SURPRISE, Ariz. (AP) — Bartolo Colon could be pitching his way into the Texas Rangers' rotation at age 44 as he continues to shut down hitters half his age in spring training.The Rangers also ended their try to move Matt Bush from the bullpen into the rotation."I'm very happy and I get to go back to doing what I know how to do," Bush said Monday. "There are plenty of good starters and this is a role they need me to go back to. They know what they are doing and I feel like it is the right decision."The Rangers' rotation has a lot of moving parts.Cole Hamels, Matt Moore and Doug Fister appear to be locks for the top three spots. Mike Minor remains a candidate, but could be switched to closer, a role he was effective in at the end of last season with Kansas City.Left-hander Martin Perez threw 69 pitches in a minor league game Monday, allowing six runs, three earned, in four innings. He has been set back in spring training after breaking his right (non-pitching) elbow in December in an incident... [More]

SURPRISE, Ariz. (AP) — Early in spring training, many pitchers take the same approach to starts. The basic work-on-stuff, build-innings-and-conditioning, reach-pitch-limit kind of thing.For Matt Moore, it was a little different.After a poor year with the San Francisco Giants last season, the Texas lefty faced them Monday in his second outing. He allowed a run on one hit, a pair of walks and a wild pitch over 2 2/3 innings, striking out two. Moore left after giving up an RBI single to Austin Jackson."I was looking forward to it, absolutely," Moore said. "Not like I have anything out for them, it's just that those are the guys that I sat in the dugout with for the last year and a half, and got to know them pretty well. It was fun to just compete against them."The Giants traded Moore to the Rangers for prospects in the offseason after he spent part of 2016 and all of 2017 in the Bay Area. He's in his seventh season in the majors at only 28 years old, and is coming off a season of career lows.Those... [More]

SURPRISE, Ariz. (AP) — The Texas Rangers are famished for success after a down 2017.After winning back-to-back AL West championships, the Rangers went from winning 97 games in 2016 to a 78-84 record last season and finishing 23 games behind the Houston Astros."Hungry dogs run faster," Rangers manager Jeff Banister said Tuesday, the first day of the club's full-squad workout. "That may be a T-shirt."Pitchers, by design, did not throw batting practice for the initial day with position players on the field.Shortstop Elvis Andrus was unable to make it through the first day, leaving early with back spasms. Left-hander Matt Moore, who had been slowed by a tender right knee, was cleared to participate in pitcher's fielding practice. Left-hander Martin Perez, who suffered a broken right arm in a December incident with a bull on his Venezuelan ranch, is improving."He's throwing only," assistant general manager Jayce Tingler said. "He's progressing, just more precautionary. He's right on pace."The... [More]

Adrian Beltre goes into his 21st major league season still seeking a World Series title. The offseason for the Texas Rangers likely would have gone much differently if the third baseman and 3,000-hit club member was their general manager."He probably would have made some different moves this winter. I think he would have addressed some different things," said Jon Daniels, the actual GM. "I respect that, but I don't feel any different from how I did at the end of (last season). We're going to go into spring training with a chance."Even in the AL West that is home to the World Series champion Houston Astros and now Shohei Ohtani, the pitcher-outfielder from Japan coveted by the Rangers before he signed instead with the Los Angeles Angels."I believe we're in a good place to allow guys, young guys, to continue to grow," fourth-year manager Jeff Banister said. "We brought in some players that we feel like really have an opportunity to help us."There will be no expensive reunion with Yu Darvish,... [More]

