Tag Archives: Rangers

23 Sep

it’s a battlefield

A little rest may have done Brian Dozier a lot of good. The former Southern Miss star had an RBI double and scored a run for Minnesota in a 3-1 win over Cleveland on Tuesday night. Dozier, battling a slump for several weeks, was out of the Twins’ lineup on Sunday for just the fourth time all season; the team was off on Monday. Despite his recent struggles, Dozier now has 98 runs and 71 RBIs – 169 runs accounted for (always a telling stat) in 146 games. Tuesday’s crucial win moved the Twins within 2 games of Houston for the second American League wild card. Ah, but there were games that mattered all over the AL landscape on Tuesday, and Mississippi State product Mitch Moreland played a prominent part in one of them. His two-run homer tied the score for Texas in the sixth inning and the Rangers went on to beat Oakland 8-6. Moreland has 23 homers on the year, matching his career-high, and has four homers and 12 RBIs in his last 10 games, of which Texas has won eight. Texas now leads the AL West by 2 games over Houston, which lost to the Los Angeles Angels, who are a half-game back of Minnesota in the wild card standings. Meanwhile, ex-Ole Miss standout Seth Smith went 1-for-3 with a run as Seattle beat Kansas City, which is battling to hold onto the AL’s best record. Toronto, the AL East leader, is just 1½ games back of the Royals in the best record race even after a loss on Tuesday to the New York Yankees, who hold the second wild card and are still in the East Division race, as well. Yes, it gets confusing. But that’s the fun of September these days. P.S. Ole Miss alum Alex Presley had two more hits – that’s 19 in the postseason – scored twice and drove in a run to help Fresno beat Columbus in the Triple-A championship game. Presley hit .413 over 10 games as Fresno, a Houston affiliate, marched to the Pacific Coast League pennant and then took Tuesday’s one-game Triple-A showdown in El Paso, Texas.

18 Sep

numbers game

With a 3.17 ERA, 11 wins and 153 strikeouts in 156 innings this season, ex-Ole Miss standout Lance Lynn has good numbers. But the Chicago Cubs have had his number. The St. Louis Cardinals right-hander is 0-3 with a 7.53 ERA against the Cubs heading into today’s big game at Wrigley Field. Lynn was KO’d early by the Cubs 11 days ago, leaving in the third inning down 6-0. He must be aching to strike back. The Cubs’ Chris Coghlan, a fellow ex-Rebel, is 2-for-5 career against Lynn. Starlin Castro has a .351 average and five RBIs against Lynn, Anthony Rizzo a .296 with two homers and seven RBIs. Those could be key matchups, but the wild card at Wrigley is always the wind: Which way is it blowing? Cardinals-Cubs has a lot of history, but it’s special when they meet in September with both in playoff contention. St. Louis leads the Cubs by 7 games in the National League Central, with second-place Pittsburgh 5 games out. The division title isn’t settled yet. “Do we have it in us? I think we do,” Coghlan said in a recent ESPN article. … Mitch Moreland was just 3-for-16 in Texas’ four-game series against Houston, but the former Mississippi State star certainly did some damage. He hit two homers and drove in six runs as the Rangers swept the Astros and jumped 2½ games up in the American League West. Moreland’s three-run homer ignited the Rangers’ 8-2 win on Thursday night. He is batting .283 (career mark .259), with 21 homers (career-best 23) and 77 RBIs (career-best was 60). Yes, it’s a career year.

