The Ranger Rundown

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July 31, 2006

Wasdin DFA'ed (again)

Texas designated pitcher JOHN WASDIN for assignment.

Wasdin enjoyed a run of surprising adequacy last year, but in 2006 he regressed to his replacement-level mean. He has withstood numerous DFAs without a claim, and he’ll likely ply his trade for Oklahoma within a few days.

Posted by Lucas at 11:58 PM

Texas acquires Stairs, Wells (Kip, not Vernon)

Texas traded minor-league pitcher JOSELO DIAZ to Kansas City for outfielder MATT STAIRS.

Stairs has a zesty career line of .273/.367/.501 against righties but hasn’t actually slugged .500 since 2003. This season, he’s a more vanilla .264/.361/.447. He obviously improves the roster, and yet I wonder how much he’ll actually help. Mark DeRosa has backslid rapidly during July but probably will continue to start every day because… well, because he’s Mark DeRosa. Thus, Stairs would supplant Brad Wilkerson, who despite his struggles isn’t that much worse than Stairs against righties (.240/.327/.471). Likewise, if Texas continues to bench Hank Blalock against tough lefties, Stairs seems a bit superfluous. Considering how infrequently Buck Showalter employs his bench, does having two quality lefty bats mean anything?

I don’t dislike the trade. I just think its impact is very marginal.

Texas traded minor-league pitcher JESSE CHAVEZ to Pittsburgh for pitcher KIP WELLS.

Wells missed almost three months while recovering from shoulder surgery. In seven starts he has an ERA of 6.69, a WHIP of 1.76, and 2.6 fewer strikeouts per nine innings than his pre-’06 career. Though he’s allowed only four runs in his last three starts, he’s allowed permitted 30 baserunners in those 19.2 innings. Frankly, he hasn’t pitched well since 2003. Nevertheless, ousting John Rheinecker for Wells certainly improves the rotation.

Neither Chavez nor Diaz ranked among John Sickels’s pre-season Top 20 Ranger prospects. DVD-H remains intact. (That's Danks-Volquez-Diamond Hurley for you non-Ranger fanatics.)

Posted by Lucas at 06:20 PM

Last Week's Non-Carlos Transactions

Last week I was out of town every day but Thursday. For the sake of completeness…

On July 25, Texas activated pitcher ADAM EATON from the 60-day Disabled List and added him to the active roster. Texas designated pitcher BRYAN COREY for assignment.

On July 30, Texas traded pitcher BRYAN COREY to Boston for minor-league pitcher LUIS MENDOZA. Texas also acquired catcher MIGUEL OJEDA for cash.

Barring another deal, Eaton serves as Texas’s Big Trading-Deadline Pitching Acquisition. He’s not even above-average, of course, but perhaps with some luck he can imitate Jason Schmidt for a couple of months.

I was a bit surprised Texas chose to DFA Corey instead of optioning Rheinecker or C.J. Wilson, but it probably doesn’t matter. The 22-year-old Mendoza pitched well in high-A but has struggled in AA (67 hits allowed in 43 innings). Ojeda is a stopgap in case Texas trades Barajas.

Posted by Lucas at 12:10 PM

July 28, 2006

Carlos Lee A Ranger, Mench and CoCo join Brew Crew

Texas has traded outfielder KEVIN MENCH, outfielder LAYNCE NIX, reliever FRANCISCO CORDERO, and minor-league pitcher JULIAN CORDERO to Milwaukee for outfielder CARLOS LEE and outfielder NELSON CRUZ.

In short, I like it. Yes, Lee will be a free agent and almost certainly will find himself in another uniform next season, but so will the players Texas relinquished. Now 28, Mench appears to have topped out as merely average outfielder. He does have two arbitration years remaining, but neither will be cheap since he makes $2.8 million already. Nix is three years younger but has stalled in AAA. Perhaps Texas wrecked his career in 2003 by calling him up from AA as a 22-year-old despite his unspectacular stats, but that’s a philosophical discussion for another time. Cordero had probably pitched himself out of next year’s team option.

The wildcard is Cruz, who is three months older than Nix and a bit old for a prospect. Still, he’s batted .302/.380/.525 for AAA Toledo with good patience and a terrible strikeout rate.