A team-by-team look at the American League West entering spring training, including key players each club acquired and lost, and dates of the first workout for pitchers and catchers, and the full squad:___Houston AstrosManager: A.J. Hinch (fourth season).2017: 101-61, first place, won World Series.Training Town: West Palm Beach, Florida.Park: The Ballpark of the Palm Beaches.First Workout: Feb. 14/19.He's Here: RHP Gerrit Cole, RHP Joe Smith, RHP Hector Rondon.He's Outta Here: DH Carlos Beltran, RHP Luke Gregerson, RHP Joe Musgrove, RHP Mike Fiers, RHP Michael Feliz, INF Colin Moran.Going campin': This team is basically set after retaining almost every key player from last season's championship squad. The two strongest areas are the middle infield, where shortstop Carlos Correa and second baseman Jose Altuve, last year's AL MVP, return to anchor the middle of the order. Correa hit .315 with 24 homers — both career highs — and Altuve had his finest season, hitting a career-best and major... [More]

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Rangers general manager Jon Daniels anticipates adding depth to his rotation. It remains unlikely that pitcher will be a front-line starter."We're not going to close the door on the chance to add premium talent. You always explore it," Daniels said Tuesday. "But if I had to handicap it, I don't think it's highly likely at this point."Yu Darvish, traded by the Rangers to the NL champion Los Angeles Dodgers last July, is among several starting pitchers still available as free agents. Jake Arrieta, the 2015 NL Cy Young Award winner who went to nearby TCU, is also among that group.Daniels has consistently said the Rangers, who missed the playoffs last season after consecutive AL West titles, didn't plan to spend big this offseason."We're pretty realistic about where we are and what our goals are, both short- and long-term," Daniels said. "We've said from Day 1 we were not going to kind of go all-in from a standpoint of spending big dollars against this year."After a... [More]

LHP Martin Perez of the Texas Rangers is expected to miss the start of the 2018 season after undergoing surgery to repair a fracture in his non-pitching elbow. The surgery was performed by Dr. Thomas Diliberti in Dallas, with Perez expected to be able to start throwing in three to four weeks, the team announced. Perez is in line to be sidelined from game action for approximately four months, which would be a few weeks into the season. The 26-year-old Perez sustained the injury last week following a fall at his ranch in Venezuela, the team announced. The Dallas Morning News reported that the incident involved a bull that startled Perez, causing him to fall on his right elbow. Perez posted a 13-12 mark with a 4.82 ERA in 32 starts last season.

LHP Martin Perez put together his eighth quality start in his last 11 outings as he allowed three runs in six innings. Perez was 8-2 with a 3.71 ERA over that 11-game stretch. He set the tone Friday by retiring 17 of the first 21 batters he faced. "Early on pounding the strike zone, using the curveball, slider to get back into counts," Texas manager Jeff Banister said. "He built tonight onto what he's done in the second half. He has been as good a pitcher as we've had in the second half, really making a statement for himself."

LHP Martin Perez (12-12) allowed five runs on six hits over 4 2/3 innings with two strikeouts and a season-high-tying four walks on Sunday afternoon in an 8-1 loss at Oakland. After winning seven straight starts, Perez has gone 0-2 in his past three starts. "I think control was a little bit off," Rangers acting manager Steve Buechele said. "Four walks. He got some ground balls that snuck their way through, but I think overall today was just one those where he was just a little bit out of rhythm and didn't have the command and crispness he's had in his last few starts."

LHP Martin Perez saw his career-high streak of winning seven straight starts end after leaving with one out in the sixth and trailing 3-0. All three runs were earned. He gave up seven hits, walked three and struck out five, dropping to 12-11. "That's part of the game," he said. "It happens. That's baseball. I don't feel bad. I think I pitched good."

LHP Martin Perez extended his winning streak to seven starts by allowing five runs (two earned) in 5 2/3 innings. The seven consecutive start winning streak is the second longest in club history. Kenny Rogers has the club record as he won eight straight starts in 2005. "I believe in myself and I believe in my stuff," Perez said. "I know my teammates and the organization and the fans have been waiting for this. I'm starting to do the things I know I can do. Let's stay focused and see what happens."