16 Sep

name dropping

Another day, another big blow by Mitch Moreland. The former Mississippi State star hit a game-winning sacrifice fly in the ninth inning for Texas on Tuesday night, propelling the host Rangers past Houston 6-5 and into first place in the American League West. Moreland now has 74 RBIs on the season. The Rangers’ rally muted any celebration by Evan Gattis, who had put the Astros ahead 5-4 with a two-run single in the fourth. Gattis was one of a bundle of ex-Mississippi Braves who made their marks in Tuesday’s box scores, and some of them even play for Atlanta. To wit: Andrelton Simmons got the walk-off hit for the Braves, scoring Todd Cunningham and making a winner of Arodys Vizcaino. Julio Teheran allowed just two runs in 5 2/3 innings against heavy-hitting Toronto, Brandon Cunniff worked a scoreless inning and Daniel Castro chipped in a hit. Elsewhere, Kris Medlen (4-1, 3.92 ERA) got a win for Kansas City, David Hale got a win for Colorado (in a 14-inning affair) and Randall Delgado plucked a W (his sixth) for Arizona by getting one out. Michael Broadway got a hold for San Francisco and J.J. Hoover one for Cincinnati (his 17th, despite allowing a run). Blaine Boyer worked two scoreless innings for Minnesota, Chasen Shreve one for the New York Yankees and Luis Avilan and Ian Thomas one each for the Los Angeles Dodgers in their marathon battle with the Rockies. Jason Heyward went 3-for-4 with a homer (No. 12) as St. Louis won a big game against Milwaukee. Martin Prado had a hit, a run and an RBI as Miami stopped the New York Mets’ eight-game win streak. Tommy La Stella had a hit, a run and an RBI in the Chicago Cubs’ loss to Pittsburgh in Game 1 of a twinbill, and last but never least, Brian McCann got a knock for the Yankees.

15 Sep

western exposure

With the spotlight on the American League West on Monday night, a couple of Mississippians took star turns. At Arlington, Texas, former Mississippi State standout Mitch Moreland hit his 20th home run to help Texas beat Houston 5-3 and move within a half-game of the first-place Astros. The Rangers also kept their grip on the second AL wild card. In Seattle, ex-Ole Miss star Seth Smith hit his 11th homer and drove in three runs as the Mariners routed the Los Angeles Angels 10-1 and knocked L.A. 4.5 games behind Houston and 4 games back of Texas in the wild card race. (Minnesota, of the AL Central, also won and remained a game back of Texas for the second wild card.) P.S. State alum Jonathan Papelbon returned to Philadelphia, made a few controversial pregame comments about his time there — “I was one of the few (Phillies) to actually want to win” — and blew a save for the first time this season. He did get to win, however, as Washington prevailed 8-7 in extras. The Nationals are 20-24 since trading for Papelbon.

09 Sep

chills and thrills

For the first time in a Washington uniform, Jonathan Papelbon got beat. Across the country, Mitch Moreland, another former Mississippi State star, got Texas rolling toward a big win. Just like that, a lazy Tuesday night in September becomes one to remember. The New York Mets made an amazin’ rally from six runs down to beat Washington 8-7 at Nationals Park and extend their lead in the National League East to 6 games. After his fellow bullpen mates gave up six runs in the seventh, Papelbon, the closer, came on in the eighth and allowed a two-out, go-ahead homer to Kirk Nieuwenhuis. It was the only hit allowed in two innings by Papelbon, who was 1-0 and 6-for-6 in save chances over his first 14 games for the club. “It boils down to one pitch. It basically does. … I made one bad pitch,” he told mlb.com. The Nats can’t afford too many more. Meanwhile, at Seattle’s Safeco Field, Moreland blasted his 19th homer of the year in the second inning to put the Rangers on top and they hit three more bombs en route to a 9-6 win against the Mariners. Texas, which has won seven of 10, now trails Houston, a 4-0 loser to Oakland, by a single game in the American League West. “We are a long ways from where we want to be,” Moreland told mlb.com. Presumably, he means the postseason. Moreland is batting .287 with 69 RBIs. He hit just four homers in July and August combined, but he has scary power that could be a factor as Texas continues its playoff push. P.S. Billy Hamilton and Corey Dickerson were activated from the disabled list on Tuesday. Taylorsville’s Hamilton didn’t play for Cincinnati, and ex-Meridian Community College standout Dickerson went 0-for-1 as a pinch hitter for Colorado. … Ryan Weber, who pitched for the Mississippi Braves this season and in 2014, took the loss in his big league debut for Atlanta despite allowing just two runs in six innings against Philadelphia.

