Mike Gonzalez making transition to new team
"I've been traded before and it usually takes more time to adjust than it has here," Gonzalez said. "This is a great group of guys. They welcomed me in right away."
Gonzalez is here because the Rangers wanted a left-handed specialist in the back end of the bullpen. Gonzalez is holding lefties to a .209 average. And though he came in during a Rangers' blowout win on Friday, he got a look at one of those lefties he could face in a critical, in-game situation in the playoffs. Gonzalez got Jacoby Ellsbury to ground out to Ian Kinsler to end the game.
"I'm just going to keep doing what I've been doing against lefties," Gonzalez said.
That is throwing his slider and fastball (rarely his curve or change) and sticking with his funky delivery. Gonzalez works on the third base side of the rubber and falls off sharply to third base after throwing his pitches.
"It's quirky, but it works for him," Washington said.
Gonzalez could prove to be a criticial August addition in those tight situations down the stretch and in the postseason.
Richard Durrett
ESPNDallas.com
ABOUT THIS BLOG
Richard Durrett
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.
Tim MacMahon
Tim MacMahon joined ESPNDallas.com in September 2009. Tim covers the Cowboys and Mavericks. He has covered the local sports scene from high schools to colleges to pros during his six-year tenure at The Dallas Morning News. MacMahon is a graduate of UNT.
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UPCOMING GAMES
| W-L | HM | AW | STK | L10 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| OAK | 43-31 | 22-12 | 21-19 | L1 | |
| TEX | 40-32 | 21-15 | 19-17 | W1 |
| W-L | HM | AW | STK | L10 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| OAK | 43-31 | 22-12 | 21-19 | L1 | |
| TEX | 40-32 | 21-15 | 19-17 | W1 |
| W-L | HM | AW | STK | L10 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TEX | 40-32 | 21-15 | 19-17 | W1 | |
| STL | 46-26 | 21-13 | 25-13 | W1 |
TEAM LEADERS
| WINS LEADER | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
Yu Darvish
|
|||||||||||
| OTHER LEADERS | ||||||||||||
| BA | A. Beltre | .305 | ||||||||||
| HR | N. Cruz | 18 | ||||||||||
| RBI | N. Cruz | 50 | ||||||||||
| R | A. Beltre | 41 | ||||||||||
| OPS | N. Cruz | .861 | ||||||||||
| ERA | Y. Darvish | 2.84 | ||||||||||
| SO | Y. Darvish | 137 | ||||||||||
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