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Yes, it's only May. But now that the season is a quarter of the way finished, it's a great time to figure out how teams measure up to one another. The Texas Rangers have the best record in the majors at 29-15. And they just completed taking three of four from the Detroit Tigers, the team that I believe is their stiffest competition in the American League. So what did we learn -- positives and negatives -- about this Rangers team? Here are a few:

The "no-quit" attitude of this team the past few years extends to this year's bunch. It would have been easy to eventually succumb to the power of Miguel Cabrera last night. He kept mashing homers and when he didn't, Prince Fielder hurt this team. Yet they kept battling. Cabrera was 4-for-4 with three homers and his team lost. That says a lot about the character of this Rangers team.

Lost in the fact that Texas fell to the Tigers on Friday was that Nick Tepesch hung in despite some ups and downs and that the bullpen held the best lineup in baseball to nothing in the final four innings. The Ranger bats couldn't do anything in the one-run loss. But it was the only loss in the series.

David Murphy seems to save his best at-bats for the biggest moments. His three-run homer on Sunday night came with two outs, his club down by two runs and after he fell behind in the count 0-2. He worked it back to 3-2 and then hit the home run to right to put the Rangers on top for good.

Depth has saved the Rangers so far. You would think a team that has lost an 18-game winner, just put its No. 4 starter on the disabled list (Alexi Ogando), has been without its starting catcher the past few weeks and now must deal with its leadoff hitter on the DL would suffer greatly. And maybe they will. But so far, they haven't. Young players have stepped up. And those that have dealt with slumps have battled back, like Geovany Soto. The catcher has had some key hits in the past few series after not getting many opportunities in playing behind A.J. Pierzynski.

Right now, the biggest priority for this team at the trade deadline is not starting pitching. It's some more relief help. Manager Ron Washington's decision to pitch Yu Darvish an extra inning on Thursday, not to mention bringing in Michael Kirkman into the sixth with the bases loaded in a two-run game show he doesn't have a whole ton of options in the pen he trusts. I think he wanted to save Robbie Ross for the later innings (we can debate that decision) and felt like he had no other choices. Right now, outside of Ross, Tanner Scheppers and Joe Nathan, who do you trust? I know for some of you Nathan doesn't even go in that category, but I think that's an overreaction to his velocity decline. He's still getting the job done.

Jurickson Profar is here and the timing, for him, might be good. After a slow start, Profar has been quietly picking up his game. His average may be a bit down, but it's up from where it was even a few weeks ago. He's shown some power, speed and defensive work. Now he'll get a chance to show that in the big leagues.

How about Leury Garcia? He's had to stay ready despite limited playing time, but seems to take advantage of any and every opportunity.

That was a fun series between two good teams. The Rangers, as they seem to do, took advantage of a Tigers weakness when they needed it most last night. Detroit has a decent rotation and a great lineup. But the bullpen is a big question mark and the Rangers managed to grab the lead late and hold it. By the way, Texas has still not lost a game in which it's led by two runs or more from the seventh inning on.

ARLINGTON, Texas -- The best hitter in baseball, Miguel Cabrera, belted three home runs and wowed 39,638 fans and every player, coach and manager in the ballpark Sunday night.

David Murphy, trying to hone his swing in mid-May, produced the home run that mattered, lifting the Texas Rangers to an 11-8 victory over the Detroit Tigers and their amazing Cabrera.

That's what baseball does sometimes.

And Murphy, whose three-run home run gave the Rangers an 8-7 lead in the bottom of the sixth -- after the Rangers had lost a one-run advantage in the top of the inning -- provided the game-changing moment the Rangers needed.

The Rangers were able to turn the game over to Robbie Ross, Tanner Scheppers and Joe Nathan. And even with Cabrera and Prince Fielder in the other lineup, the Rangers' trio at the back of the bullpen proved again automatic.

"We feel like we can do what we have to do," Ross said after running his career record to 8-0. "Our offense kept us in there. Murphy's home run was huge."

Yes, it was. The Rangers had just lost a 5-4 lead in the top of the sixth when manager Ron Washington picked the lesser of two evils, pitching to Fielder with the bases loaded and two outs, rather than facing Cabrera, who already had two homers off starter Derek Holland.

