Texas Rangers' Current Success No Reason to Change Expectations

If you've ever played poker you know the feeling. It starts to grow stronger and stronger as you fold weak hand after weak hand. At a certain point you just want to play. Something. Anything.

That's when it happens.

You get dealt a pair of eights, and even though the smart thing to do is fold, you don't. Because you just want to play.

This is where the Texas Rangers currently reside. They hold a pair of eights.

Sure, this team is pretty good, at least offensively. However, this is not a team that is going to win the World Series. This is probably not a team that even has a chance to make the playoffs. But they are hanging around, seven games behind the AL West leading Los Angeles Angels.

The question is, what happens if they are still in the mix on July 31? What if there is still hope? For a franchise that hasn't seen playoff baseball in almost a decade there is a lot of "feeling." There are going to be many who will want to call that bet.

Let's hope GM Jon Daniels isn't one of them.

The problem for Texas is that it is deficient in areas that aren't easily fixed. To the casual observer it would look like the pitching staff needs a complete overhaul. Ranger starters have a combined 4.99 ERA. The bullpen is even worse, with an ERA of 5.26.

This stat doesn't even begin to describe the atrocities committed by the Rangers' relivers. In the last 11 games, Ranger starters have left the game with the lead or in a tie game seven times. The Rangers are only 4-3 in those games.

Early on, the bullpen looked like it might be a strength for this team. However, it quickly fell apart. Kazuo Fukumori posted an ERA of 20.25 before being sent to triple-A and both Joaquin Benoit and Frank Francisco have been ineffective at best.

That trio, along with Eddie Guardado, were supposed to be the bridge between the starters and closer C.J. Wilson (4.50 ERA). Instead, they have been the weak link for a Ranger team that has fought well despite a number of injuries.

Even though this team shows promise, and should give Ranger fans hope for the future, restraint must be shown. The future is not now. Trading prospects for aging bullpen help would be a horrible mistake.

Don't let "the feeling" prevail. It only leads to your buddy laughing at you as he takes your money. Believe me, I know. Wait until 2009 when those eights turn to queens. There are reasons for excitement in Arlington. Let's just not get ahead of ourselves.