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Texas Rangers right-handed pitcher Tommy Hunter has been activated from the disabled list and will be available to pitch out of the bullpen Friday night as the Rangers start a 10-game home stand with three against the Florida Marlins.

To make room on the roster for Hunter, the Rangers have designated Dave Bush for assignment.

Read more here

ARLINGTON -- The troubled Rangers bullpen couldn't hold a lead late. Dave Bush gave up one run, but the Rangers got that run back and were up two heading into the ninth with Neftali Feliz on the mound. But he didn't have it on Wednesday and blew the save, giving up four runs. It was a kick-in-the-gut loss that prevented the Rangers from sweeping. The Nationals beat the Mariners, so Texas remains two games up in the AL West. Some quick thoughts (more from the clubhouse later):

* Things unraveled in the ninth. With the Rangers up 3-1, Feliz came in to close the game. And he couldn't do it. Feliz told manager Ron Washington before the game that despite throwing 35 pitches in two innings of work in a tie game Tuesday that he felt good and could pitch. He was still hitting 96 mph, but the location just wasn't there. Carlos Lee doubled and scored on Chris Johnson's double. Houston tied the score when catcher Yorvit Torrealba let a fastball go off his glove and to the backstop. He was charged with a passed ball and Johnson scored. Moments later, pinch hitter Matt Downs blasted one to left to give the Astros a 5-3 lead.

* It came right after the Rangers scored an insurance run in the eighth when Michael Young doubled. But the Rangers then had runners at second and third and one out and couldn't get any additional runs.

* Interestingly, the only other time in Feliz's career that he's pitched the day after a two-inning appearance was Aug. 11, 2010 against the Yankees. And he blew a save that day too, allowing two runs on two hits in one-third of an inning.

* Josh Hamilton grabbed the back of his left leg as he went into third base in the eighth. He stayed in the game and after the Rangers took a 3-1 lead, he didn't try to score on a ground ball (wonder if the hamstring played a part in that decision).

* Colby Lewis had his fastball command working and took advantage of a low strike zone to baffle the Astros hitters. Lewis moved his fastball all around the zone and then mixed in some good off-speed stuff to the tune of eight strikeouts and plenty of routine outs.

* This is the second straight solid outing for Lewis. He gave up two runs on five hits in 6 2/3 innings in Atlanta over the weekend. Before these last two starts, Lewis had struggled, allowing a combined 15 runs on 17 hits in a total of 4 2/3 innings against the Tigers and Twins. But that Lewis wasn't anywhere near Rangers Ballpark in Arlington on Wednesday. He was in control.

* Nelson Cruz absolutely blistered a Myers pitch for a home run to left in the fifth inning. The ball hit the top of the scoreboard, just at the bottom of the windows on the restaurant out there. In other words: He crushed it. The announced distance here at the park was 415 feet (it is shorter to left field), but it sure seemed longer. ESPN's Home Run Tracker (thanks to ESPN Stats & Information) has it at 440 feet. It was Cruz's 17th homer in 58 games. That's pretty impressive. The homer was the 20th allowed by Myers, who now leads the majors. He was tied with Lewis at 19 before the game started.

* Ian Kinsler made things happen with his feet in the first inning. After leading off with a single up the middle, Kinsler stole second off starter Brett Myers (he stole it easily). He went to third on Josh Hamilton's ground out to second and then scored when Myers threw a wild pitch to Adrian Beltre. The wild pitch was a strike as Beltre swung at it, but it went to the backstop and Kinsler alertly scored to give the Rangers an early lead.

* Lewis survived two straight innings of having the leadoff batter on base. He walked Brett Wallace to start the second, but got the next three hitters (Nos. 6-8) -- two of them via strikeout. Lewis then allowed a double to Jeff Keppinger to start the fourth, yet worked out of that jam. He struck out Carlos Lee on a low fastball on a call that Lee did not like (he argued with home plate umpire Tim Timmons) and got Wallace on a ground ball and Chris Johnson on a pop-up.

* Young, playing third for the first time since spring training, got two ground balls his way and made both plays. He also had a single in the sixth to extend his hitting streak to nine games. Young is hitting .292 (14-for-48) with three doubles, a homer and five RBIs during the streak.

