MVN - Most Valuable Network

Resilient Rangers Rally Over Athletics, 14-6

From Tuesday morning’s BTiA column:

It’s simply uncanny how each time this ball club kicks us to the ground, they pick us right back up.

Friday evening’s kick-down: Vicente Padilla coughing up a five-spot during the course of a really, really unlucky third inning, miring the Texas Rangers in an early 5-0 hole that even the most loyal and dedicated fans had to be grimacing at.

Friday evening’s pick-up: Padilla promptly rebounding with three perfect innings. The bullpen holding steady. Stellar defensive work.

And fourteen unanswered runs, fueled by a quintet of multi-hit performances that punctuated a simply remarkable display of offensive resiliency.

Should we really be surprised by who was at the forefront of that display?

Ladies and gentlemen, meet baseball’s first 100-RBI man of 2008.

Enjoy your Saturday.

MLB.com: Rangers targeted as trade partner

Major League sources said there has been “medium interest” in Blalock, mostly from the Dodgers, Twins and Giants. All three teams are looking for a third baseman, and Blalock has shown since coming off the disabled list that he can still handle the position defensively.

Sources also said clubs have been calling the Rangers incessantly about their catching and there has been interest in all four of their catchers: Laird, Jarrod Saltalamacchia, Taylor Teagarden and Max Ramirez. Laird is on the disabled list and is expected to be activated on Saturday.

The Yankees are looking for a catcher and have asked about both Laird and Saltalamacchia. The Rangers have their eyes on some of the Yankees young pitchers in the Minors, including right-hander Daniel McCutchen. The Reds also covet Laird, but aren’t willing to give up their top young Minor League pitchers. At least 20 teams have asked about at least one of the four Rangers catchers.

The Rangers are also getting calls about outfielder Milton Bradley, most notably the Cubs, Diamondbacks, Rays and Tigers. But the Rangers are not trying to shop Bradley, even though he can be a free agent after the season.

[…]

The Rangers have had teams ask about pitchers Vicente Padilla, Eddie Guardado and Jamey Wright, but don’t want to give up pitching unless they get it in return.

Outfielders Marlon Byrd and Frank Catalanotto have drawn some interest, but those talks probably won’t heat up until clubs explore other options. The Brewers had interest in Catalanotto before acquiring Ray Durham earlier this week. The Mets are looking for a right-handed-hitting outfielder, and have mulled both Byrd and Triple-A outfielder Nelson Cruz.

Dallas Morning News: Texas Rangers defeat Oakland, 14-6

While both teams may be fading from sight in the division race – the Rangers are 10½ games behind Los Angeles – finishing somewhere above third is a tangible goal for the Rangers since they haven’t done it since 1999.

The league’s most potent offense woke from a week-long slumber Friday. The Rangers scored 19 runs in the first week after the All-Star break and no more than eight in any game. They nearly equaled the week’s total Friday, and they did equal the high-game total with the ninth inning alone.

Fort Worth Star-Telegram: Rangers notes: Laird will start Sunday

Right-hander Eric Hurley will come off the disabled list Sunday and be the Rangers’ starting pitcher in the series finale against Oakland, and righties Scott Feldman and Luis Mendoza will gets starts Monday and Tuesday.

Hurley, who is on the disabled list with a hamstring injury, was expected to start last Monday at Chicago but complained of shoulder soreness after throwing last weekend.

He threw 40 pitches during a bullpen session Friday without experiencing any discomfort.

Dallas Morning News: Texas Rangers’ Millwood may go on DL

INF German Duran required surgery to repair a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his left thumb, which he suffered in his second game after being sent back to Triple-A Oklahoma. He is expected to be out six to eight weeks.

RHP Joaquin Benoit was scheduled to begin a rehab assignment with Double-A Frisco on Friday. … LHP Beau Jones, one of the five players acquired from Atlanta in the Mark Teixeira trade, has been promoted from Class A Bakersfield to Frisco. He will pitch out of the bullpen. … RHP Joselo Diaz cleared waivers and was outrighted to Triple-A Oklahoma.

FOXSports.com: Rockies will have clearer outlook after road trip

Updating a previous item, the Yankees have expressed “real interest” in Rangers catcher Gerald Laird, according to a major-league source. However, they have not made contact with the Royals about Miguel Olivo, who played for Joe Girardi with the Marlins in 2006. New York newspapers quoted sources Friday as saying that few catchers on the market are better than the Yankees’ current tandem of Jose Molina and Chad Moeller. Jorge Posada will not catch again this season. …

MLB.com: Jaramillo undergoes knee surgery

Rangers hitting coach Rudy Jaramillo had left knee replacement surgery in Texas on Friday and will be out of action indefinitely. It’s likely he won’t be back on a full-time basis until September.

“It’s unknown how long he’ll be out,” assistant general manager Thad Levine said. “When we get back to Texas, we’ll sit down with him and see.”

Jaramillo has been in severe pain for much of the year, but was hoping to hold off surgery until after the season was over. That wasn’t the case.

Minor League hitting coach Mike Boulanger is filling in for Jaramillo during his absence, along with special assistant Johnny Narron.

Coming soon: The next explosive edition of “Joey and Jason on the Rangers” (in which a detailed examination of Nelson Cruz - who belted his 35th home run for Triple-A Oklahoma in a 13-6 defeat on Friday evening - will take place, given that I’ll probably never manage to pump out an individual piece on the subject), an extensive look at the Rangers’ team defense this season, and so much more.

All we need is time.

This entry was posted on Saturday, July 26th, 2008 at 12:04 am and is filed under The Season. 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.