Despite victory over the Chicago Cubs, Texas Rangers weigh names for rotation
The Texas Rangers beat the Chicago Cubs by 12-7 on Saturday, March 17, in the Cactus League game. The highlight of the game was Alexi Ogando. The Texas Rangers pitcher Alexi Ogando does wish to be the starter, but he lets it for the team to decide to assign him the role. In Mike Maddux’s view, his last year’s performance was that of sheer dominance.
“I saw flashes of sheer dominance," Maddux said. "I saw a sense of confidence from everybody on the field, in the bullpen and in the dugout that we've got the right guy out there."
His Saturday’s game had some features that he would like to avoid in the regular season. In the first two innings that he pitched, he allowed three singles in quick succession. All the same, he gave up two homers.
All this might well be quite unexpected and somewhat worrying, but the team manager did not seem much perturbed by it.
"He was just getting the ball up," Rangers manager Ron Washington said. "I know a few of those home runs were wind-blown, but they still got the barrel of the bat on the ball."
The team manager has in his mind the last year’s impressive performance that Ogando displayed. In his candid view, if it was not for Ogando, the team would not make it to the World Series. "If it wasn't for Ogando, I don't know if we make it to the World Series," Washington said.
Apart from Saturday’s performance, there are other considerations too. The Texas Rangers have yet to decide on the rotation and the bullpen. Since the arrival of the young Japanese pitcher Yu Darvish, there is a bit of uncertainty as to who will be the part of bullpen and rotation.
Ogando’s name is being considered for both. But to get his name slated for the starting pitcher’s spot, he has to prove his mettle – which, it goes without saying, he is fully capable of doing.
The Rangers, nonetheless, have enough time to assign the respective roles to the pitchers. Ogando, as facts stand, may well be a leading name for the rotation.
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