SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Matt Harrison doesn’t completely buy into the thought that it’s OK to have a poor outing in spring training, even the first time out.
His debut wasn’t pretty, as he allowed four runs and threw 40 pitches in just one inning of work. He wanted to atone for that Saturday at Salt River Fields, and he did just that.Harrison made quick work of the Arizona Diamondbacks, needing only 39 pitches to complete three scoreless innings and help send the Rangers to a 7-1 victory.“Anytime you have a bad game, you want to bounce back as quick as possible,” said Harrison, who threw an additional 16 pitches in the bullpen after leaving the game. “I was able to do that. It’s something I’ve learned to do a lot better the last few years.”Harrison focused on keeping the ball down in the zone after getting touched for six hits Monday against Kansas City. He used his sinker and changeup to induce five ground-ball outs.Two of the Rangers’ least powerful hitters, Craig Gentry and Elvis Andrus, swatted solo homers, and Nelson Cruz went 2 for 4 and drove in the game’s first run. Andrus and Cruz were playing their final games before heading to the World Baseball Classic today.Gentry was playing for the first time since suffering tightness in his left hamstring Wednesday.“It was good to get my legs back under me,” said Gentry, who also stole a base and later scored. “The most important thing in spring training is to stay healthy. I’d rather take a few days off than take the rest of spring training off.”Nick Tepesch continued to impress, allowing the lone run during his three innings at the end of the game, and Jason Frasor tossed a scoreless inning in his first outing of the spring.“We did some good things offensively, and we did some good things defensively,” manager Ron Washington said. “More importantly, we did some good things on the mound.”Jeff Wilson, 817-390-7760 Twitter: @JeffWilson_FWST
