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ARLINGTON, Texas -- One pitch. That's what got Justin Grimm on Thursday night.

Named the American League Rookie of the Month for the Texas Rangers earlier in the day, Grimm was looking the part, mowing down Chicago White Sox hitters through five innings. Three White Sox hitters, and one pitch, ultimately handed him a 3-1 loss.

Grimm had retired 10 batters in a row until the top of the sixth. He had two outs in the inning before he gave up singles to Conor Gillaspie and Alexei Ramirez. Grimm then threw a first-pitch curveball to White Sox catcher Tyler Flowers and the pitch stayed up. Flowers hammered into the right-field seats for a three-run home run and a 3-1 lead.

"That's all it takes is one," Grimm said. "He capitalized on it and it stayed eye level and he put a swing on it. Unfortunately it didn't end up in my favor. I wouldn't take it back. It's the pitch I wanted to throw. I threw it with conviction."

Grimm was surprised Flowers swung at the pitch.

"I went and looked at the replay," Grimm said. "It was eye level. It definitely would have been a ball. He was probably looking breaking ball in that situation."

Grimm dominated the White Sox for most of the night, except for a career-high four walks. He also tied a career-best nine strikeouts as his fastball and sinker were working all night. He just missed out on his third straight win.

"I'm pleased with the performance," Grimm said. "It was just one bad pitch."

ARLINGTON, Texas -- The Texas Rangers' offense struggled on a cold night and starter Justin Grimm missed with one pitch as The Chicago White Sox won 3-1 at frigid Rangers Ballpark to hand Texas its first series loss of the season.

Offense flails: The Rangers had three hits, one Adrian Beltre's home run in the second inning. They were 0-for-4 with runners in scoring position with Beltre failing to come through in the first two situations. The Rangers had the tying runs on base in the ninth inning and Mitch Moreland struck out on three pitches and Leonys Martin fanned to end the game.

One pitch costs Grimm: Justin Grimm, earlier awarded American League Rookie of the Month, dominated the White Sox for most of the night, except for four walks. He was in cruise control until the top of the sixth before he gave up singles to Conor Gillaspie and Alexei Ramirez and a three-run home run on a curve ball that didn't bite enough to catcher Tyler Flowers, his fourth of the year. Grimm tied a career-high nine strikeouts and had retired 10 in a row before Gillaspie's hit.

Beltre's latest miss: Beltre accounted for the Rangers only run with a solo shot to start the second inning. But it was a big miss with the bases loaded and one out in the bottom of the sixth that stood out in this game. Beltre got down in the count and fisted a ground ball to third base for an inning-ending double play. He also had the tying runs on base in the bottom of the eighth and struck out on a 72-mph curve ball by Ranger nemesis Jesse Crain. Beltre is 4-for-34 with runners in scoring position.

Clean shave works: Left-handed reliever Michael Kirkman is clean shaven after allowing runs in four of his past six appearances. He faced one batter Thursday night in the seventh inning, Adam Dunn, and struck the slugger out on three pitches.

Dog night: There were 689 canines in attendance for Dog Night at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington. Overall attendance was 31,199 for a game that had a game time attendance of 43 degrees, the third coldest start in ballpark history.

Up next: The Rangers open a three-game series against the team with baseball's best record, the Boston Red Sox. Left-hander Derek Holland (1-2, 3.38 ERA) will face Red Sox left-hander Felix Doubront (3-0, 4.24) at 7:05 p.m. on Channel 21 and ESPN-FM 103.3 and 1540-AM.

ARLINGTON, Texas -- Justin Grimm, who will start for the Rangers in less then four hours against the Chicago White Sox, has been named American League Rookie of the Month.

PODCAST
ESPN senior MLB analyst Buster Olney joins Fitzsimmons & Durrett to discuss the Rangers' strong start, Matt Harrison's additional back surgery and much more. Listen

Grimm was 2-0 with a 1.59 ERA for three starts in April and had 15 strikeouts and four walks in 17 innings. Opponents batted .239 against him and were 1-for-19 with runners in scoring position.

