The Texas Rangers have always been prominent on one side of the baseball equation—hitting. This was the team, after all, that signed A-Rod and drafted Mark Teixiera (who are now playing for tonight's opponent, the high-budget Yankees).
This year is starting out a bit differently. Vladimir Guerrero, Nelson Cruz and Elvis Andrus are hitting well. Others, like Michael Young and Julio Borbon are not—so far.
But the Rangers have, in the past, been weak on the other side of baseball—pitching.
In 2008, for example, they scored 901 runs, the most in baseball. However, they gave up 967, which is why they did not have a winning season.
Pitching is not a problem this year. At least not so far. The Rangers have five starters with ERAs below 3.00 in the year to date—C.J. Wilson, Matt Harrison, Colby Lewis, Scott Feldman, and Rich Harden, in ascending order of ERA.
Five "first starters." Of these, only Harden is renowned as a hurler. And so far this year, he's been the "worst" of an outstanding bunch.
Wilson was formerly a long reliever, who parlayed a good ERA in that role into seven innings of shutout ball in his first start. The others have come back from much weaker seasons in the past.
Among former staff members, Kevin Millwood is now pitching well elsewhere (the Baltimore Orioles), but good riddance to Vicente Padilla, a liability on and off the field.
This weekend, the Rangers' pitchers have a particularly tough test; the New York Yankees, often the highest scoring team in baseball, and in New York's Yankee Stadium nonetheless. On the other hand, if the Rangers rejuvenated rotation "can make it there, they'll make it anywhere."
As good as the starters have been, it's been possible for Rangers' hitters to lose games, particularly if the relievers blow it. The Rangers have scored three or fewer runs in three of their four losses.
Meanwhile, Dustin Nippert and Frank Francisco have given up nine runs in eight innings of work.
They might lose one or more games if Yankee starters, CC Sabathia, A J Burnett, and Andy Pettite keep their run totals down, but this has not been the Rangers' traditional area of weakness.
With setbacks dealt to the Seattle Mariners and Los Angeles Angels by the Oakland A's, the Rangers are neck and neck with those A's in the western division race. We'll have a better idea of whether the Rangers or the A's will emerge on top after their first two series in early May.
Although there will be a lot of competition from teams in the East and Central divisions for the wildcard, it's even possible that they'll both make it to the playoffs.
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