Cactus League: The Rangers Are 2-0
/Hey, the Rangers are 2-0 so far on their Cactus League schedule against the defending champs. Some thoughts on a 10-0 Rangers win:
- If you include the intrasquad game, Nomar Mazara is hitting 8-for-9 so far. He's not going to start the year in the Majors -- I can't imagine a scenario where the Rangers will want to rush things -- but he's at least turning some heads for now. Today, he was 2-for-3.
- Jurickson Profar is doing some good work of his own in his comeback attempt from two years of shoulder ailments. He was 1-for-2 with a walk today, and he's apparently looking pretty good at SS so far. Then there was this after the game:
From clubhouse: Jurickson Profar on his throw: "You think that was hot? It was OK. I've got more."
— Evan Grant (@Evan_P_Grant) March 3, 2016
- Joey Gallo is still struggling with strikeouts, but at this point, I think that's pretty much always going to be a given. If he can make enough contact to alleviate some of that, I think the Rangers will probably be thrilled.
- Derek Holland pitched 1.2 innings on 37 pitches, 20 for strikes. He gave up 3 hits and a walk with no runs and a strikeout. The Rangers need Holland to come back strong in 2016 after two mostly injury-filled years. He's shown flashes of excellence, but inconsistency at the tail-end of 2015 had the Rangers less-than-willing to count on him in the playoffs.