Grimm enters Thursday's start coming off a win against Minnesota last Friday in which he went seven innings and allowed five hits and no walks.

The 24-year-old Georgia Bulldogs product beat out fellow rookie starter Nick Tepesch, who was 2-1 with a 2.53 ERA for April.

Grimm is the fourth Ranger to win the AL Rookie of the Month since it was started in 2003. He joins Gerald Laird, Neftali Feliz and Yu Darvish, who won the award last April.

ARLINGTON, Texas -- The Rangers are going back-to-back with rookie starters for a third straight turn.

PODCAST
ESPN senior MLB analyst Buster Olney joins Fitzsimmons & Durrett to discuss the Rangers' strong start, Matt Harrison's additional back surgery and much more. Listen

But for the first time, Justin Grimm will follow Nick Tepesch after a loss. It will be a little different situation for Grimm after his fellow rookie teammate allowed two home runs in the seventh inning in a 5-2 loss to the Chicago White Sox.

Grimm, who has been undaunted by replacing injured Matt Harrison in the rotation, said Wednesday that whatever the circumstance, he has to depend on himself first.

"The name of the game is trusting my stuff," Grimm said. "It's not just the stuff, it's just a mindset. It's not trying for the strikeout or trying to do too much, but just trusting my stuff out there."

Grimm is 2-0 with a 1.59 ERA in three starts since joining the rotation. The Rangers have won all three games. He didn't walk anyone in seven innings at Minnesota last Friday.

Grimm has been at his best when he has been in high pressure situations. Opponents are 1-for-19 against him with runners in scoring position.

Other notes:

Pierzynski expects to play: Catcher A.J. Pierzynski, who had his right elbow wrapped after getting hit by a pitch in a pinch-hit at-bat in the bottom of the ninth Wednesday, said he will play Thursday against his former team. Pierzynski has been out with a sore oblique. It will be interesting to see how Pierzynski and the White Sox handle things after closer Addison Reed came inside and hit him on the elbow. Pierzynski yelled out at the mound but said after the game that he didn't think Reed's intent was to hit him.

Kinsler streaking: Ian Kinsler will take a seven-game hitting streak into Thursday night. Kinsler has five multi-hit games in the last six games and is batting .452 (14-for-31) during that stretch. The Rangers' second baseman is driving the ball, just missing a grand slam over the 14-foot wall in left field in the second inning Wednesday.

Andrus hot: Shortstop Elvis Andrus has a team-best nine-game hitting streak. He extended it with a leadoff single in the eighth inning off Rangers nemesis Jesse Crain.

Jim Bowden takes a look at this year's standout rookie class, dominated by pitchers -- including Nick Tepesch, Justin Grimm and Joe Ortiz of the Texas Rangers.

The Texas Rangers and Chicago White Sox play their only three-game series at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington beginning Tuesday night.

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

The White Sox will throw three quality starters at the Rangers -- left-handers Jose Quintana (2-0, 2.78 ERA) and Chris Sale (2-2, 4.09) and right-hander Jake Peavy (3-1, 3.38). The Rangers will counter with Yu Darvish (4-1, 1.65) on Tuesday night, followed by rookie right-handers Nick Tepesch (2-1, 2.53) and Justin Grimm (2-0, 1.59).

Here's some other things to look for:

Strong starting pitching: The White Sox's starting rotation has been the team's strength. Sox starters have a 3.03 ERA over the last 13 games with a 5-3 record during that span. Peavy is tied for sixth in the American League with 39 strikeouts. Overall, Chicago is fourth in the AL with a 3.60 team ERA. The Rangers are first with a 3.02 ERA.

Where's the offense?: The White Sox are last in the AL in batting average at .229 and 13th out of 15 teams with a .382 slugging percentage. They are last in the AL in runs (83), walks (54) and hitting with runners in scoring position (.188). The White Sox have scored two runs or less seven times this season. They've been held to five or fewer hits seven times, too.

