Alexi Ogando in bullpen as Texas Rangers want extra reliever for American League Championship Series
Ron Washington announced on Wednesday, October 5 from Rangers Ballpark in Arlington that he is strongly considering Alexi Ogando to stay in the bull-pen. The club recently beat the Tampa Bay Rays in the American League Division Series to reach the American
League Championship Series. The team is now contemplating adding and subtracting players from the current post-season roster.
Ogando went 13-8 this season and was limited to the bull-pen for the recent series against the Rays. Featuring in three games, the star pitched just 2.2 innings, conceding nothing and working well through his pitches. With the Texans through, they still
need a day to figure out who their opponents will be in the coming tournament.
New York Yankees and the Detroit Tigers will be up for a deciding poll in Game 5 of their division series. Ogando played 31 games in 2011, starting 29 of them. His earned run average was just 3.51 while his strike-out count was 126. Manager Ron Washington
clarified his reason for putting Ogando in the bull-pen.
"We're committed to Ogando in the bullpen," Washington said. "He gives us too much for the situation we are in."
In the meantime the Rangers are considering putting up a pitcher for the Championship series. Their concerns are justified, given the length of games in the series. With a total of seven games in the mix, it will be advisable to drop a position player for
a reliever. In right hand pitchers, the club can pick Darren O’Day, who has an earned run average of 5.40 from 16.2 innings of pitching in 2011.
Yoshinori Tateyama is another right hand player who can bring stability to the pen. He has played 39 games, brewing an earned run average of 4.50
"We're going to talk about it," general manager Jon Daniels said. "In a five-game series, it's easier to go with the extra position player. In a seven-game series, you might go with the extra pitcher."
Michael Kirkman is another candidate as the left hand player has pitched 27.1 innings with an earned run average of 6.59 in 2011.
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