First things first, though. Scott Feldman started the game and was shaky. He allowed three runs on five hits and two walks in just 2.1 innings pitched. He did strikeout three and record his other four outs via the groundball, but he was not very sharp. After the game Feldman said his mechanics were inconsistent.  It’s still early right?

Dustin Nippert was sharp in the game. He allowed just one hit over three innings of work and, in a game full of offense, was the standout from a results perspective recording the most outs while allowing just a single hit. I am very comfortable with Nippert in the long man role.

So many standout lines from the offense that no one really, well, stands out. Elvis Andrus was 4-5 with a pair of RBI, which was good to see after an early slow start for him. Chris Davis was 4-4 with two runs and three RBI and he had the only home run on the game. While I had already handed the starting catcher job to Salty, Teagarden made up for lost time by going 2-4 with a run and three RBI. Nelson Cruz was 2-4 with a walk and four runs scored (not to mention a pair of RBI). Michael Young and Hamilton both had good days at the plate as well.

The interesting part about the box, for me, was the lineup. After 2008, despite the fact he had put up an excellent year batting mostly leadoff, I began to think that Kinsler might be best suited to hit third. Today’s lineup was along the lines of what I envisioned then. Borbon, Young, Kinsler, Hamilton, Cruz, Davis, Teagarden, Andrus, Feldman. Add Guerrero in batting 5th with Davis 6th and Cruz 7th and I think I like that lineup better than the one that has been featured thus far (with the 3-4-5 being Hamilton, Guerrero, Kinsler). I guess I just don’t like Kinsler hitting 5th… that is of course if he can bounceback and be a little more like 2008 and a little less like 2009. At the end of the day, though, the 2 thru 7 hitters are similar enough in production that it probably does not matter which order you hit them. So whichever way makes them comfortable is probably best.

Matt Harrison to take the bump again tomorrow. Would like to see him continue to be sharp. I like his stuff as good as any of the other choices for the open rotation spot (outside of C.J. Wilson of course). Rangers v Padres in Surprise – Go Rangers!

C.J. Wilson got the start in today’s game. I said yesterday that I felt like he needs to go out there and blow people away every time out to have a chance at making the rotation. He did not do that, but I still think he has a chance to make the rotation, although by all accounts it seems to be slim. He did some things well today. He did manage to get through three innings with just one hit and one walk allowed. He also struck out two and recorded six groundball outs against just one fly out (Teagarden also threw out a base runner while C.J. was on the mound). Wilson, however, allowed two earned runs even though he only gave up two base runners. This happened because he threw a wild pitch twice with a runner on base (allowing them to move up and eventually score on outs). He also needed 50 pitches to get through six innings which is not terrible, except that he needed extra pitches because he was not throwing strike one enough (not because he allowed too many base runners). If you like C.J. as a starter, you are highlighting only two base runners in three innings (well, one more on an error) along with the ground balls and strikeouts. If you don’t like him in the rotation, you are talking about too many pitches and not enough first strikes and walking the leadoff hitter in the third inning.

The argument continues to be that C.J. and Neftali Feliz will help the team more in the bullpen this year (it came up again in Grant’s blog today). With what we have seen so far, I am all for Feliz in the bullpen. He still needs to refine his offspeed pitches and become more consistent with his repertoire, but in the meantime he can be a dominating guy for one inning at a time. Once again today, Feliz had a first inning that was at times brilliant, but it started to get away from him in the second inning and he ended up with four runs on his ledger in two innings of work. The thing about today that impressed me the most was the work from the rest of the bullpen.

In the seventh, eighth and ninth inning the Mariners managed just one base runner and that came on an error. Alexi Ogando pitched the seventh, firing high 90s gas (I mean 98 and 99 mph at times) and striking out a pair along with a ground out from Ichiro. Chris Ray followed with a pair of strikeouts of his own (making a statement that he will be a player in the bullpen). Frank Francisco finished it off with a ground out and pair of strikeouts. Granted, these weren’t the Mariners starting nine and even if they were, the Mariners are not the Yankees when it comes to hitting. Still, three hitless innings including six strikeouts is a pretty dominant performance.

