Major League Baseball

Who's on first? Pick one

Published Oct. 13, 2010 10:06 p.m. ET

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OAKLAND, Calif. - The Rangers began the final 10 games of the regular season Thursday on the verge of settling the AL West race once and for all. The Rangers' first base situation - not so much.

The Rangers needed only to split at Oakland to claim their first division title in 11 years and earn a date with either Tampa Bay or New York in the AL Division Series. Who will start the first game of that series, however, may not be determined until the final out of the final game of the season. Maybe not even then.

First base has been unsettled all season. Might as well carry that all the way to the end.

The Rangers have a great defensive option in Chris Davis, but he failed in two opportunities this season (and three overall) to own the position.

They have a plucky rookie in Mitch Moreland, who looked mature beyond his years for the first month of his career. And they have a veteran right-handed bat in Jorge Cantu, who might be the best fit against the possible Yankees' 1-2 lefty punch of CC Sabathia and Andy Pettitte.

They all have attributes. And they all have drawbacks. It's just that for most of the season, the drawbacks have far outweighed the attributes.

The Rangers' first base delegation entered Thursday's game at Oakland hitting .211, which ranked 29th of 30 teams in the majors. The composite OPS (on-base-plus-slugging percentage) of .643 ranked 27th. Under any equation for determining first base performance, those numbers come up short. Way short.

"We need to have production out of the position," manager Ron Washington said. "We haven't had that. I have options right now, and I'm going to use them as I see fit."

In other words: Auditions are open.

If anything, the situation has only grown cloudier. On Thursday, the Rangers started a different first baseman for the third consecutive day.

It has gotten cloudier because, Davis, who was essentially written off after his late July demotion, has made the most of a sliver of an opportunity created because Moreland has fallen into a deep slump, and Cantu has been a nonproducer since he arrived July 30.

It is a testament to Davis' tantalizing talent that he's made the decision more difficult. He was called back Sept. 11, ostensibly to be a late-inning defensive replacement and nothing more.

Except that in those late innings and in pinch hit appearances, he's been a different hitter. He's been focused and it's resulted in him reaching base seven times in 11 plate appearances (three hits, including a homer and four walks).

When Davis returned, it seemed unlikely he'd get a start in a game that mattered, but he was in the lineup Wednesday as the Rangers tried to break a three-game losing streak. He replaced Moreland, who has four hits in his last 25 at-bats.

Perhaps this best sums up the difference in Davis: Before Wednesday's game, he was asked to appear on the radio pregame show. He politely declined so he could continue to prepare.

"I would like to think there is still an opportunity here," Davis said Thursday. "I want to make this playoff roster. I know that when I came back, it was as a defensive guy, but I said I was going to make the most out of whatever opportunity I was given. I want them to know that I am the best defensive option - and that I can be a force at the plate."

The opportunity was put on hold Thursday so the Rangers could take another look at Cantu against left-handers. Cantu was scheduled to start at least the first two games of the series against Oakland lefties. But the A's have three straight lefties scheduled to go.

But if Cantu doesn't produce in the first two games - and his third-inning strikeout Thursday extended his streak of plate appearances as a Ranger without an RBI to 76 - the Rangers might have no choice but to look at a lefty-lefty matchup in the third game.

"I came here to produce and I haven't," said Cantu, who was hitting .206 as a Ranger entering Thursday. "Everybody knows what kind of player I am and what kind of player I have been, but it's still up to me. There are 1,000 guys who would like to be in the same position I am. If things don't go my way, there will be nobody to blame by myself."

Actually, if first base is an issue in the playoffs, there may be a whole lot of others to blame, too.

Inside

Darren O'Day knows he's more susceptible to back injuries because of his delivery. 2C

Online

CHECK OUT results from Thursday's late Rangers-A's game. SportsDayDFW.com

4

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