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A contending Rangers team needs Sam Dyson to be Good Sam Dyson.

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I disagree.

It would be nice, but if Kela can get his head on straight and Bush isn't injured then our bullpen is more than adequate to be a contender.

Still think we need all the power arms we can get in the back of this bullpen. Over the offseason, I thought having Dyson, Bush, Diekman, Barnette, Kela, Jeffers would be enough... But now with injuries and ineffectiveness, the state of the bullpen is questionable at best. I agree, there is a long way to go, just would feel better if someone would start pitching up to their potentional

We still have Claudio

What is Diekman's preemptive return? Feels like with the surgery plus time to get back in throwing shape/shake off the rust it would take quite some time.

He was also not super effective last season with command.

Though apparently hurt, Bush hasn't been great, but also not a disaster. Really only Dyson has been terrible. Jeffress, Barnette, Alvarez, Claudio, LeClerc all have looked good.

His return is scheduled for after the all-star break, but that is tentative because it sounds like a rigorous recovery process

Aside from Claudio and Leclerc (who have been used only sparingly) everyone has an ERA over 4.90. Very small sample size so far, so not majorly concerned. More concerned with the overall walk totals and lack of control it seems like from relievers and starters.

rwhitlock3 said:

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Aside from Claudio and Leclerc (who have been used only sparingly) everyone has an ERA over 4.90. Very small sample size so far, so not majorly concerned. More concerned with the overall walk totals and lack of control it seems like from relievers and starters.

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Yep. The control issues have been maddening. I feel like right now a legitimate strategy against our staff would just be to wait them out. Seems like ever AB ends up getting close to a full count.

rwhitlock3 said:

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Aside from Claudio and Leclerc (who have been used only sparingly) everyone has an ERA over 4.90. Very small sample size so far, so not majorly concerned. More concerned with the overall walk totals and lack of control it seems like from relievers and starters.

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Claudio and LeClerc - 0.00 ERAs. Obviously great.
Barnette - 2.25 ERA, 1 ER in 4 appearances, no walks allowed. I think he should be the closer.
Alvarez - 18.00 ERA, would be 0.00 if not for Mazara dropping that fly ball on the track, also allowed an inherited runner to score on opening day I think
Jeffress - 3 ER in 5 appearances. I think each time he's allowed a run, its been only one per appearance.

These aren't bad results so far. ERA is always tricky with relievers given situations and the fact that they've maybe faced 10 batters this season so far. Bush and Jeffress haven't been as good as I'd like them to be so far, but they haven't been disasters. Alvarez has been decent for a guy who is your #2 lefty and back of the bullpen guy, and whose results would look much better if Mazara wasn't the second coming of Nellie Cruz in right. Dyson has been a complete dumpster fire. Then there are 3 guys who have been great.

All I'm saying is, we talk about "the bullpen being a mess early in the season", but really its been one guy. The rest vary from decent to great so far.

The bullpen has allowed 7 walks (3 by Dyson) in 23.1 innings. The walks issue is really a starting pitching issue.

I don't think an elite closer exists from among the other options we have. The good news is that we don't have to find an elite closer. We just have to be not aggressively terrible there. The situation set up last night for Dyson to close the door against the 8, 9 and 1 hitters. That is a task that a even mediocre closer should be able to accomplish on most nights. I think Jeffress could have probably gotten the job done in that situation.

But the bullpen has given up I think 22 runs in a less than 24 innings pitched... I will agree that Leclerc has been better than I thought and Claudio is always underrated (love what he does to keep us in games when starters exits early). I would rate the bullpen's performance (excluding Sam Dyson's abysmal performances) as a C+ thus far. Again, tough to judge this early in the year, but definitely worth keeping an eye on...

Another thing that is strange (and concerning to me) is how our offense will start off hot and then go ice cold to end the game. We have leads and then stop adding on runs and stop reaching base all together at times...

