The Jays travel to the Metroplex sporting a 4-2 July record, and considering their tough opposition and the fact that they could well have won all six games, have to be feeling good about how they're playing. But before the All-Star Break and the sweet, sweet nectar of ten games against the D-Rays, M's and Royals, the Jays have another tough road series in Arlington, where they have simply not played well historically.
* General: The Rangers can really go deep. Heading into last night's games, the Rangers had a twenty-homer lead on the field for the major league team home run lead, and had more than doubled the HR output of six other clubs (Giants, Marlins, Nationals, Royals, A's, Mariners). Texas is out-homering the Jays by a 135-73 count ... That said, the Rangers are a measly 4-13 against lefthanded starters this season, and none of the regulars are particularly strong against southpaws (and many are weak). Hence the decision to go with Scott Downs on Saturday -- it could work ... The Jays are a woeful 21-39 at Ameriquest Field since its construction, although they did split a tough four-game set back in April ... The Rangers will skip Ricardo Rodriguez thanks to yesterday's off-day. Chris Young will thus get in another start before the break ... Strange stat: When the Texas bullpen has been called upon to pitch six or more innings, the long relievers have posted a 0.64 ERA in six games ... Richard Hidalgo, who has been dreadful of late (3 for his last 36), is battling right knee tendinitis ... Chan Ho Park leads the AL in pitches per inning at 18.44 ... Scott Boras, agent for Taylor Teagarden, has not yet returned the Rangers' calls after Texas made the draftee a contract offer. Hope the Rangers aren't holding their breath ... After three ineffective starts, 24-year-old lefty C.J. Wilson was sent back to AA Frisco ... It appears that OF Chad Allen will not be called up today, thus triggering an escape clause in his contract ...
* Michael Young: Another All-Star Game for the one that got away, who's earned the respect of his Ranger teammates as their captain ... Has hit in 13 of his last 14 (.375) ... Physically, very balanced at the plate ... Easily enough power to yank pitches on the outer half deep to left ... 6'1", 190, but not all of his homers are cheapies. He can go deep ... Waits effectively on breaking stuff, too ... Vulnerable on the outside corner if you hit it ... Not terribly patient and will sometimes make an out in play on a so-so pitch rather than waiting for the pitch he can really drive ... Is 6-for-19 all-time against Doc ... Teixeira: "He's our catalyst" ...
* David Dellucci: Has drawn 53 walks and scored 56 runs despite being a mere 1-for-12 against lefties ... Loves the ball up and in and is really belting high fastballs this year for power ... Dellucci also has a lot of success with harder breaking stuff, if left up and in ... As his 64 strikeouts would suggest, however, he does have holes in his swing. He'll simply wave at breaking stuff that drops out of the zone if he doesn't recognize the pitch immediately ... Also chases heat up and away ...
* Kameron Loe: Huge presence on the mound at 6'8" ... Slings the ball at an arm angle lower than three-quarters but not quite sidearm. It explains why he's so much more effective against righthanders ... Runs a 91 mph sinker in on righties ... Leaves the ball up too often, which is unfortunate given his tough downward movement ...
* Francisco Cordero: Big-time gas ... Very little difference in his stuff between this year and his excellent 2004. Don't be fooled by his higher ERA -- it's just a product of having surrendered three homers thus far, after only yielding one all year last season ... A two-pitch pitcher. There's sharp downward movement on his high-80s slider, but it's vulnerable when it starts up in the zone ... Lives and dies by his high-90s four-seamer ...
* Hank Blalock: Loves the ball up in the zone -- or even up out of the zone -- and really flies open at the plate when he sees a pitch he can turn on ... Can be handcuffed by pitches up but off the plate inside ... Chases lefthanded breaking stuff down and away. He's more of a fastball hitter ...
* Kevin Mench: Finally playing every day ... Went deep three times against the Angels on June 30 ... Keeps his hands very high, from his stance through his swing ... Tremendously strong hitter with power to all fields ... Prefers fastballs up and out over the plate ... Poor discipline on breaking pitches away. He's a chaser ... Underrated with the glove in left ...
