Friday Newsletter time: What's behind A.J. Alexy's success to start his MLB career? It's simple. Really.
The right-hander said that his mental game is strong and that makes everything else easier.
A.J. Alexy was the first guest from the active roster to appear on the Texas Rangers Baseball Podcast, an honor he’s sure to place in his bio right next to being the only pitcher in MLB history to open a career with two starts of at least five scoreless innings and no more than one hit allowed.
Asked what has led to the success, Alexy said that he has kept his composure in the few instances when teams have threatened against him, has focused on the game plan, and has tried to keep things as simple as possible. That includes pitching exclusively from the stretch.
“If it’s not simple, it’s probably not for me,” Alexy said. “My mental-game aspect is so easy just because I don’t have a lot of things to worry about when I do pitch. It’s get your foot up, get on your back side and get into the end of a baseball and get in the zone as [much] as possible.”
He’s not the only Rangers starting pitcher going from the stretch. Fellow righty and August call-up Glenn Otto and left-hander Taylor Hearn have also ditched the full windup. It’s still surprising to see, though not as surprising as when Yu Darvish came from Japan without a full windup.
It’s hard to argue with the results, and not just with Alexy. All three have thrown well. They’re making it look simple.
Stepping up in class
The Rangers will take a four-game winning streak into their weekend series at Oakland Coliseum, where the plumbing is always on the verge of catastrophe.
The A’s have pulled their playoff hopes out of the toilet after a rough series at Toronto, but they have been caught in the wild-card standings by division rival Seattle.
The A’s remain a very good team, though, much better than the two teams who have been on the losing end during the Rangers’ streak. The Angels have disappointed yet again, and Arizona is the worst team in baseball.
So, the Rangers are taking a step up in class this weekend. And then they return home to play first-place Houston and Chicago before heading to Yankee Stadium.
The good news is the Rangers have momentum. They have some confidence from seeing positive results, even if it’s been against teams with losing record.
“We’re playing well,” manager Chris Woodward said. “There’s confidence within the group. A guy has a great at-bat, and they expect to do the same thing. Guys are fearless.”
Another positive for the Rangers? They are 7-9 this season against the A’s. That’s not great, but the A’s will look back at those seven losses if they don’t make the playoffs.
Card of the Week
High school football started in earnest in late August, college football last weekend and the first NFL Sunday of the season is this weekend.
Of course, the NFL season kicked off Thursday night with the Cowboys losing to another game-winning drive by Tom Brady. Let the nitpicking begin.
I prefer the college game to the NFL, but as a son of Colorado I always hope for the best for the Denver Broncos. I’ve been alive for all eight of their Super Bowl appearances, though I don’t remember their Super Bowl XII loss to the Cowboys.
Also, I believe John Elway is the best quarterback of his era. As such, the 1984 Topps John Elway rookie card is the Card of the Week.
This one is another addition to my collection courtesy of Anthony Andro, who gave it to me as a wedding gift. He wasn’t the best man, but might have been had I known that’s what he was getting me.
Doggy video!
Marching bands are great and all, but give me this for halftime entertainment. Enjoy. See you Monday.
