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May 9--SEATTLE -- The Rangers finished a winning road trip through the AL West on Thursday night. That came on the heels of a winning homestand.
And still general manager Jon Daniels couldn't escape the issue of manager Ron Washington's job security.
In response to a blog post on the Dallas Observer's Web site that, citing unnamed sources, said the Rangers have already decided to change managers, Daniels said the topic is not an "active conversation." He said it wouldn't be revisited until the All-Star break -- at the earliest. He said the story was full of inaccuracies, but declined to discuss those inaccuracies.
"Nobody was pleased with our play in the first month, but we've said all along that we do not want to have a knee-jerk reaction," Daniels said from Arlington. "We are playing better now. I hope this goes away permanently, but if there is a need to revisit it, we'll address it at the All-Star break and not before."
Washington's job status has been in limbo since the Rangers lost 12 of 14 games and fell to 7-16 on April 24 after being swept at Detroit. When the club returned home, Daniels and club president Nolan Ryan met with owner Tom Hicks to discuss the managerial situation. Daniels and Washington met separately to discuss the situation as well.
At the time, Ryan and Daniels both said they did not want to have "knee-jerk" reactions to the rough start, but also said the club needed to start playing better. Entering Thursday, the Rangers had won eight of their last 12 games.
"Are we perfect? No, there's always room for improvement," Daniels said. "Am I pleased with the work Ron an the staff have done the last few weeks under adverse conditions?Yes.Same goes for the players who ultimately dictate where we go.It's time to get the focus back on the field where it belongs."
The report also said that Ryan had ordered Daniels to call up rookies Brandon Boggs, German Duran and A.J. Murray, who have contributed during the Rangers recent run. Duran was actually called up in mid-April after Hank Blalock wrenched his back and the Rangers had no other available healthy infielders on the 40-man roster. Murray was called up for a spot start over the weekend and has since been optioned back to Triple-A Oklahoma.
Ryan, attending a dinner engagement, could not be reached for comment on Thursday.
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