Fresh off their sweep against the division-leading Angels, the Jays have a chance to make up further ground this weekend against Texas. The Rangers should be motivated after suffering the embarrassment of back-to-back shutouts on the South Side of Chicago, but might also be a little weary as they continue a road trip that won't end soon.
The Rangers lineup features some lively bats, including platoons in left, centre and DH that are generally working out very well. Although some Ranger stars are mired in slumps, sweet-swinging Michael Young remains a dangerous hitter at the top of the order. On the pitching side of the ledger, Texas features an improved bullpen; like an offensive line in football or a referee in hockey, the fact that they're seldom noticed reflects well on them. This weekend, the Jays face a struggling righty, a fresh-faced youngster and a veteran lefty pitching with a lot of confidence. Should be fun, and I'm making the trek back home this weekend to take in some of the action!
On to the Advance Scout!
* Texas comes to Toronto for the second leg of their four-city road trip. Cleveland and New York are next on the schedule ... The hard-hitting Rangers hadn't been shut out all season, but E----n L----a and Mark Buerhle -- and their relievers -- turned the trick on each of the last two nights ... Watch for some poor baserunning decisions: After Gary Matthews Jr. was thrown out at the plate on Wednesday, Chad Allen was nailed at the dish last night. Buck Showalter doesn't want to tone down third base coach Steve Smith's aggressive style: "You make them make those throws, tip your hat and move on" ... The Rangers have been caught nine times in their last 17 steal attempts ...
* Despite their well-regarded offence, those manning the Rangers' cleanup spot have only hit .228, with a league-worst 18 RBI ... For that matter, those in the 5-hole have only hit .233 ...
* Tonight's starter, R.A. Dickey, put together some nice starts about a month ago, but has since crashed back to earth ... His May ERA is a rather ungainly 6.11, and opponents are hitting .336 off him this month ... Righties are pounding the righthanded Dickey at a .330 rate ... As is so often the case, the cause appears to be his low strikeout rate. He hasn't topped three Ks in any of his last four starts -- in which he's gone 0-3 ... Despite speculation from the local media, Dickey dismisses the thought that his 131-pitch pursuit of a shutout against Boston in early May is the source of his current struggles. Dickey called that outing a "nonissue" for his current performance ...
* Is Hank Blalock the next George Brett? ... Check out this lively debate ... Hank's May struggles, though not dispositive, suggest that he's not quite there yet. Hank's hammered eight homers this month, but he's hitting just .227 with a .300 OBP ... He's 3 for his last 19 (.158) ... Weirdly, Blalock's just .193/.270/.333 in day games ... Blalock's D remains a work in progress. He's working on avoiding over-excited and rushed throws ...
* Old friend Brad Fullmer is 0 for his last 12 and just 3 for his last 27 (.111) ... He's been a weak .190/.299/.345 in May ...
* Mark Teixeira (pronounced Te-SHER-a), still only 24, comes in to town on a six-game hitting streak (.421) ... The former first-rounder appears to be out of a horrible funk that saw his batting average plummet to .185 on May 12 ...
* Former Jays fifth-rounder (dagnabbit!), Michael Young, has been swinging a hot bat all season and enters this series on a nine-game hit streak ... His .348/.382/.557 season line speaks for itself ... Still, let's speak some more. He hammers lefties to the tune of .412/.468/.647, and he comes through at a .435/.473/.652 clip with men in scoring position ...
* Old friend Carlos Almanzar is another one that got away ... He's been a control freak out of the 'pen, walking just two batters in 25 1/3 innings ... Lefties hit just .189 against the righty, with no walks and eight strikeouts ...
* Closer Francisco Cordero is proof that the Juan Gonzalez trade with the Tigers was a gift that keeps on giving ... The burly Dominican is 15-for-15 in save opportunities, and has fanned 21 in 17 2/3 innings ... He busts up lefties, who are hitting just .194 off him ...
* Last night, old friend Ken Huckaby became the 18th Rangers position player to get a start this season ...
* Saturday's starter will be Juan Dominguez, whose arrival has been eagerly anticipated by the Rangers and their fans, as his lively fastball and outstanding changeup have dominated batters throughout the minors ... Despite a poor breaking ball, he's 5-1, 3.13 in AAA Oklahoma ... Showalter: "There have been successful two-pitch starters...If we don't find exactly where he is, then shame on us. We'll find out" ...
