AL West Showdown: 4 Things the Texas Rangers Have to Do to Beat the Angels
The Texas Rangers need this series win as badly as they have ever needed one. But with a string of injuries and a few bad breaks, they're going to have to reach deep if they want re-establish themselves as the team to beat in the West.
The weekend series between the Rangers and Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim should be everything we've come to expect between these long-time rivals; gritty and hard-nosed.
For the Rangers (19-18), a strong showing in these three games could serve as the catalyst to finally break out of their early season slump and regain, or at least, grab a share of the lead in their division.
The pitching matchup in Friday's game looks to be entertaining. Big right-hander Alexi Ogando (3-0, 2.17 ERA) takes the hill for the Rangers for the first time in his career. He faces off against Los Angeles Angels ace Jered Weaver (6-2, 1.87).
Ogando has been a pleasant surprise as a starter, bordering on magnificent, but has had to deal with a recurring blister on his finger. Manager Ron Washington pulled him from his last start to give him extra time to heal. Ogando says his finger is fine.
Weaver, despite some solid pitching performances this season, has lost his last two decisions due, in part, to a lack of run support. Still, in his first appearance against Texas this season, the right-hander was as sharp as he's ever been; going the distance, giving up one run and striking out eight.
The Angels (21-17) took that series two games to three. But if Texas is to come out of their slump and regain their footing as the reigning AL champs, they need to start here and do what they do best—be confident and cocky, throw strikes, put up a solid defense and, of course, bring the lumber.
The Rangers were beginning to look like themselves again this week against the Oakland Athletics. Despite losing the first game to Trevor Cahill (who has been out-of-his-mind untouchable), the Rangers bounced back Tuesday for Game 2, and were well on their way to a win in Game 3 before thunderstorms forced a postponement. It could have been, save an Oakland comeback, their first series win in four tries.
"You can call it bad luck if you want. What we need to look at is we played well on Tuesday and played well again (on Wednesday)," outfielder David Murphy said, according to a team report from Yahoo! Sports.
"That's what we need to carry over to Friday."
And if the Rangers can keep that momentum going, they might be able to get to Weaver and, hopefully, the series.
Here are four things the Rangers must do to take the series from the Angels and regain the lead in the West.
Pitching, Pitching, Pitching: A Thousand Times Pitching
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The rivalry that is the Rangers and Angels has been, in recent history, closely contested. According to MLB.com, 10 of the last 19 meetings have been one-run games.
Alexi Ogando gives the Rangers the best chance of success against Jered Weaver. Ogando, before making the rotation, had been stingy against the Halos in relief, giving up no runs in seven-and-two-thirds innings.
But if the Rangers want any chance at Game 2 Saturday, left-hander Derek Holland (3-1, 5.18 ERA) is going to have to man-up and show what he's capable of.
Holland has won two of his last four starts at home this season. The bad news is, his ERA in those games is a whopping 7.29. Against the Angels lifetime, Holland is 3-3 with a 5.40 ERA.
Derek, when his confidence is up, can paint the outside corners on left-handed hitters with a plus fastball. Hitters can usually do little more than watch. On righties, he has an excellent slider that crashes down and in. He also carries a decent changeup. However, when he's lacking confidence, he often throws grapefruits down the middle that are easily deposited somewhere near the farmer's market west of downtown Fort Worth.
Holland will be facing Dan Haren (4-2, 1.87 ERA), whose numbers suggest he's having an excellent year. Still, Haren has had some difficulty with Texas and this matchup could be a blessing in disguise. Haren is 4-6 in his career with a 3.60 ERA against Texas. He's also had difficulty with Ranger's third baseman Adrian Beltre, who's batting .464 in his last 28 at-bats with two home runs and five RBI against him.
C.J. Wilson (4-2, 3.36) takes the mound Sunday against projected starter Ervin Santana (1-4, 4.81). C.J. is 4-3, with a 3.80 ERA lifetime against the Halos. In Santana's last outing against the Rangers, he lasted only four innings, giving up six runs on 10 hits.
