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ARLINGTON, Texas -- Closer Addison Reed said he was trying to pitch A.J. Pierzynski inside, but he was not trying to intentionally hit his former Chicago White Sox teammate known for outspoken ways.

"I was trying to throw inside and it happened to hit him," said Reed, who worked a scoreless ninth for his ninth save. "Was I trying to hit him? Absolutely not."

Reed said he enjoyed throwing to Pierzynski when he was the White Sox catcher.

"I grew up a Sox fan rooting for him," Reed said. "I have nothing at all against him."

Pierzynski, signed by the Texas Rangers in the offseason, was used as a pinch hitter with two outs and nobody on in the ninth with the White Sox leading 5-2. Reed’s pitch hit Pierzynski in the elbow.

With a three-run lead against the powerful Rangers lineup, White Sox manager Robin Ventura explained, "We’re not trying to put anybody on base."

"You saw what happened," he said. "Thirty seconds later, they had the tying run at the plate. There was no message sent."

Reed said there was no conversation between himself and Pierzynski after the incident.

"I didn’t hear anything," Reed said. "I had other things on my mind."

In the Rangers clubhouse, Pierzynski said he wasn’t aware of any problems with Reed.

"Not that I know of," Pierzynski said. "I always got along fine with him."

Ian Kinsler singled after Pierzynski was hit. But Reed struck out Elvis Andrus, representing the tying run, with two on to complete his ninth save of the season. Reed has converted 15 straight save opportunities dating back to the 2012 season.

Together with Jesse Crain and Matt Thornton, the White Sox bullpen did not allow a run. Coming into the game, the bullpen had been tagged for a 7.43 ERA and an 0-4 record over the preceding eight games.

ARLINGTON, Texas -- Chicago White Sox centerfielder Jordan Danks was scratched two hours before the series opener against the Texas Rangers due to a bursa sac inflammation behind the right knee.

Dewayne Wise will spell Danks, a native Texan, in centerfield and bat ninth.

White Sox manager Robin Ventura said Danks’ injury wasn’t serious.

“It was one of those decisions that we’d rather have him available off the bench than start him and have to take him out after a couple of innings,’’ the manager said.

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CHICAGO -- Four weeks into the regular season with a brand new team and already things seem to be as normal as they can be on Planet Pierzynski.

Former Chicago White Sox catcher A.J. Pierzynski has been getting along swimmingly with his new Texas Rangers teammates. He nearly caught a perfect game during the first week of the season, he's already been back to Chicago in a series against the Cubs and recently had the occasion to torment the Los Angeles Angels yet again with a go-ahead home run in the ninth inning.

Next comes the most awkward stage, when he plays against the White Sox in a three-game series that begins Tuesday in Arlington, Texas.

White Sox pitcher John Danks seemed to regret the fact that he won't be there as he heads out to Birmingham, Ala., on a minor-league rehab assignment this week. But the injured pitcher and native Texan already got a chance to check out his former teammate play in person.

"I saw him the opening night when they were playing in Houston," Danks said. "It was weird seeing him back there. Obviously we all know A.J. and how good of a player he was. It was fun to watch him, and kinda weird to not see him in a White Sox uniform."

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New Texas Rangers catcher A.J. Pierzynski nearly caught his second perfect game in one calendar year, but fell one out short Tuesday.

Rangers pitcher Yu Darvish retired 26 consecutive batters before giving up a single to the Houston Astros' Marwin Gonzalez with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning. The Rangers ended up with an easy 7-0 victory.

Pierzynski was also behind the plate on April 21 of last year with the Chicago White Sox when Philip Humber was perfect against the Seattle Mariners.

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GLENDALE, Ariz. -- A.J. Pierzynski paid a visit to Chicago White Sox spring training camp Sunday, but he wasn’t there to play baseball or ask for his old job back.

