For as impressive of a season as the Texas Rangers have had thus far, it would be a shame to see their first trip to the post-season since 1999 end abruptly with a quick exit. I’m not trying to send negative thoughts your way, Ranger Fan, I’m just hear to remind you that your best hitter is once again suffering from some pain in right knee––allegedly. If hyperventilation is starting to kick in, the brown paper bag always does the trick.
Hey, if you lived in Texas and you just found out that Rangers manager Ron Washington removed Josh Hamilton from center field and put him in the dh spot after the slugger received his second cortisone shot in the knee for this season, you’d be suffering from panic attacks too.
“But wait,” Ranger Fan might say, “Josh is a great hitter and all, but our team has the fourth highest batting average in the American League.”
True, but since June 1, Hamilton is hitting .408 while the rest of the team is hitting a combined .262. Also, of the 399 runs that the Rangers have scored since that same date, Hamilton has pitched in on 109 of them––that’s a little over 27 percent.
“All right,” Ranger Fan says as he casually blows into his brown paper bag, “but it’s just his second cortisone shot…nothing to worry about.”
Maybe. The rule of thumb in sports is that two cortisone shots per player is the limit. The move from center to dh could definitely ease the day-to-day strain on the knee, but Hamilton would still have to run the bases.
With the Rangers currently holding an 81/2 lead over the Oakland Athletics in the AL West, now might be the right time for Washington to use Hamilton as sparingly as possible, even if it means giving him a few days off here and there. Texas’ offenses has been great all season long, but if they want to do so damage come October, then they are going to have to rely on Hamilton go be ready to go.
photo credit: Marshall Astor – Food Pornographer
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