Kuzul

Now we don’t want to get ahead of ourselves, not quite yet. With a two games to none advantage in the American League Division Series battle against the Tampa Bay Rays, the mood surrounding this Rangers ballclub is rather positive. After comprehensively beating the Rays in the first two games, on the road no less, this Texas ballclub is brimming with confidence.

For a team that was viewed as underdogs by many against whichever AL East foe they faced, the Rangers appear remarkably in control of the series that they find themselves involved in. With a 5-1 opening victory over leading Cy Young candidate David Price, led by a dominant Cliff Lee, the foundation was laid. Backing that up with a similarly impressive outing by C.J. Wilson, augmented by a potent offensive attack, Texas is looking like a force to be reckoned with.

A franchise traditionally associated with powerful, slugger-laden offenses, the Texas Rangers finally appear to have discovered that the key to greater success is a well-rounded club capable in all facets of the game.

Thus far in the ALDS, this new team philosophy appears to be reaping its rewards. No longer a one-dimensional club, the Rangers have constructed a team centered on its strong pitching, but still able to slug with the best of them. These primary strengths are complemented by efficient base-running and solid defense to give this Texas team a multidimensional attack less susceptible to being easily shut down.

Starting Pitching

As everyone should now by now, success in baseball always starts with strong starting pitching. The Rangers were a club rarely associated with dominant pitching through the years.  Team president Nolan Ryan has worked tirelessly to reverse that perception and his hard work is paying dividends.  Led by its two lefties, Cliff Lee, the highly-coveted ace, imported from the Seattle Mariners in a June trade, and C.J. Wilson, a homegrown talent converted from a late-game relief specialist to a starter just last offseason, the Rangers find themselves in good hands.

Cliff Lee was brought here specifically to lead the rotation into the playoffs, in their quest to reach the World Series for the first time in franchise history. His impressive postseason resume from 2009 was one of his primary attractions, and he lived up to the hype as well as he could in his Rangers postseason debut.

Pitching in hostile territory in Florida, Cliff Lee set the tone for the series with his dominant Game 1 start. The stoic lefty ran into trouble in the first inning, allowing three singles in the first four batters to load the bases, a less than confidence inducing start to the proceedings. However, he quickly recovered to strike out Carlos Pena and Rocco Baldelli, stranding the bases loaded. That would be the last trouble he would face for the remainder of the game. After the first, Lee would allow only two other hits, a second inning double to Ben Zobrist, and a solo home run, also to Zobrist, in the the seventh inning while the Rangers already led comfortably 5-0.

His impeccable command was on display once again, as he became the first American League pitcher to strike out 10 batters in a playoff game while not walking a single hitter. It has only occurred seven times in MLB history, and Cliff Lee has now accomplished the feat three times, twice last year with the Phillies. Overall, Lee pitched seven innings, allowing five hits, no walks, with 10 strikeouts, exceeding the Rangers wildest hopes.

Following Cliff’s lead, C.J. Wilson offered his own highly dominant performance to further deflate the hopes of a stunned Tampa Bay Rays club. After allowing a lead-off single to Jason Bartlett to start the game, Wilson didn’t allow another hit until the bottom of the seventh inning. In between, he walked two hitters, but that would be all he would permit to reach base in his 6.1 innings of work, while striking out seven Rays. If he is able to consistently pitch like that following Lee, the Rangers like their chances against anyone in baseball. The baton is now passed to Colby Lewis to keep the train rolling in Saturday’s Game 3.

Relief Pitching

When your first two starting pitchers in a series pitch deep into the game, both reaching at least the seventh inning, it greatly reduces the stress on your bullpen. That’s precisely how any manager draws it up, a deep, effective starting performance, then hand the ball over to your elite relief arms. No messing with questionable middle relief, no stressful decisions on which relievers to use. You want your starters to transition seamlessly into your best setup men, then directly to the closer. Simple.

After two games in the ALDS, Ron Washington has been able to do just that. Thanks to his dominant starting pitchers, he has only needed to use his most reliable bullpen arms for a total of 4.2 innings. Both Darren O’Day and Darren Oliver have pitched in each game, with Oliver pitching three innings, allowing no hits and one walk, while striking out two. O’Day has face three batters, allowing a single, but striking out the other two. Closer Neftali Feliz was used in Game 1 to finish off the opening victory. He made it interesting to start the ninth, walking the first two hitters, but then retired Ben Zobrist on a liner to right and struck out the last two hitters to preserve the win. Order was restored.

