Seattle Mariners vs. Texas Rangers 8/16-8/18

[RevSader]

I've not seen anything super special in Alex Rios yet. Had a good start offensively but has tapered off. Defensively I don't see him as a plus over Cruz yet. We'll see the first time he has to make a throw all the way to 3b from mid RF without a relay. We've seen both Cruz and Martin do that.

Just saying ... Rios doesn't impress me as a great RFer.

It's a SSS so far, but I think he will contribute enough that it will be a net win to have picked him up.

 

[WastinSomeTime]

I've not seen anything super special in Alex Rios yet. Had a good start offensively but has tapered off. Defensively I don't see him as a plus over Cruz yet. We'll see the first time he has to make a throw all the way to 3b from mid RF without a relay. We've seen both Cruz and Martin do that.

Just saying ... Rios doesn't impress me as a great RFer.

Have not seen him much but he has 9 assists this year.

 

[romeo212000]

There's more to playing defense than having a cannon for an arm.

 

[WastinSomeTime]

There's more to playing defense than having a cannon for an arm.

True but that is all I have to go on since I have not seen him much.

 

[Windingmywatch]

There's more to playing defense than having a cannon for an arm.

True. But it plays well in the marketing plan story that TEX has come up with to disguise the fact that Gentry is faster, 'runs better routes' and is the better all around CFer. A TEX OF of LF-Rios, CF-Gentry and RF-Martin would be the better OF but Martin has difficulty reading the ball off the bat when playing a COF spot ... so this weakness results in him playing CF. If he didn't have the arm ... his skill limitations would show up in his dWAR.

 

[WastinSomeTime]

True. But it plays well in the marketing plan story that TEX has come up with to disguise the fact that Gentry is faster, 'runs better routes' and is the better all around CFer. A TEX OF of LF-Rios, CF-Gentry and RF-Martin would be the better OF but Martin has difficulty reading the ball off the bat when playing a COF spot ... so this weakness results in him playing CF. If he didn't have the arm ... his skill limitations would show up in his dWAR.

Agree, Martin to me is a Work-In-Progress. Has great athletic abilities but lacks in some fundamentals. I think as he continues to play he will become an even better ball player than he is now. Glad he is a Ranger.

 

[UK Cowboy]

Calling a sweep this weekend

 

[Sexy]

Calling a sweep this weekend

Against Felix and Iwakuma? 2/3 sounds good.

 

[TDs3nOut]

Calling a sweep this weekend

Obviously hope you're right! The M's had scored the third most runs in MLB during August until Alex Cobb and the Rays' pen held them to only one run last night. Hopefully Holland, Perez, Darvish, and our pen continue to quiet their bats. Rangers, on the other hand, have scored the second most runs of any team in MLB this month, so that trend will also hopefully extend over the weekend, though we face a couple of very good starters.
I will be perfectly happy winning two of the three games, but a sweep would be awesome.

 

[TDs3nOut]

True. But it plays well in the marketing plan story that TEX has come up with to disguise the fact that Gentry is faster, 'runs better routes' and is the better all around CFer. A TEX OF of LF-Rios, CF-Gentry and RF-Martin would be the better OF but Martin has difficulty reading the ball off the bat when playing a COF spot ... so this weakness results in him playing CF. If he didn't have the arm ... his skill limitations would show up in his dWAR.

Interesting. I wasn't aware of that. I wonder if he has simply not played corner OF spots enough to have developed that skill. Seems to me that a spring training of working at that could remedy that deficiency.

 

[kdm1218]

Interesting. I wasn't aware of that. I wonder if he has simply not played corner OF spots enough to have developed that skill. Seems to me that a spring training of working at that could remedy that deficiency.

He has done just fine in RF, certainly no worse at tracking balls or "running routes" than Cruz. LF is where he has struggled.

 

[TDs3nOut]

He has done just fine in RF, certainly no worse at tracking balls or "running routes" than Cruz. LF is where he has struggled.

LOL Good point! That he is able to get a good jump from RF further suggests to me that it is likely that Martin simply needs to refine his skills in order to do the same from LF.

 

[romeo212000]

LOL Good point! That he is able to get a good jump from RF further suggests to me that it is likely that Martin simply needs to refine his skills in order to do the same from LF.

Yes, but why waste his arm in LF?

 

[BLeslie59Rangers]

Calling a sweep this weekend

Iwakuma is tough on us...hope you're right!

 

[Hambombs]

LOL wash on bunt attempts against them,

“If they want to give us outs and strikes, we’ll take ’em.”
Uh, you know that works both ways, right?

 

[romeo212000]

LOL wash on bunt attempts against them,

“If they want to give us outs and strikes, we’ll take ’em.”
Uh, you know that works both ways, right?

Wow....

 

[Hambombs]

Wow....

Maybe he should stop bunting so much if he's gonna use that comment on bunts :rollseyes:

 

[pegasusredleg]

Against Felix and Iwakuma? 2/3 sounds good.

Felix is 0-2 with 2 NDs against us this year. Iwakuma is battling a "tweeked back." His last two outings drove up his ERA.

 

[WastinSomeTime]

LOL wash on bunt attempts against them,

“If they want to give us outs and strikes, we’ll take ’em.”
Uh, you know that works both ways, right?

I can't believe of all people that RW said that. As my mom would say that is the pot calling the kettle black.

 

[TDs3nOut]

Yes, but why waste his arm in LF?

I'm not advocating that Martin consistently play LF, only that he is well prepared to play there. If working on getting good jumps and taking good routes is something he needs to work on, I don't see any reason for not doing that. I would think that he's up to the task at any OF spot.