Washington chose to intentionally walk Cabrera, matching up Fielder against left-handed reliever Michael Kirkman. Fielder scalded a three-run double for a 7-5 lead.

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ARLINGTON, Texas -- Josh Lindblom will make what he labeled his second major league debut Monday night when the right-hander starts for the Texas Rangers against the Oakland Athletics.

Lindblom, 25, has actually made his major league debut, pitching in 27 games for the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2011. Only it was as a reliever, as were the case for all 101 of his major league appearances with the Dodgers and Philadelphia Phillies during the past two seasons.

Lindblom, who was made a reliever after struggling this spring training and being sent to Triple-A Round Rock, will get a chance in a different role Monday. The last time he started a game was in 2010 with Triple-A Albuquerque, when he made 10 starts and was moved to the bullpen.

"I really honestly never thought I'd have a chance to be a starter in the big leagues," Lindblom said. "But I came to an organization that really wants to get the most out of every player they have."

Lindblom has been able to expand the number of pitches he throws after throwing only a fastball and an out pitch. Now, as a starter, he can mix in his changeup, slider and curveball.

"I was really limiting myself as a pitcher," Lindblom said. "You watch all of the relievers out there going down to two pitches, a lot of them have a fastball and an out pitch. I have other pitches, and I wasn't able to use them."

Rangers general manager Jon Daniels said internal discussions among the front office near the end of spring training led to the decision to try Lindblom as a starter. It's worked so far; he was 4-0 with a 2.08 ERA for Triple-A Round Rock.

"He had a four-pitch mix," Daniels said. "We thought the way he was throwing that was going to work best down there."

Lindblom has lost 14 pounds since spring training and is down to 233 pounds.

He said he's improved his mental approach to the game. He received a DVD from ex-Phillies teammate Roy Halladay on the ABCs of the mental approach to the game. He's also talked at length to Rangers teammates Matt Harrison and Derek Lowe.

"I'm focusing on things that matter," Lindblom said.

Other Rangers notes:

Olt starting hitting program: Rangers infield prospect Mike Olt has started a hitting program with Triple-A hitting coach Scott Coolbaugh.

But general manager Jon Daniels said the specialists still haven't identified the problem with Olt's vision, which has landed him on the disabled list.

"You always like to have answers," Daniels said. "You deal with what you have."

Soria update: Daniels said that rehabbing reliever Joakim Soria, one of the Rangers' key offseason signings, should be able to resume throwing off a mound at the start of June and could be ready to pitch in the big leagues in early July.

Lewis set to go: Colby Lewis will pitch at 11 a.m. Monday in Frisco in a rehab start for the Double-A RoughRiders. Catcher A.J. Pierzynski, who will be on the second and final day of his rehab assignment, will catch Lewis.

Minor notes: Double-A Frisco left fielder Ryan Strausborger had four stolen bases Saturday night and has 14 for the season.

ARLINGTON, Texas -- The Rangers have a leadoff hitter. Ian Kinsler.

They also have a pretty good backup. Elvis Andrus.

Subbing in the leadoff spot with Kinsler nursing bruised ribs, Andrus had a breakout night Saturday, going 5-for-5 and coming within a home run of hitting for the cycle.

Andrus scored three runs and stole two bases as the aggressive Rangers blitzed red-hot Detroit starter Anibal Sanchez and the Tigers 7-2 on Saturday night.

Andrus used the entire ballpark to get his five hits, his career high.

"He's a tremendous hitter when he does that," manager Ron Washington said of Andrus' using the big part of Rangers Ballpark. "We needed that."

Andrus opened the bottom of the first with a single to left. He stole second and went to third on an error by Tigers catcher Alex Avila. He scored on a passed ball.

Andrus had a triple to right-center field in the second inning that scored Leonys Martin and ignited a three-run rally for a 4-0 lead.

Andrus had another RBI single to center field in the bottom of the third for a 6-0 lead. He led the way with three hits in the first three innings.

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ARLINGTON, Texas -- Call it Justin Grimm's revenge on the Detroit Tigers.

