Good news, bad news

Well, it was a good news, bad news situation for the Rangers today in Arizona.

Out in Tuscon, the Rangers pitchers that made the bus trip from Surprise combined to fire a near-scoreless game - the only run was unearned, surrendered in the second inning by Vicente Padilla after Jason Ellison missed a fly ball in center field. Padilla tossed one more scoreless inning before exiting, and from there, Scott Feldman (3.0 IP), Bill White, Kea Kometani, and Elizardo Ramirez (1.0 IP apeice) all combined to hold the White Sox to just two hits the rest of the way.

Certainly a nice turnaround after Ranger pitching had given up 21 runs (9 unearned) the last two days. Other highlights included home runs by Chris Davis, David Murphy, and two by Travis Metcalf and a two-hit afternoon by John Mayberry Jr.

The bad news, however, far outweighs the successes of the day. Word came down today that the leading candidate for the closers role, Blue-gloved lefty CJ Wilson has been shut down with a case of biceps tendinitis. CJ joins Kevin Millwood (hamstring) Brandon McCarthy (elbow) and Joaquin Benoit (lack of arm strength) on the lengthening list of Ranger pitchers who have been battling some kind of physical ailment this spring.

According to MLB.com's TR Sullivan, "the condition is not considered serious, but the Rangers aren't sure when he'll be able to pitch again." Not exactly an encouraging statement - especially considering how valuable a piece Wilson is to the Rangers bullpen, which was their biggest area of strength in 2007. CJ appeared in 66 games for the Rangers last year, and was 12-for-14 in save chances when he took over the closers role late in the season. He posted a 3.03 ERA and a 1.215 WHIP, while striking out 63 - all career highs, and he also held batters to a .238 line with 2 out and RISP. He had been competing this spring with Eddie Guardado for the closers role, and was the heavy favorite after his performance in the role last year.

But with him out of action for now, and with no date set for a return, the Rangers bullpen picture becomes a bit skewed. Eddie Guardado would most likely take over as closer if Wilson is still out come opening day, with Joaquin Benoit and Kazuo Fukumori the other options. But all three have their downsides: Guardado had a 7.24 ERA in 15 appearances with Cincinatti after coming off Tommy John surgery last year, and isn't throwing as hard as he used to these days. Benoit, who spent some time as the closer late last year as well, was inactive for 4 months this offseason, and is behind the curve this spring as a result, although Mark Connor, the Rangers pitching coach, hopes to get him in a game perhaps as soon as this weekend. Kaz Fukumori has experience as a closer in Japan, but has never pitched in the US before, and has a history of arm troubles on his resume.

Presuming Wilson makes a quick recovery, none of this will matter, but if this turns into a prolonged issue for him, it could cause some problems. Ron Washington would probably like to be conservative with how he uses the 37 year-old Guardado and the sometimes-fragile Fukumori, and even Benoit, who might need to be used sparingly at the start of the year as well, and without Wilson, all three would have to pick up the slack. And with a pitching rotation as shaky as the Rangers, nothing will be more important this year than how well the bullpen will be able to handle it's workload.

Hopefully, CJ makes a speedy recovery and this is nothing but a speedbump, but if he's not in the bullpen, be it doing setup work or closing, it could throw a giant monkey wrench into the Rangers plans. This will be a situation to keep tabs on, for sure.