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ARLINGTON, Texas – Any more questions about whether 37-year-old closer Joe Nathan can regain his pre-Tommy John surgery form?

Nathan was absolutely filthy during his Wednesday night save against the A’s. He fanned all three batters that he faced, complementing a fastball that was consistently in the mid-90s with outstanding breaking stuff.

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“It feels good to feel good,” said Nathan, who missed the entire 2010 season and part of 2011 after his surgery. “I haven’t been able to say that in a while. I felt good this spring, I felt good coming into this season, but I think when we were in Toronto and I went out for an appearance there, something really clicked. I felt my arm strength come back.”

Nathan hadn’t had a 1-2-3, strike-out-the-side save since April 21, 2007. Not coincidentally, he said that he hasn’t thrown this hard on a consistent basis since 2007.

“He’s back,” said manager Ron Washington, who joked that Nathan might have had a bionic part put in his arm during his operation. “He had tremendous stuff last night. He really did. Matter of fact, each time he’s been taking the ball since his first two games of the season, it’s been getting sharper and sharper and sharper.”

Nathan’s fastball had been humming along in the low ‘90s early in the season, when he admitted that he dealt with some shoulder soreness. He’s pain free now and feeling like the guy who was a four-time All-Star before his elbow problems.

“Does it surprise me? No,” said Nathan, who has converted eight of nine save opportunities. “That’s why I’ve put so much work in, to get back to this. It’s not surprising. I’m happy. I’m very happy that it’s back. Velocity is not the most important thing out there. Location is, but it definitely doesn’t hurt to have a lot more velocity because you can get away with mistakes.”

Nathan still has to prove he can be effective on consecutive days. He has allowed four earned runs in five innings pitching with no rest, compared to one earned run in 10 2/3 innings with at least one day of rest.

ARLINGTON, Texas – Five scoreless frames is about all you can ask for when you bring a spot starter out of the bullpen.

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Scott Feldman was inches away – twice – from pulling off that feat.

“It was almost a great outing,” Feldman said after the Rangers’ 3-1 loss to the Royals. “I battled through some bad command and was able to get guys to hit balls right at our guys for the most part. Just one pitch away there from getting out of it.”

The outing was spoiled by a couple of unearned runs Feldman gave up with two outs in the fifth. Adrian Beltre’s throwing error left the door cracked, and a diving Craig Gentry couldn’t keep Alcides Escobar’s line drive from falling in shallow center field for a two run single.

Instead of leaving with a chance at a win, Feldman took the loss with a line of the two unearned runs allowed on three hits and one walk in 4 2/3 innings.

“He’s a legitimate big league starter,” Michael Young said of Feldman, who went 17-8 in 2008. “We’ve always viewed him that way. He did a good job tonight. It would have been nice to get him a couple of runs early, but we didn’t do it. He’s a great teammate. Any time he’s got the ball in his hands, we feel like he’s going to throw up some zeroes.”

A few more leftovers from last night’s loss:

*Feldman’s outing was only the third time a Rangers starter failed to last at least five innings this season. The others were Feldman’s spot start April 25 against the Yankees and Matt Harrison’s poor performance May 2 against the Blue Jays.

*The Rangers failed to score more than one runs for the first time in 30 games, ending the majors’ longest streak of multi-run games. The only other time they’ve been limited to one run this season was April 10 against the Mariners. Texas failed to get a hit with runners in scoring position for the first time this season, making them the last club to go hitless with RISP this season.

*Josh Hamilton (1-for-3 with a walk) extended his hitting streak to 14 games with a single to left field in the third inning. Boston’s Dustin Pedroia went 0-for-3 to snap his 14-game hitting streak, so Hamilton now owns the longest active streak in the majors.

ARLINGTON, Texas -- It's always alarming to see athletic trainer Jamie Reed and manager Ron Washington rush out to the mound to check on a pitcher after a strikeout.

In Mike Adams' case, it wasn't anything serious.

"I've been sick and couldn't catch by breath," Adams said. "I just got a little fatigued."

After he caught his breath, Adams convinced Reed and Washington that he was fine to stay in the game. He finished a perfect eighth inning.

BALTIMORE -- Texas Rangers clubhouse manager Richard "Hoggy" Price got the fastest clubhouse attendant he could find -- 19-year-old Mike Apicella -- and put a blue jersey with Robbie Ross' name on it in his hands and told him to "stop for no one" as he sprinted to the bullpen.

The reason for the rush was that Ross had a rookie moment Thursday, warming up during the eighth inning with a gray jersey on. The only problem? The Rangers were wearing blue tops for Game 2 of the doubleheader. They wore gray for the first game.

