ESPN

ARLINGTON, Texas -- Rangers manager Ron Washington knew he wanted Craig Gentry and Josh Hamilton in the outfield with Texas protecting a one-run lead in the final few innings.

But it was Hamilton and Gentry that decided who played where Friday. And that was just fine with the manager. Hamilton told Washington that Gentry was more comfortable in center and that he had no problem playing left. That's what happened as the Rangers won, 3-2.

"I said, 'Thanks, Hamilton. I love you,'" Washington said. "I wasn't going to move Hamilton out of center field. I'm glad he made the decision; he and Gentry."

Washington said he was pleased that Hamilton and Gentry took it upon themselves to make sure they were comfortable where they were. He wanted both of them in the outfield and didn't feel strongly enough about where they were positioned to alter what they discussed.

"I'm not going to overrule my players when they think something is best," Washington said. "They thought that was best. I love them for it."

Washington added that he wants his players in positions where they are most comfortable when that's possible. And that was the case with Gentry and Hamilton on Friday.

Washington said Gentry and Hamilton will probably be in the game late with a slim lead when Murphy starts, as long as Murphy doesn't have an at-bat coming up.

"If we go into the eighth and Murphy has already hit, I'm going to go with the defense," Washington said. "If Murphy still has an at-bat, I'll let him hit and then pinch-run with Gentry."

Other notes:

* Washington wants to try to get every player involved in the game in the first week, if possible. That doesn't mean every player will start, but bench players will get in the game when Washington feels like he can make it happen.

"Everyone can get the jitters out, the butterflies out," Washington said. "When I came to the big leagues, I remember every year the manager got me in the game at some point the first week. I might have sat for another two weeks, but I got in there the first week. It's important for every guy that's here to at least get out there and get a feel."

* Elvis Andrus bunted on his own in the first. Washington said he was giving Andrus a chance to get the runner to third by hitting to the right side, but Andrus decided the best way to do that was bunting.

"What a team player," Washington said. "When you're facing a [John] Danks, a Cliff Lee, a Roy Halladay, the best in the business, when you're facing those kind of guys, I'm all for it."

* Washington said he's comfortable going consecutive days with any of the three relievers he used on Friday -- Alexi Ogando, Mike Adams and Joe Nathan. He wanted to be sure they lined up in the opener with the game on the line and by pitching all three, they are ready for today because none of them pitched more than one inning.

* The Rangers get their rings tonight for winning the AL for a second straight year.

"Not winning the World Series doesn't dampen what that ring represents," Washington said. "We're still champions."

The Texas Rangers have certainly tried to fill first base from within -- Chris Davis (now in Baltimore), Justin Smoak (now in Seattle) and Mitch Moreland (still in Texas, but...).

Something happens to these guys once they face big-league pitching on a consistent basis. Davis, one of the great minor-league sluggers of all time, didn't hit better than .250 with 278 strikeouts over three-plus seasons up and down with the Rangers. Smoak hit .209 with 57 whiffs in 70 games with Texas in 2010 before being shipped to the Mariners in the Cliff Lee deal.

Moreland, the Rangers' best hitter in the 2010 World Series, hit .259 with 16 homers and 51 RBIs last season. He slumped late, and Rangers manager Ron Washington had little choice but to sit Moreland for much of September and the postseason because of his quiet bat, which certainly could have been affected by a sore right wrist. It forced Washington to play Michael Young at first base more than he might have liked in critical postseason games. Of course, Mike Napoli is also an option at times to play first.

In the nine playoff games Moreland did play, he hit .103. At least he made his three hits count with two leaving the yard.

"He found out what a grind is in a 162-game season," Washington said. "I certainly intimated that to him, to go home and get healthy, come into spring training and just apply what you learned from the grind of the 2011 season and we will see improvement."

This winter, excellent outside options are certainly available to bolster first base, but the Rangers will have to be ready to pay. St. Louis Cardinals star Albert Pujols could become a $200 million man. Milwaukee Brewers first baseman Prince Fielder, a hefty lefty who would like the looks of the Home Run Porch, isn't in quite the same tax bracket, but he won't be too far off either.

