The 2008 season is not unlike any of the 36 that have preceded it in Texas.

The Rangers will go as far as their pitching can take them. The Rangers knew that going to camp and they did nothing in Arizona in February and March to erase any of the questions.

Start with the starters. Each of the five pitchers who were penciled into the rotation have significant injury histories. Kevin Millwood missed a month last year with hamstring problems. Vicente Padilla missed two months with elbow soreness. Jason Jennings missed two months with elbow problems that eventually required surgery. Brandon McCarthy had two different trips to the DL and was also shut down early in 2007. Kason Gabbard has already undergone four shoulder/arm surgeries and was shut down prematurely last season.

On the flip side, though: Millwood, Padilla and Jennings all pitched at least 200 innings in 2006 and have done so on multiple occasions in their careers. If the Rangers get innings from their rotation -- which ranked last in baseball in innings pitched last year -- this team could be one of baseball's surprises.

Unfortunately for the Rangers, if there were any answers to come from spring training, it was that this is not 2006.

Millwood pitched in just one "A" game because of hamstring problems. Padilla left one start early with a sore gluteus maximus. Jennings' velocity was below 85 mph until St. Patrick's Day. Gabbard struggled to find command. And McCarthy never even made it into a game before his elbow became a problem.

In the bullpen, new closer C.J. Wilson missed two weeks with biceps tendinitis and setup man Joaquin Benoit missed the first month with a weak arm. Eddie Guardado, whom the club signed to be its left-handed setup man, has been bothered by knee soreness and, most recently, the flu.

It would be a significant list of concerns for any team, but for one with a pitching staff as fragile as Texas', it only reaffirms that the Rangers are going to have a major uphill climb if they want to finish above third place in the AL West for the first time since 1999.

On the plus side, however, the lineup seems more disciplined and more dangerous. Last year, when the Rangers got off to a terrible start, the club struggled for runs early. The lineup, buoyed by the addition of center fielder Josh Hamilton and outfielder Milton Bradley, the return of third baseman Hank Blalock and the growth of second baseman Ian Kinsler, might just be able to slug its way to a few wins early while the pitching staff gets more settled. A year ago, the lineup wasn't able to pick up the pitching staff and the Rangers fell as far as 19 games below .500 before the calendar officially turned to summer.

The club is hoping to stick around longer this year. If it does, it will be because the pitching staff did its job.

PRIMED FOR A BIG SEASON
CF Josh Hamilton parlayed a big spring with Cincinnati last year into an impressive, albeit injury-shortened, rookie season. But he's had an even bigger spring with the Rangers and, if he stays healthy, he seems ready to establish himself as a superstar. Hamilton reached base 13 consecutive times in one stretch (10 hits and three walks) and was hitting .512 entering the week. In addition, he's shown off above average range and a world-class arm in center field.

ON THE DECLINE
OF Marlon Byrd had a career-best .307 batting average last year, so it's not likely he'll improve on that. But Byrd has also dealt with persistent trade rumors and the possibility of seeing some playing time slip away. It has not been the kind of environment that is conducive to repeating a career year.

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