Dominant enough for me to make the assertion again that this bullpen does not “need” C.J. Wilson. Darren Oliver has been very good so far this spring and can be the lefty that the pen needs. Neftali Feliz or Chris Ray look like they might be able to fill the critical eighth inning set-up role for Francisco. This team still has Darren O’Day who ought to be useful even if he takes a step back, and today Alexi Ogando showed that he has the kind of pure gas that will get him back to the big leagues to help out at some point this season. Tanner Scheppers will also be in the majors to help out at some point this season and the Rangers just acquired another potential bullpen arm in Edwar Ramirez. Dustin Nippert and/or Brandon McCarthy or whoever else doesn’t make the rotation can fill the long man role and there are at least three or four others that can be mixed in to relieve a tired bullpen (Warner Madrigal, Doug Mathis, Guillermo Moscoso to name a few).

For me, all of those things point to one conclusion. Let’s continue to let this C.J. Wilson thing play out. I still think Matt Harrison has shown that he is the most ready and going the best among the candidates for the last spot (right now). Brandon McCarthy and even Tommy Hunter need to show me more (maybe there are two spots open if Hunter doesn’t come back with a strong outing next turn). Derek Holland may blow us away in his next outing and make a case for the rotation as well. Anything can happen at this point. For me, Wilson has good experience and has matured as a pitcher over the past few years in the bullpen. If this team is going to make a case that developing in the pen is a good idea then Wilson deserves a chance to show whether or not he has developed enough to be in the rotation. The repertoire is there. Consistency and aggressiveness must now shine through if he is going to stick.

Elvis Andrus was 1-3 with a run scored and apparently made a couple of great defensive plays after looking a bit lackluster in the field thus far.

The better effort from Andrus was not enough to keep the Rangers from making more errors than the A’s as the Oakland split squad finished with a clean sheet and Matt Brown had yet another error at third base (failed to cleanly field a ball). Brown is just not making a good enough impression in the field to earn a spot on the team even though I still like what he brings at the plate.

Esteban German continues to get on base. He went 1-2 with a run scored. If the Rangers don’t go outside the organization the utility infield spot could be between German and Joaquin Arias who managed a hit in his only at bat today.

The sparkplug was back at the top of the order as Julio Borbon went  2-4 with a run, a steal and two RBI. Unfortunately, there was no pitch data today to tell me whether his approach was any better… so we’ll assume the best.

Now that I have sufficiently buried the lead it is time to talk about Rich Harden’s start. On the up side, he struck out four batters in 2 2/3 innings. On the down side, he also walked three and allowed a three-run home run as Oakland scratched him for four earned runs on two hits. If it was a pitcher fighting for a spot, then they would immediately fall behind the rest of the pack. Harden is secure in his spot and he will pitch better. Nothing to worry about. Start worrying if he doesn’t start to pick up his velocity a little in his next few turns.

If there was a hero today, I guess it was David Murphy who had three RBI after replacing Josh Hamilton in left field.

Away from the box score, Jarrod Saltalamacchia was scratched from today’s game with soreness around the area where he had surgery last year. The Rangers believe it may be scar tissue loosening which would not be serious. Jon Daniels said Salty wanted to play with the soreness, but the Rangers decided to hold him out to be on the safe side.

The Rangers also announced that they had acquired Edwar Ramirez from the Yankees in exchange for cash considerations. Ramirez was not very good for the New York in 2009, but was effective in 2008 and has excellent strikeout numbers that last couple of years. A nice side project for Mike Maddux perhaps?

