Rangers’ Harrison looking for a jump-start

Morning or night, warm or sweltering, the first few innings in each of Matt Harrison’s mounting rehab starts haven’t been good enough.

The Texas Rangers’ left-hander has started slowly, with his velocity lagging and his stuff flat, only to see everything pick up as his pitch counts and innings pile up.

That was the case again Wednesday morning at Double A Frisco, where some tough early luck on a steamy day at Dr Pepper Ballpark contributed to Harrison surrendering five runs in six-plus innings.

He did so with Rangers general manager Jon Daniels in the crowd and pitching coach Mike Maddux in the home dugout. The consensus is that Harrison will make one more start on assignment, next week, before being considered for the Rangers’ rotation.

Harrison, on his way back from major back surgery last year, continues to believe that he can be effective in the majors now, and has believed that after each of his past three starts. But he also knows he needs to cure his early-innings issues.

“I didn’t feel as loose in the beginning. I wasn’t getting extension on the ball and was leaving some balls flat and up,” Harrison said. After that third inning, I felt great. There was more life on the ball. The off-speed stuff was better. Hopefully, we can do that all at the beginning of a game.

“I stretch for like 45 minutes before I go out there, and then I stretch again. I felt good warming up, but toward the end I started feeling sluggish. I don’t know what I can try different, but we’ll try something else and see what happens.”

Outfielder Josh Hamilton was also in Frisco to rehab a strained left hamstring. He went 1 for 3 with a double, a walk and a run as the RoughRiders’ designated hitter.

He was scheduled to leave for New Orleans after the game to join Triple A Round Rock, and will play with them there Thursday and this weekend in Omaha.

Hamilton expects to be activated from the disabled list Monday at Baltimore, and understands that as an outfielder he needed a few games whereas third baseman Adrian Beltre was activated Tuesday without an assignment after missing three weeks with a sprained left thumb.

“Me and Bell talked about it,” Hamilton said. “It’s just different. Infielders are different. He’s like, ‘I only have to move two three steps, and I can manage it when I hit. You’ve got to go run. You’ve got to get top speed.’ “

Harrison’s top speed was 90, a few mph slower than his previous starts, but he was sitting in the mid-80s early on. He allowed three runs in the second inning, though a bad-hop single with two outs and a misplayed flyball contributed to his woes in the 33-pitch inning.

He needed only 13 pitches to complete the fourth and fifth. The first three free-swinging Midland batters in the seventh reached on three pitches — an infield single, a bunt single, and a dribbler to left field.

He left convinced that he can get outs in the majors.

“The way I threw the last three or four innings, I felt like that was me again,” said Harrison, who threw 104 pitches. “I just have to do it the whole game. I feel like with the stuff I have I can go compete and get guys out. It’s what they see and what they think. I’m a little biased, I guess.”

Maddux, who hadn’t seen Harrison pitch since his final start in May 2014 before his injury, said that the tentative plan calls for Harrison to travel with the Rangers to Toronto and throw a bullpen session there before heading to Round Rock for another starter. It could be Harrison’s last.

His 30-day rehab window ends July 2.

“The movement and location picked up better for him later in that game,” Maddux said. “It was fun to watch him. It was good to see him out there. I think another start is going to do him well. Get out there and start what he finished up.”

This story was originally published June 24, 2015 at 5:05 PM with the headline "Rangers’ Harrison looking for a jump-start."