Rangers adjust rotation before facing hot Mariners
Mike Minor's regular turn in the Texas rotation falls on Tuesday, when the Rangers open a two-game series at home against the Seattle Mariners. But the Rangers have decided to push back Minor's start a day -- until after the trade deadline. The All-Star left-hander (8-6, 3.00 ERA) might be one of the most sought-after starters on the market and has admitted in recent weeks the trade talk has been a distraction. He's is 0-2 with a 6.04 ERA over his past four starts. "It creates an issue if there is a possibility he could be traded," Rangers manager Chris Woodward said. "Obviously with Mike, everybody knows he is getting a lot of publicity about being traded. It just makes sense to hold him back. If Mike is still a Texas Ranger, he will pitch on Wednesday. "I don't think anybody who follows baseball is too naive to know that discussions are going on with a lot of players who will end up not being traded. There is a reason why Minor's name is being thrown out there. You look at other names that are being thrown out there, that's just the nature of the deadline." Woodward said Minor's recent form shouldn't affect his trade value. "People would be foolish to think that would get in the way," Woodward said. "Maybe it will. Maybe it will keep Minor with the Rangers." Instead, the Rangers are set to start right-hander Ariel Jurado (6-6, 4.83 ERA). Jurado snapped a three-game losing streak his last time out, defeating Oakland 11-3 by going seven innings and allowing three runs on three hits, with two walks and six strikeouts, one off his season-high. He's 2-0 with a 1.29 ERA in four career appearances against the Mariners, including two scoreless relief outings this season. The Mariners are scheduled to start another potential trade chip, right-hander Mike Leake (9-8, ,4.25 ERA). Leake is 2-1 with a 2.59 ERA in four July starts, including a 5-3 victory against the Rangers last Wednesday in which he went seven innings, allowing three runs on nine hits with no walks and seven strikeouts. That was a far cry from his first two appearances against Texas this season, both losses, in which he had a combined 10 innings pitched with 21 hits and 16 runs (12 earned) allowed. He's 2-3 with a 4.50 ERA in nine career starts against the Rangers. "I feel like I think I may have been (auditioning) all year in a way, just because they were trying to trade me maybe in the offseason for a little bit," Leake told MLB.com after beating Texas last week. "Definitely, I think I'm on the radar. I had that one start in Anaheim coming out of the break (seven runs, four earned, over a career-low two-thirds of an inning), but other than that, I think I've been doing a pretty good job." The Mariners are riding a five-game winning streak, one shy of their season high. The Rangers have lost two in a row to drop back to .500. --Field Level Media |