Tomorrow is a big day in my book. I think among the Ranger bloggers and media types I may be the only one still championing a C.J. Wilson move to the starting rotation. I think the rotation could use a couple at least one if not two left handers and I think Wilson may have the best qualifications for the job (although Matt Harrison has been very impressive this spring, as well). Unfortunately for C.J., there is not much margin for error. I feel like he has to pretty much go out and blow people away each time to get as much as a second thought when it comes to being a starter. He is scheduled to go three innings. Go get ‘em C.J.!

Brandon McCarthy started the game for Texas and had the challenge of matching what Harrison, Wilson and Hunter had done before him. A leadoff walk and three hits later the Rangers were in a hole 2-0. McCarthy shook off the runs and retired the next three batters to get out of the first. The leadoff man reached again in the second, but McCarthy retired the Angels without allowing another run. Not bad, but McCarthy’s velocity was only touching the low 90s and it took 46 pitches to complete the two innings. If C.J. Wilson had thrown 46 pitches in two innings he would be roasted by the “Inefficient Mafia”. It’s still too early to make a final call, but after one turn through the order, I’d lean toward Harrison or Wilson to fill out the final spot in the rotation. Better yet, Harrison and Wilson and use Hunter out of the bullpen. It’s hard to believe the Rangers have two fireballing lefties (though only one is considered a “strikeout pitcher”) and are considering using neither one of them in the rotation to start the season.

Speaking of lefties, Derek Holland also made his Cactus League debut. Shaky is probably the best way to describe it. Holland was the first pitcher to fail to complete his scheduled inning(s), managing only one out while allowing four runs (only one earned). Like McCarthy, Holland allowed a leadoff walk and the fun ensued. Again, I say it is to early to pass judgement. Let’s see a few more starts before we put Holland on a bus back to Oklahoma City.

On the flip side, I am ready to give up on the Taylor Teagarden “for starting catcher” campaign. Teagarden was 0-2 with a strikeout today and the more I think about it, the less I have to make me think he can be the everyday starter. Saltalamacchia may need to be pushed and maybe this “open competition” has provided a little extra incentive for him, but I can not foresee the team choosing Teagarden over Salty for 2010. I do believe there is more to the starting catcher than hitting and throwing runners out, but is Teagarden that much better at calling the game to win time from Salty? Just not sure there is enough hard to measure stuff to override what we can see.

What we haven’t seen is much production from Elvis Andrus. Guh… he has just disappeared. He went 0-2 today and only saw four pitches. Andrus also made a throwing error today. No TV, so I can’t see him, but seems like he’s in a bit of a funk since getting called out for lack of focus last week. Still early people… chillax.

Speaking of errors, Joaquin Arias made another one today and failed to communicate with Marcus Lemon on another play. Evan Grant is convinced that Esteban German has moved past him (check out Grant’s game report here).

Enough hate. There were some bright spots.

Tanner Scheppers wowed spectators today in the “B” game sitting mid 90s with his fastball (touching 98) and throwing a few hooks (two of them for strikeouts). Write it down now. Scheppers will help this team in 2010, maybe even before the All-Star break.

Josh Hamilton was back! He went 2-3 with a run scored. Disaster apparently averted.

You also have to like what Colby Lewis did. One run allowed on one hit (a solo home run) in two innings with two strikeouts and no walks (needing only 26 pitches of which 20 were strikes). Solid. He will be at least a league average innings eater and I see him posting better number than Kevin Millwood in 2010.

Rangers hit the road tomorrow. Rich Harden will take the bump for his second turn. His first start was the only Ranger win in Cactus League thus far, hopefully it will be 2 for 2. Go Rangers!

Josh Hamilton was planning to hit leadoff in each inning of the “B” game, which would allow him to get more at bats than in a regular game. Because of the rain his return to the field is delayed another day. There will be a “B” game scheduled for Monday along with the Cactus League game against the Angels. The Rangers would probably like to get him into “A” game action, but may opt to delay his Cactus League debut another day or two.