Pair of sluggers: Paul Konerko and Adam Dunn rank fourth and fifth among active players in home runs. Konerko, who is fourth, hit his 426th home run Sunday, putting him in a tie for 45th overall behind Chicago Cubs great Billy Williams. Dunn has 411 home runs, ranking him 48th all-time, three behind Darrell Evans. Konerko and Dunn have combined for nine home runs this season.

Sox look for 2012 repeat: The White Sox had a 6-3 record against the Rangers in 2012, their first season series victory over Texas since 2004. Chicago won five straight games in July, including a three-game sweep at U.S. Cellular Field on July 3-5. The Rangers and White Sox split six games at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington.

The Texas Rangers witnessed another great outing by one of their young starting pitchers -- this time Justin Grimm -- as they won their second straight game over the Minnesota Twins, 4-3, on Friday night at Target Field.

Grimm cruises: Grimm followed up on fellow rookie Nick Tepesch's brilliant start on Thursday night with seven shutout innings. Following Tepesch's lead, Grimm had total command of the strike zone with no walks. He allowed five hits and had four strikeouts. Grimm has two walks in his past 13 innings.

First-inning runs: The Rangers jumped on the Twins with three first-inning doubles that helped build a 2-0 lead. Elvis Andrus had a one-out double, stole third and scored on Lance Berkman's double to center field. Nelson Cruz made it six straight games with an RBI as he went to the opposite field once again with a double to right field.

Cruz stays hot: Cruz is the third player boasting six straight games with an RBI this season in the majors, joining the Detroit Tigers' Prince Fielder and the Cincinnati Reds' Todd Frazier. It ties a career high that he's accomplished four times.

Beltre hammers another one: Adrian Beltre is starting to hit the ball with authority. He crushed a home run to straightaway center field to give Texas a 3-0 lead in the sixth inning. Beltre has seven hits in his past 24 at-bats, including two of his four home runs.

Outs on the bases: The Rangers made three outs on the bases as they didn't get as much out of their 13 hits as they could have. They made two outs on the bases in the third inning, as Andrus was thrown out at home and Berkman got hung up and was out at third base for the second out of the inning.

Rough ninth: Left-hander Joe Ortiz started the bottom of the ninth with a four-run lead and allowed a double to Josh Willingham and a soft single to Justin Morneau. Ortiz did strike out Chris Parmelee for the first out and turned the game over to closer Joe Nathan. He got the second out, fanning Trevor Plouffe, then allowed a three-run homer to Oswaldo Arcia to make things interesting. Nathan was able to bounce back and get Ryan Doumit to line out to center fielder Craig Gentry to end the game.

What scheduling issue?: The Rangers were supposed to be sluggish in the second game after a late plane flight from Anaheim to Minneapolis, but they haven't shown it in this series, winning two one-run games.

Up next: The Rangers go for three wins in a row over the Twins when left-hander Derek Holland (1-1, 3.25 ERA) takes on Minnesota left-hander Pedro Hernandez (0-0, 3.86 ERA) at 3:10 p.m. Saturday on FSSW and ESPN-FM 103.3 and 1270-AM.

MINNEAPOLIS -- Two starters both coming off their first win of the season will square off as the Texas Rangers’ Justin Grimm opposes the Minnesota Twins’ Scott Diamond. First pitch is at 7:10 p.m. CT on TXA21 and ESPN Dallas 103.3 FM, with the Spanish broadcast on 1540 AM.

Justin Grimm (1-0, 2.70 ERA): Grimm, 24, struck out a career-high nine batters his last time out and walked just one en route to earning his second career win in Texas’ 11-3 victory over the Seattle Mariners on Sunday. … The right-hander allowed two runs -- one earned -- while logging six innings for just the second time in his brief major league tenure. … Sunday’s win was Grimm’s first since his major league debut, when he pitched six innings of three-run ball in the Rangers’ 8-3 victory over the Houston Astros on June 16, 2012. … Friday will mark Grimm’s first appearance at Target Field and just his third appearance against an American League Central opponent. Grimm went 0-1 with a 20.25 ERA in two outings (one start) versus the AL Central in 2012.