Pierzynski, who is now a member of the Texas Rangers, was on the White Sox’s side of the Camelback Ranch facility to do a photo shoot. Pierzynski said he did not have a say in the location of the shoot.

His presence came after the White Sox’s daily workout when most players had already left the facility. The veteran catcher did say his hellos to whatever White Sox staff members were still on hand, but he did not enter the building.

Pierzynski, who had wondered on his first day in Rangers camp how long it would take to get a rapport with an entirely new set of players, complimented his new teammates Sunday by saying the transition has been quick. He also had high praise for former White Sox pitcher Neal Cotts, who is in camp with the Rangers. Cotts hasn’t pitched in the major leagues since 2009.

Another sign that Pierzynski is fitting in quickly is that he already knows the first and last names of the Rangers beat reporters. At the very least it shows that being a professional agitator doesn’t mean you also have to be self-absorbed.

SURPRISE, Ariz. -- Not even in full uniform yet, A.J. Pierzynski still looked odd with a royal blue and red Texas Rangers logo plastered across the front of his brand-new T-shirt.

A new day has dawned as Pierzynski reported to spring training Tuesday in Surprise instead of Glendale, surrounded by new teammates he hopes to get to know as soon as possible.

"Obviously, when I signed here, it was bittersweet because I had been someplace for a long time, but knowing Texas wanted me from day one, that was nice," Pierzynski said. "But until you walk into a new clubhouse, it's a big step and a big difference.

"But it's nice to look up and see a couple people I know -- Neal Cotts and Jason Frasor and some other familiar faces. It helps a little, but it's always a little awkward walking into a place after you've been someplace for so long. You kind of get lost trying to figure out where everything is, but that's part of it. I'll learn fast and go from there."

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Doug Padilla previews the White Sox by position in the days leading up to pitchers and catchers reporting for spring training on Tuesday.

The A.J. Pierzynski departure has become somewhat of a hot button issue around the Chicago White Sox front offices so much so that his name is even mentioned even when nobody is asking.

Take a packed seminar at SoxFest last month when a fan approached the microphone to ask a question of a panel that included manager Robin Ventura and general manager Rick Hahn. Before the fan even asked his question he apologized just in case it wouldn't be received well.

Without hesitation, Hahn asked if the question might have something to do with a certain veteran catcher who is now property of the Texas Rangers.

The beauty of the situation is that the question had nothing to do with Pierzynski at all. But that is how it has been for the White Sox, whose fan base has wondered aloud why a fan favorite, in-your-face, gritty leader was seemingly sent on his way so easily.

All winter long the White Sox have been explaining the move. Even before Pierzynski signed elsewhere the White Sox were saying they continued to respect the effort he gave and were grateful of his time in a White Sox uniform.

Also, the move to part ways was done in part to help other areas of the roster. One way to evaluate Pierzynski's one-year, $7.5 million deal with the Rangers is to look at how the White Sox spread that savings around.

In the upcoming season, the White Sox will pay Jeff Keppinger $3.5 million to play third base and hard-throwing reliever Matt Lindstrom $2.3 million to provide support in the late innings. Add in the salary of club-controlled Tyler Flowers and the trio will still make less than the 36-year-old Pierzynski will take home.

Tyler Flowers: The difficulty of replacing Pierzynski is not lost on Flowers, who still might be a little naïve in thinking all fans will simply judge him on his own merits. Flowers has already pointed out that his batting average and strikeout totals won't match Pierzynski's but that doesn't mean he won't be pulling his weight. The White Sox are completely confident in Flowers' ability to call a game and his ability to handle the running game will no doubt be better than what his predecessor showed. The idea is that with a full season of at-bats, Flowers can also show the kind of offensive production that was expected of him when he was acquired from the Atlanta Braves after the 2008 season.

