My Rangers Wrap-Up

This isn't a baseball card post and I don't have any card scans to post. I know that is shocking to everyone. I need to do this for my own well-being so here goes. I have to say I'm proud of my favorite team this year. The Rangers were relevant deep into the season. Even when they were winning in early September, it seemed that the Red Sox and the Los Angeles California of Anaheim Mighty Duck Disney Angels were winning too. The team finally lost steam mid-month. From September 12-30, the Rangers went 6-13, including a 5 game losing streak (three to Oakland...OAKLAND!!) where they scored a total of 1 runs, and a 4 game losing streak which began when their closer Frank Francisco gave up a three run lead in the ninth to the Tampa Bay Rays. I guess that was supposed to be for my buddy over at the Collective Troll. At any rate, I'm still happy with the effort they put in over the course of the season. This season, just for giggles and a change from nearly every previous season, the pitching was decent and the hitting was terrible. Of the 11 players who played in 80 or more games, only one hit over .300 (thank you Michael Young) and only one scored over 100 runs (thank you Ian Kinsler). In fact nobody else was really close to those numbers. Kevin Millwood posted not only the best ERA (3.67) by a full-time righthander since Ken Hill (3.63) in 1996, but the ONLY one under 4.00 since that time. Ismael Valdez did post a 3.93 in 23 starts in 2002. When you go 13 years between sub-4.00 ERAs by a righty, then you're not looking at years of success. I guess what that will get you is 9 out of 14 years below .500. As I sit here wondering who I'll root for in the post season, I have high hopes for the 2010 edition of Texas Rangers. Thanks for making 2009 interesting.