Only a week into the season and the Rangers are recasting roles in the struggling bullpen.
The only guy with a defined role is Frank Francisco, the team's closer. Everybody else's role: Be prepared. The Rangers, who began Monday with the AL's worst relief ERA (8.02), made the decision after left-hander C.J. Wilson blew a four-run, eighth-inning lead Sunday at Detroit. It was Wilson's second subpar performance in the first week. He was told he would no longer be the sole setup man. The "pool" of pitchers to be used in that role was enlarged to include lefty Eddie Guardado and right-hander Jason Jennings.
On Tuesday, for example, the Rangers turned to Wilson in the seventh inning of a tie game. He pitched scoreless ball for 1 2/3 innings but was pulled after he issued a second walk in the eighth. Francisco got the final out of the eighth and pitched the ninth. Jennings, coming off two years worth of arm problems, was deemed unavailable after throwing 31 pitches Monday, so the Rangers turned to Guardado in the 10th.
Guardado demonstrated just how fickle the bullpen can be. On Monday, he mowed down the top third of the Baltimore lineup in order. On Tuesday, the same part of the lineup crushed him. Brian Roberts singled, and Adam Jones homered on a flat fastball to give Baltimore the lead.
"I've got to do a better job," Guardado said. "Obviously, the way things are going, I've got to bear down and do my job. I just didn't get it done tonight. I got some balls up, and I paid for it."
ORIOLES 7, RANGERS 5 (10 innings): The Rangers couldn't hold an early lead and couldn't get to the weakest part of Baltimore's bullpen as they lost for the fifth consecutive time Tuesday. The Rangers took a 3-1 lead after two innings on three solo home runs. They were already in to Baltimore's bullpen because Orioles starter Alfredo Simon left after 1 1/3 innings with elbow discomfort.
The Rangers were 0-for-4 with runners in scoring position through the ninth inning before rallying for a pair of runs in the 10th after Baltimore scored four times off Eddie Guardado. The Rangers had the winning run at the plate with no outs in the inning. Josh Hamilton grounded into a fielder's choice, and then long flyouts by Hank Blalock and Nelson Cruz followed.
