Taking his lumps, but learning how to fight back

The Rangers have several pitchers on the staff that are here to take their lumps. Warner Madrigal is going to be here to take his. Eric Hurley is going to when (if?) he gets off the disabled list. So is Matt Harrison. This year is devoted to filling major roster holes. The glaring holes are clearly on the pitching staff. Matt Harrison is showing flashes of being a main stay in the Rangers rotation for the next decade.

The Rangers pitchers are in the process of learning how to pitch at the major league level. The main
issue most of them have is the confidence to pound the strike zone. Throwing strikes has been Harrison’s biggest issue as well. In 3 of his starts Harrison has at least as many strikeouts as walks. In those 3 starts Harrison has 21.1 IP, 13 hits, 4 earned runs, 12 strikeouts, and 4 walks. For those scoring at home that is a 1.71 era and a .89 whip. That’s a touch lower than his season era of 5.77.

Good left-handed starters are invaluable in Texas. The organization has been working on picking up as much useful left-handed talent as they can find. From Derek Holland, to Kasey Kiker, and now to Matt Harrison there is more light coming up at the end of the tunnel. If Harrison can find a way to take another step forward towards being more consistent during the rest of 2008 he could be a solid #3 for this team.

No one is going to claim that the Texas pitching is going to beat the world next year, but as Matt Harrison continues to improve there is more hope for the 2010 season. The Rangers could conceivably start 2009 with 3 young talented starters in the rotation. I’m not sure that has happened in my lifetime. It’s nice to see that my generation is the one getting some pitching to Texas on the field and in the front office. Hopefully when it rains, it pours.

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Last post (s) by Josh Lile

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