Squirrel Master said:

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The bullpen has allowed 7 walks (3 by Dyson) in 23.1 innings. The walks issue is really a starting pitching issue.

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And is it really that big an issue when it's not impacting the runs surrendered?

Hamels has given us 6IP/3ER, 7IP/1ER

Darvish has given us 6.1IP/4ER, 6IP/1ER

Perez has given us 6IP/3ER, 5.1IP/0ER


That's our top 3 averaging a little over 6 innings a start with a sub 3 ERA... If we get that over the course of the entire season and our #4/5 are even remotely competent then we win the division going away.

It all comes back to what our #4 and #5 do.

jtstanley4621 said:

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I don't think an elite closer exists from among the other options we have. The good news is that we don't have to find an elite closer. We just have to be not aggressively terrible there. The situation set up last night for Dyson to close the door against the 8, 9 and 1 hitters. That is a task that a even mediocre closer should be able to accomplish on most nights. I think Jeffress could have probably gotten the job done in that situation.

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Agree that if Dyson isn't the guy, there isn't an obvious option waiting in the wings.

free_mhayden said:

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Squirrel Master said:

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The bullpen has allowed 7 walks (3 by Dyson) in 23.1 innings. The walks issue is really a starting pitching issue.

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And is it really that big an issue when it's not impacting the runs surrendered?

Hamels has given us 6IP/3ER, 7IP/1ER

Darvish has given us 6.1IP/4ER, 6IP/1ER

Perez has given us 6IP/3ER, 5.1IP/0ER


That's our top 3 averaging a little over 6 innings a start with a sub 3 ERA... If we get that over the course of the entire season and our #4/5 are even remotely competent then we win the division going away.

It all comes back to what our #4 and #5 do.

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Yep, I agree with this too. Rangers are getting competent starting pitching so far.

Agreed, hasn't been terribly bad for the top 3 starters so far. I will take those kind of numbers from Perez all season!

However, I would like to mix in some more 7,8, even 9 inning starts to save the bullpen and not have to tax them as much. It's a long season and would hate for the bullpen to routinely have to pick up a minimum of 3 innings every night.

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But the bullpen has given up I think 22 runs in a less than 24 innings pitched

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20 earned runs in 23.1 innings..........and 11 of those are from you know who

MSFC Aggie said:

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But the bullpen has given up I think 22 runs in a less than 24 innings pitched

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20 earned runs in 23.1 innings..........and 11 of those are from you know who

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Voldemort?

yeah, his stat line really skews the whole bullpen negatively when you put it in perspective

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Jeffress - 3 ER in 5 appearances. I think each time he's allowed a run, its been only one per appearance.

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3 of his 5 appearances he's given up 1 earned run and gotten 1 out.

He's given you 1.2 innings in 2 other appearances where he didn't give up a run per out.

That's just not acceptable from someone taking up a roster spot and I don't think there is any good way to spin it otherwise.

There is also no good way to spin what Alvarez has done either.

Two appearances.

2 outs, 2 earned runs in one of them.
1 out, 0 earned runs, but he gave up a hit and a walk.


Matt Bush: 3 appearances. Earned run in 2 of them. Gave up a walk in the third appearance.


Hauschild---1 appearance so obviously prettt small sample size. 1 earned run for 1 inning. Not a sustainle 1 inning result, for whatever it is worth.

Dyson skews the collective ERA. But what Jeffress, Bush, Alvarez, and Hauschild have done so far is not sustainable for a team wanting to compete for a playoff spot.

Barnette, Claudio, and Leclerc on pace for 93, 100, and 85 innings.

They had 60, 80, and 15 career MLB innings coming into the year.

Trying to evaluate bullpen arms 3 innings into their season when 1 or 2 good outings can change it significantly is knee-jerk to the extreme.

Ref: Barnette, Tony and Claudio, Alex (2016).