On Monday, the Rangers handed 37-year-old closer Joe Nathan $14 million for the next two seasons, and they could well keep millions in their pocket if they pass on free-agent C.J. Wilson. That wouldn't necessarily mean they'd be eager to then pay mega-bucks to either All-Star first baseman and secure really the only unsettled position on the club (outside of maybe center field).

So just how much faith do the Rangers have in Moreland? He is only 26, has a steady glove and it still might be premature to judge his offensive production through just 181 career big-league games played: .258 batting average, .331 on-base percentage, .427 slugging percentage, and .758 OPS (on-base plus slugging).

Washington seems to suggest that the club will maintain a patient approach.

"I thought he did a good job of fighting, and all he can do from this point is get better," Washington said. "I certainly let him know that."

The Texas Rangers won't sit back and let the rival Los Angeles Angels and New York Yankees dictate where free-agent pitcher C.J. Wilson pitches next season.

PODCAST
Coop and Nate discuss the latest on C.J. Wilson. He's going to visit the Angels first. Wilson has value to the Rangers, how much would they have to pay him? Listen

Rangers assistant general manager Thad Levine confirmed on Wednesday that the club has "real" interest in re-signing Wilson, who won 30 games in his first two seasons as a starter and is the top free-agent pitcher on the market. Levine met with Wilson's agent, Bob Garber, Tuesday night in Milwaukee, site of major-league baseball's GM meetings.

Angels general manager Jerry DiPoto met with Garber Monday night and expressed serious interest in Wilson, a native of Southern California. Yankees general manager Brian Cashman has also met with Garber in Milwaukee.

If it initially seemed that the Rangers were prepared to see their former draft pick walk, it now appears they will be in the middle of the fight to keep their No. 1 starter.

Garber said no offers have been made, according to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, and that he and Wilson's plan is to narrow his options before negotiations turn more serious leading up to the winter meetings on Dec. 5-8 in Dallas.

"They showed significant interest in trying to bring C.J. back and are willing to treat him as any other team would in the free-agent process," Garber told the Star-Telegram. "They're going to be more aggressive than I thought. I assumed they were going to sit on the back burner. Now, it seems like they're putting him on the front burner."

The Rangers are also considering adding closer Neftali Feliz into the rotation, a move that didn't pan out last season early in spring training. Manager Ron Washington indicated that a plan for Feliz will come clearer once they know which direction Wilson is leaning. Washington said during Wednesday's appearance on the "Ben and Skin Show" on 103.3 FM ESPN that Wilson, who inherited ace responsibilities when Cliff Lee signed with Philadelphia last winter, carried the team at times in 2011 and he hopes the quirky lefty will be back.

"He's at the point where he can look around and see what's best for him and I think we want to give him that opportunity," Washington said. "I also know that he knows how important we think he is to us. But, that decision is up to C.J. Wilson and I do think [Rangers CEO] Nolan Ryan, [general manager] Jon Daniels and me included are going to do the best that we can to see if we can keep C.J. in the fold. But, in the end that decision is really up to C.J."

News out of the GM meetings in Milwaukee on Monday night (they start in earnest Tuesday) centered around the Los Angeles Angels' intrigue in Texas Rangers free agent pitcher C.J. Wilson.

Angels general manager Jerry DiPoto had an extended meeting with Wilson's agent Bob Garber and said he hopes the team's interest in the quirky lefty is mutual, according to ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick.

The New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox were the initial teams -- as they always are -- thought to be at the top of the list of suitors for the 16-game winner. Yankees GM Brian Cashman has contacted Wilson's agent, but the club that makes the most sense to seriously pursue the Newport Beach, Calif., native is the Rangers' main AL West rival.

By bringing home Wilson, who turns 31 on Friday, the Angels can spring one back on the Rangers while adding a quality left-hander to an already strong rotation that features fellow native son and Cy Young candidate Jered Weaver, plus Dan Haren and Ervin Santana.

In consecutive seasons the Angels, the former lords of the AL West, have watched the Rangers make two World Series with former Angels playing significant roles. When the Angels refused to give Vladimir Guerrero a multi-year deal, Rangers manager Ron Washington convinced the veteran slugger to come to Texas as the designated hitter.

This season -- the Year of the Napoli -- further agitated the Angels after catcher-first baseman Mike Napoli -- who hit .320 on the season, dispelled the notion that he is a poor receiver and was then the Rangers' hands-down World Series MVP -- landed in Texas days after the Angels shipped him in a deal to Toronto.

