TEXAS GETS PAIR OF RELIEVERS, YOUNG FIRST BASEMAN
BY PAT DORWIN
SPORTSWITER
DALLAS MORNING NEWS
ARLINGTON - THE TEXAS TO SAN DIEGO PIPELINE CONTINUES.
NO, NOTHING ILLEGAL HERE.
IT WAS SIMPLY ANOTHER TRADE BETWEEN THE RANGERS AND PADRES, FREQUENT DEALING PARTNERS THE PAST COUPLE OF SEASONS.
WITH CONCERN GROWING OVER CLOSER FRANKIE RODRIGUEZ' VELOCITY, THE VETERAN CLOSER WENT WEST ALONG WITH CUBAN KENDRY MORALES AND STRUGGLING RELIEVER RANDOLPH GINDL.
THE RANGERS PICKED UP NEEDED RELIEVERS PETER MOYLAN (2.53 ERA) AND JASON BULGER (2.78), ALTHOUGH THE KEY TO THE DEAL WAS 21-YEAR-OLD SWITCH-HITTING FIRST BASEMAN LUKE BALDWIN/
HE HIT .254 IN 185 AT-BATS WITH THE PADS LAST SEASON BUT IS OFF TO A STRONG 2011 START, HITTING .330 WITH FIVE HOMERS AND 17 RUNS DRIVEN IN. HE HAS ANOTHER YEAR LEFT ON HIS CONTRACT WHILE MORALES WAS IN A WALK YEAR, BUT BATTING ONLY .257, WITH SIX HOME RUNS AND 22 RBI's A YEAR AFTER HITTING .302 WITH 36 BLASTS AND 117 RIBBIES.
"KENDRY WAS OBVIOUSLY PRESSING WITH A POSSIBLE BIG CONTRACT LOOMING," SAID TEAM PRESIDENT NOLAN RYAN. "ESPECIALLY AFTER HIS 2009 SEASON (.306, 34, 108)."
RYAN SAID THERE WAS MO CONCERN THAT MORALES WAS OLDER THAN THE 27 YEARS STATED ON HIS BIRTH CERTIFICATE FROM CUBA. RYAN ADDED THAT WITH OUTFIELDER JORDAN SHAFER COMING OFF THE DISABLED LIST, THR ORIGINAL PLAN HAD RIGHTFIELDER NICK SWISHER PLAYING FIRST ALONG WITH DH DERREK WILEY IF MORALES WAS DEALT.
"BUT BALDWIN HAS TOO BRIGHT OF A FUTURE TO PASS ON," RYAN SAID.
GINDL, EASILY THE BEST PITCHER LAST YEAR FOR TEXAS, HAD SEEN HIS ERA SKYROCKET TO 9.64. RODRIGUEZ HAD PITCHED IN 10 GAMES - AND SAVED FIVE - BUT HAD JUST ONE STRIKEOUT FOR THE RANGERS.
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