No one can predict if the Rangers’ starters will continually work into the seventh inning as they have thus far, but even if they don’t, Ron Washington has a handful of reliable arms to hand the ball to late in games.

Offensive Production

A team usually doesn’t count on their run production increasing in the postseason when you’re facing the best pitching staffs in the game, but that’s precisely what the Rangers have done over the first two games of the ALDS. After averaging 4.86 runs per game in the regular season, placing fourth amongst American League clubs, the Rangers have increased that rate to 5.5 runs per game with 11 runs scored in the series thus far. Of course, it’s only a two game sample, but that bodes well for a team making its first playoff appearance since 1999, proving that they won’t wilt under the glare of the bright lights in October.

Through two games, the Rangers are balancing their strong pitching performances with a robust offensive attack, making it difficult to key in on any specific weak point in their game. Shutting down the opposition and scoring runs, the two primary aspects of a successful baseball team.

Thus far, the Rangers are tied with the Yankees with their 11 runs scored, are second to New York in total hits, have hit the most home runs of any playoff team, and have the highest slugging percentage in the postseason. Possibly the most encouraging sign for the Rangers is that they have accomplished that all on the road, where they struggled to a 39-42 record during the regular season. Many wondered if the team could hit enough away from Rangers Ballpark in Arlington to win crucial road games. Well, the team has stepped up and answered that question emphatically.

Also encouraging is that the Rangers are producing offensively, and they haven’t yet gotten a lot out of their two biggest hitters, Josh Hamilton and Vlad Guerrero. It has been a balanced attack, seeing four different players hit a home run each, with six different hitters collecting an RBI. This bodes well for the team going forward. If opposition is able to focus in on a couple of key hitters, it makes it much easier to stifle an offense, but if you never know where the damage is coming from, each batter is a critical situation for your opponents’ pitching staff.

Looking Ahead

With home-field now secured for the remainder of the ALDS, the Rangers are in prime position to advance beyond the Division Series for the first time in club history. The Rangers are a much more potent offensive club at home in Arlington than on the road, and will look to put the Rays out of their misery in the next two games. Texas was 51-30 at home this year, so heading back to Rangers Ballpark to try to conclude the series should bolster the team’s confidence even further. Although the Rangers don’t want to look too far beyond Game 3 on Saturday, their advance scouts have their eyes on their potential ALCS foes, with the Yankees looming as favorites to advance alongside Texas. If that matchup eventually occurs, it would represent an opportunity for the Rangers to exorcise their franchise’s playoff demons against the only team they have ever faced in the postseason, a team that has defeated Texas in three consecutive playoff series dating back to 1996.

Like I said, we don’t want to get ahead of ourselves just yet though. For now, let’s look forward just to Saturday’s Game 3 in Arlington as the Rangers will look to finish off the Tampa Bay Rays as quickly as possible, and then we can start making arrangements for the American League Championship Series.

Please check out further coverage of the Rangers’ Playoff action and analysis of their postseason aspirations by Scott Gyurina.

MLB Playoff Predictions: Texas Rangers vs. Tampa Bay Rays Positional Match-ups

Texas Rangers Pitching Well-Armed For Deep Playoff Run

Texas Rangers: How They Can Beat the Yankees In the Postseason

Texas Rangers’ 3 Biggest Question Marks Heading Into Postseason Action

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

The Texas Rangers clubbed the Tampa Bay Rays 6-0 Thursday to take a commanding 2-0 lead in their ALDS matchup. 

The Rangers have never won a postseason series in the franchise’s history, but that looks like it will change in 2010. Are they just a fluke, destined to burn out in the ALCS, or something bigger and more promising? 

Here are 10 reasons why the Rangers a trustworthy this October. 

Begin Slideshow

The age-old axiom so often quoted in baseball circles that pitching and defense win championships is just as true today as it has always been. Of course, loaded lineups and the ability to score runs in bunches are always a plus, but those aspects of a team don’t always show up in the playoffs when you’re facing the best pitching staffs in the league.

Fortunately for them though, the Texas Rangers possess the best of both worlds. They have a deep pitching staff, led by one of today’s premier left-handers, as well as the fifth-highest scoring offense in Major League Baseball. Even on the days that their lineup isn’t battering opponents pitching, Texas‘ staff can keep them in tight contests long enough to squeak out wins late in games.

Texas has a long tradition of slugging ball-clubs in Arlington, but under the guidance of team president, baseball Hall-of-Famer and former Ranger fire-baller, Nolan Ryan, the Rangers have endeavored to remake themselves as a pitching oriented franchise.