With a personal three-game losing streak entering a rematch with Detroit, Grimm joked with Texas Rangers pitching coach Mike Maddux before Saturday's game that he was going to get back at the Tigers for what they did to him last June in his second major league start. Riding the high of a brilliant debut against the Houston Astros, the Tigers pounded Grimm for six runs in an inning.

In Round 2 of Grimm versus the Tigers, it was the Rangers who won 7-2 before a sellout crowd. Grimm led the way, giving up two runs in 6⅔ innings as the rookie right-hander was able to battle through innings in which he allowed baserunners.

How sweet revenge is.

"It wasn't necessarily remembering what happened last year," Grimm said. "Outings like that, you're young. Mistakes happen. These hitters are going to capitalize on those mistakes."

Grimm fought himself in the second and third innings. He had a leadoff walk in the second to Victor Martinez, which is almost always a recipe for giving up runs. But after a one-out single by Jhonny Peralta put two runners on, Grimm was able to get Omar Infante to ground into a double play.

The third inning featured a second run-in with the heart of the Tigers' batting order with the Rangers leading 4-0. Another leadoff baserunner, this time after a single by Avisail Garcia, led to Detroit's first run on a double by Torii Hunter. That forced Grimm to deal with Miguel Cabrera and Prince Fielder with a runner in scoring position.

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ARLINGTON, Texas -- Colby Lewis reported no soreness after throwing a bullpen session Friday for the first time since getting an anti-inflammatory shot for triceps tendinitis. He threw around 35 pitches Friday.

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. Listen

Lewis will start Monday for Double-A Frisco and expects to make at least two more starts on his rehab assignment before he'll know if he's ready to be activated. That could put him on track to return in Boston on June 4.

"I assume I will stay on track," Lewis said. "They haven't told me otherwise."

Lewis said Friday that the tendinitis he's been dealing with is similar to what he went through around the All-Star break in 2010 when he received treatment and didn't miss a start. Lewis went on to star in the postseason with a 3-0 record as the Rangers made the franchise's first World Series appearance.

"I'm hoping it's the same situation where I only had it for a little bit and I didn't have to miss another start," Lewis said.

Other notes:

Burns looks good: Manager Ron Washington said new reliever Cory Burns did fine in his first appearance with the Rangers on Thursday night, pitching an inning in the 10-4 victory.

"He gutted it out," said Washington of Burns' one inning in which he walked one and didn't allow a run.

He wouldn't say if Burns pitching well in this stint with the Rangers could keep on the club with a need for right-handed help in the bullpen. Washington does like that Burns, who relies on his changeup, can pitch multiple innings.

"I don't know," Washington said. "We'll have to see how things go. He's a multiple-inning guy. There's not a lot of stress in his arm."

Martin running strong: Leonys Martin had his first multi-steal game of his career Friday night. He joined shortstop Elvis Andrus as the only Rangers this season who have done so.

Feliz progresses: Reliever Neftali Feliz is throwing from 120 feet as he moves closer to being able to throw from a mound for the first time since having Tommy John ligament replacement surgery.

ARLINGTON, Texas -- Rangers second baseman Ian Kinsler was scratched from Friday's lineup against the Detroit Tigers with bruised ribs.

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. Listen

Kinsler was hit by a pitch in the third inning of Thursday's 10-4 victory over the Tigers by an 81-mph curveball by Justin Verlander in same area where he took a blow to the ribs on a stolen base over the weekend at Houston.

Kinsler hopes to play Saturday, but wasn't certain when he would return when asked about it before the game.

"I have no idea," Kinsler said. "We'll see. That's the goal."

Kinsler tied the Rangers' club record with 54 career hit by pitches, evening things with Rafael Palmeiro. He has been hit five times this season, tying him for second in the American League.

Also on Friday, Kinsler laughed off his dismal slide into third base Thursday, in which he dove head first well before the bag and hit the side of his face -- mainly his left ear -- in a classic faceplant.

Kinsler said he's fine from that blow, mostly.

"I came out of the slide perfectly fine," Kinsler said. "Except for a bruised ego."

Did you find it odd to see Yu Darvish come back out for the eighth inning last night with a six-run lead? I did. Darvish had already thrown over 100 pitches. His team had added to its lead, taking a 10-4 advantage into the eighth inning, six outs away from a victory. But there was Darvish, back on the hill for the eighth inning.

