Peanuts & Crackerjack

5 Things That Will Propel the Rangers Through the Postseason.

mlblogspeanutsandcrackerjack — Thu, 29 Sep 2011 03:27:55 +0000

1. CJ Wilson

CJ Wilson proved last year that he could be a successful starting pitcher in the major leagues. Modeling himself after Cliff Lee (both being southpaws) and taking his conditioning to the next level, Wilson went on the become an integral part of the Rangers’ 2010 rotation.

In 2011, however, he stepped it up again. He became the first pitcher since Nolan Ryan (and the first left-handed pitcher in franchise history) to log 200 strikeouts in a season. In the second half, he posted a sub-3.0 ERA and held batters to a .219 batting average. His focus and determination led him to win 16 games in the 2011 season. His cutter and curveball are deadly against right-handed batters, and his dominance should continue well into October as he fronts the Rangers’ playoff rotation.

2. Ian Kinsler

Kinsler’s 2011 season didn’t get anywhere near as much attention as teammates’ Michael Young or Mike Napoli, but that’s not to say Kinsler wasn’t good this season. In fact, he had one of the best seasons of his career, and as of this writing, is one stolen base away from joining the 30/30 club (30 HRs and 30 stolen bases in a season). He played in all but nine games all season, and put up a .253 ERA and an OPS over .800. As the Rangers leadoff man, he still batted in 76 runs. He brings both power and average to the top of the lineup. Kinsler also showed his defensive prowess on the field in 2011, by committing only eleven errors in 142 games. With him batting at the top of the order, postseason pitchers will have to be very careful because Ian Kinsler can not only get on base, but he can also send a ball into the outfield bleachers.

3. Derek Holland

It’s hard to say that a 24 year-old pitcher had a “breakout” season, but that’s exactly what Derek had in 2011. I was intrigued to see how he would respond after his meltdown during last year’s World Series, when he came into Game 2 and seemingly unable to find the plate (at one point throwing 11 balls in a row). His talents have never been questioned, but it was often a source of debate on whether or not Holland had the mental fortitude to be a successful starting pitcher in the majors. In 2011, Holland hushed his doubters. Throwing four complete game shutouts and amassing a record of 16-5 in 32 starts, he showed flashed of dominance with his mid-90′s fastball and devastating curveball. It wouldn’t surprise me to see Holland as the #2 postseason starter behind CJ Wilson. Trust me, though, Holland’s 2011 breakout season isn’t over yet.

4. The Bullpen

At the beginning of 2011, the Rangers’ rotation was a shamble. Neftali Feliz was injured and even when he came back, he didn’t have the same dominance that he displayed in 2010. One of the other dominating flamethrowers, Alexi Ogando, was now in the rotation and showing lots of promise. Guys like Mason Tobin had roster spots. It wasn’t pretty. However, at the trade deadline, Texas’ GM Jon Daniels traded for some of the best relief pitching in the majors. He acquired Koji Uehara (and, later, Mike Gonzalez) from the Orioles and wrangled Mike Adams from the San Diego Padres. Now, Texas has one of the best bullpens in the league. And, for the postseason, it looks as if Ogando will return to a relief role as well, giving the Rangers a formidable pitching force from the 6th inning on.

5. 2010

2010 was a magical season for the Texas Rangers. It also gave them something very important going into the 2011 postseason: experience with success. For many of the players on the Rangers’ roster — including even perennial All-Star Michael Young — it was the first time in their careers that they played games after the regular 162. That kind of experience — the national stage, the pageantry, and (more importantly) the quick turnaround of each postseason series — is impossible to duplicate except in the playoffs. For young players like Ian Kinsler, Elvis Andrus and Neftali Feliz, 2010 may have been the first of many playoff runs, but the first is the most important. If experience is the best teacher, these 2011 Rangers are well-taught and ready to continue to learn.

Back in the Saddle Again.

mlblogspeanutsandcrackerjack — Tue, 27 Sep 2011 02:38:07 +0000

There are very few things that will make me do the Stanky Leg down with hallway. One of them is too much Rolling Rock. The other is the unbridled excitement felt knowing that my favorite baseball team has just clinched their division and are going back to the postseason for the second year in a row.

2010 was special. It was magical, the kind of season you tell your kids about. Everywhere I went, I saw claws, antlers and Rangers red and blue. For the first time in the history of the franchise, the fanbase had truly rallied behind the team. Again, the only word I have to describe it: magical.