Sunday was also to be Brandon McCarthy’s first Cactus League action. Jeff Wilson writes in Sunday’s Star-Telegram about McCarthy’s new mechanics and the hopes that it will keep him healthy.  Whether or not McCarthy can stay healthy for the full season aside; the big question right now is whether he can beat out the competitors for a spot in the Ranger rotation. One thing that may be working against him, but that has not gotten a lot of attention is that the current first four (Feldman, Harden, Lewis, Hunter) are all right-handed which means if McCarthy claims a spot the rotation could potentially be without a lefty. In T.R. Sullivan’s latest video mailbag, he answers questions with Nolan Ryan. One of the questions was whether or not he’d prefer a lefty in the rotation and Nolan said without hesitation that he’d prefer to have at least one lefty to make it more difficult for opposing hitters. I am sure the Rangers will take five right handers if they are clearly the best five, but if it is close, a lefty probably has the advantage for the final spot (whether that’s Harrison, Holland or Wilson). As the spring goes along, I think McCarthy may be in a situation where he has to beat out Hunter (or one of the other top three) to get a spot in the rotation and the “current opening” is up for grabs between the lefties.

Speaking of Harrison and Hunter, Keith Law has an insider entry up where he describes what he saw from the two of them. Law sees Hunter as a reliever saying, “I still don’t see what he has to get big league hitters out consistently.” With Hunter’s fastball sitting high 80s to low-90s and an even softer cutter, Law just doesn’t think he has enough stuff to make it as a starter. Harrison on the other hand he believes “could have the stuff to start if his shoulder permits and someone can calm him down.” The “calm him down” remark refers to Harrison’s quick delivery. I’ve read elsewhere that Harrison actually likes the quick delivery and to the extent that it makes him more deceptive (or just more confident) then it may actually help him. The bottom line is that Law preferred Harrison’s 93-95 mph fastball and hard cutter (88-90 mph) to Hunter’s offerings, though he says Harrison would need a good breaking ball and/or changeup to go with it (which Law didn’t see in this outing).

For what it’s worth CHONE Projections prefers both Holland and McCarthy to Hunter and Harrison.

Scott Lucas has a good article up at the Ranger Rundown on whether Michael Young can reach 3,000 hits. He ultimately concludes that Young is unlikely to get there. He would have to have post age 32 careers like Paul Molitor or Craig Biggio to get there (which only those two managed to do at of the 25 players that he compared). I think Young could get there, especially if he finds himself in a Craig Biggio situation. Remember that Biggio wasn’t really very good his last few years, but the Astros continued to play him nearly everyday and he piled up a few hundred hits that he probably shouldn’t have.

Here’s hoping we have games tomorrow. Go Rangers!

“I can honestly say I never looked at one, or if I did I didn’t realize it. As long as they sell it at the convenience store or throw it in front of my house, I’ll look at it. Do they sell blogs at the convenience store?” Team president Nolan Ryan, on how often he looks at baseball blog sites.

And to think, I was just about to get rid of my newspaper subscription. Oh well, at least if I do get rid of it, I can still buy a newspaper at the convenience store. Thanks, Nolan. You may be out of touch with everyone that is reading this blog, but you are still my favorite pitcher of all time.

- Julio Borbon was held out of the lineup today with an injured arm. That gave Craig Gentry a chance to start and show what he can do. Hitting in the leadoff spot Gentry was 0-3 with a strikeout and grounded into a double play. I really like what Gentry brings (energy and defense), but if the Rangers have to bring up another outfielder, Brandon Boggs is probably the better choice at the moment. Boggs would be more likely to hold his own at the plate and while he is probably not as good as Gentry in center field, he can hold his own out there as well.

- Jarrod Saltalamacchia threw out Alex Gordon trying to steal which was a good sign in his effort to regain the starting catching job. At the plate, however, he was 0-2 with a pair of strikeouts.