* Before the seventh inning, manager Ron Washington, pitching coach Mike Maddux and assistant athletic trainer Kevin Harmon checked on Lewis, who had a stiff neck. He threw some warmup pitches and stayed in the game. But the Rangers had Dave Bush and Arthur Rhodes warming up just prior to the inning. After getting through the seventh, Lewis was still talking about it with Washington and head athletic trainer Jamie Reed in the dugout and he did not return for the eighth. Bush came in to pitch for him.

* Bush pitching in a 2\two-run game in the eighth is certainly odd. The Rangers didn't want to pitch Yoshinori Tateyama or Mark Lowe, wanting both to get a break. Darren Oliver did warm up, but Washington went with Bush. He allowed two singles to start the inning, but got a double-play (which scored a run) and a pop-up in foul ground to the catcher to end the frame. But having to throw Bush shows the overall state of this pen. That's not meant as a shot at Bush, but he's not supposed to be an eighth-inning setup man.

* Andres Blanco, making a rare start to give Elvis Andrus a break, made an Elvis-like play by leaping high to his right and snagging a liner off the bat of Brett Wallace to start the seventh. He also started a 6-3 double play in the eighth, stepping on second after getting the ground ball. He also made a nice diving stop in the ninth inning. He played well.

* Nolan Ryan continued his perfect mark in the Legends Race, even stopping to say hello to the real Ryan on his way to the finish line and a victory.

Texas took the first game of a four-game series with the Indians, coming back from a 3-0 deficit after four innings to win, 7-4. It was a good win considering Matt Harrison couldn't start because of a blister, and the Rangers knew going into the game they'd have to piece things together. Some quick thoughts:

* Endy Chavez continues to make a strong case to stay when Julio Borbon is ready to return. He was 4-for-4 with two runs scored and a big RBI triple in the seventh to put the Rangers up 5-3. He never stopped running to get to third. Chavez scored on an error by the catcher, who got to a wild pitch but made a bad throw to starter Carlos Carrasco covering home. Chavez wasn't going to go, but once the throw got away from the pitcher he scampered home and beat the throw. That made it 6-3. He also put down a great bunt down the third-base line to start the ninth. He's hitting .415. You've got to stick with the hot hand even when Borbon returns, don't you?

* Neftali Feliz got through the ninth and earned his second straight save. He had good velocity on his fastball, wasn't afraid to throw his breaking stuff (two of his first three pitches in the ninth were curve balls) and got help from his outfield, which was well-positioned. He got a strikeout to end a good night for the bullpen.

* Dave Bush, spot starting because of Matt Harrison's blister, pitched four innings and kept his team in the game despite a rough second inning. Bush gave up three runs, all of them in that second inning. It all started with a leadoff walk to Carlos Santana and then Bush allowed three straight hits, including a double by Grady Sizemore. All of that happened with no outs and forced a visit from pitching coach Mike Maddux. Bush then limited the damage by getting the next three batters he faced (striking out Matt LaPorta, getting Jack Hannahan to ground out and Michael Brantley to line out).

* The Rangers' offense got on the board with a big fifth inning. With the Rangers down 3-0, Nelson Cruz mashed a double off the wall on the first pitch of the inning. Mitch Moreland fell behind 0-2, worked the count even and then got a pitch he could at least pull to advance the runner to third. Yorvit Torrealba scored the run on a grounder to first.

* The Rangers have done a solid job with two outs all season. Coming into Thursday's game, Texas had 77 RBIs with runners in scoring position and two outs, second-best in the AL. They were at it again in the fifth. Endy Chavez got on with two outs and stole second. Ian Kinsler worked the count full and walked. Elvis Andrus got the RBI single and then Josh Hamilton hit a 1-0 changeup up the middle to tie the score.

* Josh Hamilton was 0-for-2 in his first two plate appearances and saw just three pitches. But he found a pitch he could hit in the middle of the strike zone in the fifth to tie the score.

* Once again, Cruz got a big inning started for Texas. On a 3-0 pitch in the sixth, he hit one off the wall in center for another double. He went to third on Moreland's single and used his speed to score on a sacrifice fly to left to beat a throw from Shin-Soo Choo. Moreland scored on Chavez's triple to the wall in right-center.

