A lonestar in california

Kevin Millwood set a record Monday night, but I’m sure it’s one he would have preferred to avoid setting. He lost his 10th consecutive road decision, passing Jamie Moyer for the Rangers club record for a starter. He has not won on the road since June 17th last season against the Cincinatti Reds, which was 13 starts ago.

Though Millwood has had some tough luck during this streak without a road win, Monday night the explanation was he simply didn’t pitch well. He just didn’t seem to have his command or his “stuff” at all, as he got hammered for 7 runs on 9 hits and 2 walks in just three innings, including home runs to Richie Sexson and Wladimir Balentien in the third. He was lifted for Josh Rupe in the fourth, and although Rupe proceeded to fire four brilliant innings of long-relief, allowing just one hit and no walks while striking out 3, the Rangers where in a hole they just couldn’t climb out of, as the offense was busy being stifled by the Mariners Jarrod Washburn.

Milton Bradley did hit a 2-run double in the 7th to get the Rangers on the board and chase Washburn, who up to that inning had been pitching a 1-hit shutout, and Brandon Boggs had an RBI groundout to plate Bradley, but that was all the Rangers lineup could muster, as it got shut down for a second consecutive game by a left-handed starter. Looks like the screwed up lineup Ron Washington threw out there in an effort to get his right-handed hitters in the game didn’t work so well – and with that loss, the Rangers fall to 13-20, the first team in the AL to 20 losses. Blech. Lets move on.

In other news, Kason Gabbard is indeed now slated to make his return from the disabled list, and start on Thursday against the Mariners. That means either Scott Feldman or AJ Murray will have go back to the minors, and apparently the Rangers are leaning toward keeping Feldman up, and having him start Friday against the A’s – despite the fact he Murray is left-handed, and the A’s lineup, like the Rangers, is filled with left-handed batters.

Marlon Byrd, who is also on the DL right now (with a bone bruise in his left knee), is scheduled to start a rehab assignment Saturday in OKC, but the Rangers are now acknowledging that they might not have a full-time spot for him once he comes back. The recent emergence of David Murphy and more recently Brandon Boggs, along with the prolonged offensive slump that Byrd was in before he went on the DL (he was hitting .129 in 31 AB’s, and had been ice-cold in spring training) may relegate Byrd to a 4th OF role once he gets back.

Which is fine with me, of course – in fact, I think its great that the Rangers are realizing that Marlon Byrd should not be very high on their playing-time priority list. Brandon Boggs needs to stay in the Majors, and see how long he can ride his hot start, and Marlon Byrd, who despite his .307/.355/.459 2007 line, is a career backup player and 4th OF. In fact, Byrd might not even really be worth even keeping on the roster, if you take his lousy 2008 production and mediocre track record into account.

As Adam J Morris notes over at Lonestar Ball, the Tigers recently DFA’d Jacque Jones, which might open up a possible trade for Byrd (not that Byrd is currently worth anything on the trade market, mind you) but it should also tell you that Byrd probably isn’t safe from the DFA hatchet either, if it should come to that. Although, if someone gets DFA’d, I have a feeling it’s going to be Ben Broussard – Broussard has done practically nothing for the Rangers this season in terms of production, and his presence is really clogging up the 25 man roster. Ron Washington is even talking about playing Frank Catalanotto at first base, at the expense of Broussard and Chris Shelton – so perhaps the tenure of Ben Broussard in a Ranger uniform may be coming to an end once Byrd comes off the DL, and a roster move is required. Or that’s what I’m desperately hoping, at least – cutting Ben Broussard is going to be addition by subtraction.

Today (Tuesday) it’s Sidney Ponson versus the Mariners Miguel Bautista – Ponson was brilliant in his first two starts for the Rangers, it’ll be interesting to see if he can keep it up. Josh Hamilton will be back in the lineup after an off-day Monday, and Saltalamacchia will be behind the plate, so the Ranger should be fielding their premier lineup against Bautista. Let’s hope the offense wakes up – it’s been stifled for the last two games by the opposing pitcher, so the boys could use a big game.