- Josh Hamilton took batting practice and went through a full workout on Saturday. The plan is to play him in Sunday morning’s B-squad game (although rain may wash out those plans). After that, get him on the field for a Cactus League game Monday or Tuesday.

- The pitching was good. Tommy Hunter started and gave up just one unearned run while fanning two over his two innings. Matt Harrison worked two shutout innings, allowing just two singles which puts the pressure on Brandon McCarthy to perform well in his start Sunday. Darren Oliver had a perfect fifth inning, including a pair of strikeouts. All that said, like the Rangers, the Royals lineup did not necessarily feature the best they had to offer today.

- Joaquin Arias started in place of Ian Kinsler and went 1-3 (and was robbed of a second hit by Brian Anderson. Esteban German had a hit in his only appearance and scored the only run. I still think Arias has the lead over German (unless he totally flops witht he bat), but don’t be surprised if the Rangers opt for neither and make a trade for a veteran at the end of spring training.

- Matt Brown had another throwing error and it directly resulted in an unearned run today. At the plate he had a strikeout and a walk. I am rooting for him, but he doesn’t stand much of a chance if he make many more mistakes in the field

- Leury Garcia (won’t be 19 years old until later this month) got make an appearance at shortstop. He made two errors, but also drove in the run of the game for the Rangers. He’s once to watch in the minors this year.

- The battle at catcher was declared wide open back in January and that was reiterated earlier this week. Jarrod Saltalamacchia had a good start at the plate in game one. The game two starter was Taylor Teagarden who went 0-2 with a pair of strikeouts. Yes one of those strikeouts was against Zack Greinke, but the other was against the significantly less dominant Brad Thompson. Advantage Salty.

- The battle for a spot in the starting rotation saw a much more efficient C.J. Wilson need only 24 pitches to get through two innings. He allowed one run as lefthanded hitting Rick Ankiel tripled with one out in the 4th and scored on a sac fly.

- Neftali Feliz also pitched a pair of innings and looked great in his first inning of work, but got in trouble in the eighth inning, loading the bases before allowing two runs to score on a single. His fastball ran up into the mid-to-high 90s but his command was not where it needed to be as he walked the leadoff hitter in the eighth and also hit a batter.

- The offensive spark plug Julio Borbon was 0-3 today. It probably didn’t help that his first two at bats were facing Zack Greinke who was dominant in his three innings. It also didn’t help that he was first pitch swinging to lead off the game and flied out to center field and then bunted on the first pitch he saw for the final out of the third inning. Julio has the tools to get on base and he will have to use them in certain situations, but I’d like to see a more team oriented approach from my leadoff hitter, working the pitcher and maybe extending an at bat with the hope that it will help the team as the game wears on. Borbon’s 0-2 on two pitches was just the opposite.

- The long man role in the bullpen may end up being the best candidate for the starting rotation that doesn’t make the opening day five. On the other hand, it could be Dustin Nippert who filled the role well for part of the season in 2009 and threw two perfect innings on Friday (the only Ranger pitcher that did not allow a run in the game). He’s not being considered a candidate for the rotation, but he could be a key past of the Ranger bullpen.

- A battle is developing between Matt Brown and Max Ramirez for the right handed hitting 25th man on the roster. Brown had the big home run on Thursday and was 1 for 2 in Friday’s game. Ramirez answered with a big hit of his own Friday as he doubled in Brandon Boggs in the top of the 8th cutting the lead to 4-2 in his only at bat of the day.

Lots of good baseball nuggets the last two days and more to come. This weekend Matt Harrison and Brandon McCarthy will both take the hill as they show what they can do in the competition for the 5th spot in the rotation. Harrison pitches on Saturday, after Tommy Hunter and McCarthy will pitch Sunday. Go Rangers!

- Is it really going to be this easy for Julio Borbon? 2-3 with a stolen base and a run scored… yes everyone looked good at the plate, but Borbon is living up to his tag as offensive catalyst. If he takes a patient approach and can get on base for the guys behind him, this offense will be very good.

