We’ve got a couple teams locking up some talent long-term this week.

• The Rangers and Derek Holland reached an agreement on a 5yr/$28 million extension. The contract includes two option years, meaning Texas could lock up the starter until 2018. The lefty posted a 3.94 FIP last season.
• Outfielder Jason Bourgeois and catcher Humberto Quintero are headed from Houston to Kansas City, in exchange for a minor league pitcher and a PTBNL. The trade will infuse Houston with more young talent, and provide the Royals with a veteran backstop in the wake of Salvador Perez’ knee surgery.
• Dontrelle Willis is headed not to the Rockies, as I suggested last week, but to Baltimore on a minor league contract. Willis would make $700k in the big leagues, most likely as a lefty specialist in the ‘pen.
• Catcher Nick Hundley signed a 3yr/$9 million extension with the Padres, buying out his arbitration years. The deal includes an option for 2015 as well. The 28-year-old posted a respectable .288/.347/.477 line in 82 games last season.
• Currently being shopped: Giants middle infielders Ryan Theriot and Mike Fontenot; Orioles corner outfielder Mark Reynolds and relief pitcher Kevin Gregg.
• Free agent DH Vladimir Guerrero is determined to play this season, and will consider heading to Japan if he runs out of options stateside.

To keep up with transaction news in real-time, check out MLB Trade Rumors, their Twitter account, and their Free Agent Tracker. The regular season is bearing down on us, so we’ll see you back here next week!

There’s always tomorrow. That’s what we love about baseball. That’s what the Texas Rangers love about baseball. Game four was that tomorrow for the Rangers. The chance to redeem themselves after last night.

So they hoped.

What the St. Louis Cardinals love about baseball? What the Cardinals fans love about baseball? Albert Pujols. Albert Pujols taking names and setting records. And game four was that tomorrow to see where the Cardinals could go next.

But Game Four started the way it would end: Pujols recorded the third out of the top of the first inning. A new game. A new day.

After Elvis Andrus singled for the Arlington home team, Josh Hamilton doubled to bring in an RBI right away in the top of the first inning. The Rangers took the lead. Could it be?

After the first run of the game, defense ruled. It was a pitchers’ (and fielders’) duel for sure. Lance Berkman doubled in the top of the second, but to no avail. In the bottom of the second, Ian Kinsler singled, but was caught stealing second for the third out of the inning.

The third inning was fierce and both pitchers saw only three batters with simple groudouts and flyouts. The top of the third passed in the same manner. Derek Holland, his excuse for a ‘stache, and the Texans were on fire.

Then Cardinals pitcher Edwin Jackson went wacky in the bottom of the fourth. In the worst way. He walked two batters in a row with two outs: David Murphy and Mike Napoli. Then Jackson threw a near-wild pitch that Yadier Molina managed to block, somehow. Luck. It was only luck when Rangers first baseman Mitch Moreland struck out swinging to end the inning and leave the two ducks stranded on the pond.

Jackson tossed his fifth walk of the evening to Kinsler in the bottom of the fifth. There were no outs, yet somehow Andrus, Hamilton, and Michael Young failed to take advantage of the opportunity to bring in another run for the Rangers. Luck.

Holland got himself into a tight spot in the top of the sixth when he walked Nick Punto on one out. But Cardinals Rafael Furcal and Allen Craig proved unreliable. The two accounted for the outs needed to end the inning, rather than pulling in any ribbies. No hits with men on base? Yes, this was definitely a different game than the night before.

None other than Mike NA-PO-LI became the night’s hero on Mitchell Boggs’ first offering, when he launched a three-run homer into the history books- er, the stands- in the bottom of the sixth inning to put the Rangers up 4-0 over the Cardinals.

Elvis Andrus doubled to right to kick off the bottom of the seventh on Allen Craig’s failed diving catch. But Boggs took a turn for the better, and retired Josh Hamilton, Michael Young, and Adrian Beltre to end the inning with limited damage.

It was at about the time of the seventh inning stretch that fans in the Twitterverse became a little distracted by the self-proclaimed “worst mustache in baseball.” (To clarify, in case you somehow missed it, that was Derek Holland’s moustache.) The tweets poured out, and it is against my nature to ignore them:

» Continue reading “World Series Game 4: New Day, New Game, New ‘Stache”

Rangers starter Derek Holland earned a win in Game 2 of the ALDS.

What do these Wild Card teams have against 3-0 leads?

Just after the St. Louis Cardinals blew a 3-0 first inning lead against Philadelphia’s Roy Halladay, collapsing for an 11-6 Game 1 loss, the Rays gave up their own 3-run lead in the early innings, falling to the Rangers in Game 2 of the ALDS by a final score of 8-6.

Two streaks ended tonight: the Rays’ 31 straight wins when scoring 5 or more runs, and the Rangers’ 7-game home losing streak in the ALDS.

The Rays jumped all over Texas starter Derek Holland in the first inning when a double by B.J. Upton, Evan Longoria walk and Johnny Damon single loaded the bases with two outs. Holland then issued his second walk of the inning to – you guessed it – THE #SHOPPACHALYPSE! to force in the first Rays run of the game.

The Rays tacked on two more in the top of the fourth on a Matt Joyce 2-run shot to right and the tension in Rangers Ballpark appeared to be thicker than Texas-style french toast.

Meanwhile, Rays starter James Shields was cruising through his first three innings, allowing just one hit. But that’s where the good times ended.
» Continue reading “Wild Inning Sinks Rays as Texas Ties Series in Game 2″