Grimm sucks. What happened to David Murphy? Man, the Rangers are terrible....

So, I had about 154981 topics in my head that I've been wanting to write about over the last couple weeks.  Good stuff too!  Best GMs in MLB, an examination of the Rangers farm system and the power of the prospect as trade bait...then something dawned on me:  People are in an outright PANIC about this team!  I mean, "throwing in towel" freaked out.  Not to fear, I will get to those other topics in upcoming posts.  But, I felt 162+ may need to prescribe a virtual dosage of Paxil in blog form first.

And that's what this post is.  The "Nobody Freak Out!" post.

Let's start with this:

STANDINGS!

Not only are the Rangers 14 games over .500, but they are only a half game out of first in the division.  And lest we forget, that this half game changes hands almost daily.  Ask me tomorrow and we'll be in FIRST PLACE.

If the AL West standings aren't enough for you, how about this:  only TWO teams have better winning percentages than we do in the entire AMERICAN LEAGUE, Exhibit A:

A HALF FREAKING GAME OUT! As of 7/8, pre-gametime.

Still not convinced?  Exhibit B:

^ That would be the National League standings also as of 7/8, pre-gametime.  And if you're scoring at home (or even if you're by yourself)*, that's only FOUR teams in all of MLB with a higher winning percentage than your Texas Rangers.  

*You're welcome for the old school Keith Olbermann (pre-crazy; he is a nut now, btw) reference. 

So why are we panicked?  Because we've been spoiled by this team for the last 3+ years.  That's why.  These guys have been playing out of their minds for over three years and now we flinch every time they lose.  But to know why today's standings are truly remarkable, consider this:

You guys remember Neftali Feliz, don't you?  

As evidenced above, we've had injury after injury.  That list is current, it doesn't even include these guys:

Ian Kinsler:  DL May 18th - June 15th

Joakim Soria:  DL - since the beginning of time - he's back now
Martin Perez - since he broke his hand in spring training - also back now

And you can say whatever you want about Kinsler's pop-ups, but he's the straw that stirs the drink.  Right, Wash?

Wash salutes you, Kins...and so does 162+.

In addition to Ian Kinsler, that's 3/5 of our starting rotation that have missed considerable time:  Colby, Perez, and Ogando.  Hell, it's been the whole year for Colby.  And now...even our backup guy is hurt.  One young Nick Tepesch.  And while we're on the subject of Tepesh, let me add this:

He and Grimm were never called up to stay.  They aren't in the big leagues because the Rangers think they're ready for big league hitters and can get them out.  They are up because JD & Co had no other choice.  Tepesch is a 24 year old kid that's never pitched above AA ball.  Grimm, also 24, had only thrown about 10 games at the AAA level before his stint in the rotation this year.  So, yeah, ERAs in the high 4s and 5s suck.  But they are exactly what's expected when young guys get thrown into the fire like this.  

So...through all of this...we're still a half game out of first.  Now don't mistake me saying "nobody freak out!" for "we're gonna win the World Series as we are" because that's just not true.  This team is going to have to make some moves to be a real contender in the playoffs.  Mainly, we need a big bat.  Like this guy:

Or this one: 

Or maybe even this guy:

Ok, ok...I know that's all the same guy.  Haha.  But, he's exactly what this team needs.  

A big bat and the return of some key guys could really help to boost this team.  The dog days are coming, so we shall see.  But, there's definitely no need panic now.  And that's really all I had to say.  Short and sweet.

Just a brief post to calm your nerves.  Although, the 3-2 score that I'm staring at right now isn't helping things.  Especially since the O's have the bases loaded.  But...again...not to fear...Scott Feldman is their starter.  Happy days are hear again...

88 down, 74 to go...including the one in progress.  

Stay the course, my friends.  

PS.  I forgot about the title of this thing!  David Murphy shouldn't play everyday: