not to late..
team era 5.41 :scared
call ups soon..:scared :scared :scared
Rangers Team Report
Yahoo! Sports
Aug 14, 6:16 am EDT
Buzz Up Print
Inside Pitch
The ongoing saga surrounding the Rangers? sinking rotation now has another twist.
Right-hander Tommy Hunter is back in the rotation?for now. Vicente Padilla is being pushed back, Kevin Millwood is returning without a second rehab assignment, and Brandon McCarthy doesn?t figure in the picture.
And that?s just for the rest of the week.
Manager Ron Washington confirmed a handful of changes Wednesday afternoon. Most of the changes are due to the inflammation in Padilla?s neck and shoulders. Padilla received a cortisone injection Monday and can?t yet throw a bullpen session. He is now scheduled to pitch Sunday against Tampa Bay.
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Hunter will take his place Thursday. The Rangers had hoped to skip Hunter this time through the rotation since he?s already pitched 153 innings this season (including the minors).
Millwood will return from the disabled list Friday even though he did show a bit of rust in a four-inning, 74-pitch outing for Class AA Frisco on Sunday.
?He?s healthy and we need him,? Washington said. ?We feel like his experience will play a big part in him being successful.?
McCarthy, meanwhile, pitched six shutout innings for Class AAA Oklahoma on Tuesday. But Washington said McCarthy, out with right elbow inflammation, won?t return to the majors this weekend. If Padilla is not available Sunday, the Rangers could move right-hander Scott Feldman up a day. Feldman is currently scheduled to get one extra day off.
Washington also said the Rangers have no intention of shutting Feldman down even though he was charged with 12 runs (six earned) in less than three innings Tuesday. The Rangers, at one point, said they were concerned about wear-and-tear on Feldman?s arm, but injuries and ineffectiveness of the staff have forced them to abandon that idea. Washington said the Rangers could reconsider their position if Feldman struggles again in his next start. Feldman has pitched 129 innings between the minors and majors this season, nearly 50 more than he?s pitched in any professional season.
Red Sox 8, Rangers 4: The Rangers lost their seventh straight game to the Red Sox on Wednesday, all of which have been at Fenway Park. It set a Texas record for futility against the Red Sox. The Rangers fell down 8-0 as RHP Luis Mendoza continues to struggle with his command. Mendoza lasted just four-plus innings, pitching to four batters in the fifth. It was the seventh time in 11 starts this season that he has failed to get through five innings. The outing pushed Mendoza?s ERA as a starter to 9.40. Opponents are hitting .358 against him as a starter. Oddly, he has not allowed a run in seven innings as a reliever, and a reassignment to the bullpen could be in his future.
Notes, Quotes
? The Rangers have allowed at least eight runs in all five games on their current road trip. As a result, both the starting rotation ERA and staff ERA have risen each day of the trip. The rotation ERA now stands at 5.63; the overall mark at 5.41. Both are the worst in the AL.
? The Rangers allowed unearned run No. 85 Wednesday, also worst in the majors. They have allowed 733 total runs this season, putting them on pace to yield 981 runs. Only two teams in the last 70 years have allowed as many as 975 runs, the 1996 Detroit Tigers (1,103) and the 1999 Colorado Rockies (1,028).
? DH Milton Bradley hit his 20th home run of the season, a three-run shot in the eighth inning, to set a career best. He hit 19 homers for the Dodgers in 2004.
? C Jarrod Saltalamacchia has indicated a willingness to go to winter ball, an idea he resisted last year. The Rangers want Saltalamacchia to get an extra 100 to 200 at-bats this winter.
? LHP John Rheinecker, who has missed the entire season with a variety of injuries, made his first appearance in a game Tuesday for the Rangers? affiliate in the rookie-level Arizona League. He allowed a run on three hits in an inning.
By The Numbers: 5.56?Season-high ERA of Rangers starting pitchers after Matt Harrison allowed six runs in five innings on Sunday. The Rangers rank last in the AL in rotation ERA and have compiled a 7.41 figure since July 1.
Quote To Note: ?We know we have to score to win, but we also have to pitch to win. And pitching is the bigger priority. If you can?t pitch, you?ve got no shot. We are not going to score eight runs every game. We?ve got a big series ahead of us. We can go in there and stay in the race or we can go up there and be out of it.??Manager Ron Washington on the status of the club entering its three-game series at Boston.
Roster Report
Medical Watch:
RHP Kevin Millwood (right groin strain) went on the 15-day disabled list retroactive to July 24. He began a minor league rehab assignment Aug. 10 and will be activated Aug. 15.
RHP Vicente Padilla (right shoulder inflammation) had a cortisone shot Aug. 11. He had his Aug. 14 start pushed back to Aug. 17