I am contemplating buying MLB gameday audio for the first time. I don't feel like perusing through the rules of the service, so I'm asking you guys if you know off the top of your heads...

If I am near the San Antonio area, will I get to pick the home audio? I can get 1250 ESPN out of San Antonio, but only during the day. Will being so close to a Rangers affiliate affect which audio is available?

Will it work on a Droid phone?

Being reported Beltre is "weeks" away, not days.

Well that sucks.

Man, what a shatty first week and a half to the season

free_mhayden said:

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Trying to evaluate bullpen arms 3 innings into their season when 1 or 2 good outings can change it significantly is knee-jerk to the extreme.

Ref: Barnette, Tony and Claudio, Alex (2016).

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I think most would agree. Fortunately, folks are just talking about sustainability/acceptability of the results so far.

Mr. White said:

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I am contemplating buying MLB gameday audio for the first time. I don't feel like perusing through the rules of the service, so I'm asking you guys if you know off the top of your heads...

If I am near the San Antonio area, will I get to pick the home audio? I can get 1250 ESPN out of San Antonio, but only during the day. Will being so close to a Rangers affiliate affect which audio is available?

Will it work on a Droid phone?

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You'll have access to both teams audio streams, as well as the Spanish stream for all games. I've never been audio blacked out.

free_mhayden said:

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TXAggie2011 said:

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But Dyson should have been gone after that.... I get it, your bullpen is short-staffed and you are playing the first of 16 consecutive days. But if you're going to go with the mindset of "this is Dyson's game to lose no matter what", then you push your veteran starter to get a couple more outs... Or hell, then why do you bring Jeffress in at all?

Just ended up being mishandled completely. Dyson doesn't gain confidence. Bullpen isn't kept fresh. Rangers lose.

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The Rangers were still winning, it was still a save situation after Trout got that hit so don't cast aside a guy early, we won 95 games last year and all those reasons.

You're asking why he didn't send Dyson out for the 10th inning and put Jeffers in instead?

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You're trying too hard too early in the season.

I didn't say Texas shouldn't have gone away from Dyson (last night or the previous blown game). I stated that is/was likely Bannister's mindset as he had shown it in previous years... and I think the fact that Dyson was left out there to get out of it pretty much confirms that.

As for Jeffress - my point about how it was mishandled is that if the idea for leaving Dyson in when it was obvious he didn't have it was to save bullpen arms and make him clean up his own mess then OK... Not smart, but OK... But if that's the idea then yeah, might as well throw Dyson out there for the 10th too... If you are OK with burning Jeffress' arm in the 10th, then why the hell not in the 9th when trouble reared it's head?

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And I'm telling you it seems to have been Bannister's mindset to leave Dyson out there while it was still a save situation the same way it was the other night. And him doing so pretty much confirms that.

As for the 10th inning, I'm telling you leaving the closer in the game while its still a save situation is very different then bringing the closer out for the 10th inning in a tie-game on the road after that closer blew the save in the previous inning (and in this case, had thrown 24 pitches already).

I disagree with Bannister leaving Dyson in the game even before the save is officially blown, but I do recognize that's quite a different showing of trust than putting a guy for a 2nd inning after the save is blown.

Mr. White said:

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I am contemplating buying MLB gameday audio for the first time. I don't feel like perusing through the rules of the service, so I'm asking you guys if you know off the top of your heads...

If I am near the San Antonio area, will I get to pick the home audio? I can get 1250 ESPN out of San Antonio, but only during the day. Will being so close to a Rangers affiliate affect which audio is available?

Will it work on a Droid phone?

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You'll get the Rangers audio, yes. Don't personally know about it working on Android but I can't imagine why it wouldn't.

I'd take advantage of listening to the other club's audio from time-to-time. Rangers radio team is solid, but its always interesting to hear other radio teams' take.

Tyson Ross dealing with back spasms, going to delay his throwing program. Late May the new target date for a return.

Re: radio

Thank y'all

Napoli!