Rangers’ Yu Darvish shuts down A’s, says he’s ready for playoffs

Yu Darvish said that he is confident he will be effective in the postseason after pitching seven scoreless innings for the Texas Rangers in a 5-0 victory Saturday afternoon over the Oakland Athletics.

The A’s, who have been Darvish’s nemesis since coming from Japan, scored seven runs in five innings last weekend against Darvish but mustered only two hits and a walk Saturday at Oakland Coliseum.

Darvish struck out nine, including Yonder Alonso looking at a slider on his 99th and final pitch.

“I was able to throw a lot of strikes today, and overall it was a good outing,” Darvish said. “I think I’m well prepared. I didn’t pitch well against Oakland. I don’t have a good history here. But to pitch well here against these guys gives me more confidence heading into the playoffs.”

The A’s threatened once against Darvish in the fifth after a one-out single and a walk, but he eased out of trouble by inducing two flyouts. He had retired 11 straight entering the inning and would finish by retiring his final eight batters.

Manager Jeff Banister said that Darvish didn’t get lost in his mechanics and was able to consistently fill the strike zone. He threw first-pitch strikes to 18 of 24 batters.

“He created some tremendous angle, and the fastball was electric today,” Banister said. “He had no real hard contact today. He seemed to be in control of all of his pitches.”

Shortstop Elvis Andrus provided most of the offense in the most unlikely of ways, with the first multi-homer game of his career. Andrus went deep to center field in the second inning on a ball he didn’t think would get over the fence. But he knew the ball he drove down the left-field line in the sixth would leave.

The question was if it would stay fair.

“I was praying,” Andrus said. “I was blowing to keep it fair.”

Ginger ale baths

The Rangers carried on a tradition Friday that started with Josh Hamilton, as they showered relievers Matt Bush and Jeremy Jeffress with ginger ale rather than alcohol to include them in the celebration after clinching the division title.

Bush and Jeffress, who are waging a daily battle to remain sober, were soaked through with the soft drink before heading to another part of the clubhouse that was protected by hanging sheets of plastic from spraying alcohol.

The gesture touched them both.

“It’s a once-in-a-lifetime moment, and it felt so great to be around it and be a part of it,” said Jeffress, who rejoined the team Friday after a three-week absence to seek treatment following his Aug. 26 arrest on a charge of driving while intoxicated. “It’s very much an honor. I could see how it puts things in perspective for you for the days to come and what you really want to look forward to and when you’re working with a group of guys like this.”

Bush said that he hopes to help Jeffress in his recovery. Bush hasn’t had a drink since 2012, when he was arrested in Florida for a variety of crimes stemming from driving drunk. He pleaded guilty to drunk driving with major bodily harm and served 39 months in prison.

“I just want Jeremy to get comfortable and situated with the team again,” Bush said. “I told him already, ‘You will never have to worry about being judged by me because of what I’ve been through. I’ve been way beyond where you’re at.’ We’ll be able to chat and have some conversations about some things.”

Hamels better

Left-hander Cole Hamels delivered seven scoreless innings Friday as he delivered in the AL West clincher for a second straight season, and he and the Rangers saw improvement after a bumpy road so far this month.

Hamels allowed six singles and two walks and struck out seven. He held the A’s hitless in four tries with runners in scoring position.

A perfectionist, Hamels said that he still has some work to do in his final start Friday before the ALDS. He is expected to start Game 1.

“I felt a lot more confident that I was closer to where I want to be and what I know how I can go out and pitch,” Hamels said. “You’re always trying to work toward something. You’re always trying to strive for being better. You want to be at your best in the big moments, and I know the big moments are coming.”

Banister said that left-hander Martin Perez will start Monday and A.J. Griffin will go Tuesday. Banister liked what he saw from Hamels, who had lost three of his previous four starts.

“I thought it was very good progress,” Banister said. “Early on the four-seam fastball was up to 95. He was able to spot the fastball, use the changeup. The breaking ball was sharp. As the game went on, he used the cutter more as a featured pitch, and it was sharp and more effective.”

This story was originally published September 24, 2016 at 7:13 PM with the headline "Rangers’ Yu Darvish shuts down A’s, says he’s ready for playoffs."