I’m revising the organization depth chart, so no update of that for a few days.

Posted by Lucas at 02:03 PM

ESPN Fantasy Column

The Trade And You
Texas has traded outfielders Kevin Mench and Lance Nix and pitcher Francisco Cordero (plus a minor-leaguer) for outfielders Carlos Lee and Nelson Cruz. A fantasy perspective:

Carlos Lee
If you hold the top waiver position in an AL-only league, you have to claim him. If not, put in a claim and hope the folks above you are snoozing. Lee isn't quite a five-category stud but comes pretty close, batting .286 with 60 runs, 28 homers, 81 RBI and 12 steals. Texas's offense is only average and during 2006 The Ballpark hasn't favored hitters as much as in prior years. Also, Lee probably won't run as much in Texas. Nevertheless, he's a terrific fantasy player and an obvious must-have. Those is mixed leagues should expect fewer steals and perhaps slight increases in other stats.

Nelson Cruz
Reportedly, the 26-year-old Cruz will make his MLB debut in right field for Texas on Saturday. Cruz has batted .302 with 19 homers and 17 steals for AAA Toledo. He's drawn 42 walks in 412 plate appearances but also has 100 strikeouts. A righthanded batter, he'll probably start only against lefties for the time being. Those in AL-only leagues may consider spending a low-ranking waiver claim on him. I wouldn't bother with him in typical-sized mixed leagues.

Wilkerson/DeRosa
Cruz, Brad Wilkerson and Mark DeRosa must share two positions. DeRosa has tailed off badly since the All-Star break (.208/.276/.340), but Wilkerson has done no better (.186/.217/.395). I expect DeRosa to continue to play almost every day, and Wilkerson again will sit against lefties. Both are dubious choices in average or smaller mixed leagues. Was I ever wrong about Wilkerson.

The Departures
Mench will move into Lee's position and ought to experience negligible-to-slight declines in production. Nix probably will stay in AAA and has no value except in insanely deep NL-only leagues. With Derrick Turnbow's recent troubles, Cordero might resume closing duties. Mixed leaguers in desperate need of saves should take a flyer on him. By the time his waiver delay expires, NL-only owners should have a better idea of his usage in Milwaukee and can then assess whether he's worth a claim.

Be Advised
Texas may not be done.

Posted by Lucas at 02:01 PM

July 25, 2006

Blalock vs. Hairston

Who would you rather have batting in a meaningful situation: Hank Blalock or Jerry Hairston, Jr.?

It’s not a trick question. In the eighth inning of last night’s 6-2 loss to New York, Texas had runners on first and second with two out. On the mound was righty Kyle Farnsworth. The next spot in the batting order belonged to Hairston. On the bench sat Blalock, who has struggled against lefties and didn’t start against Randy Johnson. Would you pinch-hit for Hairston?

Versus Righties:
Hairston: .238/.304/.310 this season, .255/.335/.360 career.
Blalock: .306/.363/.455 this season, .296/.363/.507 career.

With Runners In Scoring Position, Two Out:
Hairston: .188/.278/.250 this season, .214/.307/.312 career.
Blalock: .404/.469/.456 this season, .302/.399/.470 career.

The Yankees did have lefties Mike Myers and Ron Villone in the bullpen. I can’t remember if either had warmed up, but for the sake of argument, assume both were ready to face Blalock if P.A. Man Chuck Morgan had announced his name to the capacity crowd. Blalock has a wretched line of .206/.277/.318 against lefties this season. Given that, perhaps you’d grit your teeth and reluctantly stick with Hairston. On the other hand…

Blalock versus Myers, career: 3-for-6 with two doubles
Blalock versus Villone, career: 5-for-16 with two doubles (but seven strikeouts)

Blalock has some success against these guys. Stats aside, this situation brings up a philosophical issue. Who do you want batting in this situation: one of your big guns, or a replacement-level player acquired in a salary dump? Blalock has disappointed, to be sure. Instead of becoming The Next George Brett, he may devolve into the next Joe Randa. But regardless of his career path, at this particular point in time he’s an average Major-League hitter, which is more than anyone can say about Hairston. Let the man hit.