Scott Diamond (1-1, 4.35 ERA): The 26-year-old left-hander will face Texas for the second time in his career. Diamond was ejected in the third inning of his previous outing versus the Rangers on Aug. 24, 2012, for throwing a pitch behind the head of Josh Hamilton. Texas starter Roy Oswalt hit Twins catcher Joe Mauer in the back in the preceding half-inning. … Diamond got off to a late start this spring after offseason surgery to remove bone spurs from his left elbow, and began the season on the disabled list. … He allowed two runs -- one earned -- in six innings against the Chicago White Sox on Sunday, striking out five. Diamond has five or more strikeouts in a game just eight times in 36 career starts. … He was a pleasant surprise for Minnesota last season, finishing 12-9 with a 3.54 ERA.

Hitters: Eduardo Escobar (1-for-2) is the only Twins hitter with at-bats against Grimm. Current Rangers are a combined 5-for-17 with a walk against Diamond, including doubles from A.J. Pierzynski and Geovany Soto.

Up Next:

Saturday at Minnesota: LHP Derek Holland (1-1, 3.25) vs. Pedro Hernandez (0-0, 3.86), 3:10 p.m. CT, ESPN Dallas 103.3 FM/1270 AM/Fox Sports Southwest

Sunday at Minnesota: RHP Alexi Ogando (2-1, 3.12) vs. RHP Kevin Correia (2-1, 2.86), 1:10 p.m. CT, ESPN Dallas 103.3 FM/1540 AM/Fox Sports Southwest

Yu Darvish has been in this position before -- starting the day or night after a Texas Rangers loss.

He's flourished in that situation so far this season.

Darvish will have his fourth chance in five starts to win following a Rangers loss. So far he's 3-0 with a 1.31 ERA in those situations. Texas is the only team in baseball that hasn't lost two games in a row, and Darvish is as big a reason as any.

PODCAST
Jim Bowden discusses the state of the Rangers rotation, Mitch Moreland's struggles, the weaknesses of the team and if Jurickson Profar should have been shipped during the offseason. Listen

An ace's biggest task is being a club's stopper and keeping his team from going on long losing streaks. With Matt Harrison's average of 17 wins the last two seasons out of the rotation and two rookies in -- as effectively as Justin Grimm and Nick Tepesch have pitched, they've made a combined seven career starts -- the onus is on Darvish, Derek Holland and Alexi Ogando. The Rangers are trying to maintain their early-season trend of winning series (they're 4-0 with two splits heading into Wednesday's rubber game against the Angels).

Darvish should be in prime position to beat the Angels on Wednesday night. He has pitched well in Anaheim, where he is 2-1 with a 2.11 ERA and .171 batting average against in three starts.

Also, Angels starter Tommy Hanson, who was scheduled for Wednesday, is on the club's bereavement list. So left-hander Michael Roth, who was pitching in college at South Carolina this time last year, will make the start for the Angels.

Darvish versus Roth is a huge mismatch.

The Angels have burned through their bullpen the last five games, using relievers for 19 innings. Closer Ernesto Frieri has appeared in three straight games, so he won't be available Wednesday.

It's a big advantage for Darvish, who gets another shot at doing what he's done best this year -- winning after a Rangers loss.

ARLINGTON, Texas -- Justin Grimm isn't going anywhere.

That's the message he sent Sunday as he gets a big chance in the Rangers' starting rotation with Opening Day starter Matt Harrison out until at least the All-Star break.

Rangers general manager Jon Daniels said in a news conference earlier this week that Grimm would start Sunday and the club would see from there what was next for the 24-year-old rookie. That came at the same time Daniels announced Harrison was having back surgery on Tuesday.

Grimm left no doubt about his status in an 11-3 win over Seattle. He set a career high with nine strikeouts. He pitched out of trouble when he had to, especially in the fifth inning when he had a chance to give up a lead he had been given in the bottom of the fourth.

