SURPRISE, Ariz. -- To describe it as kindly as he could, Rangers manager Ron Washington said Yu Darvish does not have a pretty swing at the plate.

The pitchers have been working on their swings in spring training more than they have in the past. Washington said it's still a light load, but it's on the schedule because National League teams typically don't allow a designated hitter in spring training.

"He battles, but it's not a hitter's swing," Washington said with a smile.

Washington said the Rangers call the night before or the morning they're scheduled to play a National League team to figure out whether a designated hitter is possible.

"By the time we get to the middle of March, they're not going to want them to DH," Washington said. "They're going to want their pitchers to start working because that's what they do."

Once the season starts, Washington doesn't want Darvish or any other pitcher to focus on bunting or hitting.

During interleague play, Washington doesn't want his pitchers swinging. He said they will always bunt with runners on base. If there's nobody on, Washington might even tell them in some instances not to take the bat off their shoulders. He doesn't want his pitchers getting hurt at the plate.

"Whatever they give us in interleague play, we'll take," Washington said.

* Darvish didn't throw Sunday, but he did work on his conditioning outside. Even though he was just running and working on his core, Darvish still managed to draw a huge crowd.