Wilson inherited ace responsibilities this season after Cliff Lee spurned Texas' best free-agent offer. Wilson had another strong regular season in just his second as a starter, throwing more than 220 innings, striking out more than 200 batters and lowering his ERA under 3.00. However, he struggled again in the postseason. As the team's No. 1 starter in all three series, Wilson was 0-3 with a 5.79 ERA in just 28.0 innings over five starts. In nine career postseason starts, he is 1-5 with a 4.82 ERA.

If Wilson does return to the Rangers, it would figure he would again be in line to serve as the No. 1 starter, barring signing or trading for a front-line arm. The Angels, however, could slide the needed lefty into any slot two through four -- and what a luxury that would be for the pitching-rich Angels.

It will be interesting to see just how high Angels owner Arte Moreno will authorize his front-office to go for Wilson, and how serious free-spending teams like the Yankees and Red Sox, both with rotation holes, become.

The tone coming from the Rangers during the postseason seemed to suggest that they are prepared to lose their former draft pick to the highest bidder. If that is the payback-driven Angels, we'll see if that changes Texas' tune.

In other Rangers-related news from Milwaukee:

* GM Jon Daniels is not attending the annual meetings. He has a good excuse. Daniels' wife, Robyn, delivered the couple's third child over the weekend, daughter Charlotte. Assistant GM Thad Levine and director of baseball operations Matt Vinnola, will represent the Rangers.

ARLINGTON, Texas -- Not to rehash the whole Lance Berkman-C.J. Wilson narrative, but this is Berkman's first game in Texas since he made comments way back in January on a Houston radio station saying that the Rangers would become an average team without Cliff Lee.

More than once now Berkman has acknowledged that he was wrong in his assessment going back to the All-Star Game when he left a note for Wilson in his locker. And Wilson has said more than once that he doesn't hold a grudge.

The question asked of Berkman was whether Rangers fans would. Will Berkman, a native Texan, who played college ball at Rice and until last season his entire major-league career with the Houston Astros, get booed when introduced before Saturday night's Game 3 of the World Series?

"Probably, I'd be surprised if I didn't," Berkman said. "But, again, these are my people and I don't hold any grudges. As long as they're native-born Texans and not transplants, I don't hold any grudges."

Berkman signed a free-agent contract with the Cardinals last winter. The Rangers had interest in him as a designated hitter, who could also play first base and the outfield. Berkman has always maintained that he prefers the National League because he wants to play the field on a regular basis.

The Cardinals provided him the opportunity to play the outfield. He produced a big season and won the NL Comeback Player of the Year.

ST. LOUIS -- C.J. Wilson keeps talking about how he digs swinging the bat. Colby Lewis, too. Ron Washington? Well, let's just say the Texas Rangers manager hopes he has options when his No. 9 hitter comes to plate in Games 1 and 2 against the St. Louis Cardinals.

PODCAST
Rangers manager Ron Washington is surprisingly calm heading into Game 1 of the World Series. Listen

"I hope that every opportunity they walk up to the plate that I have to bunt them," Washington said. "If they walk up there and nobody is on the bag, of course I'll let them swing. But, I hope the opportunity keeps presenting itself that they just keep moving runners closer to home plate. It is what it is, and C.J. can swing the bat a little bit and Colby is capable of swinging the bat a little bit, but I would like to keep them in bunting mode."

Wilson and Lewis each recorded one hit this season during inter-league play with Lewis grabbing a two-bagger. Alexi Ogando was the only other Rangers pitcher to get a base hit. Wilson had the lone sacrifice bunt.

Cliff Lee had the Rangers hit in last year's World Series and Wilson had a sacrifice bunt.

"I'm an athlete. I am going to go up and have fun and try to put the bat on the ball and situational hit if I have to, situational bunt," said Lewis, the Game 2 starter. "We practiced a little bit on it. I don't know. It's fun. I enjoyed it the two years I did it in Japan and looking forward to it again."

ST. LOUIS -- When Lance Berkman fired a shot at the Rangers in January, didn't we all just know it would come to this: St. Louis and Texas battling it out in the World Series?

Of course we did.

OK, first for the background.

