With the regular season less than a week from completion and the postseason right around the corner, the Texas Rangers can hopefully start putting together a postseason roster if they can take care of business over the next few days.
One of the decisions in that process will be whether the Rangers take Scott Feldman to the ALDS with them, Roy Oswalt, or maybe even both. We'll go ahead and rule out the last option, as Feldman and Oswalt are basically the same entity — a long relief guy who can come in in mop-up duty (either way) or pitch in an extra-inning game.
In Feldman's last two outings, including a sudden spot start on Tuesday, he's given up two runs (both in Tuesday's game) while pitching seven innings with 10 strikeouts and three walks. A big deal with Feldman is his recent uptick in strikeouts.
In Oswalt's past two outings — Monday and Wednesday — he's been dynamite. The grumpy old man has looked like his old self with five Ks and no walks and 3 1/3 innings. He looks to finally be finding his rhythm.
Oswalt would bring a battle-tested, veteran presence to the bullpen. But so would Feldman, who was great for the Rangers in a relief role last postseason before hitting a wall in the World Series after being overworked in the ALDS and ALCS.
With Oswalt's poor attitude the entire time he's been in Arlington, you'd have to give the edge in this race to Feldman, but with the way Oswalt's looked this week, who knows?