* Moreland took four straight balls to lead off the third. Moreland has shown all year a maturity at the plate and he won't chase many pitches that aren't where he wants them. And Carlos Carrasco threw some hoping Moreland would chase, but the first baseman happily took the walk. He came into the game third on the club in walks with 18.

* Michael Kirkman did his job. He came in with the score tied in the fifth and pitched three innings, allowing one run (solo homer by Matt LaPorta in the seventh). He gave up the run after the Rangers had taken a 6-3 lead. And to Kirkman's credit, he didn't get rattled by it. He got the next three batters he faced to complete the seventh.

* Kirkman allowed a leadoff walk in the fifth and sixth and got out of both innings. That might be why he left a fastball in the zone to start the seventh with LaPorta. I'm sure he didn't want to have yet another leadoff walk.

* But the Rangers got seven innings from Bush and Kirkman and had the lead. That's good work from two long guys in place of Matt Harrison.

* That left the final two innings to the Rangers' bullpen. Manager Ron Washington went with Darren Oliver to start the eighth and he gave up back-to-back hits to put the tying runs on base with no outs. But he got Grady Sizemore to chase a breaking ball out of the zone for strike three. Mark Lowe then came in and got the final two outs of the inning.

* Texas picked up a big insurance run in the ninth when an error by pitcher Rafael Perez, who didn't catch the throw, allowing Chavez to score. The throw from LaPorta wasn't a good one either. But it's another example of the Rangers taking advantage of an opponent's mistake.

* The midges were clearly out and about. The bugs were evident on television from the beginning of the game. Andrus tried to get a midge out of Adrian Beltre's eye in the seventh. Beltre was laughing about it and at one point Dave Barnett said looking in the lights was like seeing something "out of the Old Testament."

ARLINGTON, Texas -- No complaints with Dave Bush today.

The Rangers’ fill-in starter worked a solid four innings in a replacement start for Alexi Ogando.

If not for Derek Jeter, it would have been a better outing for the 31-year-old making his second start of the season.

Jeter was 3-for-3 and ended Bush’s day with a 393-foot home run into the Rangers’ bullpen in the fifth that cut the Rangers’ lead to 4-3.

Bush was charged with three runs (two earned) on five hits with no walks and two strikeouts. He stranded three in scoring position.

The Yankees greeted reliever Ryan Tucker with two hits and a run later in the fifth to tie the score, 4-4, and that's where it stands going to the sixth in front of a big Mother's Day crowd at Rangers Ballpark.

Yankees' starter CC Sabathia has settled down after a rocky start.

ARLINGTON, Texas -- Texas Rangers right-hander Alexi Ogando will not make his Sunday start because of a blister on his right index finger. Dave Bush will take his place facing New York Yankees ace CC Sabathia.

Ogando is scheduled to pitch Friday against the Los Angeles Angels instead so that his blister has more time to heal.

Ogando, 27, has dealt with the blister all season. He recently put a fake fingernail on to try to help protect it but hasn’t had a chance to throw a bullpen session with it on yet.

The blister impacted manager Ron Washington’s decision to pull Ogando earlier than he wanted in Seattle. Ogando had thrown 102 pitches in six solid innings against the Mariners and Washington planned on sending him back out for the seventh inning. Once he saw the blister and talked to Ogando, he went to the bullpen.

Ogando’s situation forced the club to send catcher Taylor Teagarden to Triple-A Round Rock on Friday in order to activate closer Neftali Feliz. That way, they could keep eight relievers and have enough pitchers to cobble things together in Ogando’s absence.

This will be Bush’s second spot start. He allowed no runs in three innings in a start in Detroit a few weeks ago.

ARLINGTON, Texas -- The Rangers haven't decided whether Alexi Ogando will make his scheduled start on Sunday. As soon as they do make a call on that, we'll let you know.

He's dealing with a blister and the club could opt to skip his start and give him more time to heal. If that's the course of action they take, manager Ron Washington said the plan is for Dave Bush to start (as long as he's not needed in relief tonight).