Helping lead them to an American League West title, and their first playoff appearance since 1999, their pitching staff as a whole is currently fourth in the AL with a 3.93 ERA. The starting staff has been consistent if unspectacular, but is rounding into form as the post-season approaches.

Their starters’ ERA of 4.25 ranks them eighth amongst AL clubs and their WHIP of 1.33 places them seventh. They have pitched slightly better in the second half, partially due to the arrival of Lee.

Texas’ bullpen has been a strength all year with its 3.33 ERA leading all American League bullpens, and their collective WHIP of 1.27 places them third in the AL. Their 7.63 strikeouts per nine innings ranks them fourth in the AL. Rangers pitchers are a significant factor in the increasing confidence evident around the Ballpark in Arlington.

Originally intending to use a three man starting rotation throughout the first-round divisional series, the club decided to go with a four-man staff after analyzing the statistics regarding pitching on three days rest.

For the ALDS, the Rangers will pitch Cliff Lee in Game 1, C.J. Wilson will take the mound for Game 2, followed by Colby Lewis in Game 3, and if necessary, Tommy Hunter will be handed the ball in Game 4. A playoff hero for the Phillies last season, Lee would then take the ball in a decisive Game 5 if the series came to that.

Lee, the suddenly well-traveled ace, has pitched for four teams in the last year-and-a-half, after spending the first seven-and-a-half years of his career in Cleveland. After getting off to a superb start with the Mariners, he was traded to the Rangers on July 9 to bolster their starting staff in order to make a strong run at a playoff berth. His numbers have dipped slightly after coming to Texas, but overall he has pitched well.

After the trade, he is 4-6 with a 3.98 ERA and a WHIP of 1.06. A poor August skewed his overall numbers, but his performances have been improving, and he just finished a stellar September in which he went 2-1 with a 1.93 ERA, as opponents only hit .189 against him.

His dominant playoff performance in 2009, in which he was 4-0 with a 1.56 ERA and 0.82 WHIP in five starts, gives Texas every reason to hope he can repeat that form as he leads them deep into October.

Converted reliever C.J. Wilson made a seamless transition to the starting rotation for the Rangers. After spending the previous four years as a closer and set-up man, he has been one of the Rangers top starters all year. The lefty is currently 14-8 in 32 starts, pitching 199 innings, striking out 166, while posting an ERA of 3.35, with a WHIP of 1.25. He has proved tough to hit, as opponents have only hit .217 against him.

Wilson has been brutal on lefties, as they’ve only hit .144 against him, with a paltry .400 OPS. C.J. will prove a valuable commodity against any team with big left-handed hitters that the Rangers may face in the playoffs.

Game 3 starter Colby Lewis has made a triumphant return to Major League Baseball after pitching the last two seasons in Japan. Although he’s only 12-13, the big right-hander has pitched well, tallying 196 innings, and leading the team in strikeouts with 192. His 3.72 ERA, 1.20 WHIP and .231 opponents’ batting average have earned him a coveted spot in Ron Washington‘s post-season plans.

In the event of a Game 4 in the ALDS, 24-year-old Tommy Hunter will get the nod. After a solid first year with the team in 2009, Hunter joined the rotation in Arlington during June of this year. Overall his stellar 13-4 record, 1.27 WHIP and 3.72 ERA have been a pleasant development for the Rangers, but he has pitched even better than his totals might suggest.

Of course, the win/loss totals are great, but the ERA is bloated by a few terrible starts, but otherwise he has been a force in the rotation. Out of his 21 starts, he has gone at least six innings and allowed two or less earned runs in nine of them. His emergence has allowed the Rangers the luxury of a deep four man staff to ease the burden on the front three, eliminating the need for Lee to pitch on three days rest.

Although the Rangers have yet to announce their final post-season rosters, several recent revelations have helped to form a clearer picture of what their bullpen could look like in the playoffs.The decision to use Hunter as the fourth starter has eliminated him from inclusion in the relief corps.

It has also been announced that Frank Francisco, the 2010 squad’s original closer, who transitioned to a set-up role in favor of highly-touted phenom Neftali Feliz, won’t be available to pitch until at least the American League Championship Series.

Francisco strained a rib cage muscle in late August, and was hoping to return prior to the division series, but a recent MRI revealed that he was not yet ready to begin his throwing program.

After Feliz assumed control of the closer’s role around May 1, Francisco had thrived as the primary set-up man, throwing 41.2 innings, striking out 51 and only walking 11, posting a 1.15 WHIP and a 3.24 ERA, while stranding 85% of inherited base-runners. His presence will undoubtedly be missed.