Hector Gimenez: Despite playing in just 11 career major league games with three different teams, the White Sox are ready to give the backup catching job to Gimenez. The team is comfortable with the 30-year-old's ability to call a game and like that his ability to switch hit gives Ventura a left-handed bat when Flowers needs a rest. Giminez has shown offensive prowess, delivering a .305 batting average and a .916 OPS at the Double-A level in 2010, but producing in a part-time role will be an entirely new challenge.

Josh Phegley: After getting past a condition that caused excessive bruising and the potential for an increased risk of severe bleeding, the former 38th overall pick in the 2009 draft appears to be back on track. It seems, though, that the White Sox would rather have him continue his development with another full season of playing time at Triple-A Charlotte, unless an injury at the big-league level changes those plans.

CHICAGO -- Peppered with questions all weekend about team icon he is replacing, new Chicago White Sox starting catcher Tyler Flowers turned to a familiar face and had just one request: “Don’t ask about A.J.”

He knew the request to not hear about A.J. Pierzynski was futile and he is actually acutely aware that the questions will likely never go away until he is able to settle in and become a productive White Sox catcher.

But even that knowledge can’t seem to prevent what appears to be an edge about Flowers. He has long grown tired of the waiting and just wants his opportunity to arrive already.

“I’m not lacking confidence,” Flowers said. “I think that’s one of the biggest things in this game. I’m not arrogant by any means so hopefully it doesn’t sound that way, but I am extremely confident I can handle the job. I’m a good catcher and I deserve to be here.”

But his confidence has been shaken at times. He was in line to take over the White Sox’s starting catcher job in 2011, but he hadn’t shown enough progress in the minor leagues and the White Sox re-signed Pierzynski for two more years.

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The best seminar at the Chicago White Sox winter fan fest has always been The GM and manager’s Q&A session with the fan base. Although, gone are the feisty Kenny Williams and Ozzie Guillen, who would challenge unruly fans who chastised their moves.

New GM Rick Hahn had to deal with the toughest question last on Friday.

“I want a one-word answer. Do you think you will do a better or worse job than the last guy in that chair?” Williams asked Hahn as he grabbed the microphone in the audience while the crowd broke out in laughter.

“That’s not a fair (question). He had a better support staff,” Hahn, Williams’ former assistant GM, ad libbed.

Williams, now a senior Vice President, seemed to enjoy watching Hahn and Manager Robin Ventura answer the tough questions.

“Why didn’t we bring back A.J. Pierzynski?” barked one fan. “What are we going to do about a left-hand hitter?” asked another. Hahn and Ventura answered all the queries with respect and a good sense of humor.

The session lasted a hour and was hosted by venerable broadcast legend Hawk Harrelson, who put Hahn on the spot from the beginning of the seminar. “ I think the general manager’s job is the worst job in baseball. I speak from experience,” quipped Harrelson, who had a stormy and failed tenure as the Sox GM in 1986 that included firing Tony LaRussa.

Hahn did promise the fans that he, like Williams, would never sit back and rest on his laurels when it comes to improving the ballclub. Hahn had his toughest moment in response a question about Pierzynski signing a one-year $ 7.5 million contract with Texas.

“I’m surprised to hear an A.J. question,” Hahn said tongue-in-cheek. “I’ll try to answer it. Let me start this by saying A.J. was fantastic for us. Year in and year out he was there for us as a tremendous representative of this organization. It’s never fun to say goodbye to someone you have that much respect for . It was not a decision that we took the least bit lightly.

“We felt we had some other pressing needs than at catcher. We used some of the cash we had at our disposal to resign Jake (Peavy) to a deal that made sense for both sides. We brought in a guy like (Jeff) Keppinger ,who fits a lot of what we want to do offensively.We were able to sign Matt Lindstom today who fits into the back end of our bullpen. Had we not done these moves we felt we would not be strong enough to win.”

CHICAGO -- A.J. Pierzynski might be gone now, but there is a good chance he one day will be as visible around U.S. Cellular Field as much any player that ever put on a Chicago White Sox uniform.