* Rod Barajas: Inside-out swing ... Keeps his elbows tucked in tightly, and it seems to cost him some extension at the plate ... Stays down on pitches well, though, and uses the entire field ... Pulls his head way off righthanded sliders, or anything tailing away from him ...
* John Wasdin: After "Way Back" Wasdin served up an amazing 18 gopher balls in 65 innings last season, he's only surrendered two homers in 25 2/3 IP so far this year ... I wish I could offer a more nuanced explanation than the simple fact that he's kept his two-seam fastball down effectively ... Goes with his looping curveball on two-strike counts ... Has kept an excellent attitude about his swingman role: "I'm like a utility player that plays every position" ... This can't last, can it? ...
* Kenny Rogers: His appeal of his 20-game suspension will likely not be resolved until after the All-Star Break, so the Jays unfortunately have to face him tomorrow instead of a replacement ... Booed lustily by Seattle fans on Sunday as he made his start. The Safeco Field sound crew cheekily played "Eye Of The Tiger" as the cameraman-pummeling veteran took the hill ... Needs to paint the corner with his stuff, which isn't overpowering ... Effortless delivery puts very little strain on his aging arm ... Locks righties up with a high-80s fastball down and in, or up and in ... He's reportedly under tremendous pressure from MLB types to stay home and avoid the embarrassment of loud boos during the player intros. Agent Scott Boras, though, thinks Rogers should and will be there ...
* Gary Matthews, Jr.: Good-looking swing from the left side, with a slight uppercut ... From the right side, definitely hits off his front foot, but like all Rangers, it's with power ... Lefties should stay down and in and take advantage of his off-balance mechanics ... Righties should also work him down and in with breaking stuff, which he's wont to chase ...
* Sandy Alomar, Jr.: At 39, Sandy can still hit the high fastball with gap power ... Waits on junk reasonably well ... Can't reach the outside corner ... Who'd have thought he'd outlast his brother in the bigs? ...
* Alfonso Soriano: After slugging "only" .484 last season, Soriano's power is all the way back this season. He's already hit 20 dingers ... Hanging curves invariably get deposited 15 rows deep in left ... Still has good speed, but only nine steals and no triples thus far ... You should know how to pitch to him by now: Expand the strike zone away, then throw a curve down and away ...
* Mark Teixeira: The imposing All-Star has a lightning-quick swing from the left side ... Gets the bat head out and pulls pitches for power ... Excellent plate coverage as a lefty ... Righties have to induce him to chase down and in ... Swings with less authority from the right side, where he'll wave at outside pitches far more often ... Has hit 0 -- count 'em, zero -- homers as a righthanded hitter this year. All 22 have come against righthanded pitching ... Named to be the U.S. representative in the internationally-themed Home Run Derby next week ... Bobby Abreu (Venezuela), Jason Bay (Canada), Andruw Jones (Netherlands), Carlos Lee (Panama), David Ortiz (Dominican Republic), and Ivan Rodriguez (Puerto Rico) are among the other participants ...
* Joaquin Benoit: What's gotten into this guy? ... Has become more consistent with his late-breaking slider ... Also throws a slower curve that drops into the strike zone ... Throws a mid-90s four-seamer, but it's a bit straight ... Rares back with his pitching arm in a way that looks rather taxing ...
* Chris Young: The ex-Princeton hoopster has turned in a fine first half. Stunningly, he ranks among the league leaders in strikeouts per nine innings ... Uses his 6'10" frame to get a good downward trajectory on his fastball, which doesn't top 90 mph by much ... Tailing motion on his heater ... Not afraid to work up in the zone; consequently, he's vulnerable to the longball ... Has a small hitch in his delivery, where he pauses slightly before releasing the ball. It can be deceptive ... Keeps his slider down, inducing swinging strikes from the undisciplined ...
