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ARLINGTON, Texas -- A.J. Pierzynski could very well get another day off Wednesday as he rests a sore oblique muscle.

PODCAST
Ron Washington joins Fitzsimmons & Durrett to discuss Yu Darvish, the Rangers' recent losses and if the notion that the team looked fatigued is warranted this early in the season. Listen

On Saturday, No. 2 and 3 hitters Elvis Andrus and Lance Berkman had a scheduled day off. Berkman was given time off in the cold weather in Chicago a few weeks ago.

Rangers manager Ron Washington is serious about giving his regulars more time off during the season. Washington said in the days after the Rangers were eliminated by Baltimore in the AL wild-card game that he wished he had given his everyday players more rest. The Rangers lost 10 of 14 games and were swept by Oakland to end the 2012 season.

Third baseman Adrian Beltre was among five Rangers who played in at least 156 games. Ian Kinsler, Nelson Cruz and Andrus all played in the most games of their careers.

"My regulars were healthy and they were able to go out there, but if I can look back now maybe I could have done something in the middle of the season where I could have given them some time down," Washington said in post-mortemum news conference last October. "My everyday guys, I rode them, man."

Andrus, Beltre and Kinsler all had full days off in April. Veterans Pierzynski and Berkman have had a combined 10 games off. Washington has avoiding using regulars in pinch-hitting situations to make sure his players get a full day off.

The Rangers are off to another great start. Washington's approach could help bring a stronger finish.

Let's talk: Washington continues to get positive results when he makes a rare visit to the mound to talk to a pitcher. The skipper went to talk to reliever Robbie Ross after he hit Adam Dunn and fell behind Paul Konerko in the top of the ninth with two outs and a 10-6 lead. Ross responded by getting Konerko to ground out to end the game.

Catcher A.J. Pierzynski has batted fifth in the Rangers' lineup for his last two starts, a minor tweak by manager Ron Washington that paid off in a big way in Monday's 7-6 comeback win over the Los Angeles Angels.

PODCAST
Manager Ron Washington joins Ian Fitzsimmons to discuss the Rangers' comeback win over the Angels, A.J. Pierzynski's value to the team and much more. Listen

Pierzynski, one of the Rangers' hottest hitters to start the season, came up in two critical moments late in Monday's game. With the bases loaded and no outs in the top of the seventh and the Rangers trailing 6-3, Pierzynski ripped an opposite-field single to score a run. The Rangers scored two more runs in the inning to tie the score.

Pierzynski gave the Rangers the lead the next time he came up. Facing Angels closer Ernesto Frieri, Pierzynski broke a 6-6 tie with a two-out home run to right-center field. Rangers closer Joe Nathan saved the Rangers' fourth straight win in the bottom of the ninth.

Frieri had thrown 31 pitches in Sunday's 13-inning win over Detroit and wasn't sharp. Right before Pierzynski's homer, Frieri left a fastball over the middle of the plate to Adrian Beltre and the Rangers' third baseman just missed a home run to left field. Frieri made one too many mistakes, and Pierzynski made him pay.

Pierzynski did great work for the Chicago White Sox last season when he batted fifth, hitting .316 with eight of 27 home runs and 31 of his 77 RBIs.

Washington prefers not to tinker with his lineup. The batting order has stayed the same for most of the season, with David Murphy batting fifth 13 times before Pierzynski was shifted there.

On Monday night, Wash's wisdom paid off in a big way.

Washington said Sunday that he wanted to give veteran reliever Jason Frasor more opportunities out of the bullpen, a move that didn't go well Monday. With Derek Holland at 104 pitches and No. 9 hitter Luis Jimenez coming up for the Angels in the sixth inning, Washington went to Frasor. He allowed what at the time looked like a crushing two-run single to Jimenez to give the Angels a 6-3 lead. Frasor did respond with two runners in scoring position with AL Rookie of the Year Mike Trout up next, getting the Angels star to pop out to second base to end the inning.

Rangers manager Ron Washington had a few moments in the last week where he had an option to go to the bench in a pivotal run-scoring situation. He chose to stick with the player in the game.

PODCAST
Ron Washington joins Fitzsimmons & Durrett to discuss his thoughts on the tragedy in Boston, Lance Berkman's comments about Wrigley Field and the absence of the Rangers' bats early in the season. Listen

The first instance came in last Wednesday's 2-0 loss against the Tampa Bay Rays. With the bases loaded and no outs in the bottom of the sixth inning and Mitch Moreland coming up against left-handed reliever Cesar Ramos, Washington had switch hitter Lance Berkman available to pinch hit.

