You know the inconsiderate guy who doesn’t go Christmas shopping for his wife until 6:00 on Christmas Eve at Walmart?
That’s the Rangers front office strategy when it comes to building a bullpen. See what’s left on the shelves. A Lady Schick razor. A bag of bite-sized Heath Bars. Or medicated cotton swabs.
Hmmm, I hope she loves cotton swabs because that’s what she’s getting. And they’re medicated!
That’s how you end up one of the worst bullpens in baseball, despite having one of the best closers.
As the team’s closer, Ian Kennedy has twelve saves, and just one blown save. As a group, the Rangers bullpen is ranked twelfth out of fifteen in the American League.
If it’s not a save situation, there just isn’t anyone Chris Woodward can count on. So, last night, against the Twins, who have the most blown saves of any team in baseball, the Rangers couldn’t find anyone to get anyone out when it really mattered.
In the tenth inning, two relievers combined to walk four Twins hitters, including the unpardonable sin of walking in two runs, to give up three and totally give away a winnable game.
Walks happen. But with bases loaded in an extra inning, they happen to bury a team.
I hope you love a bullpen that fails miserably game after game. Because that’s what you’re getting. The remnants of what was left on the shelf.
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TODAY’S GAME: