SB Nation - Warner Madrigal

Thursday a.m. Rangers stuff

Adam J. Morris — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 15:08:47 -0000

More photos » by Tony Gutierrez - AP

4 months ago: Texas Rangers' Andruw Jones follows through on his solo home run to left off Detroit Tigers relief pitcher Casey Fien in the ninth inning of a baseball game in Arlington, Texas, Wednesday, July 29, 2009. The solo hit was Jones' second of the game in the 13-5 loss to the Tigers. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)

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Well, that sucked. Back to 3.5 games out in the A.L. West. And that's probably been the most frustrating thing about this stretch...the Rangers have been hot and have been winning games, and they are basically spinning their wheels because the Angels just aren't losing.

Jeff Wilson writes that maybe the Rangers were due for a meltdown. Scott Feldman looked awful yesterday, and maybe put a damper on the "no, really, his peripherals don't matter because he induces weak contact!" silliness that has been peddled vis-a-vis whether he can sustain his current level of success. His ERA is now 3.99, and we're seeing his FIP and ERA start to converge, as would be expected.

Joaquin Arias was called up yesterday because of Ian Kinsler's tight hamstring. Kinsler is apparently close to being ready to go, though, and if he is, Arias could be sent down to make room for Warner Madrigal, whose presence will be necessary to supplement a tore-up bullpen today. The other alternative would be to option Guillermo Moscoso to make room for Madrigal.

Brandon McCarthy is throwing off a mound again, and hopes to be back in Arlington by mid-August.

MJH has some thoughts about the various potential trade targets out there.

There's also a roundtable discussion with Bob Sturm, MJH, and Evan Grant, that includes this interesting theory from MJH about the success of Ryan Drese that I hadn't heard mentioned before:

Mjhindman: Of course, I’m pretty sure that Drese was loading up the ball and got a warning to stop it. It was a poorly kept secret that Orel was a greaser.

Grant also says this about the attitude among the players vis-a-vis Halladay:

Evan: I think the players believe Halladay can change the race and the playoffs. I believe they think Halladay makes them the favorites for the division. I’d hate to see the reaction if Halladay gets traded and it’s to the Angels instead of the Rangers.

The players probably do believe that, and that's great, as it shows that they have confidence and believe in themselves.

But they are also wrong...the Rangers are 3.5 games behind the Angels, and with or without Halladay, they are longshots to pass Anaheim.

Evan says that he'd give the Blue Jays Feliz, Smoak, any minor league pitchers not named Martin Perez, and any minor league hitter to get Halladay. Presumably, that means Feliz, Smoak, Borbon, and Kiker, Main or Beavan. Too much, particularly given that it is a move being made for 2010, I think, not 2009, when adding Halladay still leaves the Rangers' playoff chances pretty remote.

It is hard to see how, after an 18 strikeout night where the offense once again looked like it was hitting with bags over its heads, Halladay is the difference maker on this team.

Robbie Erlin, a third round lefty high school pitcher out of Cali, signed yesterday.

Eyre activated, Madrigal demoted

Adam J. Morris — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 20:37:13 -0000

We knew the move was coming, just not necessarily this soon...

But Willie Eyre has been activated from the disabled list, with Warner Madrigal getting optioned to AAA.

Eyre, I suspect, will immediately go in the mix with Jason Jennings as far as a 7th/8th inning righty reliever.

Easter Rally: Tigers 6, Rangers 4

Ian Casselberry — Sun, 12 Apr 2009 21:10:08 -0000

Sunday's game had a familiar feeling, in front of a subdued holiday crowd, as the Tigers lethargically plodded through the first seven innings against Kevin Millwood. Once the Rangers went to their bullpen, however, it was like the lineup had found their Easter eggs.

Against C.J. Wilson and Warner Madrigal (who shaved his head after giving up three runs on Friday), Detroit batted around in the eighth inning. Led by Brandon Inge's home run and single (resulting in three RBIs), the Tigers scored six runs in a rousing comeback over Texas.

Roar:

Take your pick. Inge continues to amaze with his torrid start to the season. And Carlos Guillen not only tied the game with his two-run double, but made the Rangers pay for intentionally walking Miguel Cabrera to face him. For a guy who was struggling (batting .167/.360/.222 coming into today), it was an important moment, one that could pay dividends later in the season, as well.

