Tearing it Up
CAT CAN ... Frank Catalonotto is hitting .538 with power and is making a bid to be in the lineup somewhere every day ... Problem is, Luis Alicea is hitting .600, but that won’t last long ... Raffy Palmeiro and Pudge Rodriguez have eight RBIs apiece; their combined 16 is second-best in the majors for teammates, trailing only Baltimore’s combination of on-fire Charles Johnson and the loveable Albert Belle ... Even with a day off Sunday, Pudge already has 10 base hits, and is scoring a run per game ... Kenny Rogers continued to look excellent, even while taking the loss Saturday.

Slumping
E-5 ... Tom Evans is struggling defensively and hitting only .188; do you think he noticed that Mike Lamb homered in Oklahoma's opener this week? ... Alicea played third for Evans Sunday and promptly committed three errors ... Royce Clayton hit two dingers Saturday against Toronto, but continues to struggle in the leadoff slot, batting just .133 through seven games ... The Rangers have displayed little interest in a running game since Clayton was caught stealing after leading off the opener with a walk; the team has attempted just three steals, with only Gabe Kapler swiping a bag successfully.

At the Plate
CURTIS-Y PICKUP ... The dominant e-mail question of the week, surprisingly, has been "Should I pick up Chad Curtis?" Curtis is available in 99% of all ESPN leagues, and should only be an option if you are playing in a deep AL-only league. Nonetheless, Rusty Greer will battle bone spurs in his ankle all year, and Ruben Mateo is as injury-prone as any MLB regular, so Curtis should see 100 games and crack low double figures in homers and steals. If any of the regular Ranger outfielders go down, he becomes an attractive 20/20 option. Watch the Texas DL announcements and grab Curtis accordingly.

From the Rubber
ERRATICA ... Rick Helling recovered from a rough start Tuesday to post more typical numbers Sunday -- 6 IP, 3 ER, 7K. But the Yankees and Indians usually destroy him ... Darren Oliver and Mark Clark both got knocked around in their first starts; neither should be more than a desperation pick in most fantasy leagues ... Esteban Loiaza displayed great maturity on Thursday. After giving up four runs early; he settled down to give the Rangers 8.1 IP when the bullpen (already!) needed a rest ... Speaking of the bullpen, everyone (including John Wetteland) has been the very definition of "erratic."

On the Mend
TEXAS PRIDE ... Nothing needs mending more than Ranger self-confidence against the Yankees, who have embarrassed Texas nationally in the playoffs three of the last four years. The good news is that the Rangers will miss both Orlando "El Duque" Hernandez and Roger Clemens while in the Bronx, though facing David Cone, Andy Pettite, and Ramiro Mendoza probably doesn’t really qualify as "good news." If the rotation holds, the Rangers will also manage to miss Bartolo Colon in Cleveland over the weekend.