The Rangers are an interesting club that has posted a virtually identical record to the Jays, but not in the same way; Texas wins by blasting home runs -- tons of them -- off righthanded pitching. Each hitter in this potent lineup can be pitched to, but crushes mistakes. Sounds like an OK deal for Doc Halladay, but Josh Towers might be in tough.
Today's Scout features a lot of longballs, a Blue Jay draftee made good and a couple of Scott Boras sightings.
On to the Advance Scout!* General: The Rangers can really go deep. Heading into last night's games, the Rangers had a twenty-homer lead on the field for the major league team home run lead, and had more than doubled the HR output of six other clubs (Giants, Marlins, Nationals, Royals, A's, Mariners). Texas is out-homering the Jays by a 135-73 count ... That said, the Rangers are a measly 4-13 against lefthanded starters this season, and none of the regulars are particularly strong against southpaws (and many are weak). Hence the decision to go with Scott Downs on Saturday -- it could work ... The Jays are a woeful 21-39 at Ameriquest Field since its construction, although they did split a tough four-game set back in April ... The Rangers will skip Ricardo Rodriguez thanks to yesterday's off-day. Chris Young will thus get in another start before the break ... Strange stat: When the Texas bullpen has been called upon to pitch six or more innings, the long relievers have posted a 0.64 ERA in six games ... Richard Hidalgo, who has been dreadful of late (3 for his last 36), is battling right knee tendinitis ... Chan Ho Park leads the AL in pitches per inning at 18.44 ... Scott Boras, agent for Taylor Teagarden, has not yet returned the Rangers' calls after Texas made the draftee a contract offer. Hope the Rangers aren't holding their breath ... After three ineffective starts, 24-year-old lefty C.J. Wilson was sent back to AA Frisco ... It appears that OF Chad Allen will not be called up today, thus triggering an escape clause in his contract ...
* Michael Young: Another All-Star Game for the one that got away, who's earned the respect of his Ranger teammates as their captain ... Has hit in 13 of his last 14 (.375) ... Physically, very balanced at the plate ... Easily enough power to yank pitches on the outer half deep to left ... 6'1", 190, but not all of his homers are cheapies. He can go deep ... Waits effectively on breaking stuff, too ... Vulnerable on the outside corner if you hit it ... Not terribly patient and will sometimes make an out in play on a so-so pitch rather than waiting for the pitch he can really drive ... Is 6-for-19 all-time against Doc ... Teixeira: "He's our catalyst" ...
* David Dellucci: Has drawn 53 walks and scored 56 runs despite being a mere 1-for-12 against lefties ... Loves the ball up and in and is really belting high fastballs this year for power ... Dellucci also has a lot of success with harder breaking stuff, if left up and in ... As his 64 strikeouts would suggest, however, he does have holes in his swing. He'll simply wave at breaking stuff that drops out of the zone if he doesn't recognize the pitch immediately ... Also chases heat up and away ...
* Kameron Loe: Huge presence on the mound at 6'8" ... Slings the ball at an arm angle lower than three-quarters but not quite sidearm. It explains why he's so much more effective against righthanders ... Runs a 91 mph sinker in on righties ... Leaves the ball up too often, which is unfortunate given his tough downward movement ...
* Francisco Cordero: Big-time gas ... Very little difference in his stuff between this year and his excellent 2004. Don't be fooled by his higher ERA -- it's just a product of having surrendered three homers thus far, after only yielding one all year last season ... A two-pitch pitcher. There's sharp downward movement on his high-80s slider, but it's vulnerable when it starts up in the zone ... Lives and dies by his high-90s four-seamer ...
* Hank Blalock: Loves the ball up in the zone -- or even up out of the zone -- and really flies open at the plate when he sees a pitch he can turn on ... Can be handcuffed by pitches up but off the plate inside ... Chases lefthanded breaking stuff down and away. He's more of a fastball hitter ...