Bush is 0-0 with a 1.46 ERA in 12 1/3 innings pitched this season. He doesn't light up the radar gun, but he throws nearly everything -- four-seamer, two-seamer, curve, change and what he calls a slider/cutter. He jokes that the only thing he doesn't throw is a knuckleball.

"He doesn't have overpowering stuff, but he knows what he's doing," Washington said. "He battles."

Ogando's blister has bugged him all season. He has a fake nail on it with the hopes of better protecting it. He came out after six innings in Seattle and Washington said if not for the blister flaring up, Ogando would have been sent back out to start the seventh.

Other notes:

* Darren O'Day returned to Texas for this homestand and said he feels good shortly after surgery to repair a partially torn labrum in his left hip. O'Day said the surgery went well, the cleaned up everything they needed and that he thinks he's looking at six to eight weeks of recovery.

He's not throwing yet and won't for a little while. But he's working out and is walking around fine.

"It was at a point where it was affecting my pitching," O'Day said. "They wanted me to be right. It meant a lot that they handled it like that."

* Brandon Webb is scheduled to throw another long bullpen on Monday in Arizona. Tommy Hunter remains on schedule to start Monday for Triple-A Round Rock and Scott Feldman should throw five innings in an extended spring game in Arizona on Sunday.

* Josh Hamilton was hitting with a fungo again on Saturday, this time outside before early batting practice. He hit fungos off a tee and then hit some as hitting coach Thad Bosley threw some soft toss his way. He hit many of them deep and a handful of them out of the park.

Dave Bush delivered in long relief for the Rangers on Sunday.

He took over for an ineffective Matt Harrison in the second inning and lasted through the sixth. Rookie Ryan Tucker started the seventh with the A's ahead, 6-2.

Bush allowed two runs, one earned, on three hits and no walks in 4 1/3 innings. It was the longest of Bush's four outings of the season. He entered the game with Oakland up 4-0 and the bases loaded with two outs in the second.

ARLINGTON, Texas -- The Blue Jays scored all six runs in a rough fifth inning for Colby Lewis, and the Rangers couldn't generate enough offense to make the comeback, falling 6-4. Some quick thoughts (more to come from the clubhouse):

* Colby Lewis had managed to get out of some jams until the fifth, when the Blue Jays quickly turned a 0-0 game into a 6-0 lead. They did it all with two outs. Corey Patterson homered to right on an 0-2 pitch, scoring Travis Snider (who led off the inning with a walk) and Yunel Escobar, who got a hit with two outs. Jose Bautista hit the next pitch into the last row of seats in left field, which is not easy to do. Adam Lind walked and then Juan Rivera hit a homer to right to score the final two of the inning.

* Lewis has now allowed eight homers on the season and seven in his last 16 innings. The command just wasn't there. You do wonder what happens if Patterson doesn't hit a very high fastball (high and out of the zone) for a homer on that 0-2 pitch. But Lewis couldn't stop the bleeding after that. He allowed two homers in his first four starts in 2010, BTW.

* It seemed most of the press box -- and the fans in attendance -- were watching the radar gun readout in left-center field when Lewis took the rubber. And what they saw was a pitcher that hit 91 mph in the first inning and was able to get a little more on that fastball than he had in previous outings. He was still at 90 mph in the fourth.

* Lewis worked out of some early trouble. He gave up a one-out triple to John McDonald in the third (a ball that Julio Borbon nearly caught up with despite it being deep in the gap in left-center), but struck out Chris Woodward and got Yunel Escobar to ground out. In the fourth, the first two hitters -- Patterson and Bautista -- got on base, but Lewis worked out of that (thanks in part to a double steal attempt that didn't work).

* Mitch Moreland had a very good day scooping balls in the dirt at first, an underappreciated art. Moreland made two good scoops in the first three innings, both on throws by Elvis Andrus (who made nice plays in the hole to get to those balls).

* Michael Young, one of the club's best hitters this season, hit into a double play with two runners on in the first. It was the sixth time this season that Young hit into a ground-ball double play, second-highest in the AL to Torii Hunter. But he's also one of the best hitters in the league with runners in scoring position (was 11-for-21, .524 with RISP, 4th in AL, coming in), and he showed that again in the sixth, nearly hitting a home run. The ball hit inches below the top of the wall for a double to score Andrus. That extended Young's hitting streak to 15 games. Young hit another double in the eighth, giving him 11 on the season.

