The Injuries Just Won't Stop

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It's been a bad, unlucky, terrible year for Texas on the injury front in 2014. That's been more than well-documented virtually anywhere you read or listen. The hope over the last few months has been that, moving into 2015, everyone will be able to come back healthy and with a clean slate. For now, however, it would appear that plan is already in jeopardy.

Remember the torn shoulder muscle that has forced Jurickson Profar to miss the entire season? Well, it's apparently still causing Profar some problems, according to Evan Grant. In recent weeks, the plan had been for Profar to being working his way back in order to get some playing time in the Arizona Fall League, an idea the Rangers have already scrapped in light of his continued discomfort.

To say this is disappointing would be a major understatement, and it throws a serious wrench into the process of clearing up yet another perceived middle infield logjam at SS and 2B.

All along, we've heard that the injury wasn't something that would require surgery, and that rest would be all that was necessary for Profar to return at 100 percent. Furthermore, much of the concern about Profar's long-term health was immediately dismissed, as the organization was quick to point out that it wasn't an injury that should have lasting effects.

That, it would seem, may have been an overly optimistic view. Assuming Profar's current discomfort is related to the original injury -- and I'm not sure why there would be any reason to believe otherwise -- the shoulder definitely appears to be something that, at least for the time being, will continue to be problematic.

Any thought the Rangers might have had about trading away any of their middle infielders during the offseason for, say, pitching help, would appear to be shelved for the time being. That in itself is a bit disconcerting as getting some pitching help figures to be one of the top priorities.

Even more disheartening, however, is that we're no closer to finding out what Jurickson Profar brings to the table. No, he may never reach the outrageous expectations that were created for him with his being the #1 prospect in baseball, but at this point, every minute that goes by without him being in a lineup is a missed opportunity to find out exactly what he is.

Prospects will break your heart. Usually, though, it's because of on-field performance, not because of an inability to get on the field. The situation hasn't reached the point of being impossible just yet, but news like this is definitely not encouraging.

The Rangers won't stop winning, and there's nothing you can do about it

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After winning two of three this weekend in Anaheim, the Rangers have now won eight of their last nine, which included noteworthy sweeps of Atlanta and Oakland. I had tickets to the Saturday game against the Angels, but then I realized I have to work on Saturday so I'm not sure why I got the tickets in the first place. Either way, this is the lineup Texas posted on Sunday:

1. Martin - CF

2. Rosales - 1B

3. Odor - 2B

4. Beltre - 3B

5. Smolinski -RF

6. Telis - C

7. Rua - LF

8. Arencibia - DH

9. Sardinas - SS

Unless you were aware that "Martin" was actually Leonys Martin (which you were), or that "Beltre" was, in fact, future Hall-of-Famer Adrian Beltre (which you were), it would be easy to look at that lineup and believe you were actually witnessing a minor league game. Just look at those names. Somehow, the Rangers still won, 2-1. 

Nick Tepesch went seven strong innings, and Ryan Rua hit his first major league home run off Angel closer Huston Street, a guy who I've never quite understood stayed in MLB for so long, let alone in the 9th inning for so long. Never mind, I guess he has a lot of career saves and that sort of thing is important to people. 

The most positive wrinkle in today's game -- and maybe the last month if I'm being perfectly honest -- is Neftali Feliz threw his finest inning of the 2014 season. He threw 12 pitches in route to striking out the side in the 9th, and even added a couple impressive 86 mph sliders while he was at it. His fastball, as it has been over his last five or so appearances, was sitting 95-97, and if my goal was to be objective I'd still have to say he was blowing it by hitters. He looks like Old Neftali, and that's an amazing thing moving forward.

Understandably, many Rangers fans have been discouraged by Feliz's velocity -- or should I say lack of velocity -- during the 2014 season. All along I've maintained that the 25.0 innings (or thereabouts) he's thrown since returning from Tommy John surgery last summer aren't a valid enough sample size to pass judgement on him looking towards the future... that it would be more wise to wait until his 2015 season gets underway before we completely write him off.

I held this belief for two reasons:

(1) Neftali is/was a hard-thrower who relies/relied on his fastball perhaps more than any pitcher in MLB relies on any one pitch, therefore it might take him more than the typical 12-18 months for him to regain his former arm strength.

