Derek Holland is quietly putting together a nice spring for the Texas Rangers. Holland started on Saturday as the Rangers beat the Cubs in Las Vegas, and he pitched quite well yet again. Holland pitched a full four innings, yielding just one hit, while walking none and striking out two.
Needless to say, Holland was quite happy with himself following the start.
"I had a lot of movement on my fastball, so I just wanted to work off of that," he said. "Even if I got behind 1-0, I wanted to come back and locate the fastball because if you don't that's when you get behind and have to throw certain pitches."
Holland's catcher, Yorvit Torrealba, appreciated Holland's efficiency.
"All I had to do today is put my glove down," he said. "He threw all his pitches for strikes and pounded the strike zone. He has more experience -- he had experience last year, but he was still learning. Now, he knows what he can do."
Texas' rotation could shape up to be one of the best in all of baseball if Holland can string together a consistent year. So far, so good for Holland.