"After the first game, I came in here and ate and left my sweatshirt on," Ross said from the clubhouse following the game. "I ran out to the field. So when they told me to get up and get ready, I was still wearing the gray jersey. I was like, 'Oh my gosh.' Actually, I looked up and (Scott) Feldman and (Mark) Lowe are looking at me. They told me to calm down and throw the ball and they'd get me a jersey."

Ross took some ribbing from teammates for the mistake, as you can imagine. But he stopped at one point during his warmups and put the blue jersey on. Turns out, he wasn't needed to go into the game.

"If I have to wear the wrong jersey for us to get a 'W,' that's fine with me," Ross said.

Ross said he isn't sure what to expect in terms of a Kangaroo Court fine, but something is bound to be coming on that front. Ross is already in charge of the pink backpack full of items the relievers may need during their time in the bullpen during games. He has to wear a cowboy outfit complete with stuffed pony to the bullpen before each game, too. Ross does a good job of taking it all in stride.

But he'll be sure and wear the correct jersey from now on.

ARLINGTON, Texas -- Texas Rangers reliever and Dallas Cowboys season-ticket holder Mike Adams was pleased that the Cowboys made a bold move in the first round, trading up to get LSU cornerback Morris Claiborne on Thursday.

The Rangers were off, giving many members of the team a chance to relax with their families and maybe even catch part of the draft. Adams, who has a Cowboys helmet in his locker at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington, was glad that Dallas shored up the cornerback position.

"I was happy with it," Adams said. "I thought it was good. I really do. We had problems there last year and it wasn't too much to give up for that. I think the secondary was something they had to address."

Adams has a list of positions he wants the Cowboys to try to fill in the later rounds of the draft.

"They need to get another offensive lineman and maybe even running back depth," Adams said. "But I think the offensive line is another need."

ARLINGTON, Texas -- Joe Nathan needed just one pitch -- a two-seamer -- to get Raul Ibanez to ground into a double play to end Tuesday's game and give Yu Darvish a much-deserved victory.

Of course, Nathan had thrown plenty of warmup pitches before coming into Tuesday's game. But it's the quickest save of his career. He did have a one-pitch out in relief in 2003, but it was in setup. His fewest-pitched save prior to Tuesday was Sept. 13, 2004 at Detroit when he needed three pitches to get the final out. Last night, of course, he got two outs with one pitch.

"For me, it was making sure I go out and pull out a win for [Darvish]," Nathan said. "For him to walk away and not have a 'W' next to his name would have been a shame for sure.

ARLINGTON, Texas -- Texas Rangers right-handed pitcher Neftali Feliz will not make a start this weekend against the Tampa Bay Rays.

Instead, Feliz will be available to pitch after Scott Feldman tonight and would then start Tuesday in Toronto. The move gives the club a chance to get Feliz some additional time off and monitor his innings.

Chalk it up to a learning experience for the Rangers after dealing with Alexi Ogando last season. Ogando was making the transition from reliever to starter -- just like Feliz is this season -- and he pitched every fifth time through the rotation. He was an All-Star starter, but in logging more innings than he had before in his career, he ran out of gas in the second half and ended up as a key bullpen piece in the postseason.

This is a smart move by Texas, knowing that Feliz won't be able to go through a full season like a normal starter after pitching as the closer the past few years. Give him time now, knowing it will help him later.

"We can either take the opportunity to do it now or do it on the back end," Washington said. "We didn't really have a plan in for Ogando. But we learned from that."

The decision alters the rotation, putting Yu Darvish on the mound Monday in Toronto. Here's how it lines up:

• Friday: Matt Harrison
• Saturday: Colby Lewis
• Sunday: Derek Holland
• Monday: Yu Darvish
• Tuesday: Neftali Feliz
• Wednesday: Matt Harrison

Read more here.

ARLINGTON, Texas -- You’ll never see a more efficient save.

“One pitch, double play, game over,” Rangers manager Ron Washington said, describing how closer Joe Nathan got the job done after relieving Yu Darvish with one out and Raul Ibanez representing the tying run at the plate.

It was the 266th save of Nathan’s career, but the first one-and-done one he could recall. All Nathan needed to do to record his fifth save as a Ranger was fire one 93-mph fastball at the knees, turn around and watch a routine 4-6-3 double play.

“You’re always thinking in those situations to try to get a ground ball,” Nathan said. “Really, just make a pitch and hopefully keep it on the ground. Sometimes it happens, sometimes it doesn’t. Obviously I’m not thinking, let’s get one on the first pitch. I’m just trying to make a pitch and hopefully get a ground ball.”

There were plenty of nerves about Nathan after the 37-year-old lost two games in the season’s first week, although if there was any concern within the clubhouse, it was certainly kept quiet. Nathan has justified that confidence since blowing a save against the Seattle Mariners on April 11, when he allowed three runs on four hits in one inning.

