Still Quiet on the Trade Front

Rambling thoughts while blogging on my phone with my big thumbs…batting order experiment continues. Josh is back, tonight at DH, will hit fifth….various reports have us giving up on a starting pitcher. We are looking for a bat and bullpen help…Neffi Feliz had a setback with pain in his elbow….listening to MLB network, I am befuddled at the Mariners insistence on keeping King Felix. I know we have a package that will help them in 1-2 years. You have to wonder if they are shying away from dealing with us because Justin Smoak has, so far, blown up in their face….because we have a couple of times in the past two weeks, I won’t trust us breaking out for just one game. The offense had a post game meeting last night and I just wonder how many different ways you can say. “guys we have to start hitting”….as I write this, the Angels are struggling at the plate. Now it’s time for the A’s to cool.

If You’re Not Hitting Anyway, King Felix Will Own You

Felix Hernandez more than handled the Texas Rangers tonight. We managed just three singles off of Hernandez, while the lowly Mariners blew up Yu Darvish in the first inning. Darvish has been nowhere near the pitcher he was to start the season and seems very uncomfortable on the mound. He no longer has that “new Yu smell”.  The silver lining is that the Angels dropped another to the Yankees today and have lost two straight after the break. I say again that getting all of our pitchers healthy again is not going to help our anemic bats. Leonys Martin is hitting .176 and Yorvit Torrealba .216. Michael Young has shown signs of life, but there have been no big innings, no fireworks.

What’s worse, it appears to me (I watch almost every game) that they are missing a pep in their step that they have had for almost two seasons now. Would a Justin Upton and or Cole Hamels fix this? Sometimes a team gets picked up by getting re-enforcements and love from the front office. But with Nolan and Jon Daniels there, you could hardly accuse them of being passive. I know they say “it’s just one game” but there have been quite a few “just one games” in the last 30 days.

It just appears to me (and others if you read Tweets and Message boards)that something ain’t right. Sorry Wash, “funks” don’t last for over a month. Earlier this season the Angels fired batting coach (and former Ranger) Mickey Tettleton. Maybe it’s time to move Scott Coolbaugh elsewhere in the organization. Like that? I didn’t say fire. Rudy Jaramillo is available again. Remember he left the Rangers for more money. Maybe it’s as simple as that.

Rudy! Rudy! Rudy!

Rangers Take Series in Houston

The sluggish Ranger offense fired on all cylinders in the first inning Sunday, including a two-run single by starting pitcher Colby Lewis, who hadn’t even taken the mound yet. It was a 6-1 win over the Houston Astros and a nice way to make the long trip to Seattle. There was the still the issue of leaving 11 runners stranded during the game. When you win, that seems glutinous, when you lose it’s a sticking point. We were 2 for 6 with runners in scoring position, which is right at our .302 average. The biggest difference Sunday was Colby Lewis the pitcher. Even admitting after the game his slider wasn’t great, he still found a way to get it done and until the 9th inning kept the ball in the park. The win also snapped a personal three game skid for Lewis.

We are off to Seattle and a few other items….As we talked about yesterday, this will be the first time Yu Darvish faces a team for the second time. He probably has a personal ax to grind because his single worst inning this year was his very first one, against these same Mariners….the downside of the Monday game is we face Felix Hernandez, the ace of the Mariners staff…Hernandez is coming off an ugly start against the Indians that saw him knocked out in the 4th inning….Felix is pitching lights out at home though….Michael Young is showing signs of life at the plate, going 5 for 12 against the ‘Stros this weekend….Josh Hamilton is 3 for his last 13 and hasn’t homered in his last 28 at bats. Significant only in that he hit a ton before that….Safeco Field in Seattle is a pitcher’s park.