The Month Ahead

As we enter September the Rangers find themselves 8 1/2 games up on Oakland in the division. This is easily the highest lead a Ranger team has ever had going into the last month of the season. With a magic number of 23, the Rangers are heavily favored to make the playoffs this year for the first time since 1999. On the surface things look very good for the Rangers, but there are definitely reasons why I am concerned as a Ranger fan.

Now I certainly believe the Rangers will be in the Playoffs. I don't think the problems I see are going to cost us now, but I worry about the way the team is playing going into the playoffs. The Rangers finished the month of August with a 13-15 record and struggled to both score runs and prevent runs throughout the month. Now I am fully aware that Ian Kinsler and Nelson Cruz have been out of the lineup. Losing these 2 guys greatly affected our lineup, but also hurt our overall team defense. Guys like Boggs, Arias, Moreland and Blanco aren't terrible defenders, but they aren't used to playing together, and the communication was lacking. There have been numerous miscues in the field over the last few weeks that were not being made early in the year. This things should be worked out going forward.

Another issue is the Rangers have had a huge problem hitting left-handed pitching. They are 3-8 in the last 11 against lefties. Obviously getting Cruz and Kinsler back in the lineup will help with that, but other players are going to need to step up as well. Last night, just hours before the waiver deadline, the Rangers picked up OF Jeff Francoeur from the Mets for IF Joaquin Arias. Arias had been DFA'd last week, and is not much of a loss at all. The Rangers hope Francoeur will be able to help with the lefty problem. Francoeur is hitting just .237 this year, but is hitting .278/.355/412 vs left-handers this year. He hit .344 last year. If Francoeur can hit a respectable .280 clip against lefties he will be a welcome addition to the team as a spot starter and a pinch hitter. We already know that Borbon can't hit southpaws and a right-handed pinch hitter has been a need for the team all year.

Another thing concerning Ranger fans is the pitching of ace Cliff Lee. Lee has pitched poorly since coming over from Seattle, especially in his last 3-4 starts. Lee was 1-4 in 7 starts with a 6.35 ERA in the month of August. I have still have faith in Cliff Lee. I'm concerned about his poor pitching of late, but I'm by no means writing him off. Last year over a 3 start stretch in late August and September, Lee was 1-2 with an 8.4 ERA. He responded after that with a complete game shutout vs the Nationals. Lee had another bad start giving up 7 runs in 6 innings against Milwaukee on Sept. 25. My point is that Cliff Lee struggled some down the stretch last year as well. His playoff numbers- 5 starts, 4-0, 33-6 k/bb, and a 1.56 ERA. If Lee even gets close to matching those numbers in October, then nobody will even care what his August looked like. I'm still a believer.

Their is still a long way to go in the regular season, but the Rangers are in great position to return to the Playoffs. The Rangers are finally getting healthy, and may have their full lineup together this weekend in Minnesota for the first time in a long while. I will be paying close attention to a few things going forward in September. I will be watching intently every time Lee takes the mound. I will pay close attention to the bullpen situation as it pertains to the playoff roster. Will Michael Kirkman establish himself as a top bullpen option? Will Harrison? What will Derek Holland do with an extended look in the rotation? I believe Holland has the stuff to be a force either in the rotation or the bullpen in October, but he has to prove that.

I'm very excited to watch Ranger baseball in September and October. This is the first time in many years where I am more excited to about the Rangers than the Cowboys season opener. I think it's important for this team to get on a roll going into the playoffs. I am a believer in momentum, and I would love to see this team build some positive momentum into the playoffs. Big-Game Tommy Hunter goes tonight vs KC as the Rangers attempt to take 2 of 3 from the lowly Royals. That sure would be a nice start to the month of September.