The Rangers Series, 7/19-7/21

[Just Regular]

They are leading with Eovaldi rather than Scherzer tomorrow as we get back to it.    Eovaldi is perhaps mid-month pitcher of the month favorite - 18/0 K/BB and 3-for-3 at 7-inning starts.

Rangers media thinks they know the probables, though I haven't seen any reports from Orioles-land.     Houston and Seattle, the two clubs TEX is chasing, play each other as Chris Young starts getting his last ~10 games of info how the defending champs playoff odds will move before the deadline.

 

[HowAboutThat]

Trade for Kirby Yates 

[eddie83]

I checked the MLB app this morning to see the pitching matchups and only the Orioles starters are listed. Kind of amusing. 
 

I’ll be very happy taking 2/3. Hopefully the rest mentally and physically came at the perfect time. 

[HowAboutThat]

I went looking for a tragic series in 2013 against the Diamondbacks, where we got swept in four games right after the ASB.

But I remembered wrong. After the 2013 ASB, we met the Rangers, and swept them in a three game series! So, rather than hand-wringing and storm clouds, the Omens are good!

Onward!

[Aristotelian]

14 hours ago, HowAboutThat said:

Trade for Kirby Yates 

I will be interested to get a look at Robertson, Scherzer, and Eovaldi as well.

 

[Malike]

The Rangers are playing well and are 5 games back of the division and people think they are selling? Lol.

[HowAboutThat]

13 minutes ago, Malike said:

The Rangers are playing well and are 5 games back of the division and people think they are selling? Lol.

There was an interview with their GM a few days ago, and he said basically that they’re not going to sell, but his word choice was enough that it could go either way. I think a lot will hang on how this series goes.
The Rangers are also counting on getting several players back from injury, so for them, it’s not really a question of acquiring assets, but of everybody being healthy and then playing to their standards again. This will be a very significant series.

But at the end of the day, the fact is, they’ve got to catch a lot of teams.

Edited July 19 by HowAboutThat

[Malike]

1 minute ago, HowAboutThat said:

There was an interview with their GM a few days ago, and he said basically that they’re not going to sell, but his word choice was enough that it could go either way. I think a lot will hang on how this series goes.
The Rangers are also counting on getting several players back from injury, so for them, it’s not really a question of requiring assets, but of everybody being healthy and then playing to their standards again. This will be a very significant series.

But at the end of the day, the fact is, they’ve got to catch a lot of teams 

They only have to catch 2 teams and I'd be shocked if they are not adding to the team for the second half coming off of a World Series title. They are not a terrible team, they have underperformed and have had some injuries as you have stated.

I don't think what happens in this series changes the calculus, whether they sweep us or get swept. Houston is playing Seattle, no matter what happens in this series they are still going to be around the same spot they are in right now.

[HowAboutThat]

37 minutes ago, Malike said:

They only have to catch 2 teams and I'd be shocked if they are not adding to the team for the second half coming off of a World Series title. They are not a terrible team, they have underperformed and have had some injuries as you have stated.

I don't think what happens in this series changes the calculus, whether they sweep us or get swept. Houston is playing Seattle, no matter what happens in this series they are still going to be around the same spot they are in right now.

Yes, I’ve talked to some folks in baseball chats about the bad look of selling when you’re a defending champion, but at the time the Rangers were pretty terrible. since then they’ve improved a lot, and they’re getting substandard seasons from almost all of their regulars, and if they recover, there’s still plenty of time for them to catch up. That being said, they still might be willing to move some of their rentals like Yates and as you and I have discussed before I’d love to get Jonah Heim, but I don’t think that’s happening. 

The most vulnerable team in the west is the Mariners, because they don’t hit at all. I think we match up really well with the Mariners, and I hope that Mike has Jerry DiPoto on speed dial.

[Aristotelian]

1 hour ago, Malike said:

The Rangers are playing well and are 5 games back of the division and people think they are selling? Lol.

The problem is they have two teams ahead of them that are also playing well. You never know, but their odds of passing both HOU and SEA are not good. Of course, I thought HOU was dead in the water but they have gone on an amazing run. 

The other issue with the Rangers as a trading partner is they are pretty well set with position players. The have at most positions either good young players or performing veterans signed to long contracts. I would think if they trade away pitching they will want pitching prospects coming back.

[bpilktree67]

1 hour ago, Malike said:

The Rangers are playing well and are 5 games back of the division and people think they are selling? Lol.

They were 8 games under .500 just 10 games ago, now 4 games under, so it was a good thought to sell.  These next 10 days will be huge for a few teams that are on the bubble.  A good stretch they stay in it but fall 7 plus games back with just 54 left is a tough task to jump 2 teams.  

[Just Regular]

I don't believe the Rangers will sell, but their play has been tepid enough the scenario could come into play with more struggles.     

Of course today Max Scherzer and Chris Young are maintaining a good face on the situation in their public comments.

They have four with the White Sox after us so they probably aren't in any real difficulty unless we are able to sweep to push them down to 46-53.     Even then they'd have a fair chance to manage 5-5 in the last 10.

For us the series is more of a do-over with an opponent that stood on their necks as postseason greenhorns.    Is Gunnar Henderson better than Corey Seager yet?

 

[Frobby]

4 hours ago, HowAboutThat said:

I went looking for a tragic series in 2013 against the Diamondbacks, where we got swept in four games right after the ASB.

But I remembered wrong. After the 2013 ASB, we met the Rangers, and swept them in a three game series! So, rather than hand-wringing and storm clouds, the Omens are good!

Onward!

I remember the series you’re referring to.  We lost three one-run games and Jim Johnson blew saves on consecutive nights.   We lost all three on walk-offs.  August 12-14.  

[SteveA]

4 hours ago, HowAboutThat said:

I went looking for a tragic series in 2013 against the Diamondbacks, where we got swept in four games right after the ASB.

But I remembered wrong. After the 2013 ASB, we met the Rangers, and swept them in a three game series! So, rather than hand-wringing and storm clouds, the Omens are good!

Onward!

Was one of those games a Chris Tillman one hitter?

[yark14]

Might swing up to my least favorite stadium to catch the Sunday game.