Here is some news on the internet about M. R. and his recent debut with the Texas Rangers:

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) Carl Everett hit a three-run homer, Mark Teixeira had three RBIs and Mario Ramos earned his first major league victory as the Texas Rangers halted an eight-game losing streak by holding off the Oakland Athletics 7-6 Tuesday night.
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Ramos (1-1) allowed two runs and four hits in six innings to slow the streaking A's, who had won nine of 10.
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Ramos beat Oakland's top winner, Mark Mulder (10-5), who dropped to 8-5 lifetime against the Rangers.

Ramos Sharp as Rangers hold on (great article)
ARLINGTON -- Mario Ramos stood at his locker with a shaving cream pie dripping off his face, and felt great about it.

"Getting a pie in the face probably means that I did something good," Ramos said. "You're probably not going to get a pie in the face if you give up nine runs."

He's right. Unless your name is Moe, Larry or Curly.

So the Rangers can thank Ramos for his part in their 7-6 win against the A's on Tuesday, a victory that snapped an eight-game losing streak and served as a temporary diversion against the Juan Gonzalez trade talks that consumed the afternoon.

For his part, Gonzalez is staying for now. His agent said the player vetoed a trade to the Montreal Expos.

Ramos (1-1) could be staying as well, only for completely different reasons. The rookie's performance on Tuesday might have earned him another start.

"I think (adjusting) is something that can't really happen until you go through pitching at this level," Ramos said. "I'm still trying to navigate my way through those feelings."

The left-hander allowed four hits and two runs in six solid innings for his first Major League victory. He walked two batters and struck out three, logging 97 pitches.

"Hopefully, we can look back on this down the road," Rangers manager Buck Showalter said. "It's only good if you learn from it."

Ramos ran into trouble early in the game, but retired his final nine batters after allowing a home run to Eric Chavez in the fourth.

"I just wanted the Texas Rangers to win tonight," Ramos said. "I had some family in town tonight and I wanted to make it special for them."

But Ramos did not hide the fact that the victory came against Oakland, the team that traded him away before the 2002 season, made the night even more special. He lost his first attempt at a victory in his Major League debut against the A's last week.

"I really didn't have any room to think about it last time," Ramos said. "But in a way, it's gratifying in itself."
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Jun 23 Ramos has been recalled from Triple-A Oklahoma by the Texas Rangers. The lefthander, who takes the roster spot of the demoted R.A. Dickey, is 6-6 with a 3.13 ERA in 14 starts between Double-A Frisco and Oklahoma in 2003. Ramos is scheduled to start Thursday's game against the Oakland A's.

2002 Prospect Report
Mario Ramos -- LHP -- Middle of the Rotation Starter: With a record of 30-9 over his first two minor league seasons, Ramos has emerged as among the top lefthanded pitching prospects in baseball and was a key component to the prospect-filled deal with the Athletics over the off season.

The 24-year-old Ramos led the A's system with 16 victories and a 3.10 ERA while conquering the two highest levels in the minor leagues last season.

Ramos, who went 14-5 between Class A and AA in 2000, began by going 8-1 in 15 starts in the Class AA Texas League. Ramos was moved to Class AAA at the end of June and won seven of his first eight decisions there. He tossed a two-hit shutout on July 17 and matched a season-high with 11 strikeouts over eight innings of one-hit, scoreless ball on August 23.

A sixth-round pick in the 1999 draft after helping Rice University to the College World Series, the 5-11 Ramos is a heady pitcher with great control and a solid curveball. Though his fastball only hits as high as the upper 80's, he does a great job of keeping hitters off balance with an exceptional changeup.

KFTY Santa Rosa
Arlington, TX (Sports Network) - Mario Ramos pitched six solid innings for his first major league win, as the Texas Rangers held off a furious Oakland rally to earn a 7-6 victory over the Athletics in the second of a four-game series at the Ballpark.

Jamey Newberg's Texas Rangers Minor Leagure Report (perhaps worth checking back on)
The Newberg Report -- June 25, 2003
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I want to talk eventually about what Mario Ramos did last night, but it will have to wait for the next report. Encouraging work.
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The Scaramento Bee (Another great article)

OAKLAND - Mario Ramos has been looking forward to today since he signed with the A's as a sixth-round draft pick in 1999. It just hasn't worked out the way he expected.

Ramos, a former Oakland prospect who starred with the River Cats in 2001, will make his major- league debut for the Texas Rangers today - against Mark Mulder and the A's. A year ago, he would have been among those betting he'd never make it.

"He's had a tough time of it," Rangers manager Buck Showalter said. "It's been a tough pill for him. But he's a tough little hombre. I'm glad we can reward him."

In Sacramento, the 5-foot-9 Ramos posted an 8-3 record and a 3.14 ERA. A's first-base coach Bob Geren, who was the Cats' manager at the time, marveled at the 180-pound left-hander.

"He could throw it by people that guys with more velocity couldn't," Geren said.

During the winter, however, Ramos was packaged with three other minor-leaguers and shipped to Texas for Carlos Pena and Mike Venafro. The Rangers hoped the native Texan would flourish.

Instead, he struggled from Opening Day. And "struggled" is being kind.

A former star at Rice, Ramos went 3-8 for the Triple-A Oklahoma RedHawks. After 19 starts, he was demoted to the bullpen, and when the final tally was taken, opponents had batted a lusty .321 against him, sending Ramos home with a 7.40 ERA.

"He was pitching very well when he left us," Geren said. "But when we went to Oklahoma City (in '02), he wasn't the same pitcher. He'd skated through the minors to that point without hitting a bump in the road.

"But everybody hits a bump at some point. It's how you handle it that decides whether a guy's going to make it or not."

Rangers assistant general manager Grady Fuson, who had been the A's scouting chief, said Ramos was "devastated" by the trade and as the struggle got worse he "completely lost his confidence."

Back at Double-A this spring, Ramos posted a 3.32 ERA in 13 starts. And though he lost his one Triple-A start, he pitched well enough - five hits in eight innings in a 2-0 loss to Nashville - to earn his assignment today.

"He never wallowed in it," Showalter said. "He never felt sorry for himself. He just went back and did what he had to do to get here."

Because he won't be officially added to the roster until today, Ramos was forbidden from being at the park and had to watch Wednesday night's game from the Rangers' San Francisco hotel.

Fantasy Baseball Realm
SP-Mario Ramos(25) Brought over in exchange for ultra-hyped Carlos Pena, Ramos was supposed to contend for a rotation spot after the break but instead endured a horrific season at Oklahoma in which he lost command of his pitches, primarily his fastball.

Fantasy Baseball Headquarters
Season Prognosis: Ramos does not throw very hard; his fastball tops out at 88 MPH. He has great control, however, and is very smart on the mound. He will contend for a spot in Oakland's starting rotation this spring.

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