Sometimes managers are accused of taking the path of least resistance. What’s odd in this case is that batting Blalock is the easy path. Who would argue? I promise you that Hairston’s mother was sitting on her couch, watching the game and saying “I can’t believe they’re letting my son hit. I mean, I love him more than life itself, but really.�

Texas now has six pinch-hit appearances in 91 games in AL parks. Only three have occurred in a meaningful situation.

1) On April 26, D’Angelo Jimenez pinch-hit for Drew Meyer and led off the bottom of the 10th with Texas down 6-4. He lined out to left.

2) On May 4, Drew Meyer pinch-hit for Brad Wilkerson in the bottom of the 5th with Texas ahead 8-0. If I remember correctly, Wilkerson left the game after hitting the outfield wall making a catch, so this really counts more as a substitution. Meyer did not reach base.

3) On May 10, Showalter removed Adrian Brown for Gary Matthews with Texas down 4-3 in the 8th, two out and the tying run on third. Matthews grounded out.

4) July 4: Righty-swinging Kevin Mench pinch-hit for lefty Brad Wilkerson against lefty closer B.J. Ryan in the ninth inning. Down 3-1 and with one out and runners on first and second, Mench flied out to right.

5) July 13: Freddy Guzman pinch-hit for Gary Matthews in the ninth inning with the Rangers ahead 12-1 over Baltimore. Guzman singled.

6) July 13: Same game as #5. Jerry Hairston pinch-hit for Michael Young in the ninth inning with Texas leading 12-1. Hairston flied out.

Posted by Lucas at 11:14 AM

July 24, 2006

The Mighty West

Let no man (or woman) impugn the dignity of the AL West, the so-called weakest of the three divisions. Since the All-Star break, all but Los Angeles have played a merciless schedule, and all have surpassed expectations:

Team	Opponents	Opp. Win%	Expected Record	Actual Wins
Oakland	4 @ BOS 3 @ BAL 3 @ DET	.647	3.5-6.5	6-4
Texas	4 @ BAL 3 @ TOR 1 @ BOS 3 @ CHW	.624	4.4-5.6	6-5
Los Angeles	3 vs TAM 3 vs CLE 4 @ KAN	.414	5.7-4.3	7-3
Seattle	3 @ TOR 3 @ NYY 3 vs BOS	.589	3.5-5.5	4-5

(Opp. Win% is the weighted average of the opponents' winning percentages at home or on the road, as applicable. Expected Record estimated with good old Log5.)

LA's cakewalk stumbles to a halt on Wednesday after they complete yet another series against Tampa Bay. The Angels had the easiest post-break schedule but have already burned through it. Now, they have the toughest remaining schedule:

Team	Home	Road	vs Big Six	vs Flab Four	vs Division	Opp. Win%
Los Angeles	33	31	23	11	30	.529
Seattle	31	34	19	17	29	.516
Texas	31	32	12	16	35	.504
Oakland	35	29	19	17	28	.500

(Big Six = Boston, New York, Toronto, Detroit, Chicago Minnesota; Flab Four = Kansas City, Cleveland, Tampa Bay, Baltimore)

Notice how few games Texas has against the toughest opponents relative to their rivals. The Rangers host the Yankees this week, travel to Minnesota for three, and face Detroit six more times, all in Detroit. Gone are Boston, Chicago and Toronto, against whom Texas finished a keen 13-11.

Posted by Lucas at 01:14 AM

July 22, 2006

DeRosa Revisited

About one month ago I mentioned Mark DeRosa's highly improbable .406 average on balls in play and conjured an adjusted batting line based on a more reasonable average of .327, still 32 points above his career average to date. How's he doing?

Mark DeRosa	Avg. on Balls In Play	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS
DeRosa's actual numbers through June 22	.406	.341	.399	.541	.913
Predicted remainder of season of as June 23	.327	.279	.338	.430	.768
Actual games, June 23 to present	.321	.289	.330	.443	.778

Alas, my impressive prognositcation skills did not extend to my fantasy teams.

