Playing well tonight. With a chance to do some damage with a weak upcoming home schedule, getting that first road series win would be awesome.

Pretty amazed at the turnaround by Mazara......Elvis is the only one without a hit

gigem1223 said:

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Playing well tonight. With a chance to do some damage with a weak upcoming home schedule, getting that first road series win would be awesome.

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I think we've actually won a road series in Kansas City. Feels like we haven't won s series on the road tho.

Grapesoda2525 said:

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gigem1223 said:

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Playing well tonight. With a chance to do some damage with a weak upcoming home schedule, getting that first road series win would be awesome.

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I think we've actually won a road series in Kansas City. Feels like we haven't won s series on the road tho.

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You're right. They've lost 8 straight road series to the al west...dating back to last season. Need to get that monkey of their back.

I hope Elvis isn't hurt.

Saw that he was taken out of the game early.

Grapesoda2525 said:

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I hope Elvis isn't hurt.

Saw that he was taken out of the game early.

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Looks like they also took Gallo out, hopefully just precautionary with a big lead late

gcracker13 said:

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Grapesoda2525 said:

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I hope Elvis isn't hurt.

Saw that he was taken out of the game early.

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Looks like they also took Gallo out, hopefully just precautionary with a big lead late

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Banged up his wrist. Doesn't seem serious but won't play today as it was already a scheduled off day for him.

Any word on how far Guzman's blast was?

Corporal Punishment said:

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Any word on how far Guzman's blast was?

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Pretty sure I saw 415' on the statcast

Update on the minor league pitching front....

Quote:

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The Texas Rangers are promoting minor league righthanded relief pitchers Peter Fairbanks, Demarcus Evans and Joe Barlow, per Evan Grant on Twitter. Fairbanks, who was promoted from high-A Down East to AA Frisco just a few weeks ago, is headed to AAA Nashville, while Evans and Barlow are going from Down East to Frisco.

Fairbanks is a guy who could be in the majors before the All Star Break. A 25 year who was a 9th round draft pick out of the University of Missouri in 2015, Fairbanks missed much of 2017 and all of 2018 after undergoing his second Tommy John surgery. He came back hurling thunderbolts, though, and has transitioned from being a starter pre-injury to working as a max-effort fastball-slider guy out of the pen. He's struck out 29 of the 75 batters he has faced this season between high-A and AA, with 4 walks and 4 runs allowed in 19.2 IP, If he shows he can handle the PCL, he should be up in Arlington quickly.

Evans and Barlow both spent the 2018 season breaking out in Hickory, and then went to the Arizona Fall League, where they had mixed results. Barlow, 23, was an 11th round draft pick out of Salt Lake Community College in 2016, has struck out 44 of 93 batters he has faced this year while walking 15, and has allowed 2 runs (1 earned) in 23.2 IP this year. He throws really hard.

Evans, 22, was a 25th round draft pick in 2015 out of high school in Mississippi. After struggling as a starter, he found success last year as a reliever in Hickory, and has continued that in 2019. He has struck out 40 of 90 batters faced while walking 17, and has allowed 3 runs (2 earned) in 22.1 IP. Evans throws around 95 mph, but he has a high spin rate fastball that gives it a rising action that makes hitters get under it and pop it up.

Fairbanks, Evans and Barlow all are Rule 5 eligible after the 2019 season, and all would seem likely at this point to be added to the 40 man roster. Also Rule 5 eligible are Emmanuel Clase, the 100+ mph reliever who is pitching for Frisco after starting the year in Down East, and Tyler Phillips, who is now in the rotation for Frisco after starting the year with the Wood Ducks. There is a chance all five of those guys could be in Arlington by the time the season is over.

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Might as well find out what they got. We know what this bullpen has now

Funny tweet on the news of Fairbanks moving up.

I'd watch the kids over dowdy, springs, and Gomez any day.

Grapesoda2525 said:

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I'd watch the kids over dowdy, springs, and Gomez any day.

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Gomez is done I think, following his dfa a few days ago. Dowdy probably sticks since he is a rule 5 guy and we can't send him down without losing him. But we could throw in the towel and send him back. Springs will shuffle back and forth to AAA when somebody needs a break or has a dl stint.

KT 90 said:

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Update on the minor league pitching front....

Quote:

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The Texas Rangers are promoting minor league righthanded relief pitchers Peter Fairbanks, Demarcus Evans and Joe Barlow, per Evan Grant on Twitter. Fairbanks, who was promoted from high-A Down East to AA Frisco just a few weeks ago, is headed to AAA Nashville, while Evans and Barlow are going from Down East to Frisco.

Fairbanks is a guy who could be in the majors before the All Star Break. A 25 year who was a 9th round draft pick out of the University of Missouri in 2015, Fairbanks missed much of 2017 and all of 2018 after undergoing his second Tommy John surgery. He came back hurling thunderbolts, though, and has transitioned from being a starter pre-injury to working as a max-effort fastball-slider guy out of the pen. He's struck out 29 of the 75 batters he has faced this season between high-A and AA, with 4 walks and 4 runs allowed in 19.2 IP, If he shows he can handle the PCL, he should be up in Arlington quickly.

Evans and Barlow both spent the 2018 season breaking out in Hickory, and then went to the Arizona Fall League, where they had mixed results. Barlow, 23, was an 11th round draft pick out of Salt Lake Community College in 2016, has struck out 44 of 93 batters he has faced this year while walking 15, and has allowed 2 runs (1 earned) in 23.2 IP this year. He throws really hard.