"I was just going out there and being aggressive. I wasn't worried about the runners in scoring position," Grimm said. "I was just trying to pitch a close game and attack hitters. My whole mindset was to keep it close and just keep executing pitches."

Grimm went four innings in his first start last week at Seattle, taxing himself by throwing 92 pitches. He didn't mess around Sunday.

His best pitch Sunday was his curveball, which he used to get six of his strikeouts. The other three came on fastballs. He also threw four or five sliders for the first time in any game -- big leagues or minors -- a pitch that could be developing for him.

But it was the fifth inning in which Grimm responded after Mitch Moreland's two-run home run gave the Rangers their first lead at 3-1.

Mariners No. 9 hitter Brendan Ryan, who was batting .152 entering Sunday, singled to start the inning. Leadoff hitter Endy Chavez followed with a double that appeared to be a catchable ball for Rangers center fielder Leonys Martin. It carried over his head, allowing Ryan to score to cut the Rangers lead to 3-2.

Grimm needed to shut things down from there, and he did so against the heart of the Mariners' lineup. Kyle Seager, who had hits in his first two at-bats, struck out on a 1-2 curveball. Kendrys Morales was called out on strikes when Grimm snuck a fastball in after four curveballs and a changeup. Cleanup hitter Michael Morse ended the inning by striking out on a curveball in the dirt.

Rangers pitching coach Mike Maddux and bullpen coach Andy Hawkins preach to their pitchers that they're always one pitch away from greatness. Grimm got the first of what he hopes are many messages.

"You're one pitch away from greatness," Washington said. "He executed pitches when he was in trouble, he showed that in [his first start in] Seattle. We're just trying to make him understand to do that all the time. Not when you're in trouble."

NOTE: The Rangers' other rookie starter, Nick Tepesch, who was hit by a line drive on his right wrist in Saturday's game, said things went well after he played catch before Sunday's game. He remains on target to start Thursday's series opener at Minnesota.

ARLINGTON, Texas -- The Texas Rangers finished off their first three-game sweep of the season with a 11-3 victory over the Seattle Mariners at Rangers Ballpark. The Rangers, who moved into first place in the American League West, have won five series and split two this season.

Grimm has career day: Rookie right-hander Justin Grimm could easily have had six shutout innings Sunday. He settled for one earned run allowed and a career-high nine strikeouts. Grimm used a curveball and 4-seam fastball to dice up the Mariners. He did his best work in the top of the fifth, after the offense had given him a 3-1 lead. The inning started poorly with a leadoff single by Mariners No. 9 hitter Brendan Ryan and a double by Endy Chavez that was misplayed in center field by Leonys Martin. But Grimm kept the tying run at second base with the Mariners' 2-3-4 hitters coming up, striking out the side.

Offense revs up: The Rangers scored a season-high 11 runs. They produced their season high in runs twice in the series, first matching their season-best total in their 7-0 victory on Friday and then with Friday's first double-digit total in 18 games this season.

Martin's first HR: Martin belted his first home run of the season, a 377-foot solo shot to right-center field to tie the game at 1-1 in the third inning. Martin also had a triple as he had his second two-hit game of the season. The Rangers now have three RBIs from their center fielders, all in this series against the Mariners.

Moreland breaks through: First baseman Mitch Moreland snapped out of a 1-for-20 stretch with a two-run home run to straight-away center field to give the Rangers a 3-1 lead in the bottom of the fourth. Moreland's third homer of the season came with two outs and after Nelson Cruz had reached on a single.

Cruz slams door: Cruz swatted the fifth grand slam of his career to give the Rangers an 8-2 lead in the fifth and basically put the game out of reach. Cruz has hit all of his grand slams at Rangers Ballpark. It was the Ranger's first slam since Aug. 22, 2011 by Moreland.

Making most of HRs: The Rangers had hit 15 of their 19 home runs with no one on base after Martin's solo shot in the third inning. Their next three long balls came with runners on. Moreland had a two-run shot, Cruz had a grand slam and Adrian Beltre had a two-run homer.