Nathan has allowed only one run (unearned) on four hits and one walk in his last six outings.

“I feel good about my work ethic and what I’m trying to accomplish out there,” Nathan said. “I’m trying to keep my focus on locating pitches and trying to mix up pitches.”

And he should feel fresh after his one-pitch save, ready to go again if the need arises in the series finale against the Yankees.

ARLINGTON, Texas -- The Rangers have the luxury of bringing a former 17-game winner out of the bullpen to make a spot start.

After strongly hinting for several days that Scott Feldman would start Wednesday against the Yankees, manager Ron Washington made it official.

Feldman hasn’t gotten much work as the long man in the Rangers’ bullpen, throwing 2 1/3 scoreless innings in two outings so far this season. He has a 29-28 record and 4.69 ERA in his career as a starter, including going 17-8 with a 4.08 ERA in 2009. Feldman made two spot starts late last season, going 1-1 with a 3.27 ERA in 11 innings.

“I just want him to give us what he has,” Washington said. “Hopefully he can give us four or five innings and then we can get something out of the bullpen.”

While Feldman is Wednesday’s scheduled starter, Washington didn’t rule out using the 29-year-old righty tonight if the need arises. If that happens, lefty rookie Robbie Ross will start Wednesday and the Rangers will use most of the bullpen to get through the game.

Some other notes:

*Mitch Moreland is back in the lineup at first base after being used as a pinch hitter the last two games, when the Rangers faced left-handed starters. Moreland has struggled all season, hitting .152 with one homer and four RBIs in 33 at-bats.

“Just caught in between now, not having any luck either,” Washington said of Moreland’s problems at the plate. “I’m hoping we can get him four or five days in a row with right-handers out there and he can get it ironed out.”

Washington acknowledged that Moreland, who has a career .230 average against lefties 139 at-bats, with only one home run, will probably be a platoon player for the foreseeable future.

“I’m trying to get the best lineup out there according to who we’re facing,” Washington said. “That’s not to say you won’t see him out there against lefties, but I can’t tell you when that will be.”

*The Rangers’ rotation will resume its regular order after Thursday’s day off, Washington said. Matt Harrison, Neftali Feliz and Colby Lewis will start the in the three-game home series against Tampa Bay. … Mike Napoli will catch Yu Darvish for the third time after playing first base in the Japanese phenom’s previous start. Napoli sported a “Yu Is My Homeboy” T-shirt in the clubhouse before the game.

ARLINGTON, Texas -- The Rangers suffered their fourth loss of the season Monday at the hands of the New York Yankees, but the pitching staff was able to preserve the main cogs in the bullpen despite the lopsided 7-4 final.

Some credit goes to starter Derek Holland mustering one final inning of work in the sixth. Rangers manager Ron Washington said Andruw Jones was originally going to be Holland’s last batter of the game in the fifth, but the 25-year-old lefty got Jones to a pop out to left, so Washington gave Holland one more inning of work.

What ultimately saved the bullpen for the remainder of the three-game series was stellar outings from lesser-used relievers Mark Lowe and Koji Uehara.

Lowe made his entrance in the top of the seventh and proceeded to strike out three in two perfect innings.

“I had everything,” Lowe said. “It was one of those days that everything was working and it was fun to pitch.”

Lowe’s last outing came almost a week earlier in the Rangers' 18-3 rout of Boston. Lowe, who has a 0.00 ERA through four innings pitched this season, has been working hard in the bullpen between appearances and focused on remaining mentally prepared to be called into action.

Lowe’s role Monday night was not lost on him, having been on the opposite side of a quality effort to save bullpen arms.

“I’ve been on the flip side of it where guys have saved me so I didn’t have to pitch and you have your best arms late in a close ball game,” Lowe said. “You have to tip your cap to those guys because they keep you fresh and give you a chance to get a day off.”

Uehara made quick work of the Yankees in the ninth, striking out Derek Jeter and Nick Swisher, and impressed Washington with the control of his splitter.

“It was good for [Uehara] and good for his confidence and good for both of us,” Lowe said.

Lowe and Uehara’s efforts enables Washington to use long reliever Scott Feldman as a spot starter Wednesday in the final game of the series.

The Rangers' bullpen currently ranks fifth in the league in ERA (2.33), leads the league with the fewest runs against (11), and is second in the American League in opponent's batting average (.222).

“We have a pretty good bullpen and it doesn’t matter who we bring in, they seem to do the job,” Washington said.

DETROIT -- The rain means the Texas Rangers will need a sixth starter for the first time in 2012. That job falls to Scott Feldman, who is the probable starter for Wednesday's game against the New York Yankees (though nothing has been made official yet).

