Hamilton, Cruz to return ... now to figure this thing out

Breaking the Hambone

Outfielders Josh Hamilton and Nelson Cruz are set to return to the Texas Rangers' line-up tonight.

Their return will spell the end of someone's tenure with the club for now. It'll be either Chris Davis, Endy Chavez, Craig Gentry or Taylor Teagarden.

My gut feeling tells me it'll be Teagarden and Chavez keeping the left-handed Davis and the righty Gentry in the line-up.

Is that the right move? I find it hard to believe they'll keep three catchers (Yorvit Torrealba and Mike Napoli already in tow) and Chavez is a lefty not unlike Dave Murphy, Hamilton and Julio Borbon (when he's back).

No matter who stays or who goes, I think Ron Washington needs to take this time -- as we go into June -- to establish a day-in and day-out line-up.

Even when Hamilton and Cruz were healthy, there were a ton of interchangeable parts to the line-up based on giving guys a day off, getting guys at-bats and loading up with lefties against a righty starter and vice versa.

I see the point. However, I don't think it works. Aside from the first two weeks of the season, the offense has sucked and I can't help but feel that it has everything to do with rhythm. They say swinging a bat has everything to do with timing and when a guy comes up from the minors or is injured for a long period, the period of struggle in their return or call up has to do with timing the pitch from the hand to the catcher's mitt.

How can a guy like Mitch Moreland, Napoli, Gentry, Borbon or Davis really get a good rhythm when they sit for three days and play two only to sit another four days. It doesn't make any sense. You can't really win with 15 hitters that could all be starting, or you think could be starting.

Sometimes, you've got to understand that Murphy and Napoli are best coming off the bench. Sometimes Jason Terry makes more sense off the bench than starting. Sometimes you need that back-up running back for a change of pace, but hardly do you give him 20 carries a game.

Washington needs to establish roles. There are complications. Injuries are one. It should be known that the Rangers could offset making a decision today by placing someone on the disabled list (let's say Napoli gets "shoulder soreness" at some point today).

Borbon's return complicates things, too, whenever that happens.

Also, there is initial talk that Hamilton could DH quite a bit in his return. This puts Mike Young at first base for at least a semi-regular time only and keeps Moreland (someone I consider a big-league hitter) on the bench. Of course, you could put Cruz in left, Moreland in right and Gentry/Borbon/Chavez in center. I hate it, but Washington is prone to do it.

Still, the Rangers need consistency here. At some point Hamilton will need to return to the outfield keeping Cruz in right (far more natural there) and Moreland can play first (Young at first make me feel uncomfortable ... as if something's going to go wrong).

Seems like there's not enough role guys and too many that need 500 at-bats. Doesn't seem healthy.

Picking nits, throwing fits

And in the Inge

The Texas Rangers lost two straight games in Detroit in the final at-bat. Yesterday, Brandon Inge homered in the bottom of the ninth. Walk-off.

Neftali Feliz pitched in neither game.

Now, I should warn you, I'm an idiot. Ron Washington and the managerial staff know 1,000 times more about handling bullpens and pitchers more than me.

However, if Washington has a chink in the armor, it's handling the bullpen. This has been well-documented by smarter guys than me.

Feliz has made six appearances this season. Two of those came in non-save opportunities against Boston, including opening day. He's pitched twice since April 5 -- once in the Baltimore series and the opener of the Detroit series. Now, if you didn't want him to go in the second game until you got a lead, I guess I understand.

Why he wasn't out there at some point in yesterday's game makes the entire situation utterly more perplexing. On Tuesday, you had already won the first game of the series, you were on the road.

However, Wednesday you spoiled perfectly good performances from Dave Bush and Mason Tobin in a tight game only to allow Mark Lowe to blow it. Still, you are in the game and Darren O'Day is going in the ninth. That is ridiculous.

You have an off day today, Feliz hasn't been worked (if hte excuse for pitching him in those Boston games was to get him some work, I think going yesterday in Detroit would've fit the profile) too much. He's your best pitcher. You needed to get outs. Unexcusable.

Notes:

1. Mark Lowe needs to go away.

2. Why no love for Pedro Strop. Seems like he still needs to prove something to local yokels. The jury is still out, but he's been fine so far.

3. Anyone seen the Rangers offense? And, no, we can't blame it on Josh Hamilton's injury.

4. Is there a big enough raise possible for Mike Maddux's impact?

5. Love Adrian Beltre's defense. His bat has to wake up. You don't pay that money for defense.

Key to the Season: Ron Washington

The skip

The Texas Rangers are in Surprise, Ariz. getting ready for the 2011 season. I'm here in my mom's basement blogging. This is an installment of posts about those Texas Rangers and what they'll need to do to win. Keys: Tinkering, Neftali Feliz, Mark Lowe and Getting Better.

Have you read the D Magazine feature on the Texas Rangers' skipper, Ron Washington?

It's really an un-feature. Washington is featured prominently. All despite not speaking more than a sentence to the reporter.

Michael Mooney simply crashed Washington's lowly New Orleans home seeking an interview. Problem is, Wash doesn't give interviews in New Orleans.