Andrus ends drought: Shortstop Elvis Andrus was hitless in his previous 13 at-bats before he lined a solid single into right field in the first inning. Andrus was 1-for-4 with a run scored.

Up next: The Rangers begin a seven-game road trip in Anaheim against the Los Angeles Angels. Sizzling left-hander Derek Holland (1-1, 1.64 ERA) will start the opener against Angels right-hander Joe Blanton (0-3, 8.59). Game time is 9:05 p.m. CT on FSSW and on ESPN-FM 103.3 and 1540-AM.

The Rangers send a rookie to the mound for the second consecutive game Sunday afternoon when right-hander Justin Grimm faces Seattle right-hander Aaron Harang. Game time is 2:05 p.m. on FSSW and ESPN-FM 103.3 and 1540-AM.

Grimm (0-0, 4.50): Grimm can entrench himself in the Rangers' rotation with a strong outing as the Rangers face three months without injured left-hander Matt Harrison ... He makes his fourth career start and his second this season ... Grimm lasted four innings in his debut this season, pitching four innings and allowing two runs in the Rangers' 4-3 victory last Thursday ... Grimm threw 92 pitches, 50 of them for strikes ... He allowed five hits and three strikeouts and gave up a home run to Seattle center fielder Franklin Gutierrez ... Grimm was a fifth-round draft pick by the Rangers in 2010.

Harang (0-1, 5.40): Harang makes his second start for the Mariners since being acquired by Seattle in a trade with the Colorado Rockies on April 11 ... He suffered a loss in his Seattle debut, allowing three runs in five innings ... Harang had six strikeouts and no walks ... Harang spent the 2012 season with the Los Angeles Dodgers, finishing with a 10-10 record and a 3.61 ERA for 31 starts ... He allowed a .202 batting average with runners in scoring position ... Harang is an even 105-105 in 300 games ... He is 1-0 with a 9.35 ERA in four career starts against the Rangers ... He last pitched against Texas on June 16, 2007 ... Harang has been hit hard at Rangers Ballpark with a 0-0 record and a 12.34 ERA for three career starts in Arlington ... He was originally drafted by the Rangers in the sixth round of the 1999 June entry draft.

Hitters: Michael Morse was 2 for 2 against Grimm in last Thursday's game. Lance Berkman (15-for-58, 7 HRs, 15 RBIs) has the most history against Harang, who has spent most of his career in the National League.

ARLINGTON, Texas -- So what can the Texas Rangers' front office do about the starting rotation now that Matt Harrison is out until probably just after the All-Star break? Well, maybe not much right now.

It's mid-April, and teams aren't exactly ready to start talking trades for starting pitchers, at least ones that would be an upgrade to the current staff. And that's the biggest question for the Rangers: What can they do to improve the rotation over the young arms already in it? If they can't find a pitcher that is obviously a better option than Nick Tepesch or Justin Grimm, they're better off letting their young pitchers pitch and see what happens.

The Rangers are in this spot because they didn't have enough depth to overcome a few injuries before the season started. Martin Perez, likely on his way to earning the No. 5 spot in the rotation, was hit by a line drive in the forearm and is out until May. Colby Lewis is still rehabbing from surgery, and the club has put June 1 as the official date for his return. Beyond Tepesch and Grimm, they could look at Triple-A Round Rock and give Josh Lindblom (a reliever who is now starting) or Brad Mills (picked up off waivers in March from the Angels) a chance. Lindblom, acquired in the Michael Young trade, is 1-0 with a 0.75 ERA but has made just two starts as he builds up arm strength. Mills has won all three of his starts and has a 1.42 ERA in 19 innings with 14 strikeouts and four walks.

There don't appear to be many external possibilities. The Houston Astros will want a high price in prospects for Bud Norris or Lucas Harrell, if they considered moving them. Ted Lilly, once a trade candidate, will join the Dodgers rotation next week after Chris Capuano aggravated his calf injury. Roy Oswalt is still out there. I'm kidding, folks. So is Carlos Zambrano. Again, not a better option than what the Rangers have currently.

