MLB Betting Preview: Rangers Host White Sox
Long known for offense with the likes of Josh Hamilton, the Texas Rangers are slowly making strides to improve the mound corps, and so far it's working with the club atop the AL West.
After all these years, the Texas Rangers are still all hitting and no pitching. But at least they’re trying to do something about it.
The Rangers made an interesting deal Thursday, trading reliever Chris Ray and pitching prospect Michael Main to the San Francisco Giants for catcher Bengie Molina. Texas has gotten poor production this year from the catcher position: .664 OPS and seven home runs going into Thursday’s action.
Molina wasn’t doing much better with the Giants (.644 OPS, three HR in 61 games), but his home was AT&T Park, No. 28 in the majors with a park factor of 0.853 runs. The Ballpark in Arlington is notoriously pitcher-unfriendly at 1.168 runs, or fourth in baseball.
Even if Molina doesn’t regain his stroke (he turns 36 this month), his value to the Rangers is found mostly behind the plate. Molina is a respected player in the clubhouse and part of the reason Tim Lincecum has won the past two National League Cy Young Awards.
Texas has a handful of young, developing pitchers who could use Molina’s guidance, something they weren’t getting enough out of Matt Treanor and Max Ramirez.
The early reviews on this deal have focused on Molina’s weak bat and his declining defense. But the Rangers are intent on getting this pitching staff off the ground – a mandate handed down by team president and part-owner Nolan Ryan after he took over in 2008. It’s working:
2007: 4.95 xFIP (No. 29 overall)
2008: 4.88 xFIP (No. 28)
2009: 4.56 xFIP (No. 23)
2010: 4.49 xFIP (No. 21)
This gradual improvement has allowed the Rangers to climb their way to the top of the American League West division at 47-31, good enough for 12.01 units against the MLB betting odds. Molina will join the party on Friday, just in time for a three-game series against the Chicago White Sox (40-37, 0.14 units), who have dropped three of four after rattling off an 11-game winning streak.
Thursday was a travel day for the Sox after an unsuccessful series in Kansas City against the Royals. The Rangers had to fly in overnight from Los Angeles after losing 2-1 to the Angels (–122).
Freddy Garcia vs. Colby Lewis
Friday, July 2, 8:05 p.m. ET
Lewis (3.95 xFIP) has returned to the Rangers fold after a couple of seasons in Japan with the Hiroshima Toyo Carp. Those were two very good years, and Lewis has continued to shine stateside with a career-high 8.57 strikeouts per nine innings. Increased use of his slider appears to be doing the trick.
Garcia (4.61 xFIP) may never be the same pitcher he was in 2005 when he helped the White Sox win the World Series, but Chicago is 10-4 behind him for a profit of 8.16 units.
John Danks vs. Tommy Hunter
Saturday, July 3, 8:05 p.m. ET
Hunter (4.68 xFIP) began the year at Triple-A Oklahoma City because of a strained left oblique. His first start for the parent club was a complete-game 5-1 victory over Tampa Bay on June 5. Texas won Hunter’s next four starts without him giving up any home runs; his ERA is a sparkling 2.15, but that’s probably not sustainable given his low, low .259 BABIP.
Danks (4.23 xFIP) is finally getting some run support, leading Chicago to three wins in his last four starts with the 'over' checking in at 6-1 in his last seven.
Mark Buehrle vs. Scott Feldman
Sunday, July 4, 8:05 p.m. ET
Everyone wants to know what’s wrong with Feldman (4.73 xFIP). Truth is, he isn’t pitching that much worse than 2009, when he posted a 4.49 xFIP while racking up a personal 17-8 win-loss record. The difference is in the BABIP, which is up from an unusually low .275 to a ridiculously high .353. The truth about Feldman probably lies somewhere in between.
Buehrle (4.67 xFIP) is a mixed bag of gems and stinkers, but he’s on a streak of four quality starts with just seven runs allowed in his last 26.1 innings.