- Two home runs for the Rangers today. Both by players battling for a spot. Jarrod Saltalamacchia went 2-3 with a three run bomb (but had a throwing error). Matt Brown also went 2-3 with a three run bomb and, oddly enough, also had a throwing error. The two account for the only home runs and only Ranger errors on the day.

- It doesn’t seem like he has a chance to find a fit on the roster, but Craig Gentry is also off to a quick start this spring. After showing up big in the intrasquad games, Gentry went 2-3 with a stolen base and two runs scored after replacing Borbon in CF.

- Dim spots: Elvis Andrus 0-3 (including a ground out double play), Brandon Boggs 0-3 with a strikeout and six men left on base, Joaquin Arias 0-2 (but scored once).

- Harden work two solid innings, allowing one unearned run while recording one strikeout and one walk. His velocity was just touching 90, but he said he has plenty of gas, he was just taking a little off today.

- Colby Lewis worked and efficient 11 pitch 1-2-3 inning (not sure why he only worked on inning).

- Tanner Scheppers and Alexi Ogando each worked an inning and each fired mid-90s fastballs (touching high 90s) that have been the talk of the beat writers following the game. We knew Scheppers was a player to watch after his performance in the Arizona Fall League, if Ogando (and/or Beltre) can bring something similar, this Ranger bullpen could be very special heading into September and October.

- Chris Davis had a pretty good box score line, but Evan Grant reports that he swung and missed at the first pitch in two of his three at bats. Sure would like to him clean up that approach. He’s always going to strike out a bunch, but he has to make it harder on the pitcher by shrinking his strike zone early in the count.

- Note in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram on Hamilton says, “Throwing is more painful than swinging a bat.” This “bruise” did not sound too serious at first, but a week later it starting to concern me. Hamilton took his first swings today since last Saturday (off a tee) and shagged balls during BP (tossing them in underhanded).

Tomorrow the Rangers and Royals line it up again with Scott Feldman, C.J. Wilson, Dustin Nippert, Neftali Feliz and Kasey Kiker scheduled to pitch for the Rangers. We’ll see if the offense can look as good against Zack Greinke who is scheduled to start for the Royals.

Derek Holland did indeed throw live batting practice and by all reports looked good doing so. Brandon McCarthy and Matt Harrison have been throwing very well early in camp and appear to be the early leaders in the race, but Holland could catch up now that he is healthy. And I still say don’t discount C.J. Wilson just yet (puh-leaze don’t tell me your thinking about 26 pitches on Monday). On the bullpen side of things, Chris Ray also threw today after being held out of intrasquad games and said that it went well.

Elvis Andrus was reportedly taken behind the woodshed by manager Ron Washington after some shoddy defensive play in recent days. “We just have to get him focused,” said Washington. Andrus responded by taking extra infield today and vowed not to let any lazy play slip into his performance once games start. Does not sound like a huge issue, but for someone who intends to be a leader on the team, I’d prefer to see him be the hardest working perfectionist on the field. I already perceive a little of that carelessness from Kinsler at times, but these guys have to play loose and easy with a swagger to be winners. It’s worth a mention, but nothing to worry about right now.

Evan Grant writes about this being the year of the prediction for the Rangers after the report came out today that Nolan Ryan thinks 92 wins will be the Rangers total.  I like this team putting pressure on themselves and holding themselves accountable. They don’t seem like a bunch that feels entitled to it like the Cowboys a couple of years ago, but rather just a real confident group of guys.

And finally, T.R. Sullivan tells us that Ranger hitters worked on bunting for 15 minutes today. Clint Hurdle asked Vladimir Guerrero how his bunting was coming along and this was his response:

Actually, this picture was on of several taken by Fort Worth Star-Telegram Staff photographer Ron Jenkins, check out all his fine work at the Foul Territory blog.