Posted by Lucas at 07:36 PM

Weekend Photo

Nothing says 'weekend' like a hard-drive format and reinstallation of Windows.

Posted by Lucas at 06:27 PM

July 20, 2006

Math Lesson

Nightmarish work schedule
+
No sleep
+
Busted computer
=
A really lame blog.

I promise two scoops of free ice cream this weekend.

Posted by Lucas at 03:14 AM

July 16, 2006

ESPN Fantasy Column

Trade Blalock
Hank Blalock has posted solid fantasy numbers thus far, though his OBP of .343 and slugging percentage of .429 leave much to be desired. Unfortunately, he has declined in the second half of every season, and in 2004 and 2005 the deterioration was severe. Since 2004, Blalock has played exactly 162 games in the second half and is batting .234 with 76 runs, 18 homers and 77 RBI. Not a total loss, but certainly not what his owners expect. Perhaps 2006 is the year Blalock plots a different course, but probability suggests he won’t. Getting value in trade based on his first-half numbers would be a smart move.

Same Old
Who are you going to believe: Buck Showalter, or your lying eyes? During the All-Star Break, Mssr. Showalter stated that both Brad Wilkerson and Kevin Mench would play more often during the second half. Yet Wilkerson sat on the bench Saturday in favor of Jerry Hairston, and Kevin Mench is resting on Sunday. Until a string of lineups provides contrary evidence, assume that Wilkerson will continue to sit against lefties and Mench will rest every third game or so. As to whether either will hit to expectations… Wilkerson responded well Thursday to a cortisone shot for his sore shoulder, while Mench is one-for-eleven since the ASB. Much to my dismay, both have devolved into marginal plays in typical mixed leagues. But I’ve been very wrong about a great many things this season, so use my advice with extreme caution.

Eaton On Schedule
Adam Eaton could rejoin the rotation as soon as July 25th. I don’t expect much from a fantasy perspective. He spent his previous six seasons in extremely pitcher-friendly San Diego but has a career ERA of 4.34 and WHIP of 1.34. Other than the incentive of pitching for his next contract, nothing indicates that Eaton could surpass those modest numbers in the heat of Arlington. I wouldn’t touch him in a mixed league.

The Ranger rotation will consist of Eaton, Kevin Millwood, Vicente Padilla, John Koronka, and one of John Rheinecker, John Wasdin, and Kameron Loe. I suspect Texas will use the hotter of Rheinecker and Wasdin. Millwood tired quickly but otherwise successfully overcame the strained biceps that cost him his last start.

Trade Winds
The Rangers could use a starting pitcher and another bat. GM Jon Daniels proved his boldness last offseason with the Soriano and Eaton trades, so a blockbuster acquisition isn’t out of the question. Having said that, I think it’s unlikely. Who, if anyone, the Rangers acquire will depend on how willing they are to relinquish one or more of their four pitching prospects (Edinson Volquez, John Danks, Tom Diamond and Eric Hurley). They don’t appear to be very willing. In any case, those in AL-only leagues should angle for the highest possible waiver position in order to acquire fresh talent from interleague trades. Volquez has pitched well in AAA lately and is an option to join the rotation (but a risky selection for fantasy ball).

No top-notch Ranger fantasy player is trade bait. I’d guess that Francisco Cordero and Kevin Mench are the most likely departures.

Posted by Lucas at 01:46 PM

July 14, 2006

Keeping The Ball In The Park

Stump you friends with this question: which team leads the American League in fewest home runs allowed?

Answer: The Texas Rangers with 82. Detroit ranks second with 84, New York third with 86.

That feat is impressive enough on its own, but it gains even more force when considering the extreme homer-friendliness of The Ballpark. Though it has played surprisingly even this season, The Ballpark remains a terrific place to go yard. Using a weighted-average of two years of data (I won’t bore you with the math), The Ballpark has permitted 2.51 homers per game to the Rangers and their opponents, while road parks have surrendered just 2.08.

Here’s the ranking of AL teams based on a park-adjusted index of home runs allowed. 100 is average, lower is better.