Berkman had been give the day off and Washington wanted it to be a full one. Washington stuck with Moreland, who grounded into a double play to end the rally.

Washington again had a chance to go to his bench in the eighth inning of Sunday's 4-3 loss at Seattle. This time he had backup catcher Geovany Soto coming up.

David Murphy had a two-out single, moving Adrian Beltre to third base. With left-handed reliever Oliver Perez in for Seattle and right-handed closer Tom Wilhelmsen warming up, Washington had the option of going to Ian Kinsler on his bench; or if Wilhelmsen came in, starting catching A.J. Pierzynski was available.

Washington stuck with Soto, who had a good at-bat, seeing eight pitches. And Soto had reached base in all of four of his chances against Perez. But his popup to right field was caught easily for the third out and the Rangers didn't score.

We'll never know what would have happened with Kinsler or Pierzynski at the plate.

Garcia shines: Washington decided to give utility man Leury Garcia back-to-back starts over the weekend at shortstop and second base. Garcia made Washington look good. He made one spectacular play and two other dazzlers at shortstop Saturday. Garcia also had a single and scored a run. Playing second base Sunday, Garcia had a triple and scored a run.

Leaning on Ortiz: Washington trusted 22-year-old rookie Joe Ortiz in two key spots last week against Seattle out of the bullpen, and the left-hander won the first two decisions of his career. He pitched two shutout innings in both outings. Ortiz has 1.04 ERA and six strikeouts in 8 2/3 innings.

The Rangers have two center fielders -- Craig Gentry and Leonys Martin. Figuring out who is going to play on a given day? That's up to Ron Washington.

PODCAST
Rangers manager Ron Washington joins Richard Durrett and Tim MacMahon to discuss the first week of the season, if he feels guilty when his team catches a break from the umpires, Elvis Andrus and much more. Listen

So far the Rangers' manager has basically alternated games between the two. Gentry was the starter in Monday's 5-4 victory, going 0-for-3 with a run scored.

Martin was the first to get back-to-back starts Saturday and Sunday. Washington said Sunday that Gentry will play in consecutive games soon. Will it be Tuesday after being in the lineup Monday?

The Rays start right-hander Roberto Hernandez on Tuesday and lefty Matt Moore on Wednesday. The right-handed hitting Gentry will be in the lineup against Moore. No question.

So will he be in there against Hernandez and get three consecutive starts? Washington seemed to indicate Monday it will be Martin getting the start Tuesday.

"They're both going to play," Washington said. "This is a place where it may go one, one, one, one."

Gentry is off to the better start. He was batting .300 after Monday's game, his third of the season. Gentry stole a base and scored the winning run in the Rangers' 3-2 win over the Angels on Friday, one of the plays of the year so far.

Martin is 1-for-7 on the current homestand and is batting .077. He has no home runs, RBIs or stolen bases.

Other notes:

Washington went with veteran Derek Lowe in the eighth inning Monday with the bases loaded and the Rangers leading 5-1. Tanner Scheppers, who had pitched two innings the day before, was not called upon. Lowe, who has been pitching since early March, didn't have his sinker exactly where he needed it to be and walked Shelley Duncan on four pitches while trying to induce a ground ball. Lowe managed to get out of the inning with the Rangers still leading 5-3, but he walked a tightrope getting out of the inning. It will be interesting to see how Washington uses Lowe going forward.

Each Tuesday, we'll briefly take a look at a decision or two made by manager Ron Washington over the past week. This week, we discuss the skipper's decision to go to Derek Lowe in the sixth inning of Sunday's 8-2 loss to the Astros.

PODCAST
Welcome to the debut of the 2013 Ron Washington Show. Every Tuesday at noon, manager Ron Washington joins Fitzsimmons & Durrett to discuss the latest on the Texas Rangers. Listen

HOUSTON -- Ron Washington went with his most experienced pitcher with two outs and runners at first and second base in the bottom of the sixth, pulling Matt Harrison at 100 pitches. The Rangers were trying to keep within striking distance of Houston, trailing 4-2.

"I was hoping Lowe could throw his sinker and get a ground ball," Washington said after the game.

The Rangers needed any kind of out, though a ground ball is always good within the hitting-friendly confines of Minute Maid Park. With right-hander Brandon Barnes coming up for the Astros, Washington went with Lowe over power arm Tanner Scheppers and veteran Jason Frasor.