Berkman was a guest on a Houston radio station. Berkman is from New Braunfels and played the majority of his career with the Astros. Asked why he chose to sign with Houston's chief division rival over the interested Rangers, Berkman said:

"I felt like if they didn't re-sign Cliff Lee that they were going to be an average team and I feel that's probably what's going to end up happening."

C.J. Wilson caught wind of Berkman's comments and responded to them on The Ben & Skin Show on ESPN 103.3 FM in Dallas:

"I think it's funny. He was contemplating retirement, so I'm not going to take anything too seriously. I'm not going to get offended by anything he says. If that's a representative idea of what people around the league think, that's better for us because they're going to do the same thing and they're going to not take us seriously. If we end up stomping through the playoffs again, everyone will be like, 'Wow, what a bummer.' "

Of course, Berkman caught wind of Wilson's response.

"It really kind of surprised me to be honest with you," Berkman said Tuesday during the team's media session. "The comments were made in the setting of a local Houston radio station, and then I forgot they have the Internet. That kind of thing would play well in Houston, but not so well in Dallas."

Berkman decided to clear the air at the All-Star Game in July, leaving a note in Wilson's locker.

Wilson said Tuesday that the note read: "Hey, congratulations on you guys' success, I guess I was wrong. Not the first time."

Why did the 35-year-old Berkman, experiencing something of a renaissance this season in a return to the outfield with the Cardinals, leave that note?

"I don't want to leave this game with anybody thinking ill of me and certainly I don't take back anything I said, I just didn't intend for it to be disrespectful to the Rangers organization or to any single player in the Rangers organization," Berkman said. "Obviously, some of that has been proven incorrect and it's not the first time that I've been wrong and it won't be the last. I don't think that it's really a big story, but I certainly wanted to express to C.J., since he was the one that responded back from the Rangers organization, that I think highly of him as a pitcher and a competitor and of the Rangers organization in general, and didn't want to leave any lingering ill-will between myself and him."

Said Wilson: "I have no issues with what he said."

Phew. Now they can finally go at it the old-fashioned way, on the baseball field.

DETROIT -- The Texas Rangers front office doesn't delve into contract talks during the season to avoid distractions in the clubhouse, but that didn't stop C.J. Wilson's impending free agency to be a top question tossed at general manager Jon Daniels as he watched his team take batting practice before Game 5.

Daniels did venture a take on what Wilson's market will be this winter.

"Probably bigger than we would like and probably right about what he would like," Daniels said. "We're not even really spending too much time on that right now. Obviously, it's going to be a top priority for us."

Daniels clarified that his team has not spent time negotiating with Wilson and his agent, Bob Garber, but that they have "spent a lot of time talking about it and preparing for it. We just don't want it to be a distraction any more than it is naturally."

Wilson set career highs in his second season as a starter with 16 wins, 206 strikeouts, a 2.94 ERA and 223.1 innings pitched. He produced as the club's No. 1 in the rotation after Cliff Lee departed last winter as a free agent to Philadelphia.

Rangers CEO Nolan Ryan discussed Wilson's situation two days earlier and said the club will begin talks with Garber at the end of the season.

The left-hander has not a strong postseason so far, but he can turn that around with today's Game 5 start. A win and the Rangers clinch their second consecutive AL pennant and return to the World Series.

ARLINGTON, Texas -- The hair atop Derek Holland's head grows about as fast as that fuzzy stuff on his upper lip -- which seems to have its own cult following. The mustache, if that's what you want to call it, isn't all that's growing.

If the shag hanging out of Holland's Rangers cap these days seems a wee bit longer than normal, that's because it is. Holland, who turns 25 today and will face the Detroit Tigers in Game 2 of the ALCS tonight, hasn't trimmed his noggin since the Houston Astros series back in late June. It's not exactly hippie hair and has yet to increase his hat size, but it certainly is puffier than the buzz he once sported.

"I just decided to let it go," Holland said.

Not unlike many of the mental trappings that had been known to trip up the young left-hander. Holland, who faces Detroit right-hander Max Scherzer, is now something of a postseason veteran with his relief work a year ago and his first playoff start (and victory) in last week's ALDS over with.

