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TORONTO (TICKER) — Seeking another quality starter, the Texas Rangers hope they landed one today by acquiring lefthander Jeff Fassero from the Seattle Mariners for a minor league player to be named.
The Rangers own a relatively comfortable lead in the American League West, sitting 6 1/2 games in front of the second-place Oakland Athletics. But Texas surely could use a boost in its rotation, with no starter owning an ERA under 4.30.
If nothing else, the 36-year-old Fassero fills the Rangers’ need for a lefthanded starter. Lefthanded batters are hitting .252 against him this season.
Aaron Sele, Rick Helling, Mike Morgan, John Burkett and Esteban Loaiza, who currently make up the rotation, all throw righthanded.
A change of scenery may be just what the doctor ordered for Fassero, who lost his last six decisions with Seattle. He is 4-14 with a 7.38 ERA in 30 games, including 24 starts, and has walked 73 while striking out 101 over 139 innings.
Fassero posted a winning record and an ERA under 4.00 in each of the previous three seasons, the last two with Seattle. He went 44-32 in that span.
The nine-year veteran owns a 91-83 lifetime record with a 3.79 ERA in 359 games, including 191 starts. He pitched his first six major league seasons with Montreal before being traded to Seattle in a five-player deal in October 1996.
To make room for Fassero on the 40-man roster, Texas transferred pitcher Eric Gunderson from the 15-day to the 60-day disabled list. Gunderson has been sidelined since May with left shoulder problems and had surgery July 17 to repair a partial cartilage and rotator cuff tear.
The Rangers will make a roster move to accommodate Fassero tonight when he arrives in Toronto for the opener of his new team’s three-game series against the Blue Jays.
From Joe: The decision has not been made as of gametime Friday night – the radio announcers said he is not here yet, but is on the way.

The Texas Rangers announced today that lefthanded pitcher Corey Lee has been recalled from Oklahoma of the Pacific Coast Lee. Lee will be in uniform for tonight’s game with New York (#37) and will be making his major league debut.
To make room for Lee, righthanded pitcher Danny Patterson has been optioned to Oklahoma.
Lee, 24, has won both of his starts since being promoted to Oklahoma on August 12 with a 1.29 earned run average. He spent the majority of the season at Tulsa, going 8-5, 4.44 in 22 starts and still ranks 5th in the Texas League in strikeouts with 121 in 127.2 innings. Lee was selected by Texas in the 1st round of the June, 1996 draft and is 36-23 in his 4 pro seasons. His last outing was a win versus Las Vegas on August 19 (8 ip, 8 h, 2 r-er, 2 bb, 9 so).
Patterson is 2-0 with a 5.44 era in 43 relief appearances this season. He allowed 5 runs and 5 hits in one inning of work in Monday’s 21-3 loss to New York.

NEW YORK (TICKER) — Texas Rangers first baseman Rafael Palmeiro, who had seven homers in as many games and drove in 17 runs, today was named American League Player of the Week for the period ending Sunday.
Palmeiro batted .458 (11-for-24) during the week and led the league with a 1.375 slugging percentage.
The four-time All-Star belted his 349th and 350th career homers on Saturday in a 9-2 win over Boston. He hit his 37th home run of the year on Sunday, tying the club mark for a left-handed hitter.
Baltimore’s Jeff Conine, Seattle designated hitter Edgar Martinez and Tampa Bay pitcher Rolando Arrojo were also considered for the award.