LHP Martin Perez will start for the 28th time on Friday against the Yankees. He has won six straight starts, matching the longest winning streak of his career. He beat the Angels in his last start on Sept. 3 when he went six innings and allowed three runs on nine hits. Perez has won his last three starts in Arlington. He is 1-1 with a 12.86 ERA in two career starts against the Yankees, largely because of a game in 2015 in which he allowed eight runs in one-plus innings.

LHP Martin Perez notched his fifth quality start in his last six outings as he allowed three runs on nine hits in six innings. Perez has now won his last six decisions, which matches a career high, and has a 3.15 ERA in those games. He now has 11 wins on the season, which is also a new career high.

LHP Martin Perez got a ton of run support and gave the Rangers seven innings Tuesday, scattering eight hits and holding the Astros to two runs in an easy win. The Astros had three hits with runners in scoring position, but stranded nine runners on the night.

LHP Martin Perez will start Thursday against the Angels. Perez is 3-0 with a 4.05 ERA in his past three starts since he watched video of himself and determined he was tipping his pitches. He made adjustments and hasn't lost since. Perez is 2-4 with a 3.53 ERA in 10 career games (nine starts) against the Angels, including a loss (four runs, 5 2/3 innings) in his only start against them this year.

LHP Martin Perez won his third straight start despite allowing five runs in the first inning. It marked just the second time in his career that Perez has allowed five runs in the first inning. But he allowed just one run over his final five frames and gave the Texas offense a chance to get back in the game. "He was one hitter away from being out of that game," Texas manager Jeff Banister said. "He kind of settled down, gathered himself mentally, really buckled down and just started making pitches. The first inning was quite a challenge for him."

LHP Martin Perez (7-10) posted his second consecutive victory in Texas' 6-2 win over Detroit on Monday, giving up two runs -- both on Justin Upton's homer in the first inning -- six hits and a walk. He struck out two. Perez has allowed two runs in his last 14 innings. "I think I've got confidence now," Perez said. "When that happens to a pitcher, you can do whatever you want with the ball, and you compete. It's not easy to go out there and face a good hitter, but when you've got confidence, you compete and do your job."

LHP Martin Perez is slated to make his 23rd start of the year on Monday in the series opener against the Detroit Tigers. He snapped a season-high four-game losing streak in his last start, a 5-1 win over the Mets on Wednesday at Citi Field, where he gave up just one run on three hits in eight innings. That was the first time since May 18 he didn't allow a walk and the first start since Aug. 2, 2015 he threw at least 8 innings. Perez is 0-2 with a 7.27 ERA in four games (three starts) against the Tigers.

LHP Martin Perez will try to snap a four-start losing streak when he makes an unexpected start for the Rangers on Wednesday afternoon in the finale of a two-game series against the New York Mets at Citi Field. Perez was initially scheduled to start Friday in the opener of a three-game series against the Houston Astros. But he was moved up when Wednesday's original starter, RHP A.J. Griffin, was pressed into duty Tuesday when RHP Andrew Cashner, the scheduled starter for the series opener, was scratched due to a stiff neck. Perez will be pitching on regular rest after taking the loss last Friday, when he gave up seven runs on nine hits and two walks while walking two and striking out two over 4 2/3 innings as the Rangers fell to the Minnesota Twins, 8-4. He has a 9.41 ERA over his last four starts, a stretch in which Perez's overall ERA has risen from 4.55 to a season-high 5.46. Perez has never faced the Mets.

LHP Martin Perez's next start will be pushed back after he allowed seven runs in 4 2/3 innings in a loss to the Twins on Friday, according to MLB.com. RHPs Andrew Cashner and A.J. Griffin will start in the team's two-game series at the New York Mets. With two days off during the week, MLB.com reported LHP Cole Hamels will start Friday. Perez told reporters Saturday that he believes he's been tipping pitches. Since coming off the disabled list on July 2, Perez has allowed 28 earned runs in 34 2/3 innings (7.27 ERA) over six starts. He owns a 9.41 ERA in his past four starts, while going 0-4.