Thankfully for the Rangers’ sake though, they possess a strong stable of quality arms capable of filling the void created by Francisco’s injury. After making his debut on June 15, rookie Alexi Ogando has emerged as likely candidate to fill Francisco’s role. He has assimilated nicely into the late-inning corps available to Ron Washington.

His predominantly fastball/slide repertoire has stymied AL hitters thus far, making him a dangerous weapon late in games. In just 40.1 innings, he has struck out 37, only allowed 31 hits, a fine 1.17 WHIP and a 1.34 ERA.. His only Achilles heal may be that he allowed 40 percent of inherited runners to score, so he is not ideal for situational use.

Closer Neftali Feliz is finishing off his first full season in fine form. Originally slated as a set-up man, he assumed full control of the closer’s role after Francisco’s struggles and never looked back. In 68.1 innings, he has notched 71 strikeouts, allowed a stellar 0.89 WHIP, a 2.77 ERA, with 39 saves in 42 opportunities.

Opponents have only hit .177 against him, with a meager OPS of .520. After struggling slightly at times early in the year, he has been absolutely dominant in the second half, posting an ERA of 1.47 and a WHIP of 0.69 after the All-Star Break. Although only 22 years old, there is little doubt about his ability to shut down the Rangers; opposition in the late innings of October.

Darren O’Day offers the Rangers the versatility to be utilized in a variety of roles. His submarine style delivery makes him death on RH hitters, as they only hit .185 off him in 2010. He was effective against lefties as well, only allowing them a .229 average, so he is not limited to situational status.

Overall, in 71 appearances, he has thrown 61 innings, allowing only 43 hits for a minuscule 0.90 WHIP. He only struck out 43, but excelled at keeping men off base. His arm will surely prove useful over the coming weeks.

Darren Oliver keeps defying time, and at age 40, continues to provide Ron Washington with a valuable veteran arm as his left-handed specialist. Since transitioning to full-time bullpen work in 2006, Oliver has turned in three of his best career seasons from 2008-10. Pitching 60.2 innings, he struck out 65, with a WHIP of 1.10, and an ERA of 2.52.

Against left-handed hitters is where he excels, only allowing a .192 average and .516 OPS in those splits. With all the top left-handed hitter on the opponents’ playoff rosters, Oliver will surely be a valuable component of the Ranger bullpen.

Other left-handed options for the bullpen include young starters Matt Harrison and Derek Holland. Due to their starting experience, each could be valuable as a long reliever as well. Holland could also be suited as a LH specialist to aid Oliver, since he only allowed lefties to hit .130 this year with an impressive .362 OPS.

Harrison was not as effective against lefties and struggled somewhat with his control this year, so he would most likely see long relief duty if included on the roster. Scott Feldman provides another long relief option as a regular starter, but he struggled mightily this year with a 1.6 WHIP and 5.48 ERA, after posting a strong 2009 in which he won 17 games.

Manager Ron Washington has several other hard-throwing options to choose from as he finalizes his postseason bullpen. Dustin Nippert can bring the heat as he vies for a spot in the Texas pen. He was very good in 2009, but regressed in 2010, as he struggled with his command and appeared too hittable at times. His 4.36 ERA was decent, but his 1.73 WHIP provided evidence to support the concerns over his ability to keep men off base.

Mark Lowe could be a late inclusion to help fill Francisco’s shoes. He has only pitched one inning for the Rangers after rehabbing from a back injury, but he is receiving a late look to see if he may help bridge the gap to Feliz.

A wild-card could be Rich Harden, he of the phenomenal ability, but unable to stay healthy. He was used only a couple times in relief, to disastrous results, but the Rangers may be inclined to try to get some value out of him, as they have thus far not been repaid on their $7.5 million investment.

We shall soon know how the Texas Rangers will construct their post-season bullpen for their first playoff appearance since 1999. Whichever relievers he selects, Ron Washington possesses a deep group to choose from, and the Rangers appear well-armed to attempt to make it beyond the Divisional Series for the first time in franchise history.

Please check out Featured Columnist Brian Winett’s detailed analysis of all the playoff teams’ bullpens in this piece.

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With the Texas Rangers 10 games up in the American League West, they are already making plans for the postseason.

The Rangers announced yesterday that ace Cliff Lee will move up in the rotation to pitch on Saturday so he can be on schedule to pitch Game 1 of the ALDS. Lee will flip-flop in the rotation with Tommy Hunter.

While everyone knows that Lee will pitch Game 1 for the Rangers, the question I have is, who is going to pitch Game 2?

