- Let the hype machine begin about J.D. Martinez, but this time it might be justified. He does have an upside. He doesn't have to center the ball perfectly to drive it for extra base hits, including home runs. In this day and age of power dearth, it makes him very valuable.

J.D. Martinez: We've seen this visual a lot

- Two things set Anibal Sanchez apart from other MLB pitchers. He throws what looks like a two-seam fastball with the velocity of a four-seam fastball. Even though he's only listed at 6-1 (generously), he still has a lot of tilt on his fastball, and it consistently tails away from left-handed hitters. Left-handed hitters were hitting just .160 with a .444 OPS against Sanchez entering tonight. The Rangers got a couple runs off him, but he is definitely the better starting pitcher tonight.
- I have not seen "stuff" like that presented by Rangers' starters Colby Lewis and Joe Saunders the last two nights since I was a young baseball beat writer and I had the privilege of watching Dick Tracewski and the late, great Vada Pinson throw batting practice each night. Now that's some bad starting pitching, and it does make you appreciate how good the Tigers' starters are.