Feldman, 29, won 17 games as a starter in 2009, but ended up moving to the bullpen late in the 2010 season after struggling as a starter. He had microfracture surgery on his right knee at the end of the 2010 season and missed the first half of 2011.

He pitched out of the bullpen when he returned after the All-Star break last year, going 2-1 with a 3.94 ERA in 32 innings. That included two spot starts late in the season.

Manager Ron Washington said he expects Wednesday to be a bullpen game and that Feldman could throw maybe 50 or 60 pitches. The club has an off day Thursday.

"I'll be ready for it," said Feldman, who pitched 1 1/3 innings in Thursday's game. "There's only so much I can do. When I'm not in the game, I try to stay ready by throwing bullpens. Last night, I was able to see some hitters up there, so that's always nice to get in some games."

Feldman said it's been an adjustment for him to get used to not pitching on any kind of set schedule. He's only thrown 2 1/3 innings all season and has allowed no runs on one hit.

"I'd rather be pitching more, but I'm getting my work in when I can," Feldman said.

It wasn't a save situation, but after Joe Nathan's last appearance, did it matter?

Nathan was loose and ready and even after the Rangers scored a couple of runs late to make it a 6-2 game Saturday, manager Ron Washington and pitching coach Mike Maddux got Nathan into the game. And he looked ready. Pitching in front of fans that cheered him for years in Minnesota, Nathan gave up a few hits, but also struck out two and got out of the ninth without any damage done.

He didn't get a save for his efforts, but it has to be an important confidence builder. Both of the club's losses this season came with Nathan pitching, with the last coming on a blown save against the Mariners on Wednesday. Nathan got two days off and came in Saturday and had things working. He said he wanted to trust his fastball more and it appeared he was doing that.

The true test will be how he responds if given the chance to pitch in the second of back-to-back games. Both of his rocky outings came on the second of consecutive game opportunities for him. If the Rangers are in a save situation today, expect Nathan to get the ball. We'll see how he does.

The Rangers addressed their biggest weakness before last season’s trade deadline by acquiring two of the best set-up men in the big leagues. So far, one deal has been a solid base hit and the other an ugly whiff.

Mike Adams has lived up to the billing. Koji Uehara had a rocky remainder of the regular season and a ridiculously awful postseason, when his WHIP (5.25) would have been a bad ERA and his ERA (33.75) would have led the NBA in scoring average by several points.

Ah, but it’s a new year for Uehara, although he didn’t exactly look like a different man during spring training. He got the job done, however, during his first meaningful appearance of the year in Thursday’s win over the Mariners.

Uehara, whose only previous appearance this season had been pitching the ninth in a 5-0 win over the White Sox, got the ball with one out in the eighth inning, a runner on second and the tying run at the plate. It was a two-up, two-down outing that ended with Ichiro Suzuki’s routine fly ball to right field.

It was only one appearance, but it has to be considered a positive sign for a pitcher who was left off the World Series roster and would have been in Toronto if he didn’t exercise his right to block an offseason trade with the Blue Jays.

“I’m very confident in Koji,” Ron Washington said with a straight face. “He got a new start when he came into spring training, and as we got toward the end of spring training, he began to really get a feel for what he wanted to do and it’s carried through.

“He’s in our bullpen, and when it’s time to go to him, I’ll bring him in and be very confident that he can get me outs that I’m asking him to get. Today, he did just that.”

Added Uehara through a translator: “I’m in a good place now.”

ARLINGTON, Texas -- No one needs to remind Texas Rangers manager Ron Washington or his players about the importance of closing out games.

They got a firsthand dose of it in Game 6 of the World Series. And to their credit, after a month or more of stewing about it and pondering the "what ifs," they put it behind them and moved on.

But if they want to get back to the World Series and win it this time, it won't just be the versatile offense or deep starting pitching that gets them there. They'll need that bullpen to shut things down and hold slim leads.

Right away, a few hours into the 2012 season, that bullpen was put to the test. It passed, getting nine final outs Friday to preserve the Rangers' 3-2 win over the Chicago White Sox.

Read the rest of the story here.

ARLINGTON, Texas – Right-handed reliever Yoshinori Tateyama is expected to begin the season on the disabled list, Rangers general manager Jon Daniels told reporters Tuesday afternoon.

Tateyama has not pitched since Thursday because of back stiffness. He had a 6.30 ERA in 10 Cactus League innings, allowing 13 hits, including four home runs. The Japanese sidearmer went 2-0 with a 4.50 ERA in 44 innings as a 35-year-old major league rookie last season.

If Tateyama begins the season on the DL, the Rangers’ bullpen would include closer Joe Nathan, Mike Adams, Alexi Ogando, Scott Feldman, Mark Lowe, Koji Uehara and rookie Robbie Ross. Ross is the lone left-hander in the bullpen.