Also, the Texas bullpen is of real concern to most fans right now. The bullpen is still hurting from several injuries (Darren O'Day, Mason Tobin, Scott Feldman) and a number of lost leads (courtesy of the usually reliable Darren Oliver, Mark Lowe and Arthur Rhodes) during their month-long slump. Texas' starting pitching has to go at least six innings or it could spell serious trouble.
Another key aspect will be the performance of Neftali Feliz (0-0, 0.87). Last season's AL Rookie of the Year is back in the closer position. Feliz has been injured the past few weeks (shoulder) and will have to shake off the rust. Hopefully, his time off to heal will pay big dividends. Then again, Feliz has had problems throwing strikes after significant time off and generally performs better when he's able to string his appearances together. Expect Washington to put Feliz in the first chance he gets - save opportunity or not.
If the Rangers can get past Weaver, and if Holland can locate his fastball, and keep the ball out of the hands of the bullpen, the series advantage will definitely favor Texas.
Bring Back the Bats
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The Rangers, as much as anything they do on the field, best display their confidence when their bats are hot. Despite having the team's top two hitters on the disabled list, they can still muster some serious offense.
And if their last two games against the Oakland Athletics are any indication of what's to come, the Rangers just might be on their way out of this month-long funk.
Mitch Moreland, speaking to reporters after Wednesday's rainout (and grand-slam that wasn't), said he and his teammates could feel things were finally starting to come together.
"Getting back to our style of play," Moreland said, "You know, putting some runs up early, having that big inning. Looked more like ourselves, felt a lot better ya know. You can kind of feel the confidence building as a team."
With injuries to both of the Ranger's biggest sluggers, Josh Hamilton (fractured arm) and Nelson Cruz (quad), players like Moreland (who has a .375 batting average against Weaver) and David Murphy are going to have to usher in that confidence.
Michael Young (.349 BA), who has been a stalwart at the plate this season, needs to take command of the dugout and show the other players, particularly Chris Davis, how it's done.
Also look to Julio Borbon, who has been swinging a hot bat as of late, to get things going in the leadoff spot. Then again, don't be surprised if he gets the No. 9 slot.
Texas has to take advantage of playing at home - the Ballpark in Arlington is a hitter's park and they need to capitalize on it.
Stop with the Errors Already
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Texas is dead last in the Major Leagues this year in fielding.
Currently, the Rangers have a .975 fielding percentage (30th) and have committed 34 errors. By contrast, the Angels have booted only 16. The greatest offenders are Elvis Andrus (eight) and Ian Kinsler (five); this shouldn't be surprising since they get the greatest number of fielding opportunities at shortstop and second base.
But on the bright side, Rangers infielders have turned more double plays than anyone else in the American League (47) led by, none other than Kinsler and Andrus. The Angels have turned only 31.
If the Rangers can solidify their defense this series, they can put themselves into position to give their ailing bullpen a better chance at surviving a potent Angel's lineup. As it stands now, too many freebies have been given up in 2011. Given the fact Texas did well in one-run games last season, it would spell disaster if the infielders keep dropping balls or continue making bad throws to first, particularly against the Angels.
Also of note: Depending on who Ron Washington puts behind the plate, Texas can benefit from the presence of former Angel's catcher, Mike Napoli. Napoli played six years with the Angels and knows their strengths and weaknesses as well as anyone.
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Run Baby Run
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The Rangers are devastating when they incorporate their speed and base-running prowess against teams like the Angels, though we've seen little of it so far this season compared to last year.
Look for Ron Washington to call for very aggressive base running against the Halos, especially Saturday and Sunday. Washington will most certainly be looking for chances to let his guys run wild but will probably play it safe against Weaver, who has a very good pickoff move to first.
Still, don't be surprised if Julio Borbon and Elvis Andrus try to cash in at second and third—anything to stay out of the double play.
When the Rangers utilize their speed, they're able to keep pitchers off-balance. The Rangers have proven they can force teams into bad situations. Of course, this type of aggressive play leads to more errors and will enable Texas to generate more runs. Washington is also fond of using the squeeze play at home with runners on third.
Run Wash Run!
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