Washington to mix, match veterans in 8th
The manager said a few hours before the first pitch of Opening Day that he will "mix and match" his veterans. That means if the game is close late today, expect to see lefties Darren Oliver or Athur Rhodes or right-hander Darren O'Day. That makes O'Day the primary right-handed eighth-inning guy for now.
Washington said that Mason Tobin will get in the game in low-pressure situations as a means of easing him in. Mark Lowe and Pedro Strop will "get more innings as we go along." That means Washington will have to pitch them when he can and let their performance dictate how much more time they get on the mound and when.
The uncertainity in the bullpen (and Tommy Hunter's groin) is what led to the trade of Matt Treanor so that the club could carry eight relievers and try to get things figured out down there.
Richard Durrett
ESPNDallas.com
ABOUT THIS BLOG
Richard Durrett
Richard Durrett joined ESPNDallas.com in September 2009. He writes about colleges, the Dallas Stars and the Texas Rangers. Richard spent nine years at The Dallas Morning News covering the Rangers, Stars, colleges, motorsports and high schools.
Tim MacMahon
Tim MacMahon joined ESPNDallas.com in September 2009. Tim covers the Cowboys and Mavericks. He has covered the local sports scene from high schools to colleges to pros during his six-year tenure at The Dallas Morning News. MacMahon is a graduate of UNT.
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Play Podcast Jim Bowden joins Fitzsimmons & Durrett for his weekly visit to discuss a hypothetical Jurickson Profar for Cliff Lee trade, how he would handle Profar's playing time with the Rangers and more.
Play Podcast Rangers shortstop Elvis Andrus joins Galloway & Company to discuss having Scott Boras as his agent, his new contract and having Jurickson Profar in the lineup.
Play Podcast Rangers manager Ron Washington joins Fitzsimmons & Durrett for his weekly visit to discuss Yu Darvish's pitch count and how he spends time in the clubhouse during weather delays.
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Play Podcast Jim Bowden joins Fitzsimmons & Durrett to discuss Ron Washington's decision to send Yu Darvish to the mound for the eighth inning Thursday night and how he would handle a situation like that if he were still a GM.
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UPCOMING GAMES
| W-L | HM | AW | STK | L10 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TEX | 31-17 | 15-7 | 16-10 | W2 | |
| SEA | 20-28 | 11-10 | 9-18 | L7 |
| W-L | HM | AW | STK | L10 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TEX | 31-17 | 15-7 | 16-10 | W2 | |
| SEA | 20-28 | 11-10 | 9-18 | L7 |
| W-L | HM | AW | STK | L10 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TEX | 31-17 | 15-7 | 16-10 | W2 | |
| ARI | 27-21 | 13-11 | 14-10 | W1 |
TEAM LEADERS
| WINS LEADER | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
Yu Darvish
|
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| OTHER LEADERS | ||||||||||||
| BA | I. Kinsler | .302 | ||||||||||
| HR | N. Cruz | 11 | ||||||||||
| RBI | N. Cruz | 34 | ||||||||||
| R | E. Andrus | 30 | ||||||||||
| OPS | M. Moreland | .908 | ||||||||||
| ERA | Y. Darvish | 2.84 | ||||||||||
| SO | Y. Darvish | 91 | ||||||||||
- There are no games scheduled for today.
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