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. Listen

At the time, I thought manager Ron Washington was likely going to have Darvish pitch to right-handed hitting Miguel Cabrera and then have Robbie Ross, who was warming up, come in for the left-handed hitting Prince Fielder. Instead, Darvish stayed in and mowed down the middle of the order. He ended up with 130 pitches, his highest total this season. He has thrown an average of nearly 121 pitches in his last three starts.

Darvish needed 15 pitches to get through the inning and got the toughest three hitters in the Tigers lineup, giving the game to Cory Burns in the ninth. Washington probably had a variety of reasons for leaving Darvish in. First, it was the tough part of the order. Second, he wanted to save as much of the bullpen as he could knowing he's got some young, unproven pitchers starting games coming up -- including Josh Lindblom, who has to take the place of Alexi Ogando -- and will need them. Third, it's still the Tigers with the top offense in the league. And fourth, though he probably won't admit it, Washington can't have a ton of faith in parts of this bullpen. Right now, you want Ross, Tanner Scheppers and Joe Nathan in a tight game. Beyond that, it gets iffy. I'm sure he wanted to save those key arms.

I get all of those reasons. And I still would not have pitched Darvish in the eighth. It's not the pitch count that actually bugs me. If you're an ace, sometimes you've got to be able to go out there and carry the team. We've seen Justin Verlander do that a fair amount in his career. But it depends on the situation. I don't think you ask Darvish to do that with a six-run lead. That's not the time to push him. You have to think big picture, especially with the injuries to this staff. You protect that Darvish investment.

For those that note Verlander's high pitch count at times -- he's thrown more than 125 pitches 21 times in his career -- a total of 19 of those came in games that ended up at a margin of four runs or fewer (and in most of those, when Verlander went back out to pitch, it was three or fewer). In 10 of those, it was a one-run game. That's the time to push it.

Darvish, of course, has no issues with this. He's thrown more than 130 pitches enough in his career in Japan. But there, it's a six-man rotation and you're pitching about once a week. There's more recovery time. Darvish can handle some longer workload. I just think you pick and choose your spots and last night was not one of those spots.

But that's just me. What do you think? You OK with the decision to leave Darvish in last night?

ARLINGTON, Texas -- The pitching duel that wasn't Thursday night between Yu Darvish and Justin Verlander ended up being more about pitch counts.

The 130 pitches that Darvish pitched in the Texas Rangers' 10-4 pounding of Verlander and the Detroit Tigers was a big topic in postgame interviews.

And Rangers general manager Jon Daniels met with manager Ron Washington after Thursday's game to discuss Darvish's pitch count.

Darvish stood at 115 pitches and the Rangers leading comfortably, 10-4, as the top of the eighth came up. It seemed to be the right time for a handshake, slap on the back, and to say thanks for the seven innings.

Not so fast, said Washington, who had enough respect for a Tigers lineup that sent up Triple Crown man Miguel Cabrera, left-handed slugger Prince Fielder and Victor Martinez in the inning.

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. Listen

Plus, setup man Tanner Scheppers wasn't available after finishing off Wednesday's 6-2 victory in Oakland, and Washington preferred Darvish to left-hander Robbie Ross, who has walked batters in two of his three appearances.

"I saw the big lead; the lineup they got, it's not soft anywhere in it," Washington said. "Even though we had the lead, I wasn't comfortable. I felt like he needed to get us through the eighth inning to give our bullpen a break, and he certainly did that."

Washington reasoned that after Darvish's 36-pitch third inning that put him at 63 pitches for the night, he was more economical. Darvish went 17, 11, 13 and 11 pitches the next four innings. He had 15 more to go.

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OAKLAND, Calif. -- After no-hitting the Oakland Athletics for five innings Wednesday, Texas Rangers right-hander Alexi Ogando found himself in a jam in the sixth.

A's second baseman Eric Sogard broke up the no-hit bit with a leadoff double and scored on catcher Derek Norris' sacrifice fly, cutting the Rangers' lead to 6-1. Then Ogando gave up back-to-back singles to Jed Lowrie and Yoenis Cespedes.