* Kevin Mench: Finally playing every day ... Went deep three times against the Angels on June 30 ... Keeps his hands very high, from his stance through his swing ... Tremendously strong hitter with power to all fields ... Prefers fastballs up and out over the plate ... Poor discipline on breaking pitches away. He's a chaser ... Underrated with the glove in left ...
* Rod Barajas: Inside-out swing ... Keeps his elbows tucked in tightly, and it seems to cost him some extension at the plate ... Stays down on pitches well, though, and uses the entire field ... Pulls his head way off righthanded sliders, or anything tailing away from him ...
* John Wasdin: After "Way Back" Wasdin served up an amazing 18 gopher balls in 65 innings last season, he's only surrendered two homers in 25 2/3 IP so far this year ... I wish I could offer a more nuanced explanation than the simple fact that he's kept his two-seam fastball down effectively ... Goes with his looping curveball on two-strike counts ... Has kept an excellent attitude about his swingman role: "I'm like a utility player that plays every position" ... This can't last, can it? ...
* Kenny Rogers: His appeal of his 20-game suspension will likely not be resolved until after the All-Star Break, so the Jays unfortunately have to face him tomorrow instead of a replacement ... Booed lustily by Seattle fans on Sunday as he made his start. The Safeco Field sound crew cheekily played "Eye Of The Tiger" as the cameraman-pummeling veteran took the hill ... Needs to paint the corner with his stuff, which isn't overpowering ... Effortless delivery puts very little strain on his aging arm ... Locks righties up with a high-80s fastball down and in, or up and in ... He's reportedly under tremendous pressure from MLB types to stay home and avoid the embarrassment of loud boos during the player intros. Agent Scott Boras, though, thinks Rogers should and will be there ...
* Gary Matthews, Jr.: Good-looking swing from the left side, with a slight uppercut ... From the right side, definitely hits off his front foot, but like all Rangers, it's with power ... Lefties should stay down and in and take advantage of his off-balance mechanics ... Righties should also work him down and in with breaking stuff, which he's wont to chase ...
* Sandy Alomar, Jr.: At 39, Sandy can still hit the high fastball with gap power ... Waits on junk reasonably well ... Can't reach the outside corner ... Who'd have thought he'd outlast his brother in the bigs? ...
* Alfonso Soriano: After slugging "only" .484 last season, Soriano's power is all the way back this season. He's already hit 20 dingers ... Hanging curves invariably get deposited 15 rows deep in left ... Still has good speed, but only nine steals and no triples thus far ... You should know how to pitch to him by now: Expand the strike zone away, then throw a curve down and away ...
* Mark Teixeira: The imposing All-Star has a lightning-quick swing from the left side ... Gets the bat head out and pulls pitches for power ... Excellent plate coverage as a lefty ... Righties have to induce him to chase down and in ... Swings with less authority from the right side, where he'll wave at outside pitches far more often ... Has hit 0 -- count 'em, zero -- homers as a righthanded hitter this year. All 22 have come against righthanded pitching ... Named to be the U.S. representative in the internationally-themed Home Run Derby next week ... Bobby Abreu (Venezuela), Jason Bay (Canada), Andruw Jones (Netherlands), Carlos Lee (Panama), David Ortiz (Dominican Republic), and Ivan Rodriguez (Puerto Rico) are among the other participants ...
* Joaquin Benoit: What's gotten into this guy? ... Has become more consistent with his late-breaking slider ... Also throws a slower curve that drops into the strike zone ... Throws a mid-90s four-seamer, but it's a bit straight ... Rares back with his pitching arm in a way that looks rather taxing ...
* Chris Young: The ex-Princeton hoopster has turned in a fine first half. Stunningly, he ranks among the league leaders in strikeouts per nine innings ... Uses his 6'10" frame to get a good downward trajectory on his fastball, which doesn't top 90 mph by much ... Tailing motion on his heater ... Not afraid to work up in the zone; consequently, he's vulnerable to the longball ... Has a small hitch in his delivery, where he pauses slightly before releasing the ball. It can be deceptive ... Keeps his slider down, inducing swinging strikes from the undisciplined ...
