Kuzul

On Thursday night, Yu Darvish beat the Detroit Tigers and threw 130 pitches. It wasn't his best performance this year or even this month, but it may end up the most scrutinized. As Darvish's pitch count climbed, everyone—including announcer Matt Vasgersian and analyst Tom Verducci—had something to say about it. Vasgersian called Darvish's deep pitch count a "Herculean feat." Unfortunately, Rangers CEO Nolan Ryan wasn't in his customary seat just to the left of the Texas Rangers dugout, so the camera couldn't cut to him. Ryan, who pitched in the major leagues for over two decades and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1999, was as well known for his durability as he was for his fastball.While I don't know what Ryan thought about Darvish pitching the eighth inning with a six-run lead or giving up the ball in the ninth, we can look back and see what Ryan the ...

The Texas Rangers are about three weeks into the new season. They were just dealt a big blow with the news that lefty Matt Harrison will need back surgery.Despite the bad news, there is reason for optimism—after all, it's only April.Ron Washington and his players can still set their sights on the division crown. Here are a few reasons why.Begin Slideshow

The Rangers announced bad news regarding pitcher Matt Harrison on Friday afternoon: Rangers GM Jon Daniels says Matt Harrison has a herniated disk. Will have back surgery Tuesday.— Anthony Andro (@aandro) April 19, 2013  The back surgery will likely be a microdiscectomy, given the relatively short return time. The surgery will be performed in Dallas by Dr. Drew Dossett, one of the country's top back surgeons and a protege of Dr. Robert Watkins. A microdiscectomy is a surgery in which the spinal surgeon or neurologist goes into the spine through a tiny incision and removes a small part of the damaged spinal disc using special tools. These spinal discs act as cushions between the vertebrae, so removing only the damaged or impinging part leaves much of the cushioning effect in place and results in less trauma. In the case of Harrison, Anthony Andro also gave the location the doctors will repair:L5-S1 is the disk that's ...

The Texas Rangers' quest to catch the surging Oakland Athletics in the AL West just got a whole lot more difficult.According to the Rangers' official Twitter feed, starting pitcher Matt Harrison will undergo back surgery for a herniated disc and be out until after the All-Star break:The 27-year-old left-hander had been suffering through back soreness throughout April and was placed on the disabled list earlier this month.Initially thought to be merely an inflamed nerve in his back, Friday’s diagnosis will put the Rangers’ rotation in a dire situation. Ascending in Texas' rotation in each of the past two seasons, Harrison had developed into one of manager Ron Washington’s top workhorses. Harrison compiled an 18-11 record with a 3.29 ERA and 1.26 WHIP last season, tossing four complete games en route to his first All-Star appearance.  Expected to dominate atop the Rangers’ rotation again in 2013, it was clear from Harrison’s ...

Although unanimous top-prospect Jurickson Profar is ready for an everyday role in the major leagues, the Texas Rangers simply have nowhere to play him.Blocked at both middle infield positions by Elvis Andrus and Ian Kinsler, respectively, the organization decided to send their phenom to Triple-A to open the 2013 season to ensure he receives regular playing time.However, Profar’s long-term future with the Rangers may have been drastically altered late on Sunday night, as the organization announced an eight-year, $120 million contract extension with Andrus (via CBSSports). Including the remaining three years on his current contract, he will make approximately $131.275 million over the next 10 seasons and is now under team control through 2022. Meanwhile, Kinsler is locked up through the 2017 season with an option for 2018.As for Profar, the Andrus extension could impact the 20-year-old’s future in several different ways. Kinsler Changes PositionsBarring an injury to either Andrus or ...

As we move ever closer to Opening Day, the Rangers find themselves in need of a No. 5 starter. Their pursuit of another arm may very well end with the addition of either Kyle Lohse or Rick Porcello.After the team missed out on Zack Greinke and James Shields this offseason, they were already thinner than they'd hoped in the starting rotation.Things became slightly more pressing on Sunday, however, when prospect and projected No. 5 starter Martin Perez took a liner off his left (throwing) forearm and came away with a fractured ulna. He's now expected to be on the shelf until at least May (h/t Dayn Perry of CBSSports).The team has some in-house option led by Robbie Ross and Justin Grimm, but the more attractive option at this point may be to go outside of the organization.Since the injury, the team has been linked to a pair of veteran right-handers ...

The Texas Rangers made themselves into a baseball monument with back-to-back trips to the World Series in 2010 and 2011. But over the last few months, the monument has been slowly chipped away.So much so, in fact, that it now feels like only the face remains. And now that may be going too.Yes, now. The Rangers lost their superstar when Josh Hamilton left town, but his departure didn't leave the franchise without a face. Nolan Ryan is the face of the Rangers. Ever since he was first brought aboard by former owner Tom Hicks in 2008, Ryan has spearheaded the Rangers' transformation from a decidedly "meh" organization into one of the most enviable organizations in baseball.Now the Rangers seem to have decided Ryan's done enough.The Rangers announced on Friday that they had made Jon Daniels their president of baseball operations in addition to their general manager, and that chief operating officer Rick ...

This series will evaluate one team per day, starting on Jan. 23 and ending on Feb. 22 (the first game of spring training). It is based on last season's performance, the offseason changes since then and the author's outlook for the team in 2013. Please keep in mind that rosters can, and will, change before Opening Day. We started in the American League East, worked across to the National League, tackled the Central divisions, and now jump to the AL West, going in alphabetical order. Next up, the Texas Rangers. 2012 finish: 93-69 (2nd place, AL West -- lost to Baltimore Orioles in Wild Card play-in game) Notable additionsRHP Jason Frasor, RHP Randy Wells, RHP Evan Meek, RHP Joakim Soria, RHP Josh Lindblom, RHP Kyle McClellan, 1B Lance Berkman, C A.J. Pierzynski Notable lossesRHP Barret Loux, RHP Mike Adams, RHP Mark Lowe, RHP Ryan Dempster, RHP Scott Feldman, RHP Koji Uehara, RHP Roy Oswalt, OF ...

Nelson Cruz has a lot to play for in 2013, especially now that his name was included in the MLB’s latest round of PED allegations. The league hasn’t reprimanded any of the players named in the report yet, and Rangers GM Jon Daniels says he expects Nellie in right field to begin the season. That’s the good news. The bad news is that even if the 32-year-old does clear his name, it’s a safe bet this dark cloud will follow him most of the season. Baseball’s shameful past with steroids makes these allegations difficult to shake, even for the innocent. How Cruz will respond is a valid question. Will he still have a stellar season despite the uncomfortable spotlight? There are a few reasons to believe he will. First of all, Nellie is a free agent at the end of this season. The lure of a big payday is almost ...

Since Jon Daniels was hired as general manager after the 2005 season, the Rangers haven't had many quiet offseasons.Although he has done a lot of his best work at the trade deadlines, Daniels has also made many key additions during these offseasons. There have been a few misses too.The offseason isn't technically over yet, but there's a good chance the Rangers won't make any more moves.So with that in mind, here is how the Rangers offseasons rank during the Jon Daniels era.  Begin Slideshow