Notes

RANGERS Darvish set for debut

ARLINGTON, Texas - Yu Darvish and the Texas Rangers only have to wait a few more days before the ace will be back on the mound.

Darvish is scheduled to make his season debut Sunday at Tampa Bay after getting through an extended bullpen session without any issues.

“He’s ready to go,” Manager Ron Washington said Wednesday, when Darvish reported feeling good a day after throwing 86 pitches.

Washington said Darvish is as strong as he was before the neck stiffness that kept the pitcher from throwing for two weeks. Darvish was placed on the disabled list to start the season, though the move was retroactive to March 21, making the right-hander eligible to be activated this weekend.

“Once his neck wasn’t bothering him anymore, we saw the same stuff we saw in Arizona,” Washington said. “He didn’t back up any.”

Tanner Scheppers, who started the opener and was scheduled for the series finale against the Rays, was pushed back to Monday at Boston, where he will be followed by Martin Perez and Robbie Ross against the Red Sox. Washington said there have been no decisions made past that trio that also started the first three games of the season.

Darvish last faced hitters in a game March 16 during spring training. Their expected opening-day starter didn’t throw again until last Saturday, when he threw off flat ground and followed that a day later with a 32-pitch bullpen session. After not throwing opening day, he came back with the strong 86-pitch session Tuesday.

“He’s still as strong as an ox,” Washington said. “He still was darting up the gnats that were flying around home plate. You know how small a gnat is. He was knocking them down with consistency.”

Darvish finished second in the AL Cy Young Award voting last season, when he led the major leagues with 277 strikeouts. In his season debut last year, in the second game of the season, Darvish came within one out of a perfect game at Houston.

Darvish could have been activated as early as Saturday, when right-hander Nick Martinez is scheduled to make his major league debut. Martinez has never pitched above the Class AA level and isn’t even on the Rangers’ 25-man roster yet.

NATIONALS Catcher to miss 4-6 weeks

NEW YORK - Washington Nationals catcher Wilson Ramos has had surgery for a broken hamate bone in his left hand and is expected to miss four to six weeks.

Ramos, the team’s No. 1 backstop, was placed on the 15-day disabled list Wednesday, retroactive to April 1. Washington recalled switch-hitting catcher Sandy Leon from Class AAA Syracuse before the second game of the season against the New York Mets.

Jose Lobaton was set to start behind the plate Wednesday night.

Ramos batted cleanup on opening day and felt pain in his hand on a swing. He was sent to see a hand specialist Tuesday before having surgery Wednesday in Baltimore.

Ramos, 26, batted .272 with 16 home runs and 59 RBI in only 287 at-bats over 78 games last season.

Sports, Pages 18 on 04/03/2014

Upcoming Events