Rangers vs. Yankees

[Bob Of Burleson]

The Rangers have traded closer Joakim Soria to Detroit for Jake Thompson and Corey Knebel, a pair of Texan righthanders ranked this month by Baseball America as the Tigers’ number two and number four prospects, respectively.

The 20-year-old Thompson, the Tigers’ first pick in 2012 out of Rockwall-Heath High School (in the second round, as Detroit had forfeited its first-rounder by signing Prince Fielder), was promoted last week to Class AA by the Tigers, while the 22-year-old Knebel, the Tigers’ supplemental first-round pick in 2013 out of the University of Texas, started the season in Class AA but bulleted his way to the big leagues by the end of May.

Scott will have more in the morning on Thompson (reportedly headed to Frisco) and Knebel (reportedly headed to Round Rock — perhaps to groom for the newly vacated ninth-inning role if Neftali Feliz can’t claim it), but I will say this for now: The Rangers have just added two power arms, one projected to be a mid-rotation starter and the other a late reliever, both of whom should be ready to contribute when this club’s window reopens. And for what it’s worth, I would consider Thompson and Knebel each a better prospect than any of the four that the Angels traded days ago to San Diego for Huston Street.

It’s a disappointment when a season unfolds in such a way that you are trading your closer late in July, but that’s where we are, and Texas had an opportunity to upgrade the pitching inventory in the upper half of the system and executed on it.

There’s one clear objective when you’re a contending team signing a veteran closer, but there’s a fallback upside there, too, and while the Rangers didn’t sign Joakim Soria coming off Tommy John surgery so they could rehabilitate his trade value, they got some really good work out of him over two years and have the chance now to extend his worth to this franchise for a lot longer than that, if Thompson or Knebel or both develop into contributing pieces to the next Texas club that spends July in its more familiar spot, looking for pieces to themselves over the top.

[BigTex]

I guess the bright side is that the bullpen got a day of rest after being completely depleted the night before.

What would have happened if Darvish had not balked in a run and the score had been 1-1?

[Bob Of Burleson]

• If the game has completed the bottom half of the 5th inning and either team is ahead, and in Minor League Baseball and college games, it is the final game of the series, the game can be deemed an official game. The leading team is declared the winner, and the game officially counts in standings. However, if the game is rained out prior to the completion of an inning in which the visiting team scored one or more runs to take the lead, and the home team has not retaken the lead, the game is suspended, to be resumed at a later date.

• If the game has completed the 5th inning, and the teams are tied, or in college and some Minor League Baseball games regardless of inning, and it is not the final game in the series (the first or second game in a three-game series, also regardless of inning), the game is considered suspended, and the resumption of the game is scheduled for a future date (usually the following day). The game picks up from where it left off.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rainout_%28sports%29

[BigTex]

they had not completed the fifth inning

[Bob Of Burleson]

• If the game has completed the top half of the 5th inning and the home team is ahead, the game can be deemed an official game. The home team is declared the winner, and the game officially counts in standings.

• If the game has completed the bottom half of the 5th inning and either team is ahead, and in Minor League Baseball and college games, it is the final game of the series, the game can be deemed an official game. The leading team is declared the winner, and the game officially counts in standings. However, if the game is rained out prior to the completion of an inning in which the visiting team scored one or more runs to take the lead, and the home team has not retaken the lead, the game is suspended, to be resumed at a later date.

• If the game has completed the 5th inning, and the teams are tied, or in college and some Minor League Baseball games regardless of inning, and it is not the final game in the series (the first or second game in a three-game series, also regardless of inning), the game is considered suspended, and the resumption of the game is scheduled for a future date (usually the following day). The game picks up from where it left off.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rainout_%28sports%29

Drat! I left out the first graph of that cut-and-paste job.

[Bob Of Burleson]

McCarthy, Yankees top Texas for 6th win in 7 games

NEW YORK (AP) Brandon McCarthy threw six more solid innings, fellow newcomer Chase Headley delivered another timely hit and the New York Yankees beat the Texas Rangers 4-2 Thursday for their sixth win in seven games.

Brett Gardner doubled, scored a run and drove in one as the Yankees kept up their push since the All-Star break.

Texas fell to 3-17 in July and dropped 22 games under .500 for the first time since the final week of the 1988 season.

McCarthy improved to 2-0 with a 1.45 ERA in three starts since the Yankees got him in a deal with Arizona earlier this month. He was 3-10 with a 5.01 ERA at the time of the trade.

McCarthy limited Texas to one run and four hits. He struck out five, and fanned Alex Rios to finish off an 11-pitch at-bat that ended the first inning.

Rios almost got even in the eighth with Texas trailing 3-2, hitting a drive off All-Star reliever Dellin Betances that was caught on the warning track in right field.

David Robertson pitched the ninth for his 25th save in 27 chances.

Colby Lewis (6-8) gave up three runs and four hits in 6 1-3 innings. He took the loss, but kept his composure - in his previous start, he got rankled when Toronto's Colby Rasmus bunted for a two-out single midway through the game.

There were no problems with the field at Yankee Stadium, either. New York won 2-1 Wednesday night when a sudden, heavy storm prevented the grounds crew from quickly putting the tarp down in the fifth inning. The rain stopped soon enough, but the field was too wet to continue.

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