(2) The Rangers aren't playing for anything, and haven't been for quite a while, so it behooved them to be patient with an arm that has actual utility in 2015 and beyond. 

Texas have holes to fill this offseason, but the bullpen ought to be last on their list of priorities. If Neftali Feliz heads into spring training next year looking as he has been over the last few weeks, the 9th inning will no longer be an open competition; the club has the benefit of simply looking the fill each spot behind him. 

With today's win the Rangers have, at least temporarily, ceded the #1 pick in the 2015 draft to the Diamondbacks. This is a big deal if you've been following the One Strike Away blog for any period of time recently, but now that we're here I think I'm more happy that Texas are winning baseball games and that we have actual story lines to pay attention to. That arguably makes me a hypocrite for how big of a deal I've made it out to be over the last couple of months, but I definitely do not care at this exact moment. 

Also, can we give a little love for Tim Bogar? I don't want anyone else to manage the Rangers in 2015. 

The Rangers are 60-92

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The Rangers continue terrorizing postseason contenders. 

Texas have swept a series three times in 2014, one time against Atlanta (last weekend), the other two coming versus Oakland, both times on the road. They went a remarkable 7-2 at O.Co this year. 

Behind a showcase series from Jake Smolinski, who went 4-5 on Thursday afternoon, Texas pounded out 15 hits to produce 7 runs in route to completing the sweep. Nick Martinez allowed 2 runs on 3 hits in 5.2 innings, and it's kind of crazy to think that Yu Darvish and Colby Lewis are the only two Rangers starters who've thrown more frames than Nick this year. None of his peripherals are anything to write home about -- 70:55 K/BB ratio, 141 hits in 128.0 IP, et. all -- but in his first big league season -- where ideally he would have been in Double-A or Triple-A -- Martinez has produced a 4.85 ERA. Again, it's nothing special, but it ought to be a lot worse given his timeline to the major leagues. 

Leonys Martin, Elvis Andrus, Rougned Odor and Ryan Rua each got two hits apiece on Thursday, with only one of Texas's 15 hits going for extra bases (a double, at that). 

By virtue of Colorado defeating Arizona, the Rangers lead on the top pick in next year's draft stands at 1.5 games with 10 left to play. 

The Rangers can't stop, won't stop winning

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If you know me, or if you've followed any of my blogs over the last few years, you know I'm not too big on the #narrative. Still, even though I'm aware that this recent stampede of victories is probably detrimental to the Rangers in the long run -- if it costs them the #1 pick next season -- it's still pretty freaking cool to see them winning again. Is it worth the tradeoff? No, I don't think so. But it's nice that baseball is again a vehicle for happiness rather than an excuse to box all my cynicism in. 

After an exhilarating 6-1 win in Oakland, Texas is riding a five-game winning streak, tied for their longest of the 2014 season. Last time they won five in a row was after sweeping the Athletics, again in Oakland, at the end of April. It resulted in a 14-8 record, back when the Rangers were in first place in the American League West. 

Tonight, the Angels clinched the division, ending Oakland's two-year reign on the West that followed Texas's two-year ownership of the crown. It's been a long time since 2011, guys. 

Tim Bogar is 6-5 since Ron Washington resigned as manager, and over the last five the Rangers have outscored their opponents 27-10. The pitching staff has not surrendered more than three runs in any of those contests. Pitching. 

This coming offseason will be truly fascinating. Of the handful of questions that the front office must address, at the top of the list -- at least in my eyes -- revolves around what the club plans to do with their middle infield logjam. We've seen more flashes of stardom from Rougned Odor, albeit in a larger, more consistent sample size, than we did from Jurickson Profar last season.

I'm still of the belief that second base belongs to Pro on Opening Day 2015, but as the season's worn on I admit it's grown more difficult for me to reconcile that idea with myself. Odor is neither the prospect Jurickson was, nor does his .259/.296/.397 triple slash line exactly scream anything special in a box score, but when you watch him play you can see extreme potential there. As it stands, I'm still opposed to the theory that trading Elvis Andrus would be a smart move if the club plans to compete next year, but I acknowledge I'm more comfortable with the thought now than I was last month. 

Tomorrow the Rangers wrap up their series in Oakland, where they'll end up either one or two games ahead of the Rockies in the race for the #1 pick.