* David Murphy made a long run to a ball tailing away from him with no outs and two on in the fourth, forcing Patterson and Bautista to scramble back to their bases. Murphy caught the ball in stride, pushed off the wall after catching it and then threw the ball back in.

* Murphy was at it again in the 7th, getting to a ball down the line and then hitting the cutoff man (Andrus), who made a nice throw to first to get the double play as Escobar hesitated as Murphy made the catch.

* Yorvit Torrealba got Patterson trying to steal third on a double steal for the second out of the inning shortly after Murphy's catch. It was not a great jump by Patterson, who slid right into Adrian Beltre's tag. Lewis got the ball to the plate quickly. Baserunners have had trouble stealing on Lewis this season.

* Torrealba hit his third homer of the season, belting a laser down the left field line in the fifth.

* One thing to watch from Ian Kinsler in the coming weeks and months: Will he go the other way? He did in the sixth, driving an outside pitch the opposite way to right field to score Julio Borbon.

* Kinsler was too far off second base on a ground ball by Andrus in the sixth and was caught in a rundown. But he did manage to stay in it long enough to get Andrus to second base, so it was essentially trading one runner for another.

* Dave Bush gave the Rangers three shutout innings, saving the bullpen for another day. Don't underestimate how important it is to save that bullpen in a series like this (especially in the middle of a stretch of 20 games in 20 days). Bush gave up two hits and one walk.

* Pedro Strop pitched a perfect ninth.

* Nelson Cruz had a homer to lead off the ninth, his first homer in 14 games, but the sixth of the season for him.

ARLINGTON, Texas -- It was just an ugly night for the Rangers. The Angels jumped all over them, scoring four runs in the first five innings and then piling up four runs in the sixth and five more in the seventh. Texas didn't pitch well, didn't get any clutch hits with a few chances in the early innings and had four errors. Some quick reaction (more to follow from the clubhouse):

* Colby Lewis didn't have much velocity Tuesday and wasn't able to move the ball around the zone enough to keep hitters off balance, especially the second and third time through the lineup. The bottom of the order was particularly good against him (the Nos. 6, 7, 8 and 9 hitters were 4-for-6 with a homer and two walks). Lewis only made it five innings, the fewest innings pitched by a starter normally in the rotation (Dave Bush went three innings in a start in Detroit last week).

* A one-out walk to Alberto Callaspo in the fourth really hurt. Lewis, trying to get a shutdown inning, then threw a 3-0 fastball to Mark Trumbo and it was belted for a two-run homer to put the Angels in front. The Angels scored again in the fifth on a solo shot by Maicer Izturis. Lewis has allowed five homers in his first three starts.

* One thing Lewis has struggled with since joining the Rangers in 2010 is throws to the bases. That showed in the first, when Bobby Abreu's chopper back to the mound gave Lewis trouble. He fielded it and threw low to shortstop Elvis Andrus at second. Andrus made a nice play to get the ball and the out, but it meant the Rangers didn't turn what should have been a double play. Lewis later threw wide of first and was charged with an error. But he got out of the inning with no damage done.

* Lewis was the best in the American League at pitching with runners in scoring position in terms of opponent's average at just .201. After giving up a hit with a runner at third in the second, Lewis gave up a single to put runners on the corners with one out. But he struck out Peter Bourjos and got Izturis to fly out despite falling behind in the count.

* Mason Tobin came in to relieve Lewis, pitched to four batters and then had to come out with right elbow pain. He'll be examined further, but for a guy who had Tommy John surgery, pain in the right elbow isn't good. Read more about that here. It's likely the Rangers will go out and get a pitcher.

* Adrian Beltre had yet another web gem. He charged a slow chop by Vernon Wells, barehanded it and threw off-balance, falling as he did so, to first to get the first out of the fourth inning. Good stretch by Mitch Moreland on the play, as well.

* Moreland continues to have very good at-bats. He hit a 2-1 cutter to left-center for a double with one out in the third. He scored on a single from Ian Kinsler to tie the score.

