SERIES PREVIEW: New York Yankees (56-40) @ Texas Rangers (51-48)
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by user ASwaff
Business First: Adam Eaton is expected to make his first start for the Rangers on Tuesday, which means the team will have to make some decisions about the rotation. The Texas Rangers website says that the Rangers are leaning towards keeping John Wasdin and optioning John Rheinecker to Triple A Oklahoma. Is also says that the fact that the Yankees are 20-9 this season against left-handers is only part of the equation.
The Rangers also have a day off Thursday before their series with the Royals, which means they can skip John Koronka’s turn in the rotation to pitch Vicente Padilla on his normal rest. So, look for Koronka’s next start to be pushed back.
In rehab news, the Rangers website is reporting that Kameron Loe’s last start for Oklahoma did not go well, and that he is not ready to be reactivated. He pitched his third minor league rehab start on Saturday night, allowing four runs on four hits and five walks in just 2.1 innings. Rangers pitching coach Mark Connor said Loe had “no command,” and pointed out that “five walks is very unlike Kam.” The plan now is for Loe to make another start on Thursday for Double A Frisco.
The Lowdown: The Rangers are coming off a successful road trip in which they went 6-5, with one series split and two series wins. That allowed Texas to stay just half a game back of the first place Oakland A’s, and regrab the second place spot from the LAA Angels. Texas is a half game ahead of the Angels, and 3.5 games ahead of last place Seattle. The Rangers have six games at home against New York and Kansas City before hitting the road for another brutal trip that features 11 games against the Twins, Angels and Athletics.
The Yankees started off the second half of the season in winning fashion by winning their first five games, including a series sweep of the Chicago White Sox. But they have now lost four out of their last five, with three of those losses coming on the road. New York currently sits in second place in the AL East, 2.5 games behind Boston.
Texas has played New York twice this season and has lost five out of the seven games they’ve played. The last time NY came to Arlington, they swept the Rangers in a three game series.
Players to Watch:
Left-side infielders - There are many, many reasons to watch out for Michael Young, Hank Blalock, Alex Rodriguez and Derek Jeter. Jeter is one of the Yankees’ hottest hitters right now. He has hit safely in 10 out of 11 games after the All Star break for a .342 average. That brings his July batting average to .387. He is also batting .323 against the Rangers this season (10-31). But, in the last series at Texas, Jeter batted just .200 (3-15). A-Rod has been going the other direction, seriously slumping since the All-Star break. He is batting just .237 in the last 11 games. But, he’s had a hot hand against Texas, batting .300.
The Yankees’ left side of the infield has also been a huge contributor to them being one of the worst defensive teams in baseball. Since the All-Star break, Jeter and A-Rod have committed seven errors. That’s almost as many as Michael Young and Hank Blalock have on the entire season (8 and 9, respectively).
Blalock has been dreadful since the All-Star break, batting .195. The Rangers still really need him to turn his bat around to find the success they’re looking for. Young has not been great since the break, either (.267), but he is coming off a hot series against the White Sox in which he went 6-17 (.353). Young was also a menace to the Yankees the last time they played in Arlington, going 6-15 (.400).
Probables:
Monday, July 24, 6:05 CST
TEX: RHP Kevin Millwood (10-5, 4.61)
NYY: LHP Randy Johnson (10-8, 4.88)
You can thank ESPN for the messed up starting time on this one. This game matches two pitchers that have had a lot of struggles this year, but have pitched well lately. Randy Johnson is 1-1 with a 3.18 ERA in his last three starts. He has cut down on his walks significantly (just one allowed in three games). His biggest problem has been run support. The Yanks offense has scored just five runs for him in his last two starts. Millwood struggled in his last two starts before the All-Star break, but has recovered nicely in his two starts to go 2-0 with a 2.77 ERA. His home record is still a very big concern, though. He is 3-4 with a 6.59 ERA in Arlington this season.
Tuesday, July 25, 7:05 CST
TEX: RHP Adam Eaton (0-0, 0.00)
NYY: RHP Mike Mussina (11-3, 3.39)
Eaton is making his first start of the year for the Rangers. Rangers fans will just be looking for Eaton to have his velocity and location back, as his arm is something the Rangers are really needing right now. He has made one start in his career against the Yankees, and he defeated them 10-2. Mussina has slumped in the last two months after a stellar April and May. He is still getting run support, though. He’s undefeated in July, despite having an ERA of 4.74. He has one win in two starts against Texas this season, allowing just two runs in seven innings in both games for an ERA of 2.57. But, that was also in May, when he had an ERA of 2.53. Things could be very different this time.
Wednesday, July 26, 7:05 CST
TEX: RHP John Wasdin (2-2, 5.00)
NYY: RHP Jaret Wright (6-6, 4.71)
Wright continues to be perhaps the most overpaid pitcher in baseball. Yet another foolish investment by the short-sighted Yankees. But, like everyone on the Yankees staff, he’s getting his run support. He’s 2-1 in July, despite having an ERA of 6.89. He is coming off a dreadful start in which he allowed five earned runs in just 2.2 innings to the Blue Jays. He also took a loss when he faced the Rangers earlier this year despite a quality start, allowing three earned runs in six innings pitched. He goes against Wasdin, a guy that’s been a whole lotta mediocre this year. He is 1-2 with a 5.68 ERA this month. Walks have been a serious problem for Wasdin on his short season. He has allowed 13 walks in just 24.2 innings. The biggest thing for Wasdin will just be keeping his pitch count down. He had to exit early in his last start after throwing 93 pitches in just 3.2 innings.
Date
Mon 07/24/06, 10:12 am EST