For me, Game 2 is always more important than Game 1. For years, the New York Yankees used to lose Game 1 of a series, but Andy Pettitte would always win Game 2, and then the Yankees used to roll.

The Rangers will have the choice of C.J. Wilson, Tommy Hunter, or Colby Lewis. All have had very good seasons in Texas, but the guy I would go with would be Wilson.

I like Wilson to start Game 2 for a couple of reasons.

As it stands, the Rangers will most likely play the winner of the Yankees-Tampa Bay Rays division battle for the AL East. That means that they are playing Games 1 and 2 on the road.

Wilson has been the Rangers best pitcher on the road this season. He has a 3.09 ERA and is holding opponents to a .202 batting average on the road. Outside of his BB/9, his numbers across the board are better on the road than at home.

I also feel throwing two lefties in Lee and Wilson could neutralize the predominately left-handed hitting Yankees and Rays. The Yankees’ OPS is about 20 points lower against lefties. With the Rays, the difference is marginal.

And the reality is that Wilson has been the Rangers’ best pitcher for the entire season. He deserves the start for that reason alone.

He is 14-6 with a 3.25 ERA and a 1.24 WHIP. Those are numbers I never thought he would put up. Wilson has definitely made a believer out of me.

If I was Ron Washington, I would go Lee, Wilson, Hunter, and Lewis. That would give them the best chance to win a short series against either the Yankees or Rays.

You can follow The Ghost of Moonlight Graham on Twitter @ theghostofmlg

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A few weeks ago, the Editors at the Bleacher Report asked me to write a piece on why getting Cliff Lee was going to make the Texas Rangers World Series participants.

Now, with Lee’s struggles and his recent back injury, I have been asked to write a contrasting piece on why Lee’s recent struggles are going to derail the Rangers’ World Series push.

In his last five starts for Texas, Lee is 0-3 with an 8.28 ERA, allowing 44 hits in 29 innings. He has walked only three and struck out 35, but allowed 10 home runs over this span.

Don’t worry, Nolan Ryan, your ace will be fine.

There was much talk last season, too, about Lee and his struggles midway through his tenure in Philadelphia. After a glowing 5-0 record in his first five starts after the 2009 trade from Cleveland, Lee was pummeled in his next three starts.

Those first five starts last year saw Lee throw 40 innings, allowing 24 hits and three earned runs while walking six and striking out 39. In his next three starts, he lasted 15 innings total, allowing 29 hits, 16 ERs, walking none and striking out 12.

Even though he struggled his last two regular season starts, too, Lee eventually figured everything out and was very Christy Mathewson-like in the 2009 postseason.

He will be fine again, but he must learn to read my writings and adjust to the league’s hitters.

I wrote a piece two weeks ago about Lee going to New York for next season. I mentioned his struggles, and said one reason might be the approach other teams might have towards Lee.

Lee is a control pitcher. He does not throw 95-plus and needs to locate his fastball, change, and curve ball in order to be successful. One of the big things talked about with Lee this season is that he does not walk batters. He has only 12 walks this season in 184 innings, a walk rate of 0.6 per nine innings.

That is too few walks. That’s right. Lee does not walk enough people. He throws too many strikes—about 72 percent of his pitches this season have been strikes. Knowing that he is always around the plate, teams are now looking to swing the bat against him early and often in the count.

Don’t take a strike, don’t get behind in the count, and don’t let him use that devastating change-up while ahead.

Now other baseball analysts have gotten into this fray.

Look at the above stats. In the two bad stretches when he was getting hit, Lee did not walk anybody and still got his strikeouts. But he was lit up like the Rockefeller Christmas tree. Sometimes hitters need to attack early, and they were against Lee.

There is a reason why guys like Catfish Hunter, Robin Roberts, and Bert Blyleven (all really good pitchers, but only two are Hall of Famers), gave up a lot of home runs.

They were always around the plate.

Lee is giving up a lot of home runs now with Texas, but only 15 total this season, not that much different from 2009, when he allowed 17.

Also, Lee has now begun to complain of a sore back. He has taken shots in the lower back to alleviate the pain, but Lee is not centering his struggles on the recent back pain. With a substantial lead (now eight games) in the American League West, it might be best for the Rangers to rest Lee and not throw him until he does feel 100 percent.

Even if Lee is not at his best entering the postseason, the Rangers will be okay. They have a potent offense led by MVP candidate Josh Hamilton, plus Vladimir Guerrero and Micheal Young, a stellar bullpen led by Rookie of the Year candidate Neftali Feliz, and other good, young starters in C.J. Wilson and Tommy Hunter.