* Kinsler's RBI occurred with two outs. The Rangers came into the game batting .290 with two outs and runners in scoring position, tops in the league.

* The Rangers loaded the bases in the fourth with one out, but couldn't score. Yorvit Torrealba hit with one out and struck out looking, making him 0-for-12 with runners in scoring position on the season. Torrealba threw out his second baserunner of the season and hit his second homer of the season, a solo shot off the foul pole in left field in the ninth.

* Michael Kirkman came in for Tobin and had his velocity, but he missed over the plate and the Angels took advantage. Kirkman, a starter by trade, didn't warm up for very long (even though he had all the time he wanted because of the injury). I'm not sure that played a part in his struggles, but it's worth noting. Kirkman was taking one for the team Tuesday as the Rangers were trying to save their bullpen in a blowout and just didn't have it. Kirkman gave up six runs (five earned) on six hits in 1 2/3 innings. He had a walk, a strikeout, a wild pitch and a home run. He threw 54 pitches.

* Andres Blanco came in to play third base in the eighth, giving Beltre a bit of a break. Beltre didn't have a hit, ending his streak at nine games. Beltre had an error in the ninth, dropping a ball to allow a run to score.

* Michael Young's single in the eighth gave him a 10-game hitting streak.

* David Murphy charged a ball that should have been a single, but missed it and it turned into a three-base error that allowed a few more runs to score. The ball just went right under Murphy's glove and by the time he got it, Bourjos had run all the way around the bases.

* The Rangers had four errors, their most since making five against Seattle in Arlington on July 29, 2008. They came into the game with eight.

DETROIT -- Mark Lowe said he's going to go to the video after another disappointing outing in the Rangers' 3-2 loss to the Tigers on Wednesday.

Lowe came into the game with the Rangers up 2-0 in the sixth inning and couldn't find his fastball command, getting behind in counts and allowing big hits as the Tigers tied it up.

"I definitely need to go back and look at some video from when I was successful in '09 and see if I see anything different," Lowe said. "Maybe I'll come across something that could help me carry it throughout the rest of the year. I'd like to go back and take a look at that and see what I think."

In the sixth, Lowe was behind in the count 2-0 to Victor Martinez, who led the inning off with a double.

"I had to throw him a fastball there and was hoping he would hit it to somebody and get a quick out," Lowe said.

He fell behind Brennan Boesch at 3-1 and threw a changeup that Lowe said wasn't a bad pitch. But Boesch drilled it to right field for another double, scoring the first run. The Tigers got the second run on a sacrifice fly by Brandon Inge, who later homered in the ninth to win the game. Nelson Cruz caught Inge's fly, but his throw was off the mark. It would have had to be perfect to get Boesch tagging up from third.

"I had to bear down and keep them there," Lowe said.

Velocity is not the problem for Lowe. Just like in spring training, he's hitting 97 mph on his fastball, but it's flat and doesn't have movement. And when he's not throwing it in the locations he wants, most of the time it's either out of the strike zone or getting hit.

"I know I throw hard, but I don't focus on it," Lowe said. "It doesn't dictate my outing for me."

Lowe now has a 13.50 ERA. He also has options left, meaning the club could send him to Triple-A and let him try to figure things out down there. We'll wait and see.

Other notes:

* Mason Tobin was impressive in his two-inning stint. "I thought he was good," manager Ron Washington said. "He kept the ball down, got through some innings." Tobin gave up no runs on one hit with one walk. His ERA is now 3.60.

* Dave Bush wasn't happy about throwing 71 pitches and only getting through three innings. But he was glad he worked out of some jams to keep the game scoreless. "I was fine with my changeup and breaking stuff, but the fastball command wasn't there," Bush said. "That's what I want to work on for next time."

Bush was pitching for the first time this season. He expected some rust and he felt he had some of that on Wednesday.

* David Murphy played well as he started in left field, something he'll do quite often the next six to eight weeks while Josh Hamilton is out. He had two singles, two stolen bases and an RBI.

* Michael Young batted third on Wednesday and was 1-for-4 with a double. The double tied Pudge Rodriguez for the most in Rangers history. He also has a 15-game hitting streak against the Tigers and his hitting .443 in that span.