Team	Park Factor for HR	Homers Allowed	HR+
Rangers	1.11	82	73
Yankees	1.07	86	82
Tigers	0.91	85	92
Devil Rays	0.98	93	94
Indians	0.98	94	96
Blue Jays	1.15	114	98
White Sox	1.08	109	100
Angels	0.92	93	101
Twins	0.98	99	102
Athletics	0.90	96	105
Mariners	0.94	101	106
Orioles	1.10	124	109
Red Sox	0.89	109	123
Royals	0.94	125	133

Unfortunately, Texas ranks only eighth in the league in homers hit. As you’d expect, that mediocre effort looks much worse when considering where they play half their games (for hitters, a higher index is better):

Team	Park Factor	Homers Hit	HR+
Red Sox	0.89	115	127
Tigers	0.91	118	125
White Sox	1.08	133	120
Indians	0.98	118	118
Devil Rays	0.98	113	111
Blue Jays	1.15	121	102
Athletics	0.90	95	102
Yankees	1.07	103	96
Mariners	0.94	91	94
Angels	0.92	88	94
Rangers	1.11	101	88
Orioles	1.10	94	81
Twins	0.98	79	80
Royals	0.94	69	72

Posted by Lucas at 06:52 PM

July 13, 2006

Guzman Up, Botts Down

Texas optioned outfielder JASON BOTTS to AAA Oklahoma and recalled outfielder FREDDY GUZMAN from AAA.

Given that Botts wasn’t starting and Buck Showalter apparently is legally proscribed from using a pinch hitter, Guzman makes better use of the 25th spot on the roster.

Posted by Lucas at 03:09 PM

July 11, 2006

Michael Young

Young's coolness quotient has achieved the level at which I'm no longer permitted to speak or write his name. So this is it.

Posted by Lucas at 11:33 PM

July 10, 2006

Scheduling the West

Every AL West team will play 74 games after the All-Star Break:

Team	Home	Road	vs. BOS, CHW, DET, NYY	vs KAN, TAM	Opp. Win%
Los Angeles	39	35	20	9	.514
Texas	31	43	10	7	.519
Oakland	35	39	16	10	.520
Seattle	34	40	16	10	.525

The last column is a weighted average of remaining opponents’ winning percentages and takes each team’s home and road record into consideration. Seems unfair that every team in the West must play a tougher-than-average schedule, yes? Well, courtesy of interleague play, the American League has an aggregate winning percentage of .523. Most Western teams actually catch a break because they play each other more than the teams atop the other divisions.

LA has the most games remaining at home but also has the most tough opponents, defined here as anyone more than ten games over .500. The Rangers will spend the most time on the road but is largely done with the toughest opponents. They also have only three more games against a strong Toronto club, while Oakland has seven.

Texas and Oakland meet up again on August 7th. Both teams have ferocious schedules until then, while LA gets to coast:

Team	Home	Road	vs. BOS, CHW, DET, NYY	vs KAN, TAM	Opp. Win%
Los Angeles	13	10	3	10	.500
Seattle	9	12	6	0	.539
Oakland	7	16	10	0	.557
Texas	6	18	7	3	.558

Might every team be under .500 in four weeks? Doubtful, but possible.

Posted by Lucas at 10:13 AM

July 07, 2006

ESPN Fantasy Column

Quick Pre-ASB Advice
Texas faces Francisco Liriano Saturday and Johan Santana Sunday. Consider benching your marginal Ranger hitters, assuming you have an adequate replacement. Since both pitchers are lefties, it’s possible that catcher Gerald Laird and (insert long, weary sigh here) Jerry Hairston could start both of those days in lieu of Rod Barajas and Brad Wilkerson. They’ll almost certainly get at least one start.

Hairston has played more often than I ever would have imagined but still won’t start more than 50% of the time in the long run. Given his typically anemic bat, he’s still worth only a pittance in just about any conceivable fantasy format. Yes, yes, I know he’s played excellent outfield defense as a Ranger, but having a guy with a career OPS of .698 on an outfield corner makes my skin crawl.