03 Sep

opportune moments

One-run lead in the ninth on the road against the best team in the National League. It was the kind of situation Washington had in mind for Jonathan Papelbon when it traded for the high-priced closer in late July. The former Mississippi State standout came through, despite allowing two hits, and the Nationals notched a 4-3 win Wednesday night against St. Louis. Problem is for the Nats, that kind of situation hasn’t come along often enough. It was just the sixth save opportunity for Papelbon since he joined the club on July 28. Washington went 12-17 in August while the New York Mets went 20-8 and blew past them in the NL East. The Nationals have perked up a bit of late but even after Wednesday’s win are 6.5 games behind the Mets in the division. Papelbon, 23-for-23 in saves for the year, allowed a leadoff single to ex-Mississippi Braves star Jason Heyward, and a one-out hit put runners at the corners. Papelbon got a strikeout and a ground out to end it and was effusive afterward. “(The Cardinals) are the best team in baseball right now. It pretty much shows that we could play with anybody out there,” he told mlb.com. Perhaps, but they’ve got a lot of work to do. Baseball Prospectus puts the Nationals’ current chances of making the postseason at 8.2 percent. … Another ex-Bulldogs star, Mitch Moreland, also came through in a big game. He drove in the go-ahead run with a 10th-inning single as surging Texas won at San Diego 5-4. The Rangers, winners of nine of their last 12, are just 2 games behind Houston in the American League West and lead Minnesota by a game in the battle for the second wild card. Moreland is batting .286 with 18 homers and 68 RBIs. P.S. Tim Anderson, the Chicago White Sox prospect from East Central Community College, was named to the Southern League’s postseason All-Star team as the utility player. Anderson, who hit .312 with 49 steals for Birmingham, also won the hustle award. He was beaten out at shortstop by Biloxi’s Orlando Arcia (.308). Shuckers right-hander Jorge Lopez (12-5, 2.29 ERA) also made the team. No M-Braves were selected.

28 Aug

into the wild

Joey Butler celebrated his return to The Show with a couple of hits, a game-tying RBI and the go-ahead run in Tampa Bay’s 5-4 win over Minnesota, which had won six straight. Pascagoula native Butler was recalled by the Rays on Thursday when Itawamba Community College alum Desmond Jennings went back on the disabled list. The Twins, along with the Rays two of the eight American League teams (excluding current division leaders) within 5 games of a wild card, got a 1-for-3 effort from ex-Southern Miss star Brian Dozier, who scored his 87th run. … In another battle of AL playoff contenders, Mississippi State product Mitch Moreland went 1-for-4 with an RBI (No. 67) to help Texas to a 4-1 victory over Toronto, the AL East Division leader managed by former Jackson Mets catcher John Gibbons. … Former State star Buck Showalter’s Baltimore club, another playoff hopeful, fell to AL Central leader Kansas City 5-3. Southwest Mississippi CC’s Jarrod Dyson had a tough day for ex-JaxMets star Ned Yost’s Royals: 0-for-4 with an error (just his second of the year). … In the slightly less crazy National League, Washington, which was supposed to run away with the East Division title, kept pace (though still 6.5 games out) with the first-place New York Mets by holding off San Diego 4-2. Former State standout Jonathan Papelbon notched his fourth save for the Nationals but yielded a run, a hit, a walk and a balk in his one inning. … Ex-JaxMets skipper Clint Hurdle’s Pittsburgh Pirates grinded out a 2-1 win over Miami and tightened their grip on the first NL wild card spot. The Chicago Cubs lost 9-1 to San Francisco, another postseason contender, and dropped 4 games back of the Bucs, who are trying to keep NL Central leader St. Louis in range. … September is coming, and it’s only going to get better for MLB fans.