And, to be honest, I never thought it’d happen again this season. Going into 2011 losing Cliff Lee and not signing any other “big-name” pitchers (ie, Matt Garza, Greinke) I had a hard time believing again.

Could it, once again, be time?

The Rangers’ 2011 ride to the postseason included some of the best baseballing by many of the teams’ perennial stars. Michael Young flirted with a batting title. CJ Wilson became the first left-handed pitcher for the organization to reach 200 strikeouts. Whereas 2010 felt like magic, 2011 was more pure determination.

Determined.

I do believe. It’s time. Again. October is going to be a lot of fun.

DFWSportsFans.com

mlblogspeanutsandcrackerjack — Tue, 09 Nov 2010 04:23:08 +0000

Hey there Peanuts & Crackerjacks reader!

I have officially joined DFWSportsFans.com, as a baseball writer, covering the Texas Rangers.

Don’t you worry, Peanuts & Crackerjack is here to stay, but I will focus more of the editorial-style content for DFWSportsFans. So, what does this mean for P&CJ?

I’m going to do more “fun” stuff here. Book reviews. Movie reviews. Ballpark reviews. Pictures from games. May turn the focus to minor league ball.

I hope you keep reading this blog, but I also want you to go on over to DFWSportsFans.com and check out all we have to offer there as well.

Thanks for everything!

-Andrew

That’s the Way Baseball Go

mlblogspeanutsandcrackerjack — Tue, 02 Nov 2010 16:54:41 +0000

With a 2-0 fastball delivered from the Rangers’ ace Cliff Lee, Edgar Renteria, the 35 year-old journeyman shortstop delivered a hit that the American League Champion Texas Rangers could not catch up with. The three-run blast essentially put the game out of reach for a team that could not figure out Tim Lincecum, and all but sealed the World Series victory for the San Francisco Giants.

And, so there it is. After a 56-year drought, the Giants finally delivered a World Series trophy to northern California (the first, in fact, since moving from New York).

I’m actually not anywhere near as upset as I thought I’d be. Sure, there’s a part of me that questions the choice of not walking Renteria before that dinger, but, hey…that’s the way baseball go. I wish some calls by the umps would have gone our way, but, hey…that’s the way baseball go. I wish the offense could have figured out Tim Lincecum, Matt Cain & Madison Bumgarner, but, hey…that’s the way baseball go.

We’re still the American League Champions. That’s enough for me, really. The fact that we beat the two powerhouses of the AL East (something most analysts say was more than improbable) to get to the World Series is amazing.

And, despite the loss to the Giants, there are definitely some good things that came out of the postseason, mostly the rookie first baseman Mitch Moreland and the prodigal son, Colby Lewis.

After the Smoak-for-Lee trade, Moreland was thrust into the majors after spending most of the season at AAA, splitting time between first base & right field. I don’t know for sure if he’s the first baseman of the future for this franchise, but he’s definitely the first baseman of right now. It’s his job to lose, and after his postseason performance of hitting over .415, he deserves to keep it.

And, then, there’s Colby Lewis. A pitcher who wasn’t even good enough just a few years ago to stay in the majors, he spent the last two seasons pitching in Japan. He obviously found something while across the Pacific, and led the Napon Professional Baseball in strikeouts both seasons. That success continued when he returned to the United States, and he racked up 196 strikeouts in the regular season – the most for a Rangers pitcher since Nolan Ryan. Lewis also went undefeated in the postseason with a 3-0 record, beating the Yankees twice. There are special things in the future for Colby Lewis and the Rangers. I look forward to seeing him near the top of the rotation next season.

These things, among the many countless others made this one memorable and exciting season.

Again, congratulations, San Francisco. It’s been a long time coming for you guys. I can’t wait for a rematch.

Believe. (this/is/war)

mlblogspeanutsandcrackerjack — Mon, 01 Nov 2010 13:51:27 +0000

Posted on Facebook this morning by Chuck Greenberg, CEO and owner of the Rangers:

This season has transcended expectations and transformed the psyche and hearts of legions of Rangers fans across Texas and throughout our country and beyond. At the core of the remarkable journey we have shared together is a ballclub and a community who collectively have consigned the conventional wisdom of the past to the dust bins of history, busting myths and charting a new course previously thought to be unattainable.

Can’t pitch successfully in Rangers Ballpark. Wrong.

Can’t compete successfully late in the season because the heat will break you down. Wrong.

Fans will lose interest when training camp opens. Wrong.