Minnesota has won 21 of 25 and scored six runs per game in the process. Neither John Rheinecker and John Koronka, this weekend’s Ranger starters, look like especially solid plays, particularly given their mound opposition. In theory, much of the benefit of owning any Texas starter comes from the increased probability of a win, courtesy of the high-octane Ranger offense. That is, an extra three or four wins can offset the mediocre ERA. Trouble is, the Rangers doesn’t have a good offense. They rank seventh in the AL with a shrug-worthy 5.1 runs per game.

Kevin Millwood won’t pitch this weekend while nursing a sore biceps. The team expects him healthy and available after the break. A couple of bad starts have pushed his ERA back up to a queasy 4.83. He’s better than that, but not by much. In mixed leagues with ten or fewer teams, he’s of marginal value.

Mark Teixeira promptly began an oh-for-fifteen run the day after I declared him “hot.� For whatever reason, he’s hitting .215/.307/.339 his first time up against a pitcher and .337/.382/.526 in subsequent appearances. Yell at me if you like, but keep him in your lineup.

Adam Eaton may return by the end of July, probably at the expense of Kameron Loe, who himself is on the DL and about two weeks from returning.

Posted by Lucas at 08:17 PM

Weekend Photo

"None shall pass." Hollow Creek Ranch, near Stonewall, Texas, 3 July 2006.

Posted by Lucas at 07:59 PM

July 04, 2006

The AL West Through July 3rd

Texas creeps past the halfway point as a nearly perfectly average ballclub: a 42-41 record, a park-adjusted index of 100 in runs scored, 99 in runs allowed, a team OPS+ of 101, and an OPS+ allowed of 100. The AL outscored the NL by a ridiculous 221 runs in interleague play, so an AL team must outscore its opponents by about sixteen runs just to be average.

Only three AL teams have fewer homers than Texas. The Rangers’ love of doubles (on pace for 393) has balanced the lack of long balls and kept their slugging percentage in the league’s midrange. Remarkably, the division’s best slugging team relative to home park is the usually basement-dwelling Seattle Mariners.

Texas and the Yankees are tied for fewest homers allowed in the AL. On the downside, only Baltimore and Kansas City have a lower ERA+ among starting rotations. LA ranks third in ERA but only ninth in runs allowed thanks to 58 unearned runs.

About the statistics: You're probably familiar with Baseball Reference's statistics OPS+ and ERA+. The "+" denotes conversion of the statistic to an index that is adjusted for each team's league and park. A score of 100 equates to an average performance in the particular statistic. For example, Texas plays in a hitter-friendly park and must score 5.1 runs per game to “break even.� Los Angeles, in a very pitcher-friendly park, has a break-even rate of about 4.8 runs per game. One can, if one is a nerd, use this indexing for any statistic: runs scored (RS+), runs allowed (RA+), on-base percentage, triples, and so on.

OFFENSE	TEXAS	LA ANGELS	OAKLAND	SEATTLE
Games	83	82	82	84
Runs Scored	423	371	361	415
Runs Scored/game	5.10	4.52	4.40	4.94
Park-Adj. League RS/Game	5.11	4.77	5.04	4.87
RS+	100	95	87	102
AVG	.280	.257	.246	.271
OBP	.344	.318	.327	.327
OBP+	101	95	97	97
SLUG	.448	.398	.394	.428
SLUG+	100	94	92	102
Team OPS	.792	.716	.721	.755
Team OPS+	101	89	88	99
HR Rate	2.7%	2.4%	2.8%	2.7%
BB Rate	8%	8%	10%	7%
SO Rate	17%	16%	16%	15%
Steals / Caught	23 / 21	26 / 15	26 / 14	35 / 24

PITCHING	TEXAS	LA ANGELS	OAKLAND	SEATTLE
Runs Allowed	411	397	365	393
Runs Allowed/Game	4.95	4.84	4.45	4.68
Park-Adj. League RA/Game	4.91	4.58	4.85	4.68
RA+	99	95	109	100
ERA	4.72	4.17	4.16	4.41
Park-Adj. League ERA/Game	4.60	4.30	4.55	4.39
ERA+	98	103	109	99
Unearned Runs Allowed	28	58	24	26
Opp. AVG	.277	.256	.263	.263
Opp. OBP	.342	.318	.338	.331
Opp. OBP+	101	95	100	98
Opp. SLUG	.418	.410	.412	.423
Opp. SLUG+	93	97	96	101
Opp. OPS	.760	.728	.750	.754
Oppo. OPS+	100	98	102	105
HR Rate	2.3%	2.8%	2.6%	2.9%
BB Rate	8%	7%	9%	8%
SO Rate	16%	19%	15%	17%
Opp. Steals / Caught	29 / 23	37 / 22	41 / 23	35 / 22

