Why Mike Napoli will start at C vs. Angels
Why Napoli? It has nothing to do with the stiff back that made Torrealba a late scratch Tuesday.
"It's the Anaheim Angels," Washington said. "Tomorrow is Napoli's day."
Napoli, a 17th-round pick by the Angels in 2000, came up huge for the Angels last season after Kendry Morales broke his leg in late May celebrating a game-winning home run at the plate. Napoli moved from catcher to first base and played well. The Angels rewarded him by trading him to Toronto. Four days later, the Blue Jays shipped him to the Rangers.
And now Washington apparently wants the Angels to see what they'll be missing, not unlike last season when Vladimir Guerrero terrorized his old team.
"Sentimental reasons," Washington said.
Napoli has had a strong start to camp with three hits in six at-bats, including a two-run home run on Monday. He had Tuesday off.
Jeff Caplan
ESPNDallas.com
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Richard Durrett joined ESPNDallas.com in September 2009. He writes about colleges, the Dallas Stars and the Texas Rangers. Richard spent nine years at The Dallas Morning News covering the Rangers, Stars, colleges, motorsports and high schools.
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Bryan Dolgin joined ESPNDallas.com in February of 2011. This is his third season as the radio pre/post game show host of the Texas Rangers, and he also hosts Rangers Magazine. He has worked as a broadcaster for three minor league teams and has worked for ESPN 1000 in Chicago.
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Jeff Caplan joined ESPNDallas.com in December 2009. Jeff covers the Mavericks, Rangers and colleges. He has a wealth of experience in the area, covering multiple beats in his 11-plus years with the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
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UPCOMING GAMES
| W-L | HM | AW | STK | L10 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TOR | 24-21 | 12-10 | 12-11 | L2 | |
| TEX | 27-18 | 11-9 | 16-9 | L1 |
| W-L | HM | AW | STK | L10 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TOR | 24-21 | 12-10 | 12-11 | L2 | |
| TEX | 27-18 | 11-9 | 16-9 | L1 |
| W-L | HM | AW | STK | L10 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TOR | 24-21 | 12-10 | 12-11 | L2 | |
| TEX | 27-18 | 11-9 | 16-9 | L1 |
TEAM LEADERS
| WINS LEADER | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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Yu Darvish
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| OTHER LEADERS | ||||||||||||
| BA | J. Hamilton | .379 | ||||||||||
| HR | J. Hamilton | 18 | ||||||||||
| RBI | J. Hamilton | 49 | ||||||||||
| R | I. Kinsler | 36 | ||||||||||
| OPS | J. Hamilton | 1.187 | ||||||||||
| ERA | Y. Darvish | 3.05 | ||||||||||
| SO | Y. Darvish | 63 | ||||||||||
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