Rangers glad finally to get spring games under way

The days of early-afternoon tee times started to fade away Saturday, as full-squad workouts came to an end and Cactus League games started for the Texas Rangers.

Not every player is required to hang around for nine innings, at least not yet, but the schedule of short days the past two weeks has been disrupted. For a day, anyway, it was a welcome disruption.

Players grow weary competing against teammates. Pitchers don’t get much of a challenge from hitters during live batting practice, and hitters don’t have much satisfaction or incentive to beat up their pitching teammates.

That changed during the spring lid-lifter against the Kansas City Royals and, for a day anyway, the blood pumped a little more as a new phase of spring training began.

“Anytime you can get on a field and get some good game action is always a positive,” catcher Jonathan Lucroy said. “You’re not facing your own guys. It gets the blood moving, just getting back to competing. It’s going to take a little while for guys to get up to speed, but the guys will get there pretty quick.”

The Rangers lost 7-5, but it was 5-5 when the lineup regulars started to exit the game in the third inning. Left-hander Martin Perez started and allowed two runs in two innings, and A.J. Griffin, competing to be the No. 5 starter, allowed a three-run homer in his two innings of work.

Both, though, were pleased to get through their innings and are both feeling better than they did a year ago.

“I was just trying to compete a little bit more,” Perez said. “A game’s different. You try to do your best. When I have a ball in the game, I just try to do my 100 percent. I feel good. My body is good. I’m in shape to compete and throw 200 innings again.”

Perez will pitch for Venezuela in the World Baseball Classic, and Griffin is trying to round out the rotation for a second straight year. Each has to balance trying to get outs even though he isn’t quite in peak form.

Griffin, for instance, said that he doesn’t have the feel for his curveball yet — he hit Eric Hosmer with one — and he missed his spot badly on the ball Salvador Perez sent over the left-field fence.

“You go out there every day and try to get better and try to be a good teammate and do everything you can to help your team get better and you get better,” Griffin said. “Then, good things happen.”

Lucroy was part of the Rangers’ five-run third inning, connecting for a two-run double to tie the game at 5-all. Rougned Odor also had an RBI double in the inning, and Nomar Mazara and Mike Napoli drove in runs with singles.

Lucroy and Carlos Gomez, who contributed to the rally with a single, are veterans with ample job security. They didn’t put too much stock into their hits, which came off Royals minor-leaguers on pitches they won’t see during the regular season.

“It’s not about numbers right now,” said Gomez, who started in center field. “It’s about getting ready and continuing to play. But every time you come out, no matter if it’s the intrasquad, you want to have a good at-bat and make contact with the ball. That makes you feel more confident.”

Roster long shots and minor-leaguers decided the game. Peter O’Brien connected for a two-run homer off Anthony Bass to break the tie that had stood since the third inning.

Within the loss, though, manager Jeff Banister was pleased with what he had seen. Delino DeShields took two walks and stole. Joey Gallo drew a walk and tracked down a flyball to end the second inning. The lineup regulars pieced together a big inning.

And there was no mistaking that camp entered a new phase, the longest phase. Let the games, and roster battles, begin.

“Anytime that you can play somebody else in another uniform is fun,” Banister said.

“It’s exciting to get that rhythm of spring training under way. We’ve got the first two segments of spring training completed — pitcher and catcher camp and live BP. I know after about Day 6 of live BP, pitchers and hitters are ready to see someone else in another uniform.”

Up next

Sunday vs. Royals, 2 p.m., Surprise, Ariz.

Rangers probable pitchers: RHP Yu Darvish, RHP Dillon Gee, LHP Andrew Faulkner, RHP Mike Hauschild, LHP Wesley Wright, LHP Adam Loewen

Royals probable pitchers: RHP Kyle Zimmer, RHP Miguel Almonte, LHP Scott Alexander, LHP Jonathan Dziedzic, RHP Malcolm Culver, RHP Kevin McCarthy, RHP Brandon League, RHP Bobby Parnell

This story was originally published February 25, 2017 at 6:53 PM with the headline "Rangers glad finally to get spring games under way."