The talk of Rangers camp might belong to Yu Darvish and Neftali Feliz, but Colby Lewis showed why he's likely going to be named Texas' Opening Day starter this year. On Saturday, Lewis tossed four perfect innings while striking out five White Sox -- and only throwing 36 pitches.
Said Lewis after the game:
"It was fun. I felt like I had real good command today and was able to mix all my pitches," said Lewis, who threw a mere 36 pitches in four innings. "I was at, like, 28 pitches or something and was only scheduled to go three, but they asked me if I wanted to go in the bullpen our out in the game, and I'd rather have them out in the game.
Lewis was undone last year by the longball, giving up 35 homers in 200.1 innings of work, but still maintained a very good 1.21 WHIP.
With the uncertainty surrounding Darvish's transition to the majors, along with Feliz' transition to the bullpen and Derek Holland's Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde act, the Rangers could certainly benefit from a consistent starter at the top of the rotation. If Lewis can keep his home run allowed totals down, he should be in line to have a very good, consistent year for the Rangers in 2012.
Scott Feldman was also of note in Saturday's loss to the White Sox, pitching three innings in relief of Lewis, giving up just two hits while walking one and striking out three. With the Rangers looking to limit Feliz' workload this year, Feldman could find himself making a fair number of spot starts this year.