While Lowe made the team as a long reliever -- he's been a starter most of his career -- Washington did say a few days before the season began that, aside from closer Joe Nathan, no roles had been defined in the bullpen.

PODCAST
Fitzsimmons & Durrett discuss Elvis Andrus' new deal and the comments that C.J. Wilson made about the Rangers front office. Listen

First-year Astros manager Bo Porter went with a pinch hitter, countering with lefty Rick Ankiel, who had dominated Lowe in 10 previous matchups (4-for-10, 2 HRs) coming into Sunday's game.

Well, Ankiel has three home runs now. He worked the count full, and Lowe left a breaking ball up that Ankiel crushed into the right-field seats.

"History shows he gives me fits," Lowe said. "A 3-2 pitch, I was trying to throw more further inside with a right-hander up next. I was trying to stay inside the whole time. It was the third breaking ball he had seen. I've got to make a better pitch."

It was a win for Porter in his first matchup against Washington, his good friend. It also was a tough debut for the 39-year-old Lowe, who said before the game that this particular Opening Day ranked very high on his list after making the team after three weeks of spring training.

Washington's decision to put David Murphy in the fifth slot to break up all the left-handed hitters at the bottom of the Rangers' batting order paid off. In the sixth, Murphy came up with two outs and two runners on. With Nelson Cruz on deck, Porter decided to leave right-hander Bud Norris in the game. Murphy singled to right field to drive in the Rangers' first run.

Washington went with CF Leonys Martin over Craig Gentry for Sunday's opener, going with the left-handed hitter against Norris instead of choosing the more experienced player in Gentry. Martin struggled, going 0-for-3 with two strikeouts. It will be interesting to see who plays Tuesday.

ARLINGTON, Texas – Don’t hold your breath waiting for Ron Washington to express regret for resting two regulars in each loss to the Royals.

Washington certainly didn’t second-guess himself after keeping Ian Kinsler and Mike Napoli out of the lineup for Monday’s loss. Tuesday’s lineup, which didn’t include the sizzling duo of Elvis Andrus and Nelson Cruz, made that clear.

"I've still got a potent lineup," Washington said before Tuesday’s loss. "I've got enough. If I do one at a time, it will take forever. This is important.”

The leftovers lineups didn’t exactly back up Washington. The Rangers scored a total of five runs while being swept in the two-game series by the Royals.

But these decisions weren’t designed to give the Rangers their best possible chance of beating the Royals. They were designed to maximize the Rangers’ chances of beating the teams they’ll see in the postseason.

“We need them for the rest of the year, not just in May,” said Washington, who also plans to give Josh Hamilton a day off this week.

This isn’t a case of coddling players. Far from it.

Rest assured that Cruz didn’t ask for his first day off all season immediately after homering in back-to-back games for the first time this year. Kinsler and Andrus made it clear that they wanted to be in the lineup but were following manager’s orders.

PODCAST
Ron Washington explains why resting players this early in the season is important and gives his view on whether Yu Darvish is the Rangers' ace. Listen

Washington makes giving his stars occasional mental and physical breaks a priority because he expects the Rangers to make a postseason run.

No, it didn’t work with the Royals in town. But it worked out awfully well while the Rangers won the American League pennant the last two seasons.

If the Rangers are fresh in October again, there won’t be any complaints about a couple of punchless losses to the Royals in May.

BALTIMORE -- Each week we take a look at a decision Rangers manager Ron Washington made and analyze why he made it, and discuss it. Here are a few of them, including his call to put Brandon Snyder in the lineup on Monday:

* Washington said he wasn't even thinking about the fact that Snyder would be playing against his old team Monday. Washington just felt that Snyder could hit left-hander Brian Matusz. So with Adrian Beltre not ready to play third base with his strained left hamstring, Washington opted to go with his gut and play Snyder at third and Michael Young at first. The result was Snyder's career-high six-RBI game in the Rangers' 14-3 win.

A few decisions in Cleveland over the weekend worth noting:

* Washington stuck with Colby Lewis on Friday night to pitch to Johnny Damon despite having left-handed reliever Robbie Ross warmed up and ready. Washington made the decision because Lewis had retired Damon on three previous at-bats. But Damon hit a triple off an 0-1 curveball to give the Indians some breathing room in the seventh inning.

Washington took the blame after the game.

"That one's on me," Washington said. "I was one batter too late."