With power-hitting Brandon Moss coming to the plate, Rangers manager Ron Washington decided it was time to make a trip to the mound.

"I had to let Ogando know that he's come too far and done too much right now to let this blow up in his face," Washington said. "Just throw the ball across the plate and let the defense make a play behind you. And I'll be darned, [Nelson] Cruz made one."

Moss sent a shot to right-center that appeared likely to fall and drive in two runs, but Cruz ranged far to his right and made a diving catch, ending the inning. The Rangers went on to win 6-2 and capture the series, two games to one.

"That was about the biggest [catch] that he's made in a long time because if that ball gets by him, no telling what that game will end up being," Washington said. "That was a grand play. We needed it right there. Ogando needed it right there. The team needed it right there. And he made it. And it saved the game for us."

Cruz is known more for his power at the plate than his defense in the field. And true to form, he launched a three-run home run in the fifth inning -- his team-leading 10th blast -- off A's reliever Jesse Chavez to increase the Rangers' lead to 6-0.

But Cruz said he enjoyed his diving catch even more than his three-run shot because it came at such a critical point in the game.

"It was a great catch and a great moment," Cruz said. "It looks like they're coming back."

Cruz said he wasn't sure if he'd even have a chance to make the catch when the ball came off Moss' bat.

"Four or five steps before I dove for the ball, I thought I had a chance to catch it," Cruz said.

Cruz has his share of critics who question his defensive skill, but Washington isn't one of them. Far from it.

"I think he's a very good defensive player," Washington said. "I've never questioned his defense. He's a very good outfielder as far as I'm concerned."

Cruz definitely made a fan out of Ogando. That diving catch kept a very good outing from turning into bad one.

"It was an excellent play that helped me so much," Ogando said. "That's what we needed at that moment."

Ogando didn't need much help through the first five innings, when he tallied all three of his strikeouts and dominated the A's.

"I was commanding all the pitches where I wanted to throw them," said Ogando, who improved to 4-2. "So overall I felt very well."

Ogando said he still felt strong in the sixth inning but started leaving his pitches up. Then after Ogando allowed a leadoff single to Josh Donaldson in the seventh, Washington took him out.

"The average starters get through the lineup three times," Washington said. "The good starters get through the lineup four times. He's been able to get through the lineup three times before I've had to get him. I'm looking for the time when he can get through four times.

“It's a learning process. It's only his second year as a starter. He's doing a good job of it. He really is."

OAKLAND, Calif. -- While he was blanking the Oakland A's in the eighth and ninth innings Tuesday night, Rangers reliever Tanner Scheppers consistently threw mid-90s heat and even touched 98 mph on the radar gun.

Scheppers is a setup man with closer's stuff. At least for now.

PODCAST
Rangers manager Ron Washington joins Fitzsimmons & Durrett live from Oakland for his weekly visit. Listen

"Right now his role is going to be setup," Rangers manager Ron Washington said before Wednesday's series finale against the A's. "That's what we're trying to use him as. Future down the road, he has stuff to be a closer. But right now we want his mentality being coming in and giving the ball to Joe (Nathan). And whatever else happens after that down the road, let it happen. But I want his mindset to be he's coming in and getting the ball to the closer."

Scheppers has been doing exactly that. He's 3-0 with a 0.45 ERA in 17 appearances and 20.0 innings pitched. He's struck out 12 and walked just four.

Scheppers said he's happy with his current role but has bigger goals for the future.

"I think long-term, I'd like the opportunity to start," Scheppers said. "I would like to close, as well. I would like to start or close, one of the two. I'd be happy with either one."

Scheppers, who started in college at Fresno State and started seven games in the minor leagues, said starting would be choice 1-A and closing 1-B on his list.

"You got a set routine where you kind of know exactly what's happening," Scheppers said of starting.

Scheppers has made marked improvement this season after going 1-1 with a 4.45 ERA in 39 appearances as a rookie last year.

"He's hitting his spots," Washington said. "He's not afraid to throw inside. He's always had a real good breaking ball, and he's putting it into play now. He's keeping the ball down, and he's consistently 95, 96 mph. So you can make some mistakes with that and get away with it. You throw those same pitches and it's 92, 93, they get pounded."

