NEW YORK (TICKER) — First baseman Rafael Palmeiro and catcher Ivan Rodriguez have led the Texas Rangers to first place in the American League West and today were named AL Co-Players of the Month for August.
The dynamic duo led the AL in nearly every offensive category during the month as Texas posted an 18-12 record. The Rangers ended August with a 79-54 record and a 6 1/2-game lead over Oakland in the AL West.
Palmeiro led the league and set a pair of club records by collecting 15 home runs and 39 RBI during the month, also posting an AL-best .782 slugging percentage. He hit .318, drew 14 walks and scored 25 runs.
Rodriguez led the AL with 45 hits and 29 runs scored in August. He hit .349 with 12 homers and 28 RBI while notching a .667 slugging percentage. The seven-time All-Star also stole three bases and became the first catcher in major league history to steal 20 bases and hit 20 homers in one season.
Both Palmeiro and Rodriguez could be considered candidates for the AL Most Valuable Player award. Palmeiro is second in the league with 40 homers and 127 RBI, and stands fifth with a .337 average. Rodriguez ranks seventh in the AL with 162 hits, 10th in batting at .327, tied for 10th with 30 homers and tied for 11th with 96 runs.
First basemen Carlos Delgado of Toronto and Jason Giambi of Oakland also were
Roster Transaction
- Recalled Scarborough Green from AAA Oklahoma.
G134: Rangers beat Tigers big time, 14-7
Much better – this is what we should be doing to the Tigers. The power stroke was working for us today. Gregg Zaun hit his first “official” home run as a Ranger, too (not counting his “called shot”). Not going to say much about this one, don’t have time.
G133: Ugh. Rangers drop 14-6 fiasco to Tigers
Ugh – This is not happening! This is not happening! (Hiding head in sand)
G132: Rangers drop 1-0 pitching duel to Tigers
There really isn’t a whole lot to say about this game – and I watched the whole thing. Pitching was the name of the game here. The Rangers got blown away by Brian Moehler. Shut out on only three hits (two of them by Mac, the other by Royce Clayton). We never got anything going ever.
On the flip side, Esteban Loaiza was also pitching well. Had a shut out going into the 7th when he gave up the only run of the game – a solo homer to Gabe Kapler. Other than that, Loaiza pitched well, if not dominating. Ranger pitching gave up 10 hits, and were helped by some nice defense to keep it scoreless as long as it was.
It definitely was a pitcher’s duel – and in Tiger stadium, too. That was nice. Kind of like “Hey, we’re not coming back here, let’s have a really great game”. And it was. It stunk that the Rangers lost, but it was a great baseball game. Can’t beat that.
G131: Rangers sweep Blue Jays behind 4-2 wins
John Burkett allowed the first four Blue Jays to reach base, and Danny Kolb was up and warming in the bullpen before there was even an out recorded – I thought Burkett was headed for the quickest exit of the season for him. However, he got it together, and escaped the first inning allowing only one run to score. In fact, that was the only run allowed by him all day. He pitched rather well after the first four batters of the game, going 6 2/3 innings, allowing only one run on seven hits. When he was pulled, we were up 3-1, and it took Tim Crabtree all of one pitch to get out of the 7th. A pretty well pitched game by us, although Wetteland allowed another run in the 9th – he’s getting the saves, but doesn’t seem as dominating as he was the last two years – I wonder if he’s still bothered by the injury that slowed him down at the start of this season.
Our offense was in the 4th inning. We had more than that, but all we needed came in the third. Raffy had another RBI, and Todd Zeile had a two run home run. We did get a fourth run on a Royce Clayton RBI single in the 8th, but that was icing – Raffy & Todd gave us all we needed in the third.
Our pitching kept us in the lead (once we got it), and it was a very cool game to watch. I hope to someday go to that hotel in Toronto and watch the Rangers play. :)
Another road sweep for us, and we’re 27 games over 500 for the first time in club history (not sure if that includes the Senators or not, but I would think it wouldn’t). On to Detroit – would be nice to sweep there, too.
Roster Transaction
- Activated Jeff Fassero before game time.
- Optioned Corey Lee to AAA Oklahoma.
G130: Rangers lose to Toronto, 9-7
Not available – didn’t catch enough of the game. However, I did catch Jeff Fassero’s Ranger debut. That’s about what I expected – he allowed the Blue Jays to get back into the game at the end and make the score much closer than the game seemed to be going.
Rangers acquire Jeff Fassero
TORONTO (TICKER) — Seeking another quality starter, the Texas Rangers hope they landed one today by acquiring lefthander Jeff Fassero from the Seattle Mariners for a minor league player to be named.
The Rangers own a relatively comfortable lead in the American League West, sitting 6 1/2 games in front of the second-place Oakland Athletics. But Texas surely could use a boost in its rotation, with no starter owning an ERA under 4.30.
If nothing else, the 36-year-old Fassero fills the Rangers’ need for a lefthanded starter. Lefthanded batters are hitting .252 against him this season.
Aaron Sele, Rick Helling, Mike Morgan, John Burkett and Esteban Loaiza, who currently make up the rotation, all throw righthanded.
A change of scenery may be just what the doctor ordered for Fassero, who lost his last six decisions with Seattle. He is 4-14 with a 7.38 ERA in 30 games, including 24 starts, and has walked 73 while striking out 101 over 139 innings.
Fassero posted a winning record and an ERA under 4.00 in each of the previous three seasons, the last two with Seattle. He went 44-32 in that span.
The nine-year veteran owns a 91-83 lifetime record with a 3.79 ERA in 359 games, including 191 starts. He pitched his first six major league seasons with Montreal before being traded to Seattle in a five-player deal in October 1996.
To make room for Fassero on the 40-man roster, Texas transferred pitcher Eric Gunderson from the 15-day to the 60-day disabled list. Gunderson has been sidelined since May with left shoulder problems and had surgery July 17 to repair a partial cartilage and rotator cuff tear.
The Rangers will make a roster move to accommodate Fassero tonight when he arrives in Toronto for the opener of his new team’s three-game series against the Blue Jays.
From Joe: The decision has not been made as of gametime Friday night – the radio announcers said he is not here yet, but is on the way.
Roster Transaction
- Acquired Pitcher Jeff Fassero off the waiver
wire for a minor league PTBNL. - Moved Eric Gunderson from the 15 day to the 60
day disabled list.
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