Josh and Tom said last night that the Rangers-Angels series this week was “significant.” In my opinion, this entire week is VERY important for the Rangers. They have two more games against the Angels before they head to Seattle to face the Mariners in a four-game series before the All-Star break. After last night’s loss to the Angels, the Rangers sit in second place in the extremely tight AL West – 1 game behind the Angels and 2.5 games ahead of the Mariners. If the Rangers fall apart this week, they could conceivably fall to third in the AL West and be forced to climb a steep hill to get back into contention. On the other hand, this week provides an opportunity to reclaim first place from the Angels and really separate themselves from the Mariners. Either way, you don’t want to miss it…I recommend an early evening nap to help get you through the 9:05 starts…

Angels series:

Kevin Millwood had trouble keeping the ball down in the zone last night, and the Angels made him pay for it. Jared Weaver, on the other hand, survived the 2-run first inning and allowed only a Kinsler 2-run homer in the 7th. I hate that Millwood had his worst outing in his first game after being snubbed from the All-Star Game. Tim Wakefield? Seriously? Anyway, all pitchers have a bad outing every now and then. I just wish Milly’s hadn’t come against the Angels.

Isn’t it nice to have Josh Hamilton back? He went 2-4 with a single and a double. By the way he ran the bases last night, you never would have known that he just returned from the DL with a torn abdominal muscle. I hope his return can stabilize the line up!

I am a little concerned about Dustin Nippert facing John Lackey (idiot) tonight in place of Vicente Padilla. I realize that Padilla is having shoulder issues, but this will be Nippert’s first major league start since returning from the disabled list, which he has been on since March 19th. I hope I am just paranoid, but I don’t think it’s a great idea to put an untested pitcher on the mound against the team you are battling for first place in the division. I hope I’m wrong!

Chris Davis:

The Rangers defense will suffer while Chris Davis works on his swing in the minors, but I certainly feel that it was the right move for Davis. He was not making any progress at the plate. In OKC, he will be able to focus solely on his swing without the distractions that go along with the big league club. On the other hand, he will be splitting time with newly promoted Justin Smoak. It will be interesting to see how the two compete with one another. I fully expect to see the winner, be it Davis or Smoak, promoted to Arlington shortly after the All-Star break. Hank Blalock has been hitting the ball well lately and plays a decent first base, but I expect to see him on the trading block later this month. We will need our first baseman back for the second half.

Ian Kinsler:

I saved this for last because I was VERY angry when the All-Star line-ups were announced on Sunday. Ian Kinsler led the 2nd Base voting for 99% of the time. He received over 3 million votes, but Dustin Pedroia overcame him at the very end. Kinsler didn’t help himself much by slumping in the final week of voting, but he should still be starting at second base. From the lead off spot, he has 20 HRs, 60 runs scored, and 53 RBIs. And that’s just his offense. Defensively, he has more total chances (which means he gets to more balls than the others), more assists, and more double plays than anyone. If you have watched the guy play at all this season, you know he deserves it. For the record, I have no problem with Aaron Hill making the roster. He deserves it more than Pedroia!

But there is still hope for Ian! He is one of 5 candidates to be the final player voted into the All-Star Game. Click here to vote for Ian. You can vote as many time as you want between now and 3:00 pm on Thursday. Let’s do our part to get Ian the recognition he deserves!

Congratulations to Michael Young and Josh Hamilton for making the All-Star Team!

Go Rangers!