High wire act: Nathan is a perfect 12-for-12 in save opportunities this season, but he's had a few high-stress outings, including the 10th inning of Tuesday night's 6-5 win. Nathan gave up a run and then had to pitch his way out of a bases-loaded jam, striking out Daric Barton and getting Eric Sogard to ground out.

"After making it interesting, he got his outs," Washington said. "If you ever wanted to find out what Joe Nathan is about, he showed you last night. Yeah, put himself in a tough situation. Bases loaded. Tying run at third, winning run at second. Strike out and a ground out. About as tough as it gets. So that's Joe Nathan. He's not always going to put himself in those types of situations. But when it materialized, he got us off the field."

Washington said he might give Nathan a day off Wednesday after his high-stress save.

Pierzynski update: Injured catcher A.J. Pierzynski (strained right oblique muscle) said he expects to play a rehab game Sunday for Double-A Frisco and hopes to be in the starting lineup for the Rangers on Tuesday against the A's when he's eligible to come off the disabled list.

"It's definitely gotten better," Pierzynski said. "From the time I did it, the doctors and the trainers said it would be a month, and Friday will be just about a month. Swinging the bat was the biggest thing, and I've been hitting the last couple days. Yesterday, it was free and easy."

Washington, however, is still in a wait-and-see mode. He wants to see how Pierzynski handles live batting practice Thursday at Rangers Ballpark before he sets a rehab date.

Add one: The Rangers signed former Blue Jays right-hander Scott Richmond to a minor league contract and assigned him to extended spring training. Richmond, 33, pitched earlier this year for the Lotte Giants in the Korean Professional League. In 36 career appearances and 29 starts -- all for Toronto -- he's 9-14 with a 5.27 ERA. He appeared in three games for the Blue Jays in 2012 but spent most of last season at Triple-A Las Vegas.

OAKLAND, Calif. -- Rangers manager Ron Washington made just one switch in his starting lineup for Wednesday afternoon's game against the Oakland A's, giving catcher Geovany Soto the day off and starting Robinson Chirinos in his place. Third baseman Adrian Beltre will make his 40th consecutive start of the season.

Here are the lineups:

PODCAST
Rangers manager Ron Washington joins Fitzsimmons & Durrett live from Oakland for his weekly visit. Listen

RANGERS
2B Ian Kinsler
SS Elvis Andrus
DH Lance Berkman
3B Adrian Beltre
RF Nelson Cruz
1B Mitch Moreland
LF David Murphy
C Robinson Chirinos
CF Leonys Martin
P Alexi Ogando

ATHLETICS
CF Coco Crisp
C John Jaso
SS Jed Lowrie
DH Yoenis Cespedes
RF Brandon Moss
3B Josh Donaldson
LF Seth Smith
1B Daric Barton
2B Eric Sogard
P Dan Straily

OAKLAND, Calif. -- When the Texas Rangers return to Arlington on Thursday, they'll open a seven-game homestand with a dream pitching matchup that features two of baseball's marquee right-handers, Yu Darvish and the Detroit Tigers' Justin Verlander.

PODCAST
Rangers manager Ron Washington joins Fitzsimmons & Durrett live from Oakland for his weekly visit. Listen

Just don't expect Darvish to promote this showdown as if it were a heavyweight bout. Before Tuesday night's game against the Oakland Athletics, Darvish was asked if he's looking forward to this start against Verlander more than most.

"Not particularly, because I won't be hitting against him," Darvish said. "If that were the case, I'd be looking forward to it. I'm just going to be pitching, and I'm focused on pitching my game."

Darvish has had his A-game for most of this season. He's 6-1 with a 2.73 ERA and has won five straight decisions. He leads the major leagues in strikeouts with 80.

"The number of wins and the number of strikeouts, I'm not really concerned about," Darvish said. "That's something I have to look back to once the season's over. Since my ERA is not 0.00, that's what I have to improve on. I'm just making sure I'm healthy to throw for the rest of the season."

Darvish had a combined 31 strikeouts in his past three starts, wins over the Chicago White Sox, Boston Red Sox and Houston Astros, but he also gave up five home runs. In his first five starts, he didn't allow a home run.