DETROIT -- The finale of the series features Dave Bush, making his Rangers debut, against Detroit starter Max Scherzer. A look at the matchup:

PODCAST
Rangers pitcher Matt Harrison talks to GAC about Josh Hamilton's injury, the success of the pitching staff through the season so far, and moving forward with this rotation. Listen

Bush (0-0, 0.00 ERA): The 31-year-old was signed this offseason to give the club some more pitching depth. He earned a spot on the team with his work in spring training and as the long reliever has the ability to spot start, which he's doing today because of the doubleheader played in Baltimore on Saturday. ... Bush started 31 games (had one game as reliever) and had a 4.54 ERA in 174 1/3 innings for Milwaukee in 2010. ... He's the only Rangers pitcher yet to appear in a game this season. ... Bush is 0-2 with an 11.37 ERA in 12 2/3 career innings against Detroit. It's the highest ERA for Bush against any team.

Scherzer (2-0, 5.73 ERA): The Missouri native struggled in his first start of the season (at Yankee Stadium) but bounced back nicely at home against Kansas City last week. Scherzer gave up one run on seven hits in six innings. ... He's 2-0 with a 2.25 ERA in 20 innings against the Rangers (three starts) with 19 strikeouts and six walks.

Hitters: Miguel Cabrera is 3-for-8 with two homers against Bush ... Carlos Guillen is 2-for-3 with a homer off Bush. ... Michael Young is 3-for-8 against Scherzer.

DETROIT -- The Rangers haven't made anything official yet, but if Dave Bush isn't needed in today's game with the Tigers, he's likely to get the start on Wednesday.

"Probably he'll be the guy," manager Ron Washington said.

Bush has yet to pitch in a game this season, the only Rangers pitcher on the roster without an appearance so far in 2011. The 31-year-old started 31 games for the Brewers in 2010 (also made one relief appearance) and was 8-13 with a 4.54 ERA with 107 strikeouts and 65 walks in 174 1/3 innings.

Other notes:

* The Rangers have set their rotation for Yankee series and it does not include Colby Lewis, who had the terrific starts in Game 2 and 6 against the Yankees in the ALCS. Lewis' wife, Jenny, is due any day and the plan is that Lewis will fly back to Texas and then be available to pitch when the Rangers' start their homestand against the Angels on Monday.

* Ian Kinsler gets the day off today. That was something Washington planned a few days ago. It also allows him to put Josh Hamilton in the DH slot and get him off his legs. Washington said he's likely going to sit Hamilton on Wednesday, that way giving him two days without any action and a third as the DH. That should give him a nice rest headed into the three-game set with the Yankees this weekend. Michael Young is playing second base today.

Washington said he also wants to get Nelson Cruz, Adrian Beltre and Young some days off soon.

* Washington said he would have done the same thing Sam Fuld did in Tampa Bay's win over Boston on Monday night. Fuld needed just a single for the cycle and hit a ball deep in the left-field corner. Fuld scampered to second base for the double, ending his chance at a cycle.

"You play the game," Washington said.

DETROIT -- Colby Lewis continues to await word from his wife, Jenny, on whether he will need to scramble back to Texas before the road trip ends to be by her side for the birth of a baby girl, the couple's second child.

"The plan is to induce when we're back home," Lewis said.

That is, of course, unless things happen before the middle of next week. Lewis could still pitch at Yankee Stadium this weekend, but if he has to leave early, the plan is for him to pitch Monday against the Angels at home. The off day means if Lewis can't pitch, it won't leave the club searching for another starter.

Lewis actually volunteered to start on short rest for Wednesday's game, but manager Ron Washington said he doesn't want to do that.

"We're nine games into the season," Washington said. "We don't need him to go short. We've got a long way to to. He carried the load last year and had a short offseason. We don't need him to do that."

Lewis said he's not concerned about his velocity, which has been down a bit so far this season.

"You get guys out by changing speeds and keep guys off balance," Lewis said. "If you get guys out, it doesn't matter how hard you throw."

Lewis said one thing that has impacted him so far this season is that he is still getting used to catcher Yorvit Torrealba. Because Lewis pitched in more minor league games in the spring, Torrealba didn't catch him as much. As the two work together more and more, Lewis believes things will get even better.

