EARLY MAY UPDATE

BY PAT DORWIN

SPORTSWRITER

DALLAS MORNING NEWS

THE RANGERS' ROSTER FINALLY BEGAN TO STABILIZE IN EARLY MAY DESPTE THE LOSS OF TOP STARTING PITCHER RANDY WOLF TO A FRACTURED ARM THAT WILL KEEP HIM OUT ONE- TO TWO-MONTHS.

OTHER STARTING PITCHERS CAME AND WENT, WITH THE CURRENT ROTATION FOLLOWING WOLF'S INJURY CONSISTING OF ALDO MONTANO (INITIAL START SET FOR SATURDAY, MAY 8 VS THE ROYALS), FELIPE PAULINO (1-1, 5.03 ERA, 17 SO, 3 BB), JASON VARGAS (0-0, 4.26), MARLIN GREER (1-0. 1.69)  AND NESTOR EPPERSON (0-0, 10.13, 1 SO, 6 BB).

"OBVIOUSLY, WE ARE HURTING WITHOUT RANDY (WOLF)," SAID MANAGER RON WASHINGTON. "VARGAS AND THE YOUNGSTERS WILL HAVE TO STEP UP."

THE BULLPEN HAS LONG RELIEVER TIM WAKEFIELD (0-2, 7.62, 19 SO, 11 BB), CRAIG HANSEN (0-1, 6.97. 9 SO, 5 BB), DAN RUNZLER (1-1, 4.15, 16 SO, 10 BB), ZANE MIDDLEBROOK (1 GAME, 13.50), RANDY CHOATE (0-0, 7.59, 5 SO. 7 BB) AND RYAN FRANKLIN (0-0, 1.29 AND SEVEN SAVES).

THE RANGERS HAVE WON ONLY ONE-THIRD OF THEIR GAMES (9-18), WITH  A DISMAL TEAM ERA OF 6.78 AND JUST FIVE QUALITY STARTS, TWO BY WOLF.

THE HITTING HAS STARTED TO COME AROUND, WITH A TEAM AVERAGE NEAR .270. THE TEAM HAS WON THREE OF FOUR TO START THE MONTH, WITH AN INCREDIBLE COMEBACK MAY 2 AT SEATTLE.

"WE PUT UP A NINE-SPOT IN THE TOP OF THE NINTH TO TAKE A 14-9 LEAD, THEN WEATHERED A COUPLE OF RUNS BY SEATTLE AS (RYAN) FRANKLIN CAME IN TO GET THE LAST OUT WITH THE BASES LOADED," SAID WASHINGTON.

CF JAY BRUCE, 2B ROBINSON CANO AND SS YUNEL ESCOBAR EACH HAD FOUR HITS, AS TEXAS BANGED OUT 24 TOTAL KNOCKS.

"IT CERTAINLY FEELS GOOD AFTER A LONG SPRING TRAINING," SAID ESCOBAR, THE SUBJECT OF TRADE RUMORS MOST OF MARCH AND UP UNTIL OPENING DAY.

CANO WAS RECALLED FROM AAA OKLAHOMA CITY AFTER SOURCES INSIDE THE ORGANIZATION SAID CANO WAS DEMOTED FOR INSUBORDINATION.

"WHO KNOWS WHAT WAS GOING ON, I SURE DON'T," CANO SAID OF A TEAM THAT IS BEING RUN BY MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL AS IT LOOKS FOR A BUYER. "IT'S ALMOST LIKE MARK CUBAN IS RUNNING THE SHOW."

CUBAN, MENTIONED A FEW TIMES AS A POTENTIAL OWNER, WILL NOT BE, MLB SOURCES SAY.

CANO HAS LIFTED HIS AVERAGE TO .313 IN 67 AT-BATS. THE TEAM'S FIRST-ROUND DRAFT PICK, RYAN BRAUN, IS THE ONL PLAYER TO SEE ACTION IN ALL 27 GAMES AND IS HITTING .314.

THE ONLY OTHER TWO PLAYERS WITH MORE THAN 100 AT-BATS ARE ICHIRO (.240) AND JUSTIN MORNEAU (.320, 9, 20). ESCOBAR LEADS THE TEAM AT .338, WITH BACKUP OF GRAHAM DOLAN (.323 IN 31 ABs) THE ONLY PLAYER WITH THOSE LISTED DIRECTLY ABOVE HITTING MORE THAN .300.

SKIP SCHUMAKER (.284) GOT AN EARLY CHANCE AT 2B AND OF, BUT SEEMS DESTINED TO A SPOT-STARTER ROLE. THE CLUB IS NOW FINDING A PLACE FOR NICK SWISHER TO PLAY EVERYDAY, AS THE 29-YEAR-OLD HAS SEVEN HOMERS AMONG HIS 20 HITS.

BRUCE HAS BATTLED BACK TO REACH ICHIRO AT .240 AND SETTLE INTO THE NO. 2 SLOT. ICHIRO IS SHOWING LITTLE PATIENCE DURING HIS SLUMP, BUT HAS SCORED 15 RUNS, HIT A TEAM-HIGH NINE DOUBLES AND STOLEN FIVE BASES.

ROOKIE NEVILLE CRUISE HAS BEEN OUTSTANDING DEFENSIVELY AT THIRD, ALTHOUGH THE 18-YEAR-OLD IS HITTING JUST .238, BUT HAS 10 EXTRA-BASE HITS AND IS THIRD ON THE CLUB WITH 15 RBI'S.

A REVOLVING DOOR AT CATCHER SEES ROOKIE KING SNYDER GETTING HIS SECOND SHOT AT THE FULLTIME JOB, WITH CASEY McGHEE AGAIN THE PRIMARY BACKUP, MEANING HE COVERS EVERYWHERE BUT SHORTSTOP IN THE INFIELD.

ROOKIE IAN DESMOND BACKS UP ESCOBAR, AND OFFERS SPEED, BUT NOT MUCH MORE, SO LOOK FOR ESCOBAR TO STAY PUT.

"WE'LL LOOK TO REGAIN AND THEM MAINTAIN OUR CONSISTENCY," WASHINGTON SAID.