Oh look, a fine Associated Press photo

The Red Sox have the best record in all of baseball right now, and the Rangers have been going through a bit of a slump, losing four of their last seven, but they still happen to have the third best record in all of baseball (Yankees are second by half a game). Also, the Red Sox are 8-2 in their last ten games, while the Rangers are 5-5. So, this is a big series showdown to see who is the best team in the American League coming out of this weekend, because one of these two teams will hold that honor once this series is over.

The Rangers send Derek Holland to the hill tonight (1-2, 3.38 ERA) and he has had some  bad luck in his last few starts. Derek is 1-1 with a 4.12 ERA in his last three starts, and he did not have a lot of run support in those games. He is pitching well, and I hope the fact that this game is at home will help Derek adjust and focus and win tonight’s matchup. The Red Sox put Felix Doubront (3-0, 4.24 ERA). Je is 3-0 with a 3.93 ERA in his last three starts. Depending on which Rangers offense shows up, this could be a tough game for Derek to win.

Saturday the Rangers send Alexi Ogando (2-2, 3.38 ERA) to the hill to try to defeat a guy Rangers fans are very familiar with, John Lackey (1-1, 2.61 ERA). Lackey is having a great start to the season, and I hope a trip to Rangers Ballpark will end that for now. Several of the Rangers hitters have good numbers against Lackey, and several of them have never hit against him. Should be an interesting one to watch. Hopefully, the good Alexi will show up and hold down the good Boston Offense.

Sunday will be a great one. Yu Darvish (5-1, 2.33 ERA) will go up against Jon Lester (4-0, 3.11 ERA). Darvish won five games in the month of April and looked really good doing it. Lester has not been that good over his last three starts (2-0, 4.82 ERA), and in his last start he allowed a season high six runs (five earned) against the Blue Jays. Darvish is 3-0 with a 1.89 ERA in his last three starts with thirty strikeouts. This should be a really fun matchup to watch and this game has particular meaning to me because Nathan Hague, the other half of the podcast  I do, will be at the game in the press box and should have some good Rangers interviews for us on our next podcast.

I am not sure how to call this series. It all depends on whether the Rangers offense shows up or not. If it doesn’t, it doesn’t matter how good the Rangers pitchers do, this is going to be a long weekend for Texas Rangers fans. Lets hope it is not.

Dear Josh,

I want to start off by telling you thank you for some really great moments during your stay in Arlington.  While your work at the plate was more than inspiring, I think it was running into a wall with wild abandon that gave me the most thrills as a baseball fan. You always gave 150%. Well at least until that sunny day in Oakland when I would put it at more like 25%. You made some remarks the other day about Dallas fans. First, I think that kind of puts you a little out-of-touch. I think most of the makeup at the Ballpark would be Ft. Worth and mid-cities. Dallas has never really supported baseball blowing an awesome opportunity to land the Astros in the 60’s (before they were the Astros of course).  I’m from Dallas and I know there are a lot of folks there who would never make that drive. I know you liked to party in Dallas and maybe those folks made you feel good but that night you were boo’d let me tell you, it was such a large group, there were some die-hard fans in there booing away.  You say they don’t get it but a fair-weather fan doesn’t fill the joint when it’s 108 outside. They weren’t really booing at your awful 0-fer thing at the plate. It was the culmination of frustration that started with that fly-ball. But I’ll do you one better. It wasn’t the fly-ball. It was your arrogant reaction to Wash in the dugout. Man that guy had your back the whole second half of the season when you were having problems “quitting tobacco”. Then you can’t give the man enough respect to take him being a little miffed at your effort.

Josh Hamilton
(courtesy: Wall Street Journal)

Josh you are in trouble because you say we don’t get it. That’s just it, we do. They were booing you because it appeared you had already moved on. Then you give us the lame excuse that it was quitting tobacco. I smoke Josh. I have quit multiple times. I know it’s tough. I know I can’t hit a curve ball anyway so I know it had to have been very hard while you were adjusting to life without tobacco.  But we’re talking three months here. I quit for six weeks once and by week three I was fine. Not even going to give you my lame answer as to why I started back, but for you to blame what appeared to be an “I don’t really give a crap” attitude, there is something else going on. I won’t speak for other fans here, but since you are now an Angel, I don’t really care.

Focus on that last sentence. You are an Angel now. We are moving on, why don’t you. And when you come back to Arlington, get ready, because these fans will boo you again and it will be a might louder than what you heard in October. Texans (from Dallas or anywhere) don’t appreciate someone not giving the effort, but we like when they play for someone else even less.

Just ask A-Rod.