Brandon Lyon also warrants a mention, keeping the Tigers in the game by pitching perfect baseball in the seventh and eighth innings. That ought to make up for blowing Edwin Jackson's win on Tuesday. (Jackson also deserves credit for hanging in the game after allowing four runs - on a pair of two-run homers - in three innings. He salvaged a good day by not crumbling.)

And with a 1-2-3 ninth inning and save from Fernando Rodney, the bullpen hasn't allowed a hit, walk, or run in its last seven innings of work.

Turning Point:

Even after Inge's leadoff homer in the eighth, a comeback didn't begin to feel possible until Elvis Andrus missed a sure out (and possibly even a double play) on Curtis Granderson's groundball to short. After that, the fuse was lit.

Comment of the Day:

EJ

is fighting hard. Games like this can help us the next few days. We could have burned out the bullpen today the way the thing started. Jackson looks like a pretty tough guy thus far.
by rook34

And after Minnesota's 6-1 loss to the White Sox today, how about these apples?

AL Central Standings

	W	L	PCT	GB	STRK
Detroit	4	3	.571	0	Won 3
Chicago	3	3	.500	0.5	Won 2
Kansas City	3	3	.500	0.5	Won 1
Minnesota	3	4	.428	1	Lost 2
Cleveland	1	5	.166	2.5	Won 1

(updated 4.12.2009 at 5:05 PM EDT)

Finally, as a note to myself: Don't ever try to get a head start on writing the recap when Jackson is pitching. On Tuesday night, I was ready to roll with a post about the Tigers winning until Lyon served up a three-run homer to Aaron Hill. And today, I was writing about a sure loss that had the stink of the familiar to it, only to see the Tigers rally. Maybe I should just apply that philosophy to every game.

Bad news for Feldman

Adam J. Morris — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 22:58:42 -0000

Warner Madrigal walked 2 guys, allowed a homer and gave up 4 runs in 2 innings today.

Bad news for Scott Feldman, if he wants to stay in the rotation, since Madrigal was one of the few relief candidates who had pitched well enough for the Rangers to consider a viable RH setup option.

If Madrigal ends up tanking, the possibility of Feldman going to the pen to fill the 8th inning setup role becomes more likely.

Wednesday morning things

Adam J. Morris — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 15:54:08 -0000

The Rangers beat the snot out of Cliff Lee yesterday, but the most interesting performance may have been from Derrick Turnbow, who, Evan Grant notes, has allowed just 1 hit and 1 walk in his last three outings.

Scott Feldman was roughed up in the fifth yesterday, after 4 solid innings, but feels good about the progress he's making. Jeff Wilson also notes that C.J. Wilson and Luis Mendoza threw long toss yesterday in their efforts to return from blister problems.

Wilson also says that Warner Madrigal has a spot in the bullpen pretty much nailed down, and runs down the candidates for the remaining bullpen spots. Of note is that Wilson suggests that the Rangers will have an 8 man bullpen until April 16, when they need a 5th starter...that would mean that Matt Harrison would have to be optioned to AAA to start the season.

Andruw Jones is looking at his options, as it appears he isn't likely to be added to the Rangers' roster by his opt-out date. Marlon Byrd, meanwhile, has come back strong after early injury issues, as Grant talks about in a lengthy set up notes from yesterday.

Saturday morning stuff

Adam J. Morris — Sat, 14 Mar 2009 14:41:55 -0000

Rangers lose both split squad games yesterday. Evan Grant has the writeup on the loss to the Royals here, and the loss to the Dodgers here. Andruw Jones was 0 for 3 with 2 Ks yesterday, putting a damper on his resurgence.

Anthony Andro says that, except for one pitch, Vicente Padilla was happy with his outing yesterday.

Grant writes that Warner Madrigal's impressive spring has enhanced his chances of starting the season as the righty setup man, despite going up against more experienced guys.

Jeff Wilson writes about Mike Maddux pushing the idea of throwing strikes and minimizing pitches this spring.

Hank Blalock will play at third base in a game or two next week, saying that the plan is for him to be ready to fill in there when Michael Young needs a day off.

We still don't know who the five prospects who are delayed over age-check issues are, but they apparently are not anyone included in BA's top 30 prospect list from this year.