Evans, 22, was a 25th round draft pick in 2015 out of high school in Mississippi. After struggling as a starter, he found success last year as a reliever in Hickory, and has continued that in 2019. He has struck out 40 of 90 batters faced while walking 17, and has allowed 3 runs (2 earned) in 22.1 IP. Evans throws around 95 mph, but he has a high spin rate fastball that gives it a rising action that makes hitters get under it and pop it up.

Fairbanks, Evans and Barlow all are Rule 5 eligible after the 2019 season, and all would seem likely at this point to be added to the 40 man roster. Also Rule 5 eligible are Emmanuel Clase, the 100+ mph reliever who is pitching for Frisco after starting the year in Down East, and Tyler Phillips, who is now in the rotation for Frisco after starting the year with the Wood Ducks. There is a chance all five of those guys could be in Arlington by the time the season is over.

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Good stuff. Heard one of the guys in player development was on a broadcast. Not a very charismatic or informative presentation, but did indicate Clase and Phillips were guys likely to be in Arlington at some point this year.

Texas Rangers lineup for May 29, 2019 against the Seattle Mariners: starting pitchers are Jose Leclerc for the Rangers (opening for Drew Smyly) and Wade LeBlanc for the Mariners.
Texas looks to win the rubber match in Seattle today, and will do so with Joey Gallo, who is nursing a sore wrist, on the bench, while Ronald Guzman gets a rare day at DH and Shin-Soo Choo sits.
The lineup:
Forsythe 1B
Santana CF
Elvis SS
Pence LF
Nomar RF
Cabrera 3B
Odor 2B
Guzman DH
Mathis C
Game time is 2:40 Central.

I heard gallo had a scheduled offday today anyways.

Grapesoda2525 said:

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I heard gallo had a scheduled offday today anyways.

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Yes he did.

I think scoring 3 runs in the 1st is good

toucan82 said:

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I think scoring 3 runs in the 1st is good

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There's only one way to test if that is true: We'll have to score 3 runs in the first for the rest of the season and see if it goes well. I'm down to try this.

PWestAg18 said:

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While West Coast night games suck, 3:00 Wednesday games are great. Got off work at 3:00, in my recliner with cold beer and baseball by 3:30.

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West coast night games aren't bad if they fall on the weekend.

I like them if I'm working later evenings and have the opportunity to sleep in but most weeks I'm up by 5 am so anything after 10 pm I'll just fall asleep while watching, even on weekends.

yeah, I have the habit of watching the early innings, falling asleep on the couch in the mid-innings, then waking up in the late innings to something that is worth riding out or just heading to bed. And that goes for weekday or weekend.

I usually wake up right as the post game show is starting and head to bed. Your subconscious at least wakes you up to have an option to watch the end

Choo ties it up with a clutch pinch hit single!

Ballgame!

It was ugly, but a win is a win. We also got a rare series win on the road.

3-3 is a decent road trip. I'll take it. I feel like we only got outplayed in one of those games tho. The first one up in Seattle. We lost 1 game because a tired bullpen and the other was a blown save. I know it's part of the game tho.

Mazara and Guzman have showed signs of life lately.

And here we go... 11 G Home games. The 1st 7, not only against teams last in their Div, but the 2 worst teams in ALL MLB. 0.5 GB for a WC spot.

Bos @ NY
Oak v Hou
Cle@ CHW

Time to win some games.

Rangers' record is 13th in MLB, and could be 8th, if they do well in the next 7 games.

This 11 game home stand could be huge. The last 4 games vs. Oakland and then the next 4 @ Boston could go a long way in determining our season and Wild Card bid. Never thought I would have said that 2 months ago.

I'm completely shocked WC is even being thought about with this team this year. Kudos to the org.

But I have zero confidence with this pitching staff. As has been talked about before, I don't think this is the year to acquire pitching. I think they should sell what they can and/or ride with what they have now, and see what happens.

MSFC Aggie said:

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I'm completely shocked WC is even being thought about with this team this year. Kudos to the org.

But I have zero confidence with this pitching staff. As has been talked about before, I don't think this is the year to acquire pitching. I think they should sell what they can and/or ride with what they have now, and see what happens.

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Absolutely agreed. The Rangers have had to for years pick guys up with the hope that they can somehow get through the season or return to form from a couple seasons ago. So far they've for sure exceeded expectations.

That is not a sustainable long-term strategy, however. You need to develop homegrown talent and improve your club through the minors. The rangers need to get back to that in a big way in terms of pitchers.

MSFC Aggie said:

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I'm completely shocked WC is even being thought about with this team this year. Kudos to the org.

But I have zero confidence with this pitching staff. As has been talked about before, I don't think this is the year to acquire pitching. I think they should sell what they can and/or ride with what they have now, and see what happens.

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Agree with this. Our pitching is doubtful to hold up, unless we bring up some of those young relievers and they prove to be MLB ready. And unless we bring up a young starter or two.

I think we should try to move Pence now while he is still hot. Being on a one year affordable contract, he probably has some decent value with the season he is having.

That being said, please that we are hovering around the .500 mark. Just need to stay the course and not trade away any of the younger prospects, and also see if we can pull in a few more with a trade or two.