The feature is fascinating. In one fell swoop, it pulls the curtain back on a guy that couldn't be more happy go lucky and, yet, we couldn't know less about the guy. I learned no less than four dozen things about Washington from Mooney's story.

I think I also learned why he's been successful as a coach or manager in professional baseball. It's no coincidence that the manager that the 25 guys on the Rangers' roster play their guts out for is the same man that Eric Chavez gave his Golden Glove award to and the same man that Jason Giambi wrote a $25,000 to after he lost his house after hurricane Katrina.

It's no coincidence that during the Michael Young drama over the winter, Washington was always the guy Young went to. It's no mistake that his players stood behind him -- when everyone else bailed -- after the cocaine issue of a year ago.

What does this feature tell us about winning baseball games? Almost very little. There some insight about Wash and his ability to coach players up. Other managers are admired and respected. Others know how to "coach." Not all of them win. Not all of them take a ragtag group to the World Series.

Washington's past and present -- the $110 house in New Orlean's Ninth Ward, his brother dying in Vietnam, his trials of growing up poor and in a bad neighborhood, his baseball career, the "NIGGER" etched into his front drive -- has either EVERYTHING or NOTHING to do with his ability to manage a baseball club.

I personally feel it has EVERYTHING to do with his ability to manage a baseball club.

There's not a more genuine guy in Dallas-Fort Worth sports history. What we learned in a magazine story four years after his hire, those guys in the clubhouse have probably known within the first 30 days.

That he's worth playing for. Worth believing in. Worth leaving it all on the field for.

Those trials and tribulations define Washington. It's why he's still living in a crappy house in a crappy neighborhood of a crappy city.

By association, Washington defines the Texas Rangers. Not always having the best, but making due with what you got.

We do not deserve Ron Washington.

Rangers go glocal, Wash seeks change

Antlers

Joe Posnanski had a very interesting post on Texas Rangers manager Ron Washington. He points to Bill James' research of intentional walks and if those intentional walks work, meaning, does the team get out of the inning without any runs scoring.

In short, Washington called for 20 intentional walks in 2008 that "bombed," meaning, not only did the strategy not worked, it led to a gigantic inning for the opponent. In 2007, Wash's free passes turned into 11 bombs. These are very high numbers.

Then in 2009, Wash's intentional walks went 44 to 14 and just three bombs. In 2010, Wash was responsible for zero (0) bombs. Meaning, none of his intentional walks turned into bad innings.

There are several things at play. For one, the bullpen's gotten better since 2007 and you have to account for luck.

Also, Wash is smarter. He often makes dumb decisions, but he's probably wiser when it comes to pitching to one guy or not regardless of what the stats say.

Posnanski notes that Wash is just ... changing, a rare feat in professional sports, where GMs and managers will keep running a bad play or playing a bad player in order to stand his ground.

Posnanski writes that maybe Wash stuck his hand in the fire enough to know that he shouldn't.

****
A book needs to be written about GM Jon Daniels' construction of the 2010 Texas Rangers, from the minors to the Majors. Chapter 6 would be about he and his scouts' ability to get foreign talent.

The Rangers inked 18-year-old Dutch prospect Nick Urbanus yesterday. He's a middle infielder.

They also signed veteran Japanese pitcher Yoshinori Tateyama. He's almost 35 and will compete for a bullpen job. A sidearmer, he's getting favorable comparisions to Darren O'Day. According to Kevin Goldstein, Tateyama has incredible command with a good curve and change up.

With Frank Francisco returning, the bullpen is getting much-needed reinforcements.

Gettin' Paid: Ron Washington

Gettin' paid

The Texas Rangers decided to give his most-winningest coach in franchise playoff history an extra two years.

Ron Washington and the Rangers agreed to a two-year deal. Wash is third all-time behind Bobby Valentine and Johnny Oates for wins as a manager here.

Two years for the guy that lead this team to its most successful season in history, it's first pennant and first World Series. Two years for the guy that many (mostly white folk) wanted fired eight months ago for a positive drug test due to a cocaine party a summer ago.

He's also a guy that's improved every season, going from 73 wins to 79 wins to 87 wins to 90 wins.

There's two points here:

If you want to look at the Dallas Cowboys (and we must) and wonder how that talent can be mismanaged or whether or not it's really Wade Phillips' fault, look at Washington and the Rangers. He came in with the same attitude as Phillips: They're both easy-going guys that deflect any criticism away from their players. They don't scream or grab players by the facemask. Both have made critical tactical mistakes. They are two good ol' boys.

Yet, Washington has refined a masterful relationship with his players to the point that they'd seemingly do just about anything for him. Phillips is heading the biggest mess of a sports franchise, maybe, in NFL history.

Two, the relationship with Wash could be the first time that the Rangers have some consistency with the manager's position. When Oates and Valentine are your franchise leaders in wins as a manager, that isn't saying anything.

There's never been a year-in, year-out voice for fans and players to embrace. You just wonder when the bottom is going to drop out on things and Wash will be gone.

With the World Series, Wash has bought himself some time. A successful 2011 and he might have bought even more time.

Thankfully, we get another two years of Wash screwing up bullpen decisions! It'll be a blast!