for it with a breakout performance in 2006. There is very little offensively, especially at the upper levels.

What a difference a year can make. Or perhaps more specifically, what a difference three quality trade deadline transactions and a fantastic June draft can make.

Quick Hits: Third baseman Hank Blalock (whiplash) did not participate in workouts on Wednesday following his Monday afternoon car accident, and is questionable to start at DH against the Brewers on Friday…right-hander Thomas Diamond is still throwing off a mound at 80-85%…shortstop Joaquin Arias hopes to be able to throw to first base by the weekend…right-hander Joaquin Benoit (weak arm) is scheduled to throw a bullpen session on Friday…catcher Taylor Teagarden (sore left wrist) didn’t play Wednesday, but may be available on Friday…right-hander Wes Littleton returned to camp on Wednesday after tending to an illness in his family.

This entry was posted on Thursday, March 6th, 2008 at 2:33 am and is filed under Spring Training. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.