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Uehara: Like clockwork in the seventh The Rangers bullpen have been used relatively sparingly. They've pitched 290 innings, fifth-least in the Majors.
No, you acquire relievers of their ilk and skill to turn every game you play into a six-inning affair. This doesn't mean that you expect six innings out of the starter and you turn it over to the bullpen. Ideally, it means that the opponent had better get their runs in the first six innings or they won't get them at all.
That's the goal. That's what happened yesterday. In a brilliant salvage job, the Rangers took the final game in Detroit 5-2 staving off the road sweep.
Alexi Ogando pitched into the seventh. Getting one out, he relented for the bullpen: 2.2 IP - 1 hit - 2 Ks. That was Darren Oliver, Uehara, Adams and Neftali Feliz (with a stellar ninth).
It was a six-inning game. The Tigers were going to get their runs in the first six innings. Not the last three.
The bullpen saved Ogando's 11th win. He's simply not let up. His ERA is sitting at a nice 2.88 and his WHIP is at 1.05. At 131 innings pitched, if he's getting tired, we're not seeing it.
For what it's worth, Mike Napoli has caught Ogando the last five starts. Ogando's 3-2 in that stretch with a hard-luck loss mixed in.
Matt Harrison and Ogando are the only Rangers pitchers to have been caught by Napoli more than Yorvit Torrealba. At least in Ogando's case, it's for good reason. Napoli's been working well with Ogando ... or Ogando's been working well with Napoli. Ogando's 5-2 with two no-decisions with Napoli as the backstop. Despite two more innings pitched with Napoli, Ogando's allowed 13 less hits, 12 less runs and three less home runs than with Torrealba.
So much for Napoli not handling pitchers.
Notes:
1. Darren Oliver's been perfect for a month now. His ERA is dropped to 2.15 and opponent's are hitting .222 against him, a career best.
2. The Tigers and Rangers combined for 20 hits. One was an extra-base hit, a Michael Young triple. By the way, its his fifth triple of the year, his most since 2005.
3. While we're on it, Young's five hits from 2,000. Probably do it at home this weekend.
4. Nelson Cruz hit .326 in July. He's hitting .462 in August (so far).
5. Mike Napoli's on a tear: eight-game hit streak, 15 hits in eight games, four home runs in six games and a five-game RBI streak. More importantly, due to him platooning around the field, his strikeouts and strikeout/walk ratio are extremely good (46 Ks, 32 BBs). He had 137 strikeouts in 140 games a year ago.
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