Rangers host A's in Free Game of the Day
With a comfortable 9 1/2-game lead in the AL West, Texas Rangers manager Jeff Banister already has his eye on the big prize. That’s why the second-year skipper has gone out of his way this weekend to line up Cole Hamels, Yu Darvish and Colby Lewis, which is his preferred top three for the upcoming ALDS.
On paper anyway, that looks like a tough trio to deal with. All come with questions though that Banister hopes will be answered and put behind them over the next two weeks.
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On Friday, Cole Hamels didn’t ease any concerns over his recent struggles. He allowed six earned runs over six innings, which raised his ERA to 10.50 over his last four starts. He was on track to lose until Texas rallied in the ninth, securing a 7-6 win on Jonathan Lucroy’s walk-off two-run single.
Now it will be Darvish’s turn on Saturday. He’ll take on those same A’s in the MLB Game of the Day on Yahoo Sports. You can stream the game at Yahoo’s Sports Home, MLB index and video home for free beginning at 8:05 p.m. ET.
The questions with Darvish are pretty clear. He’ll be making his 15th start this season coming off Tommy John surgery, which was performed last spring. It’s still one of those situations where you don’t always know what you’re getting. Darvish has been excellent for the most part, posting a 3.28 ERA. But he’s also lacked consistency, particularly with his control. That’s not unusual for Tommy John pitchers and will be one area to watch again on Saturday.
Darvish will be pitching with two extra days rest, which was one of the adjustments made to set up Banister’s rotation. That could impact his performance as well, but Banister remains confident that he’s making the right move at the right time for his team.
“We had talked about it prior to coming into this series,” Banister said this week. “We had two starters that gave us some length. We didn’t need to use Derek (Holland) out of the bullpen. To give Darvish a couple extra days, the thought process of this is, a guy coming off of Tommy John, and then also be able to position the three together.”
As for Colby Lewis, Sunday’s start will be second since returning from the disabled list with a Grade 2 lat strain. He took the loss, allowing three runs over 5 1/3 innings in his return against the Angels on Sept. 11. He’s less of a sure thing right now than Hamels or Darvish, but was Texas’ most consistent starter before his injury, posting a 3.21 ERA over 15 starts.
With over two weeks left, Banister would have time to make any other adjustments if needed. That’s what’s so beneficial about building a lead. However, it’s clear who he wants in those positions. If all three pitchers round into form over these final three starts, he’ll be one happy manager.
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Mark Townsend is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at bigleaguestew@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!
