The Rangers went 1-5 last week as they were outscored 39-33.  The Rangers continue to get bad pitching and it’s dooming their season.  The Rangers entered this week with a 18-32 record which had them in last place in the American League Central, 12.5 games behind the Angels.

The Rangers have signed Mark Redman to a minor league contract and have sent him to AAA ball.  He pitched in 6 games for the Atlanta Braves this season (5 starts) and he was 0-4 with a 11.63 ERA and a 2.26 WHIP.  In 21.2 innings, he allowed 38 hits, 4 homers, walked 11 batters and whiffed 13.  Still, if Redman pitches good in the minors he will likely get a shot at the Rangers starting rotation at some point of the season.

21 year old righty Eric Hurley is the #2 rated prospect in the Rangers system according to Baseball America.  In 10 games (9 starts) in AA ball, Hurley is 6-0 with a 1.83 ERA and a 0.98 WHIP so far.  In 64 innings, he has allowed 47 hits and walked 16 batters while whiffing 51.  Look for the Rangers to put Hurley on the fast track due to needs on the big league team.

In between stints on the disabled list, Eric Gagne has been pretty much unhittable.  In 9 games this season, he is 1-0 with 2 saves, a 0.00 ERA and a 0.96 WHIP.  In 8.1 innings this season, Gagne has only allowed 3 hits and he;s whiffed 7 batters.  Look for Gagne to get better the more he pitches as he builds his arm strength back up.

Scott Feldman pitched pretty well for the Rangers last season, but this year has been a different story.  In 16 games for the Rangers, Feldman is 1-2 with a 8.00 ERA and a 2.17 WHIP!  In 18 innings, he has allowed 24 hits, walked 15 batters and has only struck out 9.  Look for him to be pitching in AAA if he doesn’t turn things around soon.

The Rangers went 2-5 last week as they scored 41 runs and allowed 41 runs.  The Rangers wasted all of that offense because their pitching was awful last week.  The Rangers entered this week with a 17-27 record, which had them in last place in the American League West 9.5 games behind the Angels.

Sammy Sosa has not swung the bat well as of late.  In his last 5 games, Sosa is only 4 for 24 (.167 avg, .500 OPS) with 2 runs scored, 1 homer, 5 RBIs and 9 whiffs.  Sosa better get his act back together soon because the Rangers are getting some hitters back and they could cut into Sosa’s playing time, because if he’s not hitting….he’s not helping the Rangers.

The Rangers have placed Jerry Hairston on the 15-day disabled list with a pinched nerve in his neck.  In 23 games this season, Hairston is 11 for 47 (.234 avg, .628 OPS) with 10 runs, 1 homer and 3 RBIs.  Hairston had been platooning with Kenny Lofton in CF.  The Rangers have recalled Kevin Mahar to replace Hairston as Lofton’s platoon partner.  In his first three games Mahar is 2 for 9 with 2 runs scored and 1 RBI.

The Rangers have placed Hank Blalock on the 60-day disabled list with Thoracic Outlet Syndrome which is serious nerve damage.  He will have surgery to remove one of his ribs on Monday and he will miss at least three months.  This is a huge blow to the Rangers as Blalock is one of their best hitters.  In 39 games this season, Blalock is 41 for 144 (.285 avg, .828 OPS) with 20 runs scored, 5 homers and 16 RBIs.  The Rangers have recalled 3B Travis Metcalf to replace Blalock on the roster and possibly at 3B.  In 38 games in AA ball, Metcalf was 40 for 136 (.294 avg, .870 OPS) with 28 runs scored, 6 homers and 25 RBIs.  Metcalf will have to play well to hold off Matt Kata and Ramon Vazquez for at bats.

The Rangers have placed outfielder Brad Wilkerson on the 15-day disabled list with a pulled right hamstring.  This will hurt the Rangers as Wilkerson was off to a really good start of the season.  In 28 games this season, Wilkerson is 22 for 88 (.250 avg, .824 OPS) with 13 runs scored, 6 homers and 20 RBIs.  The Rangers have recalled outfielder Kevin Mahar to replace Wilkerson on the roster.  Mahar made his major league debut last night and he went 0 for 4 with a whiff.