John Wetteland, the former star relief pitcher who currently works as the bullpen coach of the Seattle Mariners, was hospitalized on Thursday after a woman at his home alerted police.
Sgt. Roger Griggs of the Denton Country Sheriff’s office: “She said he was complaining of being depressed and contemplating suicide.”
Wetteland might be best known for his stint with the New York Yankees. In fact, Wetteland was named the MVP of the 2006 World Series. Few remember that it was Wetteland and not Mariano Rivera who closed games for the Yankees that season.
Other than the Yankees, Wetteland also pitched for the Los …read more

The Texas Rangers have gone on an all out search to find their new hitting coach. Rudy Jaramillo, the Rangers’ longtime hitting coach, won’t return for the 2010 baseball season after Texas struggled at the plate this season.
Usually hitting isn’t a problem for the Rangers. Pitching, according to the team’s history, is usually the problem. But this year, the pitching was better than expected but the hitting let the team down. In fact, the Rangers scored less than they did in any of the last 15 seasons. They also posted a low batting average and on-base percentage.
Who will be the …read more

The Los Angeles Angels had a slow start to the 2009 baseball season but on Monday they were able to clinch the American League West division title. Their clinching win came against the Texas Rangers — the very team the Angels battled with atop the division for much of the campaign.
This victory, which improved the Angels record to 92-64, didn’t require much effort. Los Angeles was up 3-0 after one inning and 8-0 after four innings. Eventually, the Angels claimed an 11-0 win over the Rangers.
Ervin Santana, who struggled for most of the season, was very good on Monday as …read more

Michael Young, the All-Star third baseman for the Texas Rangers, is struggling to come back from a hamstring injury. He recently batted in a simulated game and reported that he simply wasn’t ready to play.
Young was injured on September 1st and since then has only one at-bat. In that lone at-bat, which took place on September 15th against the Oakland Athletics, Young once again felt pain after getting off balance.
A couple of weeks ago, the Rangers appeared to be in a good position in the AL Wild Card race. But after injuries to Young and Josh Hamilton, Texas is now …read more

Josh Hamilton has missed 12 straight games due to a back injury. The Texas Rangers outfielder is also now battling an injury to his right glute. With the pair of injuries, team insiders believe that it’s very likely Hamilton’s 2009 baseball season is over.
The Rangers as a whole seem to be headed toward a disappointing finish. At 80-65, Texas is 6.5 games behind the Boston Red Sox in the AL Wild Card race. On Wednesday, the Rangers got shut out by the Oakland Athletics and lost their fourth straight contest.
Even if the Rangers surprisingly get help from Hamilton before the …read more

The 2009 baseball season continues to get better and better for fans of the Texas Rangers. Not only is the team in the thick of the playoff race, they recently completed a trade for catcher Pudge Rodriguez — perhaps the most popular player in the history of the franchise.
Rodriguez, who had been starting for the Houston Astros, was acquired in a trade that for Matt Nevarez, a minor league pitching prospect. With the Astros, Rodriguez was hitting .251 with eight homers, 34 RBIs and 41 runs.
The Rangers became interested in Rodriguez after losing starting catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia to injury. …read more

Prior to Saturday, Julio Borbon had played in only five big league games. Against the Boston Red Sox, Borbon made his sixth game memorable on the way to helping the Texas Rangers beat the Red Sox by a final count of 7-2.
The rookie outfielder for the Rangers has in the leadoff spot and had a monster outing. He finished the game 4-for-5 with two runs, two RBIs and four steals. The outburst raised his batting average on the season from .231 to .389.
Borbon wasn’t the lone Ranger racking up the steals. Elvis Andrus had three steals and Ian Kinsler added …read more

Josh Hamilton, the slugger for the Texas Rangers, admitted on Saturday that he did indeed relapse on alcohol in January. Earlier in the day, Josh Hamilton drunk pictures were released on Deadspin.com.
Said Hamilton: “I’m embarrassed about it. For the Rangers, I’m embarrassed about it. For my wife, my kids. It’s one of those things that just reinforces about alcohol.”
In the pictures, Hamilton is seen with a number of women — all of whom aren’t his wife. There is also whip cream utilization.
On the season, Hamilton’s production is way down. After hitting .304 with 32 homers and 130 RBIs last season, …read more

Frank Francisco, the closer for the Texas Rangers, hopes that the third time is the charm. On Monday, Francisco was placed on the disabled list for the third time during the 2009 baseball season.
This time, Francisco is on the disabled list due to a case of pneumonia. Although the case is thought to be mild, it has kept him out of action since July 10th. He’ll be eligible to come off the DL on the 26th.
Previously, Francisco was on the disabled list due to biceps tendinitis and shoulder tendinitis. Both injuries were on the right-hander’s pitching arm.
When he’s healthy, Francisco …read more

This time last year, it appeared as if Andruw Jones’ big league career could be over. On Wednesday, Jones proved once again hat his career is still alive and kicking.
Jones, hitting in the cleanup spot, hit homers in his first three at-bats to help the Texas Rangers beat the Los Angeles Angels by a final score of 8-1. He hit a two-run homer in the first inning and then solo homers in the third and fifth.
Last season, Jones hit .158 with three homers and 14 RBIs in 209 at-bats. This season, Jones is hitting .250 with 14 homers and 35 …read more