* The next day, Washington decided to pinch hit Beltre in the 11th inning despite the fact that Beltre's hamstring wasn't healthy enough for him to start. The skipper knew Beltre had a good swing in him. Cleveland manager Manny Acta had reliever Joe Smith intentionally walk Mitch Moreland with two outs to have right-handed pitcher go up against Beltre (who was already on deck, so Acta knew that's who Smith would face).

Beltre, hitting for Alberto Gonzalez, blasted a three-run home run and the Rangers won the game, ending a three-game losing streak. Washington clearly picked the right time in the game to use Beltre.

ARLINGTON, Texas -- Each Tuesday, we take a look back at an interesting decision made by manager Ron Washington. This week, it has to be the suicide squeeze Sunday in Detroit.

With the score tied in the 11th inning, the Rangers loaded the bases with no outs for Alberto Gonzalez, playing third base with Adrian Beltre out with a strained left hamstring.

Washington called for the squeeze play, despite the fact that Gonzalez hadn't put down a squeeze bunt in the majors before. Washington figured that not only could the Rangers score, but they could get runners to second and third as well and have a chance at a big inning.

Gonzalez did two things that were important in that at-bat. First, he got the bunt down as Nelson Cruz sprinted to home plate on the squeeze. Second, he acted as if the ball never hit him, even though it clearly did. The play should have been dead and a strike put up on the board because the ball hit Gonzalez's knee. But the umpires didn't see it and Gonzalez did a nice job of not hesitating. Detroit didn't cover first base, either, so Gonzalez was safe. The Rangers didn't end up scoring again in the inning, but that one gutsy run was enough to win the game and take the series from the Tigers (three out of four).

"He's one of the guys in our lineup that should be able to bunt," Washington said. "When the executing has to be done and we're in the right part of the lineup, they're the guys that are supposed to be able to execute. I was just happy that we got it."

You can read more on the play here.

Texas Rangers manager Ron Washington, along with pitching coach Mike Maddux, handled closer Joe Nathan well this past weekend.

After Nathan blew a save opportunity on Wednesday in Arlington against the Mariners (three runs allowed in the ninth), he was given Thursday off because of his heavy workload the first week of the season. But rather than insert him in a three-run game in the ninth on Friday, the Rangers' coaching staff decided to give him one more day.

That was a smart move. Nathan warmed up to pitch in a save situation Saturday and the Rangers got a few late runs. But since he was loose, Washington put him in the game and Nathan promptly gave up a single and a double. And maybe that was the best thing for Nathan since he ended up bearing down and got two strikeouts and a ground out to end the game.

The next day, Nathan got yet another shot, this time in a save situation. Back-to-back appearances had hurt Nathan early in the season (both of his rough outings had come in the second of consecutive appearances). But Nathan was sharp, getting a strikeout and two fly outs in a nine-pitch outing to get the save.

Washington handled Nathan in the right way and at the same time gave Alexi Ogando a chance to close on Friday, once again showing his versatility. Nathan should have some confidence as the Rangers continue their road trip.

ARLINGTON, Texas -- Each Tuesday, we'll briefly take a look at a decision or two made by manager Ron Washington over the past week. This week, we discuss the skipper's willingness to stick with his plan.

Specifically, the plan to go with Alexi Ogando in the seventh, Mike Adams in the eighth and Joe Nathan in the ninth in the first two games of the season.

Ogando came into the seventh inning on Opening Day and was masterful, getting three straight strikeouts. But rather than stick with Ogando, a starter for much of last year, for the eighth inning, Washington put Adams in for the eighth. It was an important message. Washington has confidence in Adams and wasn't going to deviate from his plan the first game of the season, no matter how well Ogando was throwing. Plus, he wants to keep Ogando fresh too so that he can use him as often as needed.

Washington went back to Ogando the next night and the pitcher needed just seven pitches to get through his inning. Still, he stuck with Adams, and Adams did the job (Nathan ended up giving up the winning run in the ninth).

"Those guys have their roles and that's how I wanted to do it," Washington said last week. "It lined up the way we wanted and there's no reason for me to change that."

Washington has preached since he got here about trusting in players, but also prodding them to do more when needed. He could have pulled Yu Darvish after five innings on Monday after the Japanese pitcher battled back from a rough start. But with his pitch count not yet a 100, Washington sent him back out. Darvish got a couple of outs before coming out of the game, but it was an important signal to Darvish and the team.

Washington believes in his players and their roles in specific situations. He's shown that the first handful of games.