When Bengie Molina began saying that he was probably going to retire after the 2010 MLB season but definitely going on the free agent market, the Texas Rangers had to step up their game to fill that void.  They wasted no time into the offseason by signing a new catcher to take Molina’s spot – Yorvit Torrealba.

The Rangers inked 32-year-old Torrealba to a two-year contract worth a total of $6.25 million on Monday to be the team’s starting catcher.  In 2011, the catcher will receive $3 million and then $3.25 million in 2012.

Torrealba was with the San Diego Padres last season and the four seasons prior to that with the Colorado Rockies.  He helped the Rockies make their way to the World Series in 2007 and the playoffs in 2009.  Prior to the Rockies, he was with the San Francisco Giants from 2001 to 2005 with a small stint with the Seattle Mariners in 2005.

The Rangers are happy with their decision as they feel like have found a starting catcher that is worthy and will be able to add quality to the team as a whole.  He is definitely good at-bat and has great defensive qualities.  His problem lies in his throwing – it’s not the greatest.  He has had several problems with his shoulders in the past, leading up to the reason why he doesn’t have exceptional throwing skills today.

However, the Rangers also aren’t looking for a “traditional” starting catcher who is going to play so many games – they are simply looking for a catcher that can play the majority of the games throughout the season.

While they’ve filled part of their catching needs, they still need a hell of a back up – will Matt Treanor be a possibility?  He was with the Rangers this year and the Rangers plan to keep in contact with him so I’m guessing that he is going to be a large possibility.

Texas Rangers ace starting pitcher Cliff Lee will look to seek redemption in Game 5 on Monday from his less than superb performance in Game 1 of the 2010 World Series against the San Francisco Giants and their ace starting pitcher Tim Lincecum.

Cliff Lee had an amazing regular season and it only goes to show that he is in fact human, as the rest of us, and can make mistakes, just like the rest of us.  Honestly, though, this isn’t the first time the pitcher has ever struggled in his MLB career – but it is in the first time in such an important playoff game.  His history holds that in his eight postseason appearances, he is 7-0 with an earned run average of 1.26. Continue Reading…

Last night at the ballpark in Arlington, the Texas Rangers and Colby Lewis showed that they were meant to be a part of the 2010 World Series.  Colby Lewis showed exactly why he is a starting pitcher while Neftali Feliz posted yet another save this year (making him the second-youngest to post a save in the World Series) and Lewis continued his postseason success with a 4-2 win for the Rangers over the San Francisco Giants.

Tonight is Game 4.  The Rangers are handing the ball over to Tommy Hunter.  Hunter hasn’t had quite the success in the postseason that he had in the regular season.  Hunter had an earned run average of .373.  Looking at the postseason, his longest start was only four innings – in his two postseason starts, he allowed a total of five runs over the course of 7 1/3 innings.  Not impressive at all. Continue Reading…

Saturday night, the 2010 World Series Game 3 will kick off at Arlington Ballpark.  The San Francisco Giants who currently hold a 2-0 lead over the Texas Rangers will look to extend that lead to 3-0 while the Rangers will look to get the deed done at home that they were unable to successfully fulfill at AT&T Park.

The Giants will start with starting pitcher Jonathan Sanchez.  Sanchez has been incredible and then below par throughout the postseason this year.  He allowed just two hits, which turned into only a single run, when playing against the Atlanta Braves during the ALDS over 7 1/3 innings.  Then during his start during the ALCS Game 6 against the Philadelphia Phillies, he only lasted a total of two innings.  So, we’ll see which game he’ll represent tonight against the Rangers. Continue Reading…

The Giants and Tim Lincecum sure showed that they had what it takes to win a World Series last night.  It’s only the first game, but still.  As for Cliff Lee, I do believe that his eight days of rest was a little too much.  He just wasn’t as promising as he had been previously in the postseason.  Final score for Game 1 was 11-7 in favor of the Giants.

Tonight is Game 2 – still in San Francisco.  The Giants will look to Matt Cain.  This right-handed pitcher hasn’t allowed a single run over 13 2/3 innings during the postseason, which includes seven scoreless innings with two hits in Game 3 of the NLCS, which was the last time he had pitched – almost 10 days ago. Continue Reading…

Tonight is Game 1 of the 2010 World Series, or also known as the Fall Classic.  Game 1 kicks off at 7:57 p.m. ET at the San Francisco Giants home stadium, AT&T Park, with the visiting Texas Rangers.  Both teams declared their LCS victory in Game 6 when the Giants won over the Philadelphia Phillies and the Rangers were able to destroy the New York Yankees.

The Rangers will obviously hand over the ball to ace starting pitcher Cliff Lee, who was ready to start Game 7 in the ALCS had it been necessary.  Since it was not, he is fully rested, ready and pumped to begin tonight’s game against the Giants.  For the postseason, Lee is 3-0 with a 0.75 earned run average.   Continue Reading…

New blood it is for the 2010 MLB World Series.  The Texas Rangers beat the New York Yankees (which is something that no one had ever expected) in the best of seven games but only need six games to determine their skill.

Same goes for the San Francisco Giants – they only needed six out of the seven games to show the Philadelphia Phillies they had what it took to throw them to the curb and gain their own ticket to the World Series.

While this is the first time in eight years that the Giants will be in the 2010 Fall Classic, it is the absolute first time the Rangers will be World Series bound in franchise history.  The Giants haven’t actually won the title since 1954. Continue Reading…

Game 6 of the 2010 NLCS gets underway tonight under the stars in Philadelphia.  The Phillies will look to take this Championship Series to Game 7 with a win while the San Francisco Giants will look to put an end to this Championship Series with their own victory.  If the Giants have kept up with the Texas Rangers they would know that they were able to accomplish a win in Game 6 against the New York Yankees when they had a 3-2 lead, just as the Giants do.

Tonight’s game will – plain and simple – be a rematch of the NLCS Game 2.  The Phillies will look to Roy Oswalt to keep this series going.  Continue Reading…

Tonight is Game 6 of the 2010 ALCS.  The Texas Rangers currently lead 3-2 over the New York Yankees and look to close this Championship out tonight while the Yankees will look to even the series making Game 7 the deciding factor on Saturday night.

The Rangers will look to Colby Lewis to take them home.  For the postseason, Lewis is 1-0 with an ERA of 1.69 for his two playoff starts with the win being from NLCS Game 2 against the Yankees, 7-2.  He allowed just two runs in 5 2/3 innings for that game.  Then in the ALDS against the Tampa Bay Rays, in Game 3, he allowed no runs over five frames.  Right now, the Rangers seem pretty confident in what Lewis can do for them but they also know that if he can’t bring it home for them that Cliff Lee can on Saturday night. Continue Reading…

The San Francisco Giants secured a 3-1 lead over the Philadelphia Phillies in last night’s game.  They’ll look to put an end to the 2010 NLCS and get their ticket to the World Series and get the Phillies a one-way ticket back home.  If they are unable to succeed tonight then the Giants will travel to Philadelphia for a game on Sunday.

The Giants will put starting pitcher Tim Lincecum on the mound for Game 5 tonight.  Linecum has already achieved one win in the NLCS and will hope to achieve another postseason win.  In Game 1, he did allow two home runs in an inning that isn’t even worth talking about; however, he played well enough to get the Giants the first win of the NLCS.  Continue Reading…