25-year old lefty starting pitcher Derek Holland has been impressive so far in September for the Rangers. He has started 5 games for the Rangers so far this month and he is 2-0 with a 2.81 ERA and a 1.06 WHIP. Holland has now pitched in 27 games (26 starts) for the Rangers overall this year and he is 11-6 with a 4.50 ERA and a 1.18 WHIP. The Rangers need Holland to keep rolling when the playoffs open next weekend.

The Rangers have lost 34-year old righty reliever Mike Adams indefinitely due to a neck injury. Adams has pitched in 61 games (0 starts) for the Rangers so far this year and he is 5-3 with 1 save, a 3.27 ERA and a 1.40 WHIP. The Rangers will have to depend on 37-year old righty reliever Koji Uehara a little more moving forward due to Adams’ injury. Uehara has pitched in 34 games (0 starts) for the Rangers so far this year and he is 0-0 with 1 save, a 1.93 ERA and a 0.67 WHIP. He has only given up 19 hits and walked 3 batters in his first 32 2/3 innings this year while whiffing 38 batters, which is pretty impressive.

31-year old lefty swinging CF/LF Josh Hamilton is a free agent at the end of this year, so you better get a good look at him if you are a Rangers’ fan…..as I don’t think he will be returning in 2013. Hamilton has played in 138 games for the Rangers so far this year and he is 149 of 520 (.287 avg, .947 OPS) with 98 runs scored, 42 homers, 123 RBIs and 7 stolen bases. He has now played in 637 games in his first five years with the Rangers and he is 760 of 2,485 (.306 avg, .915 OPS) with 414 runs scored, 141 homers, 501 RBIs and 40 stolen bases. Hamilton is going to be almost impossible to replace, but I just don’t see the Rangers paying him what he’s going to get on the open market.

26-year old righty starting pitcher Yu Darvish has been rock solid so far in September for the Texas Rangers. He has started 3 games for the Rangers so far in September and he is 2-0 with a 2.05 ERA and a 0.55 WHIP. He has only given up 7 hits and 5 walks in 22 innings so far this month while whiffing 23 batters, as he has been amazing. This is the pitcher the Rangers thought they were getting when they signed him over the winter. Darvish has now pitched in 27 games (all starts) for the Rangers this year and he is 15-9 with a 4.02 ERA and a 1.30 WHIP. It seems like Darvish is starting to trust his stuff and attack the strike zone and the results have been impressive. The Rangers need Darvish to finish this year strongly.

The Rangers have taken 29-year old righty starting pitcher Scott Feldman out of the starting rotation. Feldman has pitched in 26 games (20 starts) so far this year for the Rangers and he is 6-11 with a 5.32 ERA and a 1.39 WHIP. Since August 1st, Feldman has started 8 games for the Rangers in which he is 1-5 with a 6.20 ERA and a 1.47 WHIP. The Rangers will replace Feldman in the starting rotation with 21-year old rookie lefty Martin Perez. Perez has pitched in 9 games (3 starts) for the Rangers so far this year and he is 1-1 with a 3.38 ERA and a 1.36 WHIP. This is a lot of pressure to put on the kid, but it was the right move based in how poorly Feldman was pitching.

The Texas Rangers have re-signed 33-year old righty starting pitcher Colby Lewis to a 1-year contract extension worth $2 million bucks in base salary. He can also earn up to an extra $4 million bucks in incentives. He will likely miss the first half of the 2013 season as he continues to recover from elbow surgery that he had in July. Lewis pitched in 16 games (all starts) for the Rangers this year and he was 6-6 with a 3.43 ERA and a 1.08 WHIP. He has now pitched in 124 games (113 starts) in his first six years with the Rangers and he is 44-42 with a 4.68 ERA and a 1.35 WHIP. This was a smart move for the Rangers.

35-year old righty starter Ryan Dempster had a rough time when he first got to Texas, but he’s pitching well now. In his last four starts, Dempster is 4-0 with a 1.73 ERA and a 1.04 WHIP. He has now pitched in 7 games (all starts) overall for the Rangers this year and he is 5-1 with a 4.36 ERA and a 1.32 WHIP. Dempster has now pitched in 23 games (all starts) this year for the Rangers and Cubs and he is 10-6 with a 2.87 ERA and a 1.12 WHIP. The Rangers need Dempster to finish strongly to help them hold off the hard charging Oakland A’s in the A.L. West.

26-year old lefty starting pitcher Matt Harrison has been rock solid for the Rangers this year. He has pitched in 26 games (all starts) for the Rangers so far this year and he is 15-8 with a 3.30 ERA and a 1.26 WHIP. He has been the Rangers’ best starting pitcher in 2012, without a doubt. He has now pitched in 57 games (56 starts) in his last two years with the Rangers and he is 29-17 with a 3.35 ERA and a 1.27 WHIP. The Rangers showed good patience with Harrison as he was a little rough around the edges in his first three years in the majors. He has now pitched in 120 games (88 starts) in his first five years in the majors and he is 45-27 with a 4.14 ERA and a 1.39 WHIP. The Rangers need Harrison to keep pitching well if they are going to hold off the surprising Oakland A’s in the A.L. West.

The Rangers have designated 24-year old lefty reliever/starter Miguel de los Santos for assignment. He pitched in 26 games (4 starts) in AA-ball for the Rangers this year and he was 3-2 with a 5.22 ERA and a 1.50 WHIP. de los Santos pitched in 114 games (53 starts) in his seven years in the minors for the Rangers and he was 15-15 with 12 saves, a 3.87 ERA and a 1.24 WHIP. I don’t think the Rangers will lose any sleep if they lose de los Santos on waivers.

UPDATE: (9/7/2012) - The Rangers have lost Miguel de los Santos on waivers to the Milwaukee Brewers.

The Rangers have placed 23-year old lefty reliever Robbie Ross on the 15-day disabled list, retroactive to August 30th, due to left forearm soreness. Ross has pitched in 52 games (0 starts) for the Rangers so far this year and he is 6-0 with a 1.78 ERA and a 1.17 WHIP. He has only given up 49 hits and 22 walks in his first 60 2/3 innings this year while whiffing 43 batters. Those are some impressive numbers. The Rangers hope that Ross only misses a couple of weeks as he has been a huge asset to the pitching staff so far this year.