And with the return of second baseman Ian Kinsler, the Rangers offense just got better.

Kinsler’s return to the lineup and the great bullpen can compensate for any lack of starting pitching the Rangers may develop.

Similar to last season, Lee will be good to go during the postseason, and even if he is not 100 percent, the Rangers have other weapons to take them forward.

Unless Hamilton’s chronic bad back, gimpy knee, or recently banged up rib gets more troublesome.

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After splitting a series 2-2 with the Boston Red Sox, the New York Yankees head down south, deep in the heart of Texas, to face the Rangers.

The Rangers have been at the mercy of the Yankees for over a decade, and this season has been no different, as the Bombers swept the Rangers in their last meeting back in April.

The Yankees have enjoyed playing in Texas, posting a 15-4 record since 2005.

This time the Rangers look a little different, with the addition of ace Cliff Lee. Lee is quite familiar to the Yankees, as he has dominated the team as an Indian, Mariner, and Phillie—but as a Ranger, he is yet to be seen.

Let’s look at the first showdown in this two-game trip, Tuesday night’s match-up:

A.J. Burnett (NYY) vs. C.J. Wilson (TEX)

Yankees starter A.J. Burnett can safely add “scratch” to his personal history, as Burnett was slated to start on Sunday night against the Red Sox but did not due to back spasms. Last outing, Burnett allowed a historical five doubles during a seven-run fifth inning against his old team, the Blue Jays. Burnett had just won his last two starts before imploding in the fifth. It was the same old tune for Burnett, as his fastball wasn’t sinking and then he got wild. Burnett is a crucial part of the puzzle for the remaining stretch of the season and this would be a perfect time to start giving the Yankees some solid outings again. In 2010, Burnett is 9-9 with a 4.93 ERA.

C.J. Wilson is also coming off a horrible start, his worst in 2010. The lefty Wilson lasted just three innings, striking out three, walking four and allowing four earned runs against the awful Mariners. Wilson has the most walks in the AL with 66, but has struck out 103 batters over 22 starts. Yankee bats crushed Wilson earlier this season, as he lost the game, 5-1. Wilson will be especially careful with new Yankee Lance Berkman and Nick Swisher, who both have hit Wilson well in the past.

PREDICTION:

Wilson’s major advantage would have been his lack of Yankees face-time, as the Bombers struggle with unfamiliar pitchers. Problem is, they never got scared in the first place and that is not good.

Burnett is 3-1 with a 2.08 ERA in his four starts against the Rangers in pinstripes, so I am predicting Burnett will come through with a solid performance.

Burnett gets the win.

Yankees beat Rangers 6-2.

READ MORE AT……LADY LOVES PINSTRIPES

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Fantasy Baseball’s Pitching Line of the Week:

C.J. Wilson (SP-TEX) 8 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 K, W

C.J. Wilson chucked eight innings of four-hit baseball, striking out three batters and failed to surrender a walk in a 1-0 victory over the Los Angeles Angels on Friday. Wilson retired 17 of the last 18 batters he faced before giving way to young Neftali Feliz, who saved his 27th game for the Rangers and helped Wilson improve to 9-5 on the season.

See Win Probability Game Graph of C.J.’s Win Courtesy of FanGraphs

Prior to the 1-0 victory over the Angels, Wilson was 8-5 with a 3.23 ERA and had accumulated a string of nine consecutive quality starts. 

Wilson, the pride of Fountain Valley High School, attended Santa Ana Junior College, where he was named MVP of Orange Empire Conference and California’s Junior College Player of the Year Award in 2000. The following year, he was drafted in the fifth round (121st overall) by the Texas Rangers out of Loyola Marymount University.

While cruising through the minor leagues in 2003, Wilson suffered an elbow injury which required “Tommy John” surgery. C.J. needed the entire 2004 season to recover and returned to AA action in 2005.

Wilson debuted for the Texas Rangers on June 10, 2005 at 24 years of age. He went 1-7 in 24 appearances, finished with a 6.94 ERA and a 1.67 K:BB ratio. 

From 2006-2009, C.J. primarily worked out of the bullpen. Following the Rangers trade of Eric Gagne in 2007, Wilson was asked to step into the closers role. He successfully converted his first 11 save opportunities for Texas. Wilson was once again named the Rangers closer in 2008 and converted in 24 of 28 attempts. Despite not being named the closer in 2009, Wilson still earned 14 saves. 