26 Aug

showing flashes

At MLB draft time in 2014, he was 17 and a strapping 6 feet 3, 180 pounds with a quick bat, good speed and a strong arm. Ti’Quan Forbes, the former Columbia High star, looked like a rough draft of a big league player. He turns 19 today, and his form is still not well-defined. A second-round pick in 2014 by Texas, Forbes is hitting .251 with no homers, 34 RBIs and 11 steals in 96 games over two seasons at the entry levels of the minors. A shortstop at Columbia, he is now playing mostly third base and has made 35 errors. He is ranked the No. 21 prospect in the Rangers’ system, and his estimated time of arrival is listed at 2018 by mlb.com. That would seem optimistic but not unrealistic. “Everything about his game is projection-based because he flashes you things that you want to see,” a scout told Baseball America a few weeks before the 2014 draft. In his debut summer, Forbes hit .241 in the Arizona League with just five extra base hits. At short season Class A Spokane this year, he’s at .260 with 10 extra base hits, 18 RBIs and one stolen base in 48 games. He recently put together a seven-game hit streak and is batting .361 over his last 10 games. A flash, you might say.

15 Aug

hot spots

Matchups of playoff contenders are abundant in the big leagues this weekend, and a bunch of Mississippians are in the middle of things. One of the hottest spots on Friday was U.S. Cellular Field in Chicago, where the Cubs beat the White Sox 6-5 thanks in large part to two home runs by former Ole Miss star Chris Coghlan. Coghlan hit a go-ahead three-run homer in the third inning and a game-tying solo shot in the fifth, both off Jeff Samardzija. Coghlan now has 13 homers on the year for the hard-charging Cubs. At Globe Life Park in Arlington, Texas, ex-Itawamba Community College standout Desmond Jennings went 3-for-4 with an RBI in his first game since April, but his Tampa Bay team fell to surging Texas 5-3. Mississippi State product Mitch Moreland was 1-for-4 for the Rangers. At San Francisco’s AT&T Park, fading Washington lost to the Giants 8-5 with ex-State stars Tyler Moore (an HBP in his one at-bat) and Jonathan Papelbon (two hits and a run allowed in the eighth inning) tasting more frustration. The day’s best game was at Rogers Centre in Toronto, where the New York Yankees stopped the Blue Jays’ 11-game win streak with a dramatic 4-3 win. No Mississippians played in the game, but veteran umpire Andy Fletcher, an Ole Miss grad who lives in the Magnolia State, was behind home plate. P.S. Milwaukee has recalled right-hander David Goforth, a Meridian native and former Ole Miss standout. He has a 4.15 ERA in six MLB appearances this year.

14 Aug

fore for four!

There was something in the air Thursday. Maybe it was the Perseid meteor shower. Something. Two players from small towns in Mississippi had career-high four-hit games. What are the odds? In Minnesota, Amory’s Mitch Moreland banged out four hits that included his 17th home run of the season. He drove in four runs – giving him a career-high 61 for the year — as his Texas Rangers beat the Twins 10-5. In Los Angeles, Taylorsville’s Billy Hamilton also went 4-for-4, scored four times and hit his fourth home run in Cincinnati’s 10-3 victory against the Dodgers. As he sprinted around the bases on the homer that easily cleared the wall in left, Dodgers broadcaster Vin Scully said, “He runs out a home run like he’s afraid they’re going to change their mind.” Hamilton also swiped his 53rd bag of the year. (Note: The magic didn’t work for every Mississippi native in the majors: Tupelo’s Brian Dozier went 0-for-4 for the Twins.) P.S. Ole Miss product Lance Lynn (who was born in Indiana) suffered the worst start of his career, getting just two outs before getting pulled in the first inning of St. Louis’ game against Pittsburgh. Lynn allowed six hits and seven runs (three earned), and the Cardinals ultimately lost 10-5. “It was terrible, plain and simple,” Lynn told The Associated Press.