SURPRISE, Ariz. -- Either Matt Harrison or Yu Darvish will be the Texas Rangers' starting pitcher on Opening Day, but on Sunday manager Ron Washington wasn't ready to divulge who would get the ball March 31.
If the schedule for the intrasquad games is any indication, it'll be Darvish. He's scheduled to start Tuesday, and Harrison will start Wednesday.Harrison, though, remains the favorite to start the season opener at Houston based on recent trends. The Rangers have a history of rewarding their most successful pitcher the previous season or their most veteran starter.The left-hander is both -- having gone 18-11 in 2012 and now entering his fifth big-league season -- but he isn't worrying about March 31."It's definitely an honor, but it's not the thing I'm going to retire on if I don't," Harrison said. "When I get the ball isn't that important to me."Scott Feldman started the 2010 opener after a 17-win season in 2009; C.J. Wilson, a 15-game winner in 2010, got the nod in 2011; and veteran Colby Lewis started last year.Darvish won 16 games as a rookie last year and led the Rangers in strikeouts. The Rangers also could decide to use Darvish to split up lefties Harrison and Derek Holland.Harrison or Darvish could double up on the early honors. With two off days scheduled ahead of the April 5 home opener, the Opening Day starter could work both games."As long as they can let me pitch, I'm fine wherever I'm in the rotation," said Darvish, who threw 29 pitches Sunday during live batting practice. "It doesn't have any significance for me as long as I can pitch."Alexi Ogando will start against Darvish on Tuesday, and Nick Tepesch will oppose Harrison. Pitchers will be limited to one inning for the intrasquad games.Soria feeling fineJoakim Soria will throw 30 fastballs Sunday in a bullpen session as he continues to progress from Tommy John surgery on his right elbow last year.The rehab has gone so well that Soria expects to be activated from the disabled list before June 1. He has yet to encounter anything close to a setback."There hasn't been any pain or soreness the next day," the former Kansas City closer said. "If everything goes like this, I'm thinking by the end of May."Soria has about two more weeks before he will start to throw breaking pitches, and Ron Washington doesn't want him to rush back."We've just got to make sure when he comes back, it's only one time," Washington said. "I'm reacting to him, and he's happy. When he's happy, I'm happy."Arm wrestlingA conversation about the three center-field candidates turned into a discussion about which Rangers outfielder has the strongest arm.Ron Washington didn't pick a winner, but he has sided with right fielder Nelson Cruz in the past. He leaned toward Cruz again, but said that Craig Gentry and Leonys Martin are in the top three."We've got a couple guys that can throw the ball pretty well," Washington said. "I've seen the strong arm [from Martin]. Cruz and Gentry have done it a while."Gentry and Martin are competing with Julio Borbon for time in center. Gentry, said Washington, is the best of the bunch defensively."It's obvious that Gentry is a solid center fielder," Washington said. "Gentry has tremendous speed, he takes great angles, and he has game awareness."Jeff Wilson, 817-390-7760Twitter: @JeffWilson_FWST
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