Tearing it Up
AND THE WINNER IS ... No offense to Luis Alicea, but all you need to know about how the Rangers luck has turned is that the normally light-hitting 2B is the team’s latest Player of the Month. Little Luis hit .367 with 19 RBI during May ... Rafael Palmeiro has been on a home run mini-tear, and now has 378 for his career, tying Hall of Famers Tony Perez and Orlando Cepeda. For a little perspective, Raffy is just now halfway to Hank Aaron’s career mark of 755. Of course, the way the ball is flying this year, someone like ex-Ranger scrub Damon Buford may catch Palmeiro before the end of the season.

Slumping
THE NEW RIGHT ... Royce Clayton and rap music aside, Chad Curtis is suddenly an extremely important man in any planning the Rangers might be doing regarding October baseball. Though he has seven HR and 27 RBI in 47 games, which projects to a sturdy 20/80 over the full season, Curtis will have to do something about his .257 batting average. He snapped an 0-for-15 slump Saturday with a game-winning homer in the first post-Mateo game, but is only hitting around .100 when he starts in RF -- his new full-time position. As of Sunday he was available in 98% of ESPN leagues; that will change fast.

At the Plate
SCARBOROUGH'S FAIR ... The new CF of the moment is speedy Scarborough Green, who is hitting just .230ish, but has three SB in limited playing time. The plan is for Gabe Kapler to move to CF when he returns Friday from another brief rehab assignment, this time with AA Tulsa. Curtis also has experience in CF, as does Rusty Greer, but they will man the OF corners full-time. Green is worth a flyer if you’re desperate for speed in an AL-only league, especially if Kapler has trouble bouncing back. David Segui, Frank Catalanotto, and Jason McDonald are others who could see more OF time this year.

Probable Starters June 5, R. Glynn vs. LA June 6, M. Clark vs. LA June 7, R. Helling vs. LA June 9, K. Rogers @ COL June 10, E. Loiaza @ COL

From the Rubber
PATCHWORK ROTATION ... Darren Oliver, scheduled to start Monday against the Dodgers, will skip a turn after complaining of continuing soreness in his shoulder. His start will be made by either Ryan Glynn or Chuck Smith, whoever gets the one-day call-up from Oklahoma. Lefty Doug Davis is the ace of the OK staff (5-1, 1.89), but started Saturday and is not available. Oliver will return June 11 at Colorado, but the real question is why Mark "Batting Practice" Clark has been pencilled in for Tuesday’s start when Davis and Glynn have been throwing so well in AAA. This could be Clark’s last shot.

On the Mend
WHERE'S DOC MEDICH WHEN YOU NEED HIM? ... SP Justin Thompson, starting 3B Tom Evans, DH Mike Simms, Oklahoma closer Danny Kolb, and now Mateo are out for the year. Greer, Catalanotto, Kapler, Oliver, Kenny Rogers, and Mike Munoz have all missed time due to injury. This week the team even lost television color analyst Tom Grieve to surgery. Grieve was replaced by former KC pitcher Steve Busby, whose promising career was -- you guessed it -- cut short by injury in the mid-1970's. Appropriately enough, Sunday’s pre-game guest at the Ballpark in Arlington was daredevil Evel Kneivel, patron saint of broken bones.