Other notes:

* Dave Bush remains the probable starter for Wednesday's game, but the manager has not made it official. He still wants to talk to the front office and his coaching staff, but Bush is rested and ready (he hasn't pitched in a game all season). Washington did say that the game will be handled by the bullpen.

* The Rangers are 8-1 despite the 3-4-5 hitters not completely hitting their stride. That may sound odd with Josh Hamilton now hitting .314, but Washington said even Hamilton still has room for improvement. Adrian Beltre is batting .189, but has been hitting the ball well of late. Michael Young is batting .270. If you extend that 3-4-5 to include 2-spot, Elvis Andrus has hit .214 early this season.

"Those are veterans and there's no panic," Washington said. "If we can hold it together wihtou those three guys mashing the ball, that says something about the whole team."

* Nelson Cruz continues to have a great April despite feeling like he's not as comfortable at the plate now as he was this time last April. More on that on the blog later.

The Rangers have made all of their moves and have the full roster. Here it is:

Below is a listing of the 2011 Opening Day roster:

RH Pitchers (8)
Dave Bush
Neftali Feliz
Colby Lewis
Mark Lowe
Darren O'Day
Alexi Ogando
Pedro Strop
Mason Tobin

LH Pitchers (5)
Matt Harrison
Darren Oliver
C.J. Wilson
Arthur Rhodes
Derek Holland

Catchers (2)
Mike Napoli
Yorvit Torrealba

Infielders (6)
Elvis Andrus
Adrian Beltre
Andres Blanco
Ian Kinsler
Mitch Moreland
Michael Young

Outfielders (4)
Julio Borbon
Nelson Cruz
Josh Hamilton
David Murphy

15-Day Disabled List (4)
RHP Omar Beltre (spine surgery)
RHP Scott Feldman (right knee surgery)
RHP Tommy Hunter (right groin strain)
RHP Brandon Webb (right rotator cuff surgery)

Some notes (courtesy of Rangers PR guru Rich Rice):

* The Rangers have 5 players on an Opening Day roster for the first time: Derek Holland, Mitch Moreland, Alexi Ogando, Pedro Strop, and Mason Tobin. Tobin is the only member of that group seeking to make his major league debut. There are also 6 players looking to make their Texas debuts: Adrian Beltre, Dave Bush, Mike Napoli, Arthur Rhodes, Mason Tobin, and Yorvit Torrealba.

* With the addition of Bush, the Rangers begin the season with 40 players on the club’s 40-man roster.

* Ticket update:

FRIDAY, APRIL 1 (3:08 p.m.) —COMPLETE SELL OUT

SATURDAY, APRIL 2 (7:15 p.m.)—All reserved seats have been sold. Obstructed view, scattered singles, and standing room tickets remain. Standing room only tickets are priced at $15.00 each and may only be purchased at the ticket windows at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington.

SUNDAY, APRIL 3 (1:08 p.m.)—Approximately 3,000 reserved tickets remain.

Tickets for 2011 Rangers home games can be purchased by calling 972-RANGERS, at texasrangers.com, or at the Rangers Ballpark in Arlington ticket office.

SURPRISE, Ariz. -- Rangers reliever Dave Bush was pleased and, he admitted, a little relieved to learn that he had made the club out of spring training.

"I came here on a minor league deal hoping to show them I could pitch here," Bush said. "I'm excited. I'm OK with whatever they want me to do."

Bush is in the bullpen as a long reliever, but with his history can spot start if needed. He said this spring "wasn't my best, but wasn't my worst," but that he got the work in that he needed.

Ask any Rangers catcher what Bush throws and you'll get the same answer: Everything. He throws a fastball, curve, change, cutter and slider.

"I try to mix it all up and not give the batter a pattern," Bush said. "I don't throw them hard, but I can locate them for strikes."

Bush had an out in his contract which called for him to notify the team by the end of the day if he planned to take it, in which case the club had 24 hours to put him on the roster. But Bush won't be doing that now. He won't officially go on the roster until later next week, but he's on the team. His contract is that he'll get $1 million in base salary and could get another $1 million in incentives.

"I wanted to make this team, so I'm glad to be here," Bush said.