Sizing up the chances that Pierzynski one day receives a statue on the outfield concourse, the veteran could actually find himself frozen in time inside the ballpark. That honor would go along with his dominating presence in front of Gate 4 atop the 2005 World Series sculpture.

A high-ranking White Sox official, who was contacted about Pierzynski's chances of possibly receiving a statue, didn't say one is in the works at the moment, but didn't deny that it could eventually happen either.

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CHICAGO -- As A.J. Pierzynski completes his own move out of town, he is trying to avoid the same fate as former Chicago White Sox teammate Mark Buehrle.

Buehrle said this past year that he lost a bundle of cash when he sold his suburban Chicago home for far less than he paid for it. Buehrle left after signing a new deal with the Miami Marlins and has since been dealt to the Toronto Blue Jays.

After signing with the Texas Rangers this offseason, Pierzynski listed his Lincoln Park home on the open market. Reports say that Pierzynski purchased the three-story home near DePaul University for $1.625 million in 2006.

He is now asking $1.75 million for the home, which can be purchased fully furnished. The Victorian house is said to have been recently refurbished.

The listing would confirm that Pierzynski won't follow the lead of another former White Sox catcher. Sandy Alomar Jr. also moved from the White Sox to the Rangers in 2004, but he kept his Bucktown residence, where he continues to live full time. Alomar actually had three separate stints with the White Sox.

Chicago White Sox chairman Jerry Reinsdorf expressed his love and appreciation for the departed A.J. Pierzynski in the form of a released statement from the team.

Reinsdorf, who only releases farewell statements to the club’s most cherished players, recalled specific moments from Pierzynski’s White Sox career, as well as what his tenure meant to the organization. The veteran catcher is now headed to Texas after signing a one-year, $7.5 million contract with the Rangers.

The complete text of Reinsdorf’s statement:

“A.J. Pierzynski played a major role in many of the greatest moments in recent Chicago White Sox history. From reaching first base in Game 2 of the 2005 American League Championship Series, to his double in Game 3 of the World Series in Houston, to his performance behind the plate during the 2008 “Blackout Game” division-winning 1-0 victory, A.J. was a key contributor, often in his own very unique way.

“Every White Sox fan appreciates and celebrates what A.J. meant to this organization during his time in Chicago. A.J. epitomized Chicago’s South Side through his toughness, his attitude, his flair for the dramatic and his passion for the game. He came to compete – and to win – every day.

“A.J. will forever be appreciated and remembered by White Sox fans as a very special member of this franchise. He earned that spot in our hearts. I personally wish A.J. the very best with the Rangers and with the rest of his career. I suspect U.S. Cellular Field will be one ballpark where A.J. Pierzynski will never be booed. He’s earned our cheers.”

White Sox fans will have to wait to express their appreciation to Pierzynski. The White Sox and Rangers don’t play each other at U.S. Cellular Field until a three-game series Aug. 23-25. The two teams play each other for the first time April 30-May 2 in a three-game series at Texas.

A.J. Pierzynski officially signed his one-year contract with the Rangers and claims he no longer is frustrated about not being selected to last year's All-Star team by Texas manager Ron Washington.

The deal is worth $7.5 million, sources told ESPNDallas.com.

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That pitching staff the Chicago White Sox's front office believes will expertly guide itself through some impressive opposing lineups will now be placed in the hands of the least experienced catching corps in the American League.

With A.J. Pierzynski's departure now official, the White Sox become the only AL team without one catcher on its projected Opening Day roster to have at least two years of major-league service time. Pierzynski agreed to a one-year, $7.5 million deal with the Texas Rangers on Thursday.

After the White Sox, the next youngest group of catchers in the AL belongs to the Kansas City Royals, Toronto Blue Jays, Houston Astros and New York Yankees.

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Free-agent catcher A.J. Pierzynski has agreed to terms with the Texas Rangers on a one-year deal, pending a physical, according to multiple reports. The physical is expected to occur on Friday.

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