Texas Rangers 2012 Thread

[Zordon]

josh is benched today and MY is moved down the 6th spot.

 

[juck]

Rangers are sliding. Wheels are falling off.

 

[RastaRocket]

Rangers are sliding. Wheels are falling off.

At least Napoli is hitting home runs again.

 

[Zordon]

we're in trouble

Getting a runner in from third with less than two outs should happen 55-60 percent of the time, Texas Rangers hitting coach Scott Coolbaugh said.

The Rangers were in that situation in the fifth and seventh innings Saturday, and came away empty handed in three trips.

For the night, they went 0 for 13 with runners in scoring position and are now 1 for 21 in those situations the opening two games -- both losses -- of a three-game series against the Chicago White Sox.

The 0 for 13 performance is the worst for the Rangers since they went 0 for 14 with RISP on May 13, 1997 against Cleveland. The 0 for 13 also dropped them to a .187 average with RISP over the last 16 games.

Afterwards, the hitters had to sit down and talk about it. They held a rare hitters-only meeting, but believe it will be beneficial in the long run.

"Absolutely," Craig Gentry said. "Guys had to get stuff off their chest and, as an offense, we're a whole and we've got to go out there with a team approach. A meeting like that is to get away all the negative things that have been going on and leave with a good attitude.

"Teams go through little funks like this and it's just how mentally strong you are is how quick you come out of it. Tomorrow is a new day and we're going to forget about how bad we've been playing lately and just move on."

What has gone wrong with the Rangers?

Coolbaugh couldn't pinpoint one specific area, but the batters simply haven't executed in clutch situations. The Rangers had three batters -- Ian Kinsler, Leonys Martin and Gentry -- in situations with a runner on third and less than two outs and all three struck out.

"It's not like they're up there not battling," Coolbaugh said. "It's just we're not getting the job done right now.

"If there was something I could just put my finger on it and make a correction, I would definitely bring it up. If it was one thing, whether it's not a long enough fly ball or something that we could get the runner in, but we're either striking out, not getting it out there far enough or hitting a ground ball with the infield in. There's nothing right now that is clicking for us offensively in those situations.

"You would hope you could get 55-60 percent of the guys in, that's a good standard. Every one of them? Obviously not. There's going to be pitchers out there that can make pitches but we've had some opportunities with guys out there that fundamentally we should be able to get guys in. Our hitters are too good not to get those guys in."

Maybe a meeting will be all it takes.

 

[Mike_45]

Im worried now, never seen a full team slump of this length and magnitude.

 

[Alweezy]

Im worried now, never seen a full team slump of this length and magnitude.

yeah I have tho... it was called: "Late May early June".



For me there was nothing that can get on the level of giving up 31 runs to the Mariners in two nights, and then going out to LA and watching the defense just fall apart.


I can live with an offensive slump, or a team simply being better than us. But that particular stretch of games where it didn't come together until we played the Giants was a bad time.

 

[Mike_45]

Well, they won. Feldman pitched very well. I hope he keeps it up.

 

[cowboyeric8]

Long season. The hitting will come around.

 

[RastaRocket]

Long season. The hitting will come around.

I agree. We're lucky the Angels can't figure out how to win when we lose.

 

[YosemiteSam]

Right now is a good time for the bats to come back to life.

 

[juck]

WTH is wrong with Hambone? Obviously all in his head now.

 

[Zordon]

WTH is wrong with Hambone? Obviously all in his head now.

he showed a little more patience yesterday. idk what's wrong with him. these mental lapses he goes thru are a big reason why we wont re-sign him and his high-maintenance attitude.

 

[MegaMagick]

Buster Olney ‏@Buster_ESPN
Source:Cliff Lee is in play in trade talks today. Rangers obviously the most logical landing spot, with 3B Mike Olt as possible centerpiece.


I don't see why we would give up top prospects for this guy AGAIN when he didn't want to be here the first time, oh and he hasn't been all that great this year either.

So when it's all said and done we will have given up Smoak, Olt, Profar, etc for Lee? A guy who can't even pitch on short rest in the postseason?

 

[TheCoolFan]

Pass on Cliff Lee. Not worth it...I'd rather give up less for someone like James Shields

 

[RastaRocket]

I'd be willing to give up Olt for Lee but not Profar.

 

[DFWJC]

Buster Olney ‏@Buster_ESPN
Source:Cliff Lee is in play in trade talks today. Rangers obviously the most logical landing spot, with 3B Mike Olt as possible centerpiece.


I don't see why we would give up top prospects for this guy AGAIN when he didn't want to be here the first time, oh and he hasn't been all that great this year either.

So when it's all said and done we will have given up Smoak, Olt, Profar, etc for Lee? A guy who can't even pitch on short rest in the postseason?

Have to admit, as a Ranger fan, I feel a bit scorned by Cliff Lee (and his wife).
We (and he) would have won a World Series, most likely, last year if he had stayed with us.
He rejected us even after making it to the WS with our team and getting along well in the clubhouse.

Now, he would cost us even more prospects, plus a huge contract.

 

[RastaRocket]

Buster Olney ‏@Buster_ESPN
Source:Cliff Lee is in play in trade talks today. Rangers obviously the most logical landing spot, with 3B Mike Olt as possible centerpiece.


I don't see why we would give up top prospects for this guy AGAIN when he didn't want to be here the first time, oh and he hasn't been all that great this year either.

So when it's all said and done we will have given up Smoak, Olt, Profar, etc for Lee? A guy who can't even pitch on short rest in the postseason?

We're not trading Profar, and Smoak was the worst avg in the MLB right now. We should be happy we got something for Smoak while we could. Olt isn't a given to be a stud. We have Beltre locked up anyways.

 

[MC KAos]

id be ok with cliff coming back, but not for profar, and id hope the phillies would pick up part of the salary.

 

[MC KAos]

as for the slump, it seems like we always hit a skid right around the time the cowboys are starting training camp, we should be ok in the long run. just sucks the angels are hot.

 

[RastaRocket]

as for the slump, it seems like we always hit a skid right around the time the cowboys are starting training camp, we should be ok in the long run. just sucks the angels are hot.

The Angels are not hot, that is a myth. The A's however, are hot right now.

Last 10 games.

Rangers 4-6
Athletics 8-2
Angels 5-5

They are only one game better than us, and they are now 3rd place in the division.