It seems like, at this point, Texas must ride this out. With Perez and Lewis on schedule to return in the next month or two (Neftali Feliz, likely a bullpen candidate, probably wouldn't be back before the All-Star break), the Rangers hope the young arms can do the job until those reinforcements arrive.

Rangers general manager Jon Daniels and manager Ron Washington were reminded once again Friday that what happened with their starting rotation in 2011 may never happen again.

Five pitchers, 155 starts out of 162 games.

It didn't happen last year when the Rangers used 11 starters. It's not going to happen this season after the club announced before Friday's game against Seattle that Opening Day starter Matt Harrison is out until at best around the All-Star break.

For the here and now it means two-fifths of the Rangers' rotation will be comprised of rookies -- 24-year-old Nick Tepesch and 24-year-old Justin Grimm. In other words, the Rangers are wandering into a big unknown. Tepesch looked great in his first start and Grimm has a lot of potential, but losing Harrison is a major blow.

"That was the one thing I felt like we were vulnerable to was an injury to one of the main guys in our rotation," designated hitter Lance Berkman said. "We have four excellent starting pitchers, but we have a thin list of candidates to replace (them). They have the ability to do so, but it's a track record issue. Every year there's some adversity to fight through and this might be it."

Berkman's a veteran player being honest. It's no knock on Grimm or Tepesch. Harrison won 34 games in 2011 and '12. Grimm will make his fourth career start Sunday, one more than Tepesch has made.

Daniels said Friday he doesn't expect to run out and make a trade. April doesn't make for the best trading season and the Rangers do have guys rehabbing in Arizona that could make an impact -- Colby Lewis, Neftali Feliz and Martin Perez.

"We're always keeping our eyes open," Daniels said. "But I don't think we'll do anything from outside. We'll play it out. We like the guys we've got. We like the guys that are on the mend. That's obviously an important group for us in Arizona."

The replacements, as we'll call Lewis and Co., won't be available until late May or June. So it's up to Grimm for now. His first task is to better the four innings in his start last week in Seattle.

"Justin had one start, wasn't at his best and I thought he battled through it without his best command," Daniels said. "He'll go again Sunday and we'll go from there."

CHICAGO -- With Wednesday’s matchup between the Texas Rangers and Chicago Cubs postponed by rain, manager Ron Washington has decided to skip starter Justin Grimm and stick with Thursday’s planned starter, Alexi Ogando.

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Jim Bowden joins Fitzsimmons and Durrett for his weekly visit to discuss his opinion on Wrigley Field as a baseball venue, what he thought of Lance Berkman's comments about the historical park and his take on the Rangers early in the season. Listen

“He’s been pitching extremely well,” Washington said of Ogando. “(He’s) still trying to find the command of the fastball; once he finds that he should get even better. It’s nice that he’s able to throw his secondary stuff for strikes. But his bread and butter is always going to be the command of his fastball.”

Ogando has a 1.08 ERA in his three starts this season, striking out 17 and walking only five in his 16 2/3 innings of work.

Washington said his rotation going forward after Ogando on Thursday would be Yu Darvish pitching Friday, followed by Nick Tepesch, Grimm and Derek Holland opening the series against the Los Angeles Angels on Monday. Washington said that skipping Grimm was more about keeping his other pitchers on schedule -- Darvish and Tepesch had already been pushed back -- than a commentary on Grimm’s performance.

The weather for Thursday’s game isn’t expected much better than Wednesday, but Washington was unsure what his plan would be if there was another postponement.

“What we’ll end up doing is we haven’t looked that far,” Washington said with a smile. “But Yu’s going to throw Friday. Maybe we’ll skip Tepesch and insert Ogando (on Saturday). I didn’t get a scenario as to if we get rained out tomorrow.”

It appears that the Cubs will try their hardest to get tomorrow’s 1:20 game in despite the inauspicious forecast. Both May 6 and May 9 have been discussed as possible makeup dates for Wednesday’s rainout.