Premier pitching

 In this day in age, it is no longer about the combustable bat that breaks through with 60 plus homeruns a season. The game has evolved and will be the year of the pitcher, at least for the time being, for years to come. Sure there will always be big bats bringing big results to the plate, but with out those dominating pitchers backing up those bats there won't be any sort of playoffs or World Series for teams to look forward to.

If the Texas Rangers want another shot at the World Series this season they must rely on their pitching to step up its game, in which for the most part it has. At the beginning of the season who knew that Alexi Ogando would be the complete force that he has been. With a second season for C.J. Wilson as the ace, you expect to see premier pitching. For the most part, both pitchers haven't been anything less than spectacular. Both Wilson (3.03 ERA) and Ogando rank amongst the top 25 pitchers sitting with Wilson sitting at a shiny 12 and Ogando (2.10 ERA) with a pretty little number two next to his, resulting from an undefeated performance thus far. This is the type of pitching that hypes World Series contender next to a teams name. 

Suggesting Ogando holds true to his numbers and keeps the opposing batting lineup unraveling at the plate, then the Texas Rangers shouldn't have any hesitation in moving Ogando up to at least the number two spot, no offense to Colby Lewis because I have much respect for what he does for this team. But this is about premier pitching and so far both Wilson and Ogando are the two best pitchers on this team. They deserve the two top spots, granted Wilson is already the head honcho. 

With Cliff Lee gone, this team needs a bonafide second starter to back up Wilsons performance. Ogando fits the bill, followed by Mr. Lewis, Derek Holland (who has matured into a great performer and starter) and then Matt Harrison, who I feel like has the most to prove out of this rotation when Tommy Hunter returns from the DL. 

C.J. has defined the leadership for this rotation. He has come out and pounded the strike zone to lead the team in strikeouts with 82. He sets the example for the rest of the pitchers and applies what he learned from former Ranger Cliff Lee. The movement from his pitches has increased greatly from last season to allow him to fool even the best of hitters. Wilson is sitting at a 3.03 ERA right now and with one more great performance from the mound, could be sitting below three in the coveted 2.0 ERA range. 

Regardless of the occasional shaky inning, these are the two dominant types of pitchers any team would love to have in their rotation. So far they are the glue, along with Holland, thats holding this team together. Behind their pitching outings, the bats of Cruz, Hamilton, Beltre, Young, Kinsler, Moreland, Napoli, Andrus, Chaves, Ghentry, and whoever else im missing can thrive. Behind this pitchers the Texas Rangers can start raking in the wins and be one step closer to their post season endeavors.