The Tigers' lineup is filled with power hitters, including Miguel Cabrera and Prince Fielder.

"There's no particular hitter I'm looking forward to facing," Darvish said. "I'm more concerned about managing the lineup and pitching my game and giving my team a chance to win. Every game I look forward to facing every hitter, but there's no particular hitter I'm concerned about now."

Running into trouble?: With the Rangers trailing the A's 5-1 in the top of the ninth Monday night, shortstop Elvis Andrus stole second base and tweaked his right hamstring. He stayed in the game and was in the starting lineup Tuesday night.

"In the cold weather, sometimes, the part of the hamstring that comes down and goes behind your knee, sometimes it stiffens up on him," Rangers manager Ron Washington said. "When he slid yesterday he just felt it a little bit. He's playing. It was no issue."

Washington, though, did take issue with Andrus' decision to steal in that situation.

"When they're not paying attention, he took a shot there," Washington said. "But you got to be safe. You take all excuses away if you're not safe. I'd much rather see him stay there in that situation, but I didn't put the hold [sign] on."

Washington quickly told Andrus as much.

"When I got out there, I told him, 'Don't try to steal third. Stay there,'" Washington said.

Pierzynski update: Catcher A.J. Pierzynski took another step forward in his comeback from the strained right oblique muscle that landed him on the disabled list on May 10, retroactive to May 6. He took swings on the field during a soft-toss session.

"Well, he swung today and didn't have any issues, so we just got to see how he feels after he finished swinging and then we'll make arrangements according to that. Hopefully, everything is well, and when we get back to Texas he can take some BP [batting practice]."

Pierzynski is eligible to come off the DL on Tuesday, and Washington said he'll probably need one or two rehab games before then. Washington said it looks like he's on track to be activated Tuesday.

"That's what it looks like. Did some soft toss out on the field and looked good," Washington said. "I didn't see him holding back. Now we've got to see how he feels afterwards. It looked like he was getting through the ball fine."

More praise for Griffin: Washington, as he did after Monday night's loss to Oakland, had high praise for A's right-hander A.J. Griffin, who allowed one run on six hits and struck out eight -- four on called third strikes. Washington said Griffin had great stuff and also took advantage of plate umpire Lance Barksdale's generous strike zone.

"He had a good game last night. He had a good game, he really did. He recognized what the umpire was doing and he stayed with it, a la [former Atlanta Braves pitcher] Greg Maddux and [John] Smoltz and [Tom] Glavine," Washington said. "Recognize what they're doing and don't change it. He'd go off this far [off the plate], he'd call it. Go that far, if he'd call it, oh man, you got another plate over there to throw to. He was in tune last night. Tip your hat."

No rest for Beltre: Third baseman Adrian Beltre was in the lineup Tuesday for the 39th straight game. He's yet to get a night off this season, and he might not get one for some time, Washington said, even with a day game Wednesday following a night game.

"We got these guys, and we got Detroit," Washington said. "I don't see him coming out before then. Can't have that bat sitting on the bench against these guys and against Detroit. If I do anything with him, I'll talk him into DHing. He told me, 'Whatever you want to do skip, other than taking me out.' So I might get him to DH."

Washington said he'll probably give catcher Geovany Soto a day off Wednesday, which would put Robinson Chirinos in the starting lineup. A number of other Rangers regulars will probably get some rest Wednesday.

"I don't know exactly where else yet. We'll see how the night goes," Washington said.

Ticket booth: There are still around 12,500 tickets available for Thursday night's opener of a four-game series against Detroit at Rangers Ballpark, the team announced. There are around 7,000 tickets available for Friday's game, 3,000 for Saturday's game and 11,500 for Sunday's.

Ron Washington goes off of feel when it comes to giving his players a day off.

So far this season the Rangers' manager has been more liberal giving his regulars games off. A tough travel schedule has had a lot to do with it. The Rangers are currently on a four-city, 10-day road trip.

Twice he's given two regulars that hit regularly in the top six spots of the lineup the day off together. It's been Elvis Andrus and Lance Berkman one time. And on Sunday it was Nelson Cruz and Ian Kinsler, who led the Rangers in RBIs entering the game against Houston, which the Rangers won 12-7.