Long known for offense with the likes of Josh Hamilton, the Texas Rangers are slowly making strides to improve the mound corps, and so far it's working with the club atop the AL West.
After all these years, the Texas Rangers are still all hitting and no pitching. But at least they’re trying to do something about it.
The Rangers made an interesting deal Thursday, trading reliever Chris Ray and pitching prospect Michael Main to the San Francisco Giants for catcher Bengie Molina. Texas has gotten poor production this year from the catcher position: .664 OPS and seven home runs going into Thursday’s action.
Molina wasn’t doing much better with the Giants (.644 OPS, three HR in 61 games), but his home was AT&T Park, No. 28 in the majors with a park factor of 0.853 runs. The Ballpark in Arlington is notoriously pitcher-unfriendly at 1.168 runs, or fourth in baseball.
Even if Molina doesn’t regain his stroke (he turns 36 this month), his value to the Rangers is found mostly behind the plate. Molina is a respected player in the clubhouse and part of the reason Tim Lincecum has won the past two National League Cy Young Awards.
Texas has a handful of young, developing pitchers who could use Molina’s guidance, something they weren’t getting enough out of Matt Treanor and Max Ramirez.
The early reviews on this deal have focused on Molina’s weak bat and his declining defense. But the Rangers are intent on getting this pitching staff off the ground – a mandate handed down by team president and part-owner Nolan Ryan after he took over in 2008. It’s working:
2007: 4.95 xFIP (No. 29 overall)
2008: 4.88 xFIP (No. 28)
2009: 4.56 xFIP (No. 23)
2010: 4.49 xFIP (No. 21)
This gradual improvement has allowed the Rangers to climb their way to the top of the American League West division at 47-31, good enough for 12.01 units against the MLB betting odds. Molina will join the party on Friday, just in time for a three-game series against the Chicago White Sox (40-37, 0.14 units), who have dropped three of four after rattling off an 11-game winning streak.
Thursday was a travel day for the Sox after an unsuccessful series in Kansas City against the Royals. The Rangers had to fly in overnight from Los Angeles after losing 2-1 to the Angels (–122).
Freddy Garcia vs. Colby Lewis
Friday, July 2, 8:05 p.m. ET
Lewis (3.95 xFIP) has returned to the Rangers fold after a couple of seasons in Japan with the Hiroshima Toyo Carp. Those were two very good years, and Lewis has continued to shine stateside with a career-high 8.57 strikeouts per nine innings. Increased use of his slider appears to be doing the trick.
Garcia (4.61 xFIP) may never be the same pitcher he was in 2005 when he helped the White Sox win the World Series, but Chicago is 10-4 behind him for a profit of 8.16 units.
John Danks vs. Tommy Hunter
Saturday, July 3, 8:05 p.m. ET
Hunter (4.68 xFIP) began the year at Triple-A Oklahoma City because of a strained left oblique. His first start for the parent club was a complete-game 5-1 victory over Tampa Bay on June 5. Texas won Hunter’s next four starts without him giving up any home runs; his ERA is a sparkling 2.15, but that’s probably not sustainable given his low, low .259 BABIP.
Danks (4.23 xFIP) is finally getting some run support, leading Chicago to three wins in his last four starts with the 'over' checking in at 6-1 in his last seven.
Mark Buehrle vs. Scott Feldman
Sunday, July 4, 8:05 p.m. ET
Everyone wants to know what’s wrong with Feldman (4.73 xFIP). Truth is, he isn’t pitching that much worse than 2009, when he posted a 4.49 xFIP while racking up a personal 17-8 win-loss record. The difference is in the BABIP, which is up from an unusually low .275 to a ridiculously high .353. The truth about Feldman probably lies somewhere in between.
Buehrle (4.67 xFIP) is a mixed bag of gems and stinkers, but he’s on a streak of four quality starts with just seven runs allowed in his last 26.1 innings.
