PRINT THIS PAGE | E-MAIL THIS PAGE

Tuesday, March 25, 1997

Texas Rangers ponder roster moves as they break camp

By T.R. SULLIVAN Fort Worth Star-Telegram

PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. - With Opening Day just more than a week away, the Texas Rangers continue to raise their performance level on the field even as the intrigue increases about the final roster makeup.

The Rangers scored six runs in the second inning Sunday en route to a 9-4 victory against the Philadelphia Phillies at Charlotte County, improving their record to 16-10.

Meanwhile, the Rangers have personnel decisions to make before the April 1 season opener against the Milwaukee Brewers. An update:

- Shortstop Benji Gil had a run-scoring double in three at-bats Sunday and has five hits in his past 14 at-bats. Gil's improvement comes at a time when general manager Doug Melvin has been talking with other clubs to see what shortstops might be available in case management loses confidence in Gil.

The Rangers asked about Boston's John Valentin but were told he's not available. They tried to get Manny Alexander before the Orioles traded him to the Mets on Saturday. They also have talked to the Cubs about Rey Sanchez and the Rockies about Walt Weiss.

"I'm not frantically looking," Melvin said. "All those guys carry a pretty big price tag, not only with salary but in the players you have to give up."

- The Chicago Cubs had a scout watching Roger Pavlik Sunday. Pavlik allowed four runs in six innings. Catcher Mike Lieberthal hit two home runs, and Kevin Jordan also went deep off Pavlik. The Cubs have scouted Pavlik all spring, but Melvin remains reluctant to break up his five-man starting rotation.

"That was the strength of our team last year; that's what got us over the hump," Melvin said. "One thing about pitching, if you break up your rotation and someone gets hurt, now you're down to three. That's what has happened to a lot of teams."

- The Rangers narrowed their bullpen competition by sending left-handers Scott Bailes and Tom Urbani to the minor leagues Sunday. Julio Santana, John Wetteland, Danny Patterson, Ed Vosberg and Xavier Hernandez are already in the bullpen, leaving four pitchers competing for the final spot: Eric Gunderson, Jose Alberro, Matt Whiteside and Cory Bailey.

The Rangers are trying to trade Whiteside. Vosberg and Gunderson are the only left-handed relievers remaining, and manager Johnny Oates prefers two left- handers in his bullpen. But Alberro pitched two scoreless innings yesterday, lowering his spring earned-run average to 2.63.

"My preference is to have two left-handers, but that may not be the case," Oates said.

Melvin said he has all but ruled out the possibility of adding pitching through a trade.

"There's just not quality people available," Melvin said. "Pitching is not something I've been focusing on. Our pitching has been pretty good overall."

- Tom O'Malley was released Sunday, leaving Mike Simms and Lee Stevens to battle for the last spot on the bench.

"It will be a photo finish," Oates said.

The team's strong play, meanwhile, has the players confident about a strong start.

"I think we're in good shape," third baseman Dean Palmer said. "The last two weeks we've been playing pretty well. Pitching and defense have been our biggest strengths. We haven't been scoring like we're capable of, but we've been getting some wins anyway."

Said first baseman Will Clark: "I see people concentrating a lot more, especially with their at-bats. Everybody knows the season is going to start soon and they're getting more enthused."

---

Distributed by The Associated Press Send a Letter to the Editor about This Story | Start or Join A Discussion about This Story
Send the URL (Address) of This Story to A Friend: