More good stuff from Rangers mailbag regular Joe in Weatherford, who has seen the same thing many in the Rangers organization have seen in the last month or so.

The Rangers are playing to the level of their competition, beating the good teams and struggling against the also-rans. The numbers don't lie: a 17-7 record since July 1 against teams above .500 and a 6-7 record against the others.

"Why, oh, why can't the Rangers beat the lowly teams like Oakland and Kansas City?" Joe asked. "They beat Boston, goodie. They beat the Angels, goodie. But why, oh, why can't they beat the lowly teams?"

That's something Josh Hamilton wondered aloud after the Rangers beat the Los Angeles Angels on Sunday. The Rangers are 9-3 against the Angels this season and 5-1 against the Red Sox, who come to town this weekend.

Hamilton said the Rangers raise their level of play against good teams and need to figure out how to do that against everyone else.

That's a message manager Ron Washington tried to relay to the club during a game at Oakland to start a 10-game road trip last week. The A's won the first three games on nights when the Angels and Red Sox were either idle or both lost.

Maybe winning twice in Cleveland shows that the Rangers acted on their manager's message. The timing would be right, with 20 games crammed into the next 20 days.

Nine of those are against Boston, New York and Tampa Bay – three really good teams. The rest are against Minnesota and Toronto, who losing records but are 3-6 against the Rangers.

Q: With the Rangers in borderline contention for the AL West or the AL wild card, what is the most important need for the team to win one or the other? And what factors may preclude that need from being fulfilled?

Ed, Fort Worth

WILSON: The Rangers are more than borderline contenders. They are second in the West and second in the wild card. The teams they are chasing have the edge in experience, but the Rangers' offense can trump that if Ian Kinsler can start getting on base more after returning from the disabled list.

It seems apparent that Josh Hamilton's bat is warming up, so much so that he could move back to the third spot in the order. Put Kinsler and Michael Young on base ahead of him, and Hamilton will have a chance to produce over the final six weeks like he did at times last season.

Q: I love and respect ballplayers who lead by example with their dedication, leadership and hard play like Marlon Byrd. He is a glue guy who I think is indispensible. With Julio Borbon coming up next year and a current overcrowding in the outfield, what are the Rangers' plans for Byrd? He is a leader in so many ways, and it would be sad to see him go.

Andy, Aubrey

WILSON: Well said. Byrd is the team leader in postgame ice packs and among the leaders in pregame limps. But once it's time to start working, he's always on the field. His voice is among the loudest, if not the loudest, in the clubhouse. The young players should learn as much as they can from Byrd while he's around.

It looks like he won't be around next season. He has proved yet again that he's an everyday player, and the guess here is that he wants a multi-year contract. The Rangers probably won't want to go that route, though there is interest in retaining him.

Q: Let's say Kevin Millwood doesn't vest his contract for next year. What would be the starting rotation entering the 2010 season?

Kenn, Lubbock

WILSON: Millwood is 36 innings away from 180 innings pitched, at which point his 2010 contract for $12 million automatically kicks in. He should get there, despite missing two weeks with a sore gluteus muscle. But if he doesn't, here's one possible look for the rotation to start next season.

Ben Sheets, Scott Feldman, Derek Holland, Tommy Hunter and Matt Harrison.

Notice the key word – start. Neftali Feliz might need some games at Triple-A before he's ready to be a big league starter, and the Rangers' plan is for him to be a big league starter.

Can Brandon McCarthy or Dustin Nippert or even Millwood break into the rotation if Millwood doesn't reach 180 innings? Sure. Does Martin Perez have a shot? Some say yes, though probably not to start the season.

Get back to us in March.

Q: Assuming no one is injured and recent performances continue, it appears there will be quite a battle for a few rotation spots next season. My opinion – assuming Ben Sheets signs here – is the rotation should be Millwood, Sheets, Feldman, Holland and Hunter, with a bullpen of Frank Francisco, C.J. Wilson, Feliz, and Darren O'Day in the seventh and eighth, then Nippert, Doug Mathis and whatever left-hander the Rangers can pick up (or Harrison) to round out the bullpen. Do you agree?

Colin, Irving

WILSON: Works for me, though I'm not sure Harrison is a situational lefty. Maybe A.J. Murray, who is in Triple-A and has gotten big league hitters out before.

Again, get back to us in March.

Q: What is pitching coach Mike Maddux's contract situation?

Mike, Austin

The Rangers locked up Maddux with a two-year deal that includes a club option for 2011. He's paid fairly well for a pitching coach and has a daughter who will start classes at TCU in a few days. There aren't a ton of former pitchers who are big league managers, though it happens. He seems happy right where he is.

Q: It seems that Warner Madrigal, Moscoso and Mathis occupy the top three spots on the Rangers' speed dial when they need help. But where is Thomas Diamond in the pecking order? Diamond's overall numbers working out of Frisco's bullpen are OK. Could he get called up at some point this year? And if Diamond isn't brought up after the minor league season ends, do you think the Rangers will keep him on the 40-man roster after the season?

