That Michael Young will be absent for 2-3 weeeks with a hamstring injury seems like old news almost based on all the attention that local writers and talk show hosts have been giving it throughout the day. And that's a good thing, because the loss of Young is without a doubt the biggest blow the Rangers have suffered this year. Losing Josh Hamilton was painful, but Young is the guy who carries this team, and his injury is magnified about ten times because the Rangers are now entering their most crucial stretch of the season.
As far as replacments go, Ron Washington has said that Omar Vizquel and Esteban German will platoon at third. As for tonight, Chris Davis is playing third and Hank Blalock will take over at first. This is only for this game though, which is further proof that Ron Washington is a mannager who relies heavily on his own instict rather than reason and logic. That's rather unnerving for the fan, but if it means being 16 games above 500, then I'm all for it.
As far as the Vizquel-German platoon goes, my preference is obviously Vizquel. I admit I'm biased, because Vizquel has always stood for what's great about the game. But also, Omar's numbers this year to me warrent significant playing time: 299 AVG and a 348 OBP. Granted, that's only in 155 plate appearances, but based on his career numbers, Vizquel is a guy who consitently gets on base and makes things happens once he's on. Also, though Vizquel admitted he's not completely comfortable at third, I think he's close to impeccable just about anywhere in the infield. Now this is no knock on German, but you have admit Vizquel is the easy favorite.
On the other hand, I wouldn't be completely against the idea of keeping Davis at third and giving Blalock one last shot at first. I think it would mean a lot to Hank seeing as he's come this far with the Rangers and if he's given the chance again I think he might get hot (he hit very well in the last two Septembers). Also, Blalock is in his final year with the Rangers (he's been with them since 2002) and it would be sort of sad to see him leave as a utility man. But, the Rangers have to go with what's best, and right now, it seems like Vizquel is the answer at third base. Mere feelings can't decide if Blalock gets to play again. Statistics decide that, and right now, Omar's are significantly better than Hank's.
Michael Young said that he'd love to be back in time for the series against the Angels. That would be ideal, but hamstring injuries tend to be very nagging, so we just have to wait and see how quickly Young progresses. In the meantime, the Rangers have two series coming up against two very beatable teams, the Orioles and the Indians. The Rangers' tendency to lose to poor teams could hurt them once again. But it's mandatory that they take at least four or five against Baltimore and Cleveland. The Rangers can only lose a handful of games this month, and it would be a disgrace if they did bad against the teams no longer vying for a playoff spot.
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Another consolation in the whole ordeal with losing Young, is that we just got Pudge back. Even with Young sitting on the bench, we still have a playoff experienced verteran on the field with the leadership that we want. He might have been "rented" by some other teams, but in my mind, Pudge was always a Ranger. Also, if me can take some games and get on a roll with Young on the bench, then we get even stronger with him coming back when it all is on the line at the end. Not gonna lie, I am very excited!
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