A Big Day for Robbie Ross

May 6, 2014; Denver, CO, USA; Texas Rangers pitching coach Mike Maddux (31) talks with starting pitcher Robbie Ross (46) and catcher J.P. Arenibia (7) in the third inning against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports

First of all, Happy Mothers Day to all our mothers out there. What you all do on a daily basis is amazing, and most of us owe who we are today to strong mothers. We are grateful for all that you ladies do! So enjoy your day!

Robbie Ross needs to impress more than just his mother today if he wants to remain in the Texas Rangers rotation long-term, in my opinion. Robbie Ross is 1-3 with a 4.74 ERA so far in 2014, and he has been the recipient of some bad luck along the way. He has surrendered 9 unearned runs in just seven starts, which is a lot of unearned runs to surrender. The Texas Rangers seem to reserve their errors for when Robbie Ross is pitching.

The Texas Rangers have collectively lost 4 of Robbie’s starts in a row, and Joe Saunders is just about ready to return while Derek Holland is also on the mend, and Tanner Scheppers is beginning his rehab. We are all pretty sure that Tanner and Saunders are going to go to the bull pen, but we know for sure that Derek Holland will be back in the rotation and Joe Saunders could get another shot if Robbie Ross does not perform well today.

In his last two starts, which consisted of 8.2 innings, Robbie Ross surrendered 16 runs (12 earned). The Texas Rangers cannot afford to have a pitcher giving up those kind of runs start after start, especially with the way that Martin Perez has been pitching of late. After a great start (Robbie had a 2.45 ERA just two short starts ago) Robbie Ross has really fallen on hard times, just like Martin Perez.

In the long run, Robbie may be better suited for the rotation, but for the short-term, if he cannot turn things around today, I believe that his time in the rotation may be at an end for now. Please don’t misunderstand me, I am not advocating for Joe Saunders to get back into the rotation, in fact I am extremely hopeful that Robbie Ross will go out there and have a very Yu Darvish type performance and put this argument to bed for a little while. I want to see Robbie Ross succeed in the rotation, because honestly, I don’t know how much Joe Saunders has left in the tank and he frightens me more than and up and down Robbie Ross does.

So keep your eyes on Ron Washington today and his facial expressions today during this crucial Robbie Ross start, as that will tell us all that we need to know about the future of Robbie Ross. I think it will be a bright future, and today could be the start of it.