Holland also made a relief appearance in Game 4 at Tampa Bay. In 6 1/3 innings of postseason work this time around, the maturing hurler who can whiz fastballs in the low to mid-90s and mix in good off-speed stuff has given up just one earned run on seven hits and two walks. He has struck out two and given up one home run.

The pressure was on the youngster in that Game 2 against the Rays because ace C.J. Wilson had an awful outing as the Rangers were routed in Game 1, 9-0. Holland had a rough first inning, walking in a run with two outs, but he limited the damage and remained focused. Earlier in the season, he might not have made it beyond a couple of innings.

"Last year I didn't really know what to expect, how to handle anything," Holland said. "I have a better idea, especially after being around Cliff Lee, and C.J. Wilson has been helping me big-time this year in how to handle myself as a starter. This year is a big difference. I'm a lot more relaxed and I would say composed."

This time around Holland said he's eager to take the hill every chance he gets. As opposed to Game 2 in the ALDS when the pressure was on to even the series, Holland has an opportunity to put his club in a commanding position before this series shifts to Detroit's expansive Comerica Park.

Rangers manager Ron Washington certainly has shown trust in Holland, pushing him ahead of workhorse Colby Lewis in the playoff rotation order. (Of course, allowing Lewis to pitch on the road, where he's been much better this season, also might have something to do with that.)

"Early in the year when things went wrong, he didn't know how to put a stop to it," Washington said. "Now we understand that when things go wrong, the one thing that every pitcher wants to do in those situations is minimize the damage. He's done a good job for quite a while now of minimizing the damage. What goes with that is maturity. He's matured. He's turning into a quality pitcher.

"Right now he's not a total thoroughbred. He's just a little pony, but he'll develop into a thoroughbred."

ARLINGTON, Texas -- Do you remember everything that happened leading up to and during a 2011 season that produced the Rangers second straight AL West title? Well, we won't attempt to document every event. But we will highlight many of the key ones through a timeline. Check back on the blog all this week as we take you through the club's journey from the end of the World Series in November 2010 to now.

Early Offseason: November 3 – December 31

Key date: Dec. 13 – Cliff Lee calls GM Jon Daniels to inform him that he’s heading to Philadelphia to join the Phillies’ stellar rotation. Lee said that’s where he was most comfortable, though his camp tried to see if the Rangers would guarantee a seventh year and the club would not do that. He agreed to a 5-year deal worth a guaranteed $120 million with a vesting option for a sixth year. The Rangers made an offer as high as six years at $138 million with some money deferred and a vesting option for a seventh year at $23 million. In the end, it wasn’t enough to keep Lee from going to Philadelphia. You can read all about it here.

Big awards: Nov. 15 – Neftali Feliz is named 2010 AL Rookie of the Year after setting a rookie record with 40 saves. He moved into the closer’s role a week into the season and was dominant.

Nov. 23: Josh Hamilton wins the AL MVP Award, joining Jeff Burroughs (1974), Juan Gonzalez (1996, 1998), Pudge Rodriguez (1999) and Alex Rodriguez (2003) as MVP winners in Texas. Hamilton led the majors with a .359 batting average and .633 slugging percentage and was in the top-5 in most offensive categories. He won the award despite missing the final month of the season with fractured ribs.

Other moments during that timeframe:

Nov. 3: The Rangers host a rally for fans to celebrate winning the ALCS and advancing to the first World Series in club history. Many of the club’s key players, including Josh Hamilton, Ian Kinsler, Nelson Cruz, and Michael Young were in attendance with members of the front office. The team announces that the mutual option on Vladimir Guerrero won’t be picked up.

Nov. 4: Manager Ron Washington gets a well-deserved 2-year deal after leading the club to the World Series.

Nov. 14: Clint Hurdle accepts managerial job with the Pittsburgh Pirates, meaning the Rangers are searching for the third hitting coach in as many seasons. Hurdle fit in very well with the team culture and helped make the offense more versatile.

Nov. 16: Rangers president Nolan Ryan, managing general partner Chuck Greenberg and general manager Jon Daniels meet with Cliff Lee and his agent, Darek Braunecker, in Arkansas. It’s the start of the club’s push to try to sign the top pitcher.

Nov. 17: Ron Washington finishes second to Minnesota’s Ron Gardenhire in AL manager of the year voting.