Evan Grant's roster prediction

Adam J. Morris — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 16:46:16 -0000

Evan Grant's notes post from yesterday afternoon, that I linked this morning, also goes into his predicted 25 man roster...

I agree with almost all his predictions. He has Cat making the team, and I think either Cat or Andruw Jones will stick, most likely Cat at this point. Whoever that 25th man isn't likely to play much, and really, I think the Rangers would be best served with a Jason Ellison type who can give you plus defense in center field and pinch run from time to time.

And I still think that if Jones makes the team, one of the other outfielders (other than Cat) gets dealt...I just don't see that there are enough ABs at the three outfield slots, plus DH, to get Jones, Hamilton, Cruz, Murphy, Byrd, and Blalock plate appearances.

The one spot I disagree with Grant on is in the bullpen, where he has Warner Madrigal sticking, along with Josh Rupe, Dustin Nippert, and Brendan Donnelly in the four spots up in the air. I still think Madrigal starts the season in AAA, with two of the Donnelly/Willie Eyre/Derrick Turnbow group starting the season in the major league pen.

Grant's 25 man roster would require 4 NRIs to get added to the 40 man roster. The roster is at 39 right now, and Eric Hurley and Joaquin Benoit are both headed to the 60 day d.l., but you'd still have to clear one more spot to make room for someone.

If Eyre doesn't make the team, and if he's out of options (something that there seems to be some confusion about), then he loses his 40 man spot. If the Rangers choose to option Eyre (and he has options left), then Travis Metcalf seems to be a candidate to be run through waivers.

UPDATE -- I've been informed Eyre has two options remaining, which makes it a lot less likely he'll be dropped from the 40 man to make room for someone else, and somewhat reduces the chances he'll make the 25 man roster to start the season (since he can be optioned to the minors without the Rangers risking losing him).

Undefeated Juggernaut: Cubs 10, Rangers 4

Al — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 23:11:38 -0000

That ought to get your attention. Yes, I know the results of these games are mostly meaningless, and three wins doesn't make a juggernaut, an astronaut, or any other kind of naut.

Though the result was for naught, the Cubs beat the Rangers 10-4 at Surprise today, running their 2009 exhibition record to 3-0, in front of another smallish spring crowd of 5,413 (less than half the Surprise Stadium capacity.

It was strange trying to follow the game on the spring training Gameday, which is a stripped-down version of what we'll see in the regular season, with no audio available today. (There won't be any tomorrow, either.) But from what I could tell:

Ted Lilly looked fine in his couple of innings of work. Have a nice trip, Ted, and see you in a few weeks. Aaron Heilman gets the start tomorrow against the White Sox (Rich Harden still isn't ready, and that's not a cause for worry, because it's so early).
The Micah Hoffpauir Fan Club had another banner day, as Hoffpauir hit a three-run homer and singled and took over (for whatever this number is worth) the major league spring training lead in RBI with 7. The Sam Fuld Fan Club (I'm looking at YOU, Jessica) should also be happy today; little Sammy hit a homer off Warner Madrigal (love his singers!).
Little Babe Ruth, aka Mike Fontenot, also homered, and in addition, smacked a two-run triple. As long as he's not going to face any lefthanded pitching, he ought to be just fine. (The Rangers threw all RHP while Fontenot was in the game.)
The Cubs' miscellaneous minor leaguers who served as the bullpen today threw well enough, allowing seven hits and three earned in seven innings of work, while striking out seven. (We won't mention the six walks -- oops, sorry.) The one pitcher I really would have liked to see do well, Rocky "Raccoon" Roquet, gave up a two-run double to Adam Melhuse (who was in Cubs camp a couple years ago. How old is that guy, anyway?)

While we await Milton Bradley's next appearance on the field (you have photographic evidence, below, that he actually did so once), check out this cubs.com article about him, with much praise from his manager at Texas last year, Ron Washington.

Right-hander Jeff Marquez, who the White Sox acquired in the Nick Swisher deal from the Yankees, will start for the Sox tomorrow, and the Sox intend to bring starting players Carlos Quentin, Josh Fields, Jermaine Dye, Cub fan anti-favorite A.J. Pierzynski and Jim Thome over to Mesa tomorrow.