The A’s and Rangers series brought some things home to me about the strengths and weaknesses of these two teams.
The Rangers need some serious help with their pitching. No kidding. Doug Davis, is the only legitimate pitcher, other than a healthy Chan Ho Park, (who really is a number two starter at best), on the team.

Davis has an idea of how to pitch and did so yesterday. The Ranger bull pen is weak and John Rocker has no command of anything other than a high fastball. He escaped a ninth inning disaster only because Miguel Tejada, a wild swinger, chased a third strike around his chin.

The Rangers will score runs. The Athletics pitching shut down a very good attack for the first three and one half games. Believe me, the Rangers will murder the lesser pitchers in the American League starting tonight against Scott Schoenweiss.

The A’s have injuries. Jermaine Dye is still two weeks away from DHing. Eric Chavez received an epidural injection ( the last time I remember someone getting an epidural, it was when my wife was giving birth) in his back and will be out until Sunday night when he may be able to DH.

The Athletics will miss his effervescent leadership because he is in fact downcast because of the injury plus he hits like Mickey Mantle in the fifth spot. They need him big time to protect David Justice.

Randy Velarde and Jeremy Giambi are nursing swollen hands after being hit by errant Ranger pitches.

The starting pitching is the best in baseball. The big three can dominate the best hitting teams. They give the A’s a damn good chance to win every time they go to the mound. If you doubt this, watch Texas bust loose this weekend.

The A’s bull pen is shaky until you get to Jim Mecir and Billy Koch. Chad Bradford looks like the best of the rest right now. None of the lefties looked particularly impressive in the first four games. Meaning, I can see why Billy Beane is having a tough time dealing one of them.

Justice and Carlos Pena, the two biggest question marks coming out of Arizona, are the two best things the A’s have going for them right now. So much for spring training evaluations.

The series starting tonight in Seattle will be a doozy. Loud crowds, Ichiro, Arthur Rhodes, Freddy Garcia, Mark Mulder, Tim Hudson, Jamie Moyer, and the ever present Edgar Martinez.

Great baseball.

Even though the Giants swept the Dodgers, I thought Paul Quantrill and Eric Gagne looked impressive in the LA pen. Now, if they only had starting pitching and some offense. The top of their line up is anemic with Roberts and Itzuris.

Let’s see if Cleveland starter tonight Danys Baez has mastered another pitch which will enable him to throw more than just fastballs as he tries to work more than two innings in a game. He is terrific as a reliever, this experiment as a starter may need some time.

St.Louis held Woody Williams back to pitch against Houston tonight. Now they are 1-2 going to Astros Field after Andy Benes did what he does best, giving up 5 runs in five innings on the hill.

Dave Mlicki was a surprise for Houston last season after coming over from Detroit. He gets to show that it wasn’t a fluke by starting the first game tonight against the Cards. The Astros better hope Octavio Dotel, Nelson Cruz, and Billy Wagner are ready because Astro manager Jimy Williams loves to use his bull pen and these guys are three of the best in the league and Jimy will be firing the bullets all weekend.

It’s time for Jason Giambi to start playing and stop talking of how he is in awe of being part of the Yankees and their great history. Enough already, we know why you are there.