Nov. 23: The Rangers hire Thad Bosley as the club’s new hitting coach. Bosley was the hitting coach in Oakland from 2000 to 2003 while Washington was the club’s third base coach.

Nov. 29: Yorvit Torrealba agrees to a two-year, $6.25 million contract, becoming the club’s starting catcher.

Nov. 30: Rangers GM Jon Daniels and club president Nolan Ryan meet again with Cliff Lee and his agent in Arkansas as they continue to try to get the ace to come to Texas. That same day, the club signs reliever Yoshinori Tateyama to a one-year deal with club options for 2012 and 2013. Ryan says he believes Lee will make a decision before Christmas.

Dec. 4: Jon Daniels is named Baseball America’s 2010 Major League Executive of the Year.

Dec. 7: The Rangers meet with Cliff Lee’s agent, Darek Braunecker, at the Winter Meetings to gauge where things are. Lee’s agent met with a handful of teams at DisneyWorld during the Winter Meetings and the Rangers are very much involved.

Dec. 7: Texas listens to offers for Michael Young, though Nolan Ryan stresses the club isn’t shopping the veteran. His name did come up in discussions with Colorado, though the two sides never could agree on any deal.

Dec. 8: The Yankees make an offer of 6 years at about $140 million to Cliff Lee. Ryan asks Lee’s agent to tell the Rangers what it would take to land Lee and admits that while six years is past his comfort zone, Ryan admits that’s likely what it would take to get the pitcher. The club appears willing to do that.

Dec. 9: As the Winter Meetings come to a close, general managing partner Chuck Greenberg, assistant GM Thad Levine and co-chairman of the board Ray Davis fly to Arkansas for one last attempt to lure Cliff Lee to Texas. The Rangers present what Greenberg calls a “menu” of options. But in the end , Lee chooses Philadelphia.

Dec. 23: Rangers agree to a one-year deal with veteran left-handed reliever Arthur Rhodes.

Dec. 26: Brandon Webb agrees to terms on a one-year deal for $3 million guaranteed and a possible $5 million more in incentives as he tries to return from injury.

Dec. 31: Former Arlington mayor Tom Vandergriff, who was instrumental in bringing the Rangers to Arlington, passes away.

Rabid Reaction: Our series of knee-jerk-styled, emotional overreactions from Ben Rogers of 103.3 FM ESPN's Ben and Skin Show. He's known to get way too excited over even the slightest of developments with the teams he grew up with in the DFW. Proceed with caution ...

C.J. Wilson is about to get paid. Stupid paid. Sport a fur coat just to walk the pet alligator paid. Private helicopter paid. Personal omelet chef in the private helicopter paid. How much do you want for that Bigfoot skeleton paid. Insanely paid.

Of course, there’s this little matter of helping his team win the AL West, followed by a full compliment of postseason trimmings. But after that, C.J. Wilson, who will turn 31 in November, will likely be in need of a quality armored car fleet as he’ll be the most highly coveted free agent starting pitcher on the market.

If you think the Angels’ recent five-year, $85 million contract extension for Jered Weaver imposes some sort of a ceiling for the looming C.J. sweepstakes, think again. Weaver wasn’t due to hit free agency until after the 2012 season. He essentially decided to grab the security of the here and now, as opposed to waiting another year and a half before trying his luck with baseball’s fattest and most eager wallets. He likes L.A. So what if he left $40 or $50 million on the table. He’s good with $85 million.

As crazy as it might sound, $85 million might not be enough to win the C.J. Wilson auction.

Unlike Weaver’s one-team renegotiation marketplace, Wilson will be entering a prison-rules style free-for-all where anything goes and the only rule is that the highest bidder wins. Killer whales like the Yankees and Red Sox will have giant placemats at the table, and they’re licking their chops.

The best part of the equation for the Wilson camp unquestionably is that their prizefighter will be the most attractive option for teams desperate to wildly overspend for front-of-the-rotation wares.

His agent, Bob Garber, is somewhere right now twisting a symbolic air mustache while staring into an expensive fireplace, confidently boasting, “It’s all falling into place,” followed by an evil, bellowing laugh. Wilson’s been phenomenal on the mound, but the timing of his free agency relative to an otherwise inferior free agent starting pitching pool will seriously increase his bankroll.