Fans won’t come to Rangers Ballpark after the All Star break because it’s too hot. Wrong.

Rangers can’t win a playoff series. Wrong.

Rangers can’t win a playoff game at home. Wrong.

Rangers can’t beat the Yankees in the playoffs. Wrong.

Rangers can’t get to the World Series. Wrong.

Rangers can’t captivate the hearts and emotions of fans new and old deep into the fall. Wrong.

And on and on and on….

I can’t even begin to count the memorable moments we have shared this year thanks to a very special group of players with hearts and smiles as big as Texas, who always pull together, stand up for one another, and who have changed the sports landscape here in the Metroplex forever.

But here is a simple reality. Monday will be the last game played in Rangers Ballpark this year. We all owe it to ourselves, our players and each other, to celebrate with passion, enthusiasm and indefatigable belief from lineup cards to the final out, loud and proud.

The defining team of my young life was the 1979, “We are Family” Pittsburgh Pirates. I have often remarked how much this Rangers club reminds me of that team, with a confident but friendly swagger and an abundance of character and personality.

Now these two teams have something else in common. Both fell behind 3-1 in the World Series. Kent Tekulve, the great closer from the ’79 Pirates, texted me after tonight’s game to pass along this story. Before Game 5, Willie Stargell told his teammates:

“We are playing in front of the whole world. We may not win this thing, but before we go, let’s show the world how the Pirates really play baseball.”

The Pirates, playing against a team whose colors were black and orange, won Game 5. Then they returned to Baltimore and won Game 6. Then they won Game 7.

I know our players will show everyone how the Rangers play baseball tomorrow. As fans, let’s do the same. We have one final opportunity this season to show the world what we have accomplished together and the passion we all hold for our players and our shared dreams.

The World Series is going back to San Francisco. And then there will be one final piece of conventional wisdom to prove wrong….

Believe.

Chuck

Torture.

mlblogspeanutsandcrackerjack — Fri, 29 Oct 2010 20:23:52 +0000

Your biggest fear, as a sports fan, is to see your beloved
team fight and claw all the way to the postseason, only to get rolled over in
the Championship. I remember quite clearly how deflated I felt during the 2007 Cowboys
season when they went 13-3 and got rolled over in the first playoff game
against NFC wild card, the New York Football Giants.

Right now, another Giants team is rolling over another
Dallas team.

And, trust me, I invest way more emotion into my Rangers
than I ever have the Cowboys, so watching these past two games have been
absolutely gut-wrenching. I do find solace in the fact that they’re coming back
to Texas for 3 games, with Colby Lewis and Cliff Lee getting two of those
starts (at best).

I have to have hope, though. Surely, back in our park, with
our fans, and our league rules (stupid NL rules – we’ll get into that another
time) we can at least even up the series before Game 5. Hell, even we can get
it to 3-2, with a chance to take the final 2 back in San Francisco, I’ll take
that.

I just don’t want to get swept.

Wednesday night, it was the errors. Last night was the
bullpen implosion. Hopefully that’s all out of their system now.

So, off day today, get back on the horse tomorrow.

I still believe that this boat is real.

I just hope it’s not named “Titanic”.

It Begins.

mlblogspeanutsandcrackerjack — Wed, 27 Oct 2010 16:53:22 +0000

I really don’t know what to say here. A thousand thoughts
and ideas flash through my head all at once. Today is the start of MLB’s Fall
Classic, the World Series. And for the first time in history, the Texas Rangers
are on the national stage.

I think about my childhood, watching the Rangers off and on
as I grew up. Nolan Ryan is a folklore hero in this state. I think every young
man my age who grew up in Texas has memories of Nolan pitching in the Rangers
uniform.

I think about rediscovering the game in my late teenage
years, and every year falling more and more in love with it. My son, who is 3
now, also shows a ton of interest in the sport, and it’s something we share
together. I look forward to him growing up a fan of the game.

I think about Michael Young, the veteran who has seen this
team go from last to first, who stuck with this team through his free agency,
and is now being rewarded for his commitment with a chance at a World Series
ring.

I think about Josh Hamilton, and the phoenix that he is.
Risen from the ashes of drug and alcohol addictions to come back to the game
(after being suspended by MLB in the early 2000′s) and be one of the most – if not
the most – dominant hitters in the
game. But, more importantly, is his desire to share the love of the Lord and
his testimony. He doesn’t shy away from expressing his love for Christ, and the
fact that it was his faith in Jesus that made it possible for him to come back
to baseball.