ROTATION / BULLPEN	TEXAS	LA ANGELS	OAKLAND	SEATTLE
Rotation IP/G	5.6	6.1	6.2	6.2
Rotation ERA	5.09	4.25	4.27	4.52
Park-Adj. League Rotation ERA	4.76	4.44	4.70	4.54
Rotation ERA+	94	105	110	100
Bullpen ERA	4.06	4.02	3.91	4.15
Park-Adj. League Bullpen ERA	4.28	3.99	4.23	4.08
Bullpen ERA+	105	99	108	98

PERIPHERALS	TEXAS	LA ANGELS	OAKLAND	SEATTLE
Runs per game	5.10	4.52	4.40	4.94
Expected RS/game	5.17	4.27	4.42	4.69
"Luck" per game	(0.08)	0.25	(0.02)	0.25
"Lucky" runs scored	(6)	21	(2)	21
Runs/G	4.95	4.84	4.45	4.68
Projected Runs / G	4.85	4.38	4.75	4.74
Luck per game	0.10	0.46	(0.30)	(0.06)
"Lucky" runs prevented	(8)	(38)	24	5
Total Luck	(15)	(17)	23	26

STANDINGS	TEXAS	LA ANGELS	OAKLAND	SEATTLE
Actual Wins	42	38	43	42
Actual Losses	41	44	39	42
Actual Win%	0.506	0.463	0.524	0.500
Pythag Wins	42.7	38.2	40.5	44.3
Pythag Losses	40.3	43.8	41.5	39.7
Pythag Win%	0.514	0.466	0.494	0.527
Periph Wins	44.2	40.0	38.1	41.6
Periph Losses	38.8	42.0	43.9	42.4
Periph Win%	0.532	0.488	0.465	0.495

PARKS	TEXAS	LA ANGELS	OAKLAND	SEATTLE
Park Factor (OPS)	1.02	0.95	0.98	0.95
Park Factor (Runs)	1.01	0.94	1.00	0.96

Posted by Lucas at 08:04 PM

Benchwarming

Texas has three pinch-hit appearances in 74 games in AL parks:

1) On April 26, D’Angelo Jimenez pinch hit for Drew Meyer in the bottom of the 12th with Texas down 6-4.

2) On May 4, Drew Meyer pinch hit for Brad Wilkerson in the bottom of the 5th with Texas ahead 8-0. If I remember correctly, Wilkerson left the game after hitting the outfield wall making a catch, so this really counts more as a substitution.

3) On May 10, Showalter removed Adrian Brown for Gary Matthews with Texas down 4-3 in the 8th, two out and the tying run on third.

Posted by Lucas at 07:26 PM

Littleton Up, Guzman Down

Yesterday, Texas recalled reliever WES LITTLETON from AAA Oklahoma and optioned outfielder FREDDY GUZMAN to AAA.

In a mild surprise, Guzman hung around for three games beyond the end of Texas’s tour through NL parks. Guzman had no value beyond pinch running because Gary Matthews occupies his natural position, and Buck Showalter avoids pinch hitting like the plague. Littleton didn’t make an appearance in his first stint with the club.

Posted by Lucas at 07:24 PM

Fourth of July Photo

I don't have any pictures of eagles. Will you settle for a hummingbird? -- Lost Maples, Texas, 2 July 2006

Posted by Lucas at 12:44 PM

July 01, 2006

Wasdin Up, Masset Down

Texas activated pitcher JOHN WASDIN from the 15-day Disabled List and optioned pitcher NICK MASSET to AAA Oklahoma.

The Rangers need a starter for Saturday’s game. Masset got a fly out from Kevin Frandsen to retire his first MLB hitter.

Enjoy your Fourth.

Posted by Lucas at 01:06 PM