NewsJaramillo says Rangers need to relax
Texas (37-32) at Arizona (30-41), 8:40 p.m. CT
By T.R. Sullivan / MLB.com
06/24/09 1:20 AM ET
PHOENIX -- Hitting coach Rudy Jaramillo has heard all the theories about what ails the Rangers offense. He sees the same things others see. |
The hitters are not patient enough at the plate. They try to pull everything instead of going the opposite direction. They swing at breaking balls and offspeed pitches that are nowhere close to the strike zone. They miss Josh Hamilton.
"I hear it all," Jaramillo said. "I've only been doing this 19 years. We've always made adjustments and will continue to make adjustments." For Jaramillo, it all comes down to one thing. He is blunt about it. The Rangers are messed up mentally. They are putting too much pressure on themselves, especially with runners in scoring position. They are thinking too much at the plate instead of just trusting what they do well and letting it happen naturally. "The want is there, no doubt about it," Jaramillo said. "But we have to find a way to release the pressure. We talk about approach every day. But if the mind is not right, it doesn't matter what your approach is. Your mind won't let you do it. "There's too much going on in their minds to execute. I see all these things, but once we learn to relax, we're going to stop swinging at pitches we can't hit. I wouldn't throw us a strike right now either. We need to relax, clear our minds, breathe slow and trust our ability." Manager Ron Washington is trying everything to get the Rangers going offensively. On Tuesday, he moved Marlon Byrd into the cleanup spot for the first time this year. Byrd has 202 at-bats in the spot over the previous two seasons and batted .307 with eight home runs and 38 at-bats as a cleanup hitter. He had an RBI double in the third inning on Tuesday. Hank Blalock, Nelson Cruz and Andruw Jones have equally split the cleanup duties for the Rangers this year. "There's no one person in our lineup that I can pick and say they are the ones," Washington said. "We're just trying to find somebody." Pitching matchupTEX: RHP Vicente Padilla (5-3, 4.79 ERA)
Padilla threw six innings and allowed three earned runs on Thursday against the Astros. Padilla has a 3.38 ERA over his past eight outings, which has lowered his season ERA from 8.27 to 4.79. He has finished six innings in seven of his past nine starts after averaging 4 2/3 innings in his first three outings. In five road starts, Padilla is 2-1 with a 3.90 ERA over 32 1/3 innings pitched. In eight games (six starts) against the D-backs, he is 3-3 with a 4.84 ERA over 35 1/3 innings. ARI: RHP Dan Haren (6-4, 2.23 ERA)
Haren is 3-0 with a 1.66 ERA in his past five starts. Over his past 38 innings, he has struck out 33 and walked four. He leads the National League in ERA and opponents are hitting .193 off him. That's the lowest in the league. He is second with 101 innings pitched and fifth in strikeouts. He is 4-3 with a 1.87 ERA in seven starts at home and 3-4 with a 4.50 ERA in nine career starts against the Rangers. Tidbits
The Rangers have swapped Derek Holland and Kevin Millwood in the rotation. Millwood has been moved up from Saturday to Friday to face the Padres, while Holland will pitch on Saturday. The switch will allow Millwood to get an extra start before the All-Star break. But the last one will be on Sunday before the All-Star break, which would likely make it difficult for him to be selected to the All-Star team. ... Beginning with Max Scherzer on Tuesday, the Rangers are scheduled to face six straight right-handed starting pitchers through the weekend series with the Padres. ... Washington said he expects to start backup shortstop Omar Vizquel and catcher Taylor Teagarden on Thursday. ... When Matt Harrison drew a walk on Tuesday, it was the seventh by a Rangers pitcher in Interleague Play, but only the third in the past six years. He is also the first Rangers pitcher to reach base and score a run this season.
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• 105.3 The Fan, KFLC 1270 (Español) Up next
• Thursday: Rangers (Scott Feldman, 5-2, 4.02) at Diamondbacks (Jon Garland, 4-7, 4.99), 8:40 p.m. CT
• Friday: Rangers (Kevin Millwood, 7-5, 2.62) vs. Padres (Walter Silva, 0-0, 6.00), 7:05 p.m. CT
• Saturday: Rangers (Derek Holland, 1-4, 5.77) vs. Padres (Kevin Correia, 4-5, 4.26), 7:05 p.m. CT
T.R. Sullivan is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