Wilson features a fastball, sinker, slider and change-up in his repertoire. Wilson is currently owned in 63 percent of Y! leagues. 

The “Double Dipper” is a starting pitcher who will get two starts in the same week. Each Sunday we will preview top three options in each league and highlight streaming options for players owned in less than 50% of Y! leagues.

The No Brainers in the NL:

Josh Johnson/FLA (@ SF, @ SD) – CY front runner. That’s enough.

Stephen Strasburg/WAS (vs. ATL, vs. PHI) – Tough match-ups, cap on IP, but take his K’s to the bank.

Chad Billingsley/LAD (@ SD, @ SF) – 2-0 in three starts against SD & SF this year.

The No Brainers in the AL:

Felix Hernandez/SEA (@ CHW, @ MIN) – 63:10 K:BB & 8 QS in last 8.

Francisco Liriano/MIN (@ KC, vs. SEA) – The “Mona Lisa” of match-ups..wait..she’s ugly?

CC Sabathia/NYY (@ CLE, @ TB) – Hasn’t lost since 5/23. 10 straight QS.

Warning: Streaming can be lethal. The following are owned in 50% or less of Y! leagues.

Jorge De La Rosa/COL (vs. PIT, vs. CHC) – Last start looked like the JDL of old

Brandon Morrow/TOR (vs. BAL, vs. CLE) – 10.01 K/9 will get him the nod

Jon Niese/NYM (vs. STL, vs. ARI) – Three ER or less in last five outings

Joel Pineiro/LAA (vs. BOS, vs. TEX) – The Russian Roulette of “streaming”

Bronson Arroyo/CIN (@ MIL, vs. ATK) – Six QS in last nine.

Don’t Touch ‘Em

Ryan Rowland-Smith, Brad Bergeson, Zach Duke, Wesley Wright

Week 17 One Start Stars Owned in 50% or Less

Tommy Hunter/TEX 49% Y! – Saturday @ LAA (TBD)  – 8-0 in 10 starts

Brett Cecil/TOR 30% Y! – Friday vs. CLE (Masterson) – Last three were QS. Daniel Hudson/CWS 5% Y! – Friday @ OAK (Mazzaro) – Tons of K potential

Who will win the pitching duel of the week: Josh Johnson or Matt Cain?

Who will be the best 2-Start Pitcher owned in 50 percent or less in week 17?

Leave a comment, or reply to us on Twitter @TheFantasyFix

Here are some more articles that will not self destruct in 10 seconds…

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When this season started, I had high hopes for the Rangers pitching staff, and for the most part they have delivered.

There have been quite a few ups and downs, but in general I am quite happy with their performance thus far.

I expected Rich Harden to have a decent season and was somewhat skeptical of moving C.J. Wilson to the starting rotation. 

Boy, was I wrong.

C.J. Wilson has been a great success as a starter. Despite a rough stretch of four or five games, he has pitched extremely well. 

He is tied for the lowest ERA amongst Rangers starters with Colby Lewis at 3.62 while being tied for the team lead in innings pitched, again with Lewis. (Their stat lines are actually ridiculously similar.)

Until Tommy Hunter returned to the rotation (thank you baseball gods) on Saturday and tossed a complete game, Wilson was the only Rangers pitcher to go the distance, and he did it twice, though one was not the full nine innings.

He has allowed only four home runs, and those all came in the last week or so. 

There is probably not another Rangers fan out there that was as against C.J. Wilson moving to the rotation as I was, but I am quite happy to admit that I was wrong.

Harden, on the other hand, has been a complete disappointment. 

He has given up the most home runs on the team with 10. He leads the American League in walks with 40 and is second in the Majors to only Clayton Kershaw, who has 42.

The home runs don’t bother me nearly as much as the walks. I realize that walks will happen, but when they are occurring as often as they are for Harden, it is just ridiculous. 

There is a reason a walk is also referred to as a free pass. You are gifting that hitter a chance to come around and score, and runners have done plenty of that against Harden.

The other drawback to so many walks is that it pushes your pitch count up, which brings your innings pitched down. Despite having one more start than the other three consistent starters for the Rangers, Harden has thrown six innings less than Feldman and 10 less than Lewis and Wilson.

In 12 starts he has only thrown 59 innings. That means that on average he only goes 4.9 innings, or in other words, he wouldn’t even be eligible for the win should a win be the ultimate outcome.

The real problem with having such short outings where he barely covers half the game, or less, is that the bullpen gets worked that much more. While they have done a good job thus far, we can’t expect the continued wear and tear from such short outings to have no effect.

