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Breaking News: Tanner Scheppers Lands on 15-Day DL

By Ric Dickens

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Aug 1, 2015; Arlington, TX, USA; Texas Rangers relief pitcher Tanner Scheppers (52) comes out of the game during the eighth inning against the San Francisco Giants at Globe Life Park in Arlington. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

On Sunday Morning the Texas Rangers announced that RHP Tanner Scheppers has been placed on the 15-day DL with left knee inflammation. The Rangers have recalled RHP Phil Klein from Triple-A Round Rock.

Tanner Scheppers has had a rough go so far in 2015, and landing on the DL can only make Rangers fans more frustrated with him. So far, the three-year veteran has a 5.66 ERA, and has scattered 34 hits across 35 abysmal innings. The biggest problem for Scheppers has been his control, or lack thereof, as he has issued 21 free passes so far this season.

Scheppers was supposed to be one of the more reliable arms out of the Rangers pen this season, but he just hasn’t come to form. His 5.66 ERA is well above his career average in ERA of 4.15, and you never like to see a young guy’s numbers regress as his career goes along. To make things even worse for the Rangers faithful, it doesn’t look like Scheppers is anywhere close to figuring things out. In Saturday’s affair against the San Francisco Giants, he came in to relieve Cole Hamels with two outs and one on in the seventh, with the Rangers nursing a 7-4 lead. He then conceded two doubles, one to Matt Duffy and the other to Buster Posey, which cut the lead to 7-6. Then, Hunter Pence drove one into right field, scoring Posey and turning a 7-4 lead into a 7-7 stalemate. We all know how the game ended, with the Rangers falling 9-7, and Scheppers inability to record a crucial out certainly didn’t help.

Phil Klein is the beneficiary of Scheppers knee injury and if the name sounds familiar, it definitely should. The 26-year-old has appeared in ten games for the Rangers, allowing 22 hits and 11 runs across 17 innings of work. His strikeout to walk ration of 1.5 (12 strikeouts to eight walks) isn’t necessarily impressive and surrendering four home runs in just 17 innings is also concerning.

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Klein to me is one of those guys who has the stuff to break through in the MLB, and we often forget that he only has one year of experience. In the Minor leagues for Triple A Round Rock, he has appeared in 12 games, four of which have been starts, and has been just about unhittable. He’s pitched 29.2 innings so far this season for Round Rock, allowing just 14 hits and three earned runs, which is good for a 0.91 ERA. Hitters are hitting a measly .139 against him, and he’s struck out 25 men, which is impressive considering he has pitched just 29.2 innings.

Texas Skipper Jeff Banister has been searching for an arm out of that pen he can rely on and I think that Klein could be that guy. Has he shown that ability yet in the MLB? No, and I am not ready to predict that he will be “the guy” this year. But, a pitcher doesn’t go down to Triple A and hurls a 0.91 ERA across 29.2 innings and have that kind of success without having some good pitches. He has the stuff to be a very solid relief pitcher, he just needs to settle himself down and throw strikes. If he can do that, this injury to Tanner Scheppers could be a blessing in disguise for the Rangers. That being said, you never want to see a player go down with an injury and I wish a speedy recover to Tanner.

Next: Cole Hamels Traded To The Rangers

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