August 28, 2000
Lefty Davis Shines, But Rangers Continue Free-Fall
THE DOUG SHOW ... In a season where bright spots have been few and
far between, Texas fans are hoping this week's brilliant performance
by young lefty Doug Davis is a sign of things to come for the
revamped Ranger rotation. After a complete-game, 145-pitch victory
Sunday against Boston, Davis bounced back Friday to match Toronto’s
David Wells with eight shutout innings; his 0.53 ERA over 17 IP for
the week should merit AL Player of the Week consideration. Fantasy
owners ready to take a chance can see if Davis' arm will stand up to
the recent pitch counts Wednesday at home against Cleveland.
Tearing it Up
HOW 'BOUT THEM COWBOYS? ... The headlines in D/FW newspapers are
filled with stories about the Dallas Cowboys opening play this
Sunday against Philadelphia. And why not? Since Gabe Kapler's hit
streak ended, there hasn't been much coming from The Ballpark in
Arlington worthy of front page news. Veteran stalwart Rusty Greer is
batting .385 (50-for-130) over his last 33 games to raise his
average to .298. Other than that ... um, let's see. The longest
hitting streak in the AL right now belongs to recent Ranger Dave
Martinez, whose current 17-game stretch with Toronto has raised his
average to .292.
Slumping
A TEAM EFFORT ... Texas' 16-27 showing since the All-Star break is
the worst in AL since that point. Now on pace to win just 73 games,
the Rangers are "within" 2.5 games of Tampa Bay for the worst record
in the league. The team has not won consecutive games in the month
of August -- their worst such streak since 1990 -- and is 22-40 on
the road, where they play 19 of their final 28 games. Leading the
way for the Rangers is former bright spot Matt Perisho; since
shutting down Tampa Bay on June 17, he is 0-7/8.74 in 12 starts and
is likely to work from the bullpen the remainder of the season.
At the Plate
OUT OF THE INFIELD ... The Ranger infield has been horrendous at the
plate recently. Luis Alicea is just 36-for-162 (.222) in his last 38
games to drop to .285 ... Mike Lamb is hitting .169 (10-for-59) in
his last 16 games, dropping his average to .282 ... Royce Clayton
has managed to post a .143 (9-for-63) mark over his last 19 games,
falling to .239; he has just one homer since the All-Star break and
one RBI in his last 20 games ... Even Frank Catalanotto has been
slumping, hitting just .195 (8-for-41) in his last 12 games, but he
is 4-for-8 in his last two starts and still hitting .328 overall.
Probable Starters
Aug. 28, K. Rogers vs. CLE
Aug. 29, R. Glynn vs. CLE
Aug. 30, D. Davis vs. CLE
Aug. 31 Sikorski vs. CLE
Sept. 1 R. Helling @ DET
|
From the Rubber
GOOD NEWS, BAD NEWS ... Ryan Glynn continues to look excellent
during his rehab work; he allowed just two runs in 7 IP Thursday for
Oklahoma. He is likely to take Perisho’s rotation slot Tuesday
against Cleveland ... As predicted, Brian Sikorski has come back to
earth; though he has a 3.71 ERA after three big league starts,
that’s misleading as he surrendured 6 unearned runs in the Bronx
Monday, and struggled against Toronto Saturday; he may lose his
rotation spot to Darren Oliver ... Tim Crabtree leads all AL
relievers in losses with 7 ... Jeff Zimmerman has an 11.57 ERA over
his last six games.
On the Mend
UPDATES ... Glynn's fainting spell has been attributed to a
condition called neurocardiogenic syncope -- fainting brought on by
a chemical reaction in the brain that lowers the heart rate. It can
be controlled by medication and by increasing the amount of salt in
the diet. Hydration is key, especially pitching in a notorious hot
zone like Arlington ... Ruben Mateo is out of his cast, but
according to some sources has been suffering bouts of depression,
possibly due to the fact that he will have to stay in Texas to rehab
this winter rather than return home to the Dominican Republic to
play Winter Ball.
Recent Call-ups
TULSA AIN'T SYDNEY ... Uber-prospect Carlos Pena, quietly miffed at
being snubbed by the Olympic selection committee, has reached base
in 43 straight games for Tulsa ... The Rangers won’t make a lot of
moves Friday when rosters can be expanded, but may give courtesy
calls to Jonathan Johnson, Ruben Sierra, Jon Shave, Kelly
Dransfeldt, and possibly Peter Munro. The infield of the future at
Tulsa -- 1B Pena, 2B Jason Grabowski, and SS Mike Young -- will have
to wait until late 2001, while top pitching prospect Jovanny Cedeno
(11-4/2.42 with the A-ball Savannah Sand Gnats) is on target for
2003.
