=== King Felix ===

Has reached the point at which it literally requires accidents to create runs against him.  That was the way in the 5th inning on Saturday:

.......

Joaquin Arias, scared spitless and hitting passively, saw an 0-1 curveball up, suddenly woke up, said, "hey!  a slow one!" and knocked a soft liner into CF.  Okay, well, Felix has to tighten it up...

Taylor Teagarden, bunting in the 5th inning to get 1 run if that don't show you how scared they are, squares around and ... Felix, annoyed, comes in to brush him back.

Teagarden shouldn't have had much problem getting out of the way, but did -- this sometimes suggests to me that a fringe player doesn't have ML reaction time -- and Rob Johnson, shocked, let it get by his mitt.  The home plate ump, also shocked, caught the glancing ball in the face.

Two men on.  The Rangers' jaws dropped wider than anybody's.

Another bunt.  Second and third, one out, no runs in on the game.

Julio Borbon taps one to Chone Figgins, who -- pressing -- has all day long to throw out the runner at home.  He throws wide.  Two runs score. 

The Rangers haven't challenged Felix Hernandez on a single pitch all game long, except maybe for the Hamilton off-field fly ball on which Milton Bradley did his Manny impersonation.  The Rangers have gone up totally limp, and what's this!  We're up 2-1 and the game is in the bag.

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In the 6th inning, with new life,the Rangers did score on a solo shot.

Bill James used to lament the low-scoring 1960's NL offenses, calling them the "ticking time bomb" offenses:  Everybody stood around until somebody hit a home run, because there was no way to string three hits.

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Just about all you can get off Felix, any more, is a bad hop, a bad throw, or a ticking time bomb.  He destroys lineups routinely.

Felix gave up more than 3 earnies exactly one time last season, after mid-May.  That's 26-for-his-last-27 now at

Bill James, a Royals fan, told Geoff Baker that he'd have voted Felix for Cy over Grienke, in part because the M's were 25-and-9 in Felix' starts, in part because Grienke has been more inconsistent generally.

Note well that Felix doesn't have a W, but that the M's are 2-and-0 in his starts this season.

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=== Aardsma ===

As you know, SSI is not a fan.  But credit where credit's due:  he thinks he's a closer now.

Relaxed shoulders, relaxed tempo, decisive body language, the guy thinks he's good.

Two appearances, six batters, four K's.  Mercy sakes alive, five more games of this and I'm going to have to start calling him "The D.A."  :- )

...........

Missed blowing a save tonight by two feet.  Don't tell him.

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Cheers,

Dr D