The term of his next deal will most likely be five years. The bottom of his market will likely be somewhere in the range of $16 million per year. If the Rangers reach the postseason and Wilson dominates, one baseball executive speculated that he could see as much as $20 million annually.

Although he won’t quite reach Cliff Lee- or C.C. Sabathia-type money, he will likely pocket between $80 million to $100 million, depending on how the rest of his season goes and which teams decide they can’t live without him.

When asked if the C.J. Sweepstakes could exceed $100 million, one executive smiled and told me: “It only takes one team.”

Pet alligator stores be advised. You’re about to have an extremely rich lefty browsing your inventory.

The Ben and Skin Show airs weekdays from 9 a.m.-noon on 103.3 FM, ESPN in Dallas-Fort Worth. Follow Ben on Twitter: @BenRogers

ANAHEIM, Calif. -- The Texas Rangers haven't lost since July 3 and it almost feels as if the pitching staff hasn't given up a run since then, either.

Alexi Ogando continued his rebound with another masterful start -- a four-hit shutout over eight innings -- that manager Ron Washington said should quiet critics who think the former reliever has hit his max. It should also begin to hush skeptics who believe the low numbers the Rangers' rotation is throwing down is more fluke than substance.

"Obviously, we know everything starts and ends with pitching," Michael Young said after the 7-0 victory Tuesday night against the Los Angeles Angels in front of more than 43,000 fans at Angels Stadium. "Our pitching staff has been doing an incredible job for the last couple of weeks. You look at our three young guys in the rotation, they're all 95 (mph) plus, but now they're getting to a point where they're starting to command their stuff."

Ogando (10-3, 2.72 ERA) relies on his fastball, but he had excellent command of his other pitches and made good use of solid defense behind him. Derek Holland, another one of the young guys Young talked about, takes the mound Wednesday night looking for his third consecutive shutout.

Here's some facts that go beyond this 12-game win streak, the second-longest in club history:

*Tuesday's shutout was the 13th of the season, the most by Texas since 1981 (13) and tied for fifth-most in franchise history. It also ties the vaunted Philadelphia Phillies' staff with Cliff Lee for most in the majors this season.

*The win was the 10th road shutout, second-most in club history (14 in 1981).

*It was the fourth shutout in the last six games. In those six games, Rangers starters are 6-0 with a 0.38 ERA -- that's two earned runs in 48 innings.

*The Rangers rotation includes two 10-game winners in Ogando and C.J. Wilson, a nine-game winner in Colby Lewis and a pair of eight-game winners in Holland and Matt Harrison.

*During the winning streak, Texas has a 1.92 ERA -- 23 earned runs in 108 innings).

As for the streak, it continues to grow more impressive with each victory. It is now the second-longest in team history and is two wins away from tying the club record set in 1991. The Rangers also had an 11-game streak last season. No team has had a longer streak this season and the last team to with a win streak of 12 or more games was the Boston Red Sox in June 2006.

"It's impressive," Ian Kinsler said. "We're playing good baseball right now, we're playing lucky baseball and a lot of things are going our way. Last year we were able to rattle off a bunch of wins a little earlier [in the season] and this year we're going to try to keep it as long as possible."

SEATTLE -- Mariners starter Blake Beavan isn’t the same brash kid that shortly after he was drafted out Irving High School by the Rangers in the first round of 2007 (17th overall) claimed he could pitch as badly as anyone in the Rangers rotation.

The confidence is still there, but the cockiness is gone. Beavan doesn’t make any hand gestures after strikeouts like he did at Irving, and he doesn’t come across as a young kid who thinks he knows it all.

A little more than a year after being traded to Seattle as part of the Cliff Lee deal, Beavan is in the big leagues and making his third start of 2011 and first against his former team.

“Some people have told me that I’m almost too calm out there compared to how I used to be or what they saw in high school, that competitiveness, the I-don’t-care, I’m-coming-right-at-you approach. I still have that mentality inside. I’ve controlled it a lot.”

In the process, he’s thrown strikes and developed a good change-up and is gaining some confidence with a curveball, still a new pitch for him. Through two starts in 2011, Beavan is 1-0 with a 2.03 ERA and has quality starts in both outings. Beavan admitted he wasn’t thrilled about leaving the Rangers when the trade occurred last year.