The manager, Ron Washington, and his struggles in Spring
Training, coming back from his admission of cocaine use and the way the team
rallied around him to support him. There’s a reason he’s still the manager. I
hope it stays that way for many years.

I think about the young guys and the rookies on this team.
Guys like Elvis Andrus, Derek Holland, and Neftali Feliz just to name a few.
Guys who have worked through the ranks of the minor leagues to prove that they
not only belong here, but are the best players in the game. Also, the story of
Alexi Ogando, a man who thought he’d never get the chance to play baseball in
the United States. For five years, he was stuck in limbo as he couldn’t obtain
a visa. Yet, the Rangers stuck with him. And here he is now, one of the best
arms in the Rangers’ bullpen.

And all the fans much older than me, who have stuck with
this team since it moved to Texas in the 70′s. Those fans who have suffered
through mediocrity, the 90′s boom and bust, Nolan Ryan, Alex Rodriguez, Kenny
Roger’s perfect game…to now.

So, this is it.

It’s time.

American League Champions

mlblogspeanutsandcrackerjack — Sun, 24 Oct 2010 02:47:01 +0000

And just like that — with a Neftali Feliz breaking ball falling in for a strike against Alex Rodriguez (aside: how &^*#ing fitting is that?!) — the Texas Rangers have won the American League pennant and, for the first time if franchise history, are headed to the World Series.

I wanted to post this blog last night, I really did. But between being lost for words, holding back tears, watching the postgame reactions and celebrations and partaking in a ginger ale shower and victory cigar myself, I just couldn’t do it. Even today, I walked around, dazed in wonder and amazement. Anyone who knows me knows I’ve waited for this for a long time, dreamed of this for a long time.

When I was a kid, I loved the Rangers, but didn’t quite understand “the way baseball go.” In my teenage years, I kind of fell away from the game as my interest switched to music and, well, girls.

However, in my late teens, my love and fascination with baseball was resparked. In all of my serial obsessions, I’ve never been as deeply in to something as I am with baseball right now. I sat on my couch during the game, keeping score with a scoresheet app on my ipod. I may transfer it to a hand-written scoresheet and hang it in a frame on my wall. The clincher.

And Colbyashi Lewis. The cheap Japanese import that most teams in the majors had given up on. Back to the States and dominates. Incredible. I’ve got a ball autographed by him. It’ll be a family heirloom from now on.

And now, I finally get to see my team on that national stage. The Fall Classic. Wow.

This must be what Yankees fans used to feel like.

It’s About Time

mlblogspeanutsandcrackerjack — Tue, 19 Oct 2010 16:49:23 +0000

I haven’t updated this blog since the Rangers
acquired Cliff Lee (who, by the way, in the words of Jim Rome “is a witch”) and
I feel bad about that. But, to be honest, when it comes to my fandom, Peanuts & Crackerjack falls pretty
low on the list. I love watching the games. I love crunching numbers in my head
and imagining how amazing this year has been as a Rangers fan. But I am the
worst at putting those thoughts to paper (or to keyboard, whatever.)

But, let’s get to it.

The Rangers are in the midst of a battle with the
New York Yankees. The great Cliff Lee, after last night’s 8-0 shutout, has an
amazing line, continuing from his dominance last postseason, when he was with
the Phillies.

His stats this postseason: 3-0 24IP 13H 2R 2ER 1HR
1BB 34K

Thirty-four
strikeouts. 1 walk.

Dude is
a witch.

And now the Rangers have the ALCS advantage
against a Yankees team that is much higher-paid, gains much more attention on
the national level, and is the team
to beat. They are the reigning world champions. And, these kings of the Major
Leagues are on the verge of being dethroned. The Rangers have never been this
far in the postseason. They faced the Yankees in 1996, 1998 and 1999 in the
ALDS, winning only 1 game in those three series. (That’s one game TOTAL)

This is 2010. This year, it’s different. It’s
time.

It’s a good time to be a Rangers fan, and I think
there are only a few seats left on the bandwagon.

It Wasn’t All a Dream

mlblogspeanutsandcrackerjack — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 15:17:41 +0000

This is such a beautiful image.

If you blinked or got up to pee last night, you probably missed Cliff Lee’s half-inning of pitching in the All-Star game, held at Angels Stadium. Cliff Lee pitched in the 4th inning, and threw six pitches total, 5 of which were strikes. He struck out Albert Pujols on 3 pitches. Ridiculous.