Aaron, Dallas

WILSON: I'm not sure he fit in the Rangers' plans in September. They don't need to be turning a game over during to playoff hunt to a pitcher who has never faced big-league hitters. But that doesn't mean the Rangers are down on Diamond.

He came back from Tommy John surgery last year and this year is making the adjustment to a new role. He can opt to be a free agent after this year, but why would he? That injury knocked him off path for a few years, and it appears as though he's betting back on track.

Q: Mitch Williams had a very interesting analysis of Feliz's delivery the other night on the MLB Network. He mentioned that Feliz does not get his leg high enough to get any downward motion, and that can sometimes cause his pitches to come in flat.

Are coaches doing anything to change his delivery? He is all arm and an injury waiting to happen in my opinion. Maybe he needs to "pick up the dollar" a la Tim Lincecum or get coaching from the Dominican Dandy, Juan Marichal,who had the best delivery I have ever seen. The kid has oodles of talent, but I find his mechanics very troublesome.

Kreg, San Diego

WILSON: It's easy to say that a young talent who throws 100 mph is headed toward a blowout, but his velocity is so effortless that it doesn't seem like he's taxing his shoulder or elbow too much.

Feliz is a work in progress. He's not a finished product, and now that Maddux has his hands on him full time, there could be some changes in Feliz's mechanics. He seems to have a high aptitude for making improvements. He is no where near the same pitcher the Rangers saw in spring training. They asked Feliz to make some improvements, and he did. Very encouraging.

Q: What does Taylor Teagarden have to do to become the starting catcher? He calls a better game, plays better defense and gives you better at-bats than Jarrod Saltalamacchia. Is he stuck as being the back-up for the rest of the season?

DB, Albuquerque

WILSON: The advantage Teagarden might have is in game-calling, but Saltalamacchia has improved so much since last season throwing and blocking that the difference between him and Teagarden is negligible. Offensively, Saltalamacchia provides the better at-bat. He sees more pitches per plate appearance and walks more than Teagarden.

So, yes, Teagarden is the backup for the rest of the season and will have to take the job from Saltalamacchia at spring training next year.

Q: A national media outlet reports that the Rangers have interest in acquiring John Smoltz, who has been extremely ineffective all year with Boston. Do you believe this reporter's rumor or did Smoltz's agent just stir up talk to keep his client in the news? Wouldn't Guillermo Moscoso be a much better decision, both for winning this year and developing another young pitcher for the future?

Mark, Huntington Beach, Calif.

WILSON: I think the report zeroed in on the Rangers in light of the decision to designate Vicente Padilla for assignment. There definitely wasn't going to be a trade Boston, because the Red Sox wouldn't want to aid the team chasing them in the wild-card race and because the Rangers wouldn't want to add that much salary. Now that Smoltz is a free agent, it might make more sense. But it just doesn't seem all that likely.

Q: I was actually very surprised at how vocal many Rangers were in commenting on Padilla's designation.While the Rangers haven't had of a lot of drama the way a lot of big-market teams do, I wondered what your thoughts on this were.

Michael, Texarkana

WILSON: Byrd was the most vocal player about the transaction, saying, "About time." He and Padilla were teammates in Philadelphia, so Byrd had seen the act before. But Byrd's feelings were almost unanimous around the clubhouse, and Padilla has said that's news to him. That could say something about how aloof or out of the team loop Padilla was.

Q: Less than one week to go until the signing deadline. What percentage chance do the Rangers have of signing each Matt Purke and Tanner Scheppers? Any fear that the extra time to sign Scheppers give him leverage in negotiations?

Will, Spring, and Bob, Plano

WILSON: Purke, 95 percent. Scheppers, 90 percent.

The Purke contract will get done by Monday. Not many first-round picks don't sign. The Rangers have until June to sign Scheppers, who no longer has any amateur eligibility and isn't affected by the Monday deadline. The Rangers want to get Scheppers in the fold, but there isn't the same sense of urgency. A second time through the draft going unsigned might really turn off teams next year, and so is this business about pitching in Japan.

Q: Is it time to designated Andruw Jones for assignment now that Borbon has been called up?

Steven, Decatur, Ga.

WILSON: Definitely not. Jones has something that only handful of players on the roster have: Playoff experience. No one has more than him, in fact, and that could be a big asset as the Rangers head into September in the playoff hunt.

Q: What are the rules surrounding the September call-ups? Does the entire 40-man roster get to be brought to the major-league team? Is there a limit on how long they get to stay? What's the general strategy a team uses to select these players?

In your opinion, what has been the coolest game promo item the Rangers ever distributed? For me, it's a gym bag from the late 80s. We still use it, but the recent Nolan Ryan statue ranks a close second.

Chip, Houston

WILSON: Any player on the 40-man roster is eligible to be added to the major-league club Sept. 1. So, the Rangers could have a 40-man bench, though that's a ridiculous notion. That's a lot of extra money the Rangers would have to be paying, plus some players don't need to be pushed any more than the minor-league season. Obviously, teams want players who can help and who are part of their future.

The chest-protector backpack a few weeks ago was fairly cool, at least to some kids. They probably won't feel that way when their friends start punching them in the chest.