Reasons to Believe in the Rangers

Stan McNeal - SportingNews.com

With the Rangers' lead in the AL wild-card race up to a full game, here are five reasons to jump on their bandwagon

They can bounce back. When closer Frank Francisco blew a 4-2 lead against the Red Sox on Friday by giving up six runs, Rangers manager Ron Washington figured the bandwagon following his young club would come to a crashing halt. But hold on. The Rangers won their next two games against Boston and beat Minnesota Monday night, improving to 19-11 since the break.

Washington says the only time his team has come out flat after a tough loss was in Oakland on its most recent road trip. The Rangers have responded by winning the next three series. "We're not the Red Sox. We're not the Angels, and we're not the Yankees," Washington says. "We're trying to learn how to win, and I think we're doing a heck of a job of it."

Josh Hamilton is heating up. After a .205 July with one homer and five RBIs, Hamilton is hitting .407 with a .471 OBP in August and leads the club with 11 RBIs -- but with only one homer. "We've been waiting for Josh to get back on track," Washington says. "His power is down, but as long as he is driving in runs, we'll take the doubles. I don't want him thinking he has to go deep to help us."

Hamilton says he hasn't changed his approach in the past two months except he is doing a better job of waiting on pitches. Says Washington: "He's laying off the bad breaking balls and changeups in the dirt." Washington moved Hamilton to third in the order Monday but said it was temporary. You will know when Hamilton is all the way back to his 2008 form when he regularly hits in the No. 3 hole.

Ian Kinsler is back, too. The second baseman was almost as unproductive as Hamilton in July, plus he went on the disabled list with a hamstring injury. The break seemed to do him good. In his first three games back, Kinsler reached base at least two times and homered twice.

They have their own Joel Zumaya (circa 2006) or Joba Chamberlain (circa 2007). The Rangers' version is Neftali Feliz, a 21-year-old righthander with a 99-mph fastball. He has arrived with less fanfare but has been even better than Zumaya and Chamberlain were as rookies. Perez has allowed three hits and one run while striking out 16 and walking zero in his first 10 innings (over six outings).

The more Feliz pitches, the more Washington seems to trust him. "I am surprised that his command has been so good," says Washington, who watched Feliz struggle with command of his secondary pitches during spring training. Washington says he doesn't plan on using Feliz to close when Francisco is unavailable, but the manager won't hesitate to call on Feliz in tight spots. He bailed the Rangers out of a jam Monday night after the Twins closed a 7-2 deficit to 7-5.

If a Rangers starter is lost to injury in the next six weeks, would Feliz be considered as a replacement? His future, after all, is in the rotation -- perhaps as soon as next season. Feliz is not likely to get a head start on that timetable, but team president Nolan Ryan says the youngster would be considered if a need arises this season.

The schedule is cool. Most clubs would not be thrilled about playing 19 games on the road and only 10 at home in one month. Unless that clubs is the Rangers and that month is August. Instead of baking in the Texas heat, the club enjoyed a West Coast road trip earlier this month. Next up is a trip that includes stops in the climate-controlled homes of the Rays and Twins. In between those is a series with potential for an October rematch: three games at Yankee Stadium.

Three reasons to wait for the bandwagon

The rotation is very young. Only Kevin Millwood has made more than 50 career starts in a rotation that includes two rookies. Derek Holland is a 22-year-old lefty with 13 career starts, though any veteran would take the results of his past two (a shutout of the Angels and a win over the Red Sox). Tommy Hunter, 23, made the 13th start of his young career Monday, a 7-5 victory over the Twins during which he gave up four runs in 5 2/3 innings.

They're in unchartered territory. The Rangers haven't reached the playoffs since 1999. They haven't been 17 games over .500 or in the lead for a playoff berth this late in the season since 2004.

The competition is pretty good. Catching the Angels in the A.L. West or staying ahead of the Red Sox and Rays in the wild-card standings is expecting a lot of a club that hasn't had a winning season in five years.

Stan McNeal is a writer for Sporting News. E-mail him at smcneal@sportingnews.com.

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