“It was hard at first, just knowing that I wasn’t going to be able to make my first start as a Texas Ranger,” Beavan said. “But in the end, your main goal is to pitch in the big leagues and it doesn’t matter where it is. That’s what I went back to my focus on. I got over it pretty fast when I started playing again.”

Rangers general manager Jon Daniels spoke with Beavan briefly on Friday, telling him that he was happy for him and that he was impressed by the 22-year-old’s first two starts. Beavan hopes to continue the trend against Matt Harrison and the Rangers today by staying focused on throwing strikes and avoiding walks.

“I try to tell myself, ‘Don’t get caught up by whose name is on the back of the jersey,’ ” Beavan said. “You see these guys on SportsCenter all the time hitting home runs and leading the league in average and if you think about that out there and get caught up too much in that, you won’t execute pitches.”

PHOENIX -- Philadelphia starter Cliff Lee said hello to some of his former teammates Monday and admitted that he still follows the Rangers' progress, though not as much as he would if he'd signed with a club in the American League.

Lee was pleased to see that left-hander C.J. Wilson, who talked a lot last year about how he learned plenty from Lee following the trade a year ago that brought Lee to Texas, made his first All-Star Game.

"Obviously for him to be an All-Star he’s had a pretty good year and he’s had good stuff since he was in the bullpen four or five years ago," Lee said. "I think getting a chance to start his first full season last year, he’s come in and built on that. He’s got good pitches. He knows how to throw each pitch and make it have the right action. He’s got good stuff. For him, it’s just more of getting an opportunity to start and having that first full season last year is helping him improve this year.

"He knows what to expect and especially us getting to the World Series last year, he played the season plus the postseason. He knew what to prepare for and what to expect. He probably had an idea of what that was going to be before, but now he really knows."

Cliff Lee pitched a two-hit shutout of the Boston Red Sox on Tuesday, his third consecutive shutout. It capped a ridiculous June for the former Ranger -- a 5-0 record and an ERA of 0.21 in the month, the fifth pitcher since World War II to put up numbers that good in a calendar month.

PODCAST
Should the Rangers regret not guaranteeing a seventh year to lock up Cliff Lee? Ben and Skin weigh in. Listen

Our buddies Ben & Skin saw that performance and couldn't help but picture Lee in a Rangers uniform. I'm sure many of you did too. I can't blame you. Can you imagine what having Lee at the top of the Rangers' rotation right now would do for the entire team? He'd provide a big 1-2 punch with C.J. Wilson and help give the struggling bullpen a break in most of his starts. And right away, the Rangers' rotation would look a lot better for the postseason.

The Rangers knew all of this when they didn't commit to the long-term contract Lee wanted in the offseason. It was never a question of how well Lee would pitch in 2011 or even 2012 or 2013, as long as he stayed healthy. The question was what might happen after that. Lee turns 33 in August. To come to Texas, it would have required a guaranteed seventh year, making him a starter in his late 30s.

That's just way too risky. And nothing Lee does in 2011 will change that. He liked his time in Texas, but wanted two more guaranteed years to pitch here than he did in Philadelphia. It's one thing to sign up a guy like Lee to five years guaranteed with a vesting option for the sixth year. The Rangers gladly would have done that. It's another thing to take up a large percentage of your payroll in the sixth and seventh year of a deal for a pitcher in his late 30s. There aren't many examples of that working out well.

That said, I know some of you believe you take that risk just to have Lee during the next few seasons when the Rangers' window might be its largest. And I can see that. But if you do that, you also risk shutting that window early too if Lee gets hurt and that money remains on the books, preventing you from signing other players. The Rangers have a bunch of key members of the core that will need new contracts in the next few years and they'll need financial flexibility to sign them. Not having money tied up long-term to Lee will help in that department.

Lee sure is fun to watch. He looks like a guy ready to help lead a strong Philadelphia team through the postseason, too. He would also make the Rangers a lot better right now. But that isn't the question that GM Jon Daniels and his staff had to ask themselves. What would Lee do in the fifth, sixth and seventh year of the deal? How would it impact assembling a team around him? The answer: It was too risky to sign that deal and find out.

Tune in to 103.3 FM ESPN for the Ben & Skin Show as they discuss Lee this morning starting at 10 a.m.