When the Rangers signed Sidney Ponson to a minor-league deal in the spring, I thought it was a good fit for the organization and for Ponson. The Rangers are forever in need of pitching, and Ponson fit the mold of mediocre starter that the team seems to covet so much.While I figured it would only be a matter of time before Ponson was pitching in a Rangers uniform, I sure as hell wasn't expecting him to pitch as well as he has been (though apparently not well enough for Getty to have a picture of him as a Ranger). After holding the Mariners to one run in seven innings on Tuesday, Ponson improved to 2-0 in three starts this season, and has an ERA of 1.33. In fact, he hasn't allowed more than one run in any of this three starts.
So far Sir Sidney is using all his pitches well, and locating them, which is leading to a lot of ground balls and easy outs. He even seems to be having a positive effect on the Rangers pitching staff as a whole, as the team has gone 7-4 in the eleven games since he joined them. Eleven games in which Texas has allowed four or fewer runs seven times, and have two shutouts.
The Rangers have also gotten out of last place in the AL West. Now three starts does not exactly a season make, and Sidney may give up 8 runs in his next start, and the Rangers may lose their next five, but if they are going to turn the corner, they have to start somewhere. Who would have thought it would be Ponson getting them started?
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