Especially as the summer heat rolls in, our starters must go deeper into the games, but I just don’t see Harden doing it. He has lost his control completely, and I have little hope he will find it.

He showed us what he is capable of back when the Rangers were in Oakland, but one good game doesn’t make up for the majority of bad ones. 

He obviously is not trade bait, and he will not likely get sent to the minors, but based upon the success of Derek Holland and Tommy Hunter, I am more than happy to let Harden be on his way and let the youth have their chance.

They gave it a whirl, and it didn’t pan out. Cut your losses and move on to something new. 

Even behind Hunter and Holland, there are other pitchers at AAA knocking on the door, and I can’t understand why the Rangers would keep beating a lame horse when they are competing to stay on top of the division.

This organization has a history of holding on to players a little too long, in my opinion, and it is time to make a move. I am all for giving a guy a chance to break out of a slump, but when you slump for over two months, you have had your chance.

Frank Francisco was pulled as the closer after two blown saves. Chris Davis was sent down after a tough couple of weeks. Taylor Teagarden went all the way to AA in a matter of weeks.

They are finally showing a willingness to take decisive action for the betterment of the team, so why are they so hesitant to make this move?

A similar case could be made for Scott Feldman, but I am willing to give him a little longer leash for a couple of reasons.

One, he is averaging an inning more per start than Harden.

Two, he is not issuing free passes; hitters are just finding holes.

And three, he showed us last season how could he could be with this team. He just needs to settle down and relax. I think the pressure of being the No. 1 guy has gotten to him. I am more confident in him finding his groove than I am Harden.

I am not a GM, nor do I claim to be, but it seems obvious to me that if a starter can’t consistently get you through six innings—or in Harden’s case, five—then it is time to bring in someone that can.

This is the most promising season we as fans have had in some time, and I would hate to see it thrown away because they are unwilling to make a move. 

When push comes to shove, this is a business, and if your employee is not performing up to expectations, it is time to show him the door. Especially when you have as much talent in waiting as we do, we can’t afford to waste any more time on Harden.

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C.J. Wilson’s transition to the starting rotation has gone better than anyone could have imagined.  Who could have expected the following line through five starts:

2 Wins
32.2 Innings
1.65 ERA
1.19 WHIP
25 Strikeouts (6.9 K/9)
13 Walks (3.6 B/99)
.279 BABIP

We’ll notice right away that the BABIP is not an unrealistic number.  It is above average so a falloff is possible, but it’s not a guarantee either.  That’s something that you have to like seeing.

The control is better than he had while coming out of the bullpen, but again, is nothing unreasonable.  He entered the season with a career BB/9 of 4.1.  Once again, is there a chance he regresses?  Yes, but I wouldn’t call it a guarantee.  Keep in mind, thanks to not allowing it to all “hang loose” for an inning as a reliever, he’s had to dial it back a notch (his fastball went from 93.3 mph to 91.2 mph).  It’s very possible that, throwing the ball a little bit slower, allows him better control.

The downside to that, of course, is that it has led to less strikeouts, aside from last seasons gaudy numbers (10.3 K/9).  The prior three years he had posted marks of 8.7, 8.3 and 8.0.  While he opened the year with nine Ks over seven innings, he hasn’t struck out more than five in a start since.  While he’ll have a big strikeout game now or then, they shouldn’t be seen as the norm.

He’s done a fantastic job of generating groundballs, currently at a 58.5 percent, again, something that I can’t say without a shadow of a doubt won’t be repeated.  His career mark is 53.5 percent.  That’s something that you love to see.

There are a few “flags” that need to be mentioned, however.

First of all, he has yet to allow a home run.  He’s had problems with the long ball in the past (16.3 percent HR/FB in 2008, 19.4 percent in 2006).  He plays in a ballpark where balls tend to fly out of.  Sooner or later something is going to give.

The other number is the strand rate, currently at 81.4 percent.  That lucky streak is going to run out, sooner or later, meaning the ERA is going to rise.

However, those are the only true negatives I see.  Is it possible that he maintains putting up these stellar numbers?  Of course not.  He’s not going to produce an ERA below 2.00 for the season, it’s just not going to happen.  That doesn’t mean that he can’t continue to be usable, however.  He has a solid offense behind him, which should help lead to wins, and the rest of his production does not seem unrealistic.

He’s not an ace.  He’s not even a surefire starter from week-to-week.  However, with the success he’s shown he certainly could be seen as a viable option in all formats, especially when he has a more favorable match-up.

Is he a pitcher you are trusting at this point?  Why or why not?

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