"It's a feel," Washington said Tuesday on his weekly radio appearance on Fitzsimmons & Durrett on ESPN Dallas 103.3 FM. "My coaches, we look at the amount of games we've played, the travel that we've had. This year I'm trying to do the right thing."

Washington is more comfortable giving regulars time off because his bench is better and more productive. He's been able to keep players in a groove with 28 pinch-hit appearances.

In Sunday's game, Washington played Leury Garcia at second base and Leonys Martin in left field and they combined for five hits and six runs scored. Martin had a home run.

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Rangers manager Ron Washington joins Fitzsimmons & Durrett live from Oakland for his weekly visit. Listen

Washington, who was criticized for not resting his regulars more as the team was fading at the end of the last season, has said repeatedly in the last few weeks that this year's club is more versatile.

"We've put some pieces on this team this year," Washington said. "Now when we feel like we need to give these guys days, I'm going to go on and do it."

More of Wash's Widsom:

Skidding in Oakland: Washington, a coach for 11 years in Oakland before becoming the Rangers' manager, was intense when talking about ending a bad streak at O.com Coliseum, where the Rangers have lost eight of their last 10 games and are on a five-game losing streak.

"I want to end that streak badly," Washington said on Fitzsimmons & Durrett. "I know we were losing here, but I didn't know it was that bad.

"It's not a situation where they are so dominant. It's a situation where we're the reason. We're not doing what we're capable of doing in this place, so we have to turn that around. We're in control of that. I'm not going to put it to where Oakland is in control of that."

Grimm's struggles: Washington said that struggling rookie starter Justin Grimm will be fine. He needs to work on keeping his fastball and curveball down in the strike zone.

"He has to work harder," Washington said on Fitzsimmons & Durrett. "And once he gets two outs, putting that third one away. That's where he gets in trouble, getting that third out."

HOUSTON -- This is no time to panic on right-hander Justin Grimm, despite three straight May losses after earning rookie of the month honors in April.

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Rangers manager Ron Washington joins Fitzsimmons & Durrett live from Oakland for his weekly visit. Listen

And anyway, who would take his spot in the rotation if the Rangers wanted to make a change?

The reinforcments aren't ready. Colby Lewis just had an anti-inflammatory injection to treat mild triceps tendinitis, so his return has been pushed back at least until mid-June. Martin Perez doesn't look ready. Josh Lindblom? No way.

Manager Ron Washington said after Monday's 5-1 loss to the A's that he's not concerned about Grimm. Grimm allowed a pair of two-out runs in the second inning and then gave up home runs to Yoenis Cespedes and Brandon Moss in the third inning.

The Rangers were lifeless on offense, going 0-for-6 with men on base against A's starter A.J. Griffin, so Grimm didn't get the benefit of pitching with a lead. The Rangers offense wasn't able to come all the way back in a game like they did for Alexi Ogando and Yu Darvish in Houston.

Grimm should and will get time to find his way back to his 2-1 record and 1.59 ERA in April, or somewhere in the middle from there and where he is in May.

Some in the organization, such as Rangers CEO Nolan Ryan, think Grimm and fellow rookie Nick Tepesch, who also hit a speed bump in May before Sunday in Houston, will only get better.

"They've done what we've asked of them," Ryan said Monday on Galloway & Company on ESPN Dallas 103.3 FM. "They're both rookies. I think they're going to get better myself."

Other notes:

Holland is money: Derek Holland goes for three straight victories pitching after a Rangers loss when he takes the mound Tuesday night in Oakland. He has allowed one earned run in 15 innings in wins over Boston and Milwaukee in his previous two starts.

Griffin's key: The key to A.J. Griffin's dominant performance against the Rangers on Monday night? He kept the ball down. He threw 60.2 percent of his pitches down in the strike zone or below it, the highest percentage in a start in his career. Rangers hitters were 2-for-15 (both singles) in at-bats ending with a pitch in that location, with Griffin picking up seven of his eight strikeouts in that situation.

Murphy battling: Left fielder David Murphy went 1-for-2 on Monday to extend his hitting streak to eight games. He's raised his average to .205. He's still hurting with the sore/bruised tailbone, but he's fighting through it.