* Former Diamondback Rod Barajas has ten extra-base hits but only one walk, leading to his unusual .277/.299/.554 line ... His walk-off home run off Tom Gordon last Saturday led to a wild celebration in the Ballpark in Arlington, where A-Rod was greeted by hostile sellout crowds ...
* Son of Sarge, Gary Matthews Jr., has been called up as Brian Jordan's replacement. He's 1-for-10 as a Ranger ...
* Journeyman Herbert Perry is the righthanded DH part of Showalter's rigid platoon system, even though he's hitting just .259 against lefties (and .292 against righties) ... Even more well-travelled, Eric Young platoons in centre against lefties, and has hit in his last five starts (.474) ...
* The righty-mashing platooners have been pleasant surprises for the Rangers. 23-year-old Laynce Nix has raked righties at a .346/.386/.704 rate ... Meanwhile, David Dellucci has notched .337/.400/.602 numbers against righthanders, even though he's 0 for his last 9 ...
* Alfonso Soriano has really been rather mediocre in May at .243/.278/.456 -- and that includes his 6-for-6 performance in Texas' wild 16-15 win over Detroit on May 8 ... His 4/23 BB/K ratio in the month suggests that pitchers are getting him to chase away, just like last year's postseason ... In the 3-hole, Soriano has been running much less. He's just 1-for-3 on the basepaths in his last 26 games ...
* Sunday's starter, "The Gambler" Kenny Rogers, has been keeping the ball down and throwing strikes this season, no doubt to the annoyance of Met fans ... The 39-year-old has been enjoying a solid month, going 4-1, 2.52 with a 5/23 BB/K ratio in May ... Twice he's walked three men in a game, and that's his season high ... Rogers attributes his strong season to his calm, confident approach with men on base. Rogers: "I think I can make any pitch in any situation" ... After Doc outdueled Jarrod Washburn, can the Jays defeat another 7-game winner in the same homestand? ...
* It's been a rough stretch for veteran reliever Jeff Nelson ... Not only did he land on the DL with a torn meniscus in his right knee, but he had a trial date scheduled for October 26 for the assault and battery charges pressed by a Fenway groundskeeper after last season's playoff brawl ... Nelson failed to make an appearance at his scheduling hearing, and was fined $500 ...
* Chan Ho Park's troublesome lower back has acted up again, and he's returned to the DL ... Park's troublesome bad pitching had also acted up again prior to his injury (2-4, 5.80 on the season) ... In a scathing article, Gerry Fraley of the Dallas Morning News called Park a "diva," suggesting that Park refuses to pitch through any kind of discomfort and rattles easily during jams. Fraley wrote that only Darren Dreifort's 5-year, $55M contract rivals Park's 5-year, $65M deal as the worst free-agent signing of all time ...
* After having his season delayed by left knee surgery, Brian Jordan returned but was still in terrible pain ... The Rangers shut him down again after the erstwhile slugger was hitting a piddly .102/.228/.163 in 49 at-bats, with no homers ... During his rehab assignment in April with AA Frisco, Jordan was shocked at the response he got from clubhouse attendants when he asked where "the spread" was after the game. A cheerful employee suggested he throw burger patties on the club's George Foreman Grill ...
* It was for a noble cause ... Kevin Mench landed on the DL with a strained left oblique muscle after he aggravated a nagging injury while throwing A-Rod out at the plate on Sunday ... Chad Allen was called up to replace him, and has been starting in left against lefties ...
Probable Batting Orders
vs. LH
8 E Young
6 M Young
4 Soriano
3 Teixeira
DH Perry
5 Blalock
7 Allen
9 Matthews Jr.
2 Huckaby/Barajas
vs. RH
6 M Young
5 Blalock
4 Soriano
DH Fullmer
3 Teixeira
7 Dellucci
9 Matthews Jr.
8 Nix
2 Barajas
Pitching Probables
Friday: RH Dickey vs. Lilly
Saturday: RH Dominguez vs. Batista
Sunday: LH Rogers vs. Miller
Bullpen Usage
Long: Mahay L, Francisco R
Short: Ramirez L, Powell R
Setup: Almanzar R, Shouse L
Closer: Cordero R
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