23-year old lefty reliever Robbie Ross continues to dominate in 2013 in his second year in the majors.  He has pitched in 20 games (0 starts) for the Rangers so far this year and he is 2-0 with a 0.42 ERA and a 1.03 WHIP.  Ross has now pitched in 78 games (0 starts) in his first two years with the Rangers and he was 8-0 with a 1.77 ERA and a 1.16 WHIP.  The Rangers were tempted to turn Ross into a starting pitcher in spring training, but they were smart to keep him in the pen where he can continue to dominate.

26-year old righty starting pitcher Yu Darvish is looking like the pitcher they thought he would be when they signed him a couple years ago out of Japan.  Darvish has started 8 games for the Rangers so far this year and he is 6-1 with a 2.73 ERA and a 0.91 WHIP.  He only gave up 30 hits and 18 walks while whiffing 80 batters in his first 52 2/3 innings for the Rangers.  Darvish has now pitched in 37 games (all starts) in his first two years with the Rangers and he is 22-10 with a 3.65 ERA and a 1.20 WHIP.  Darvish could make a real run at the Cy Young Award in 2013 as long has he keeps throwing a lot of strikes.  His control looks improved so far in 2013 and they need for that to continue.

26-year old righty reliever Tanner Scheppers might be a late bloomer for the Rangers, as he was once considered a top prospect.  He pitched in 39 games (0 starts) for the Rangers last year in his first taste of the majors and he was 1-1 with 1 save, a 4.45 ERA and a 1.73 WHIP.  Scheppers is looking much, much sharper so far in 2013.  He has pitched in 10 games (0 starts) for the Rangers so far this year and he is 2-0 with a 0.00 ERA and a 1.20 WHIP.  Scheppers has given up 10 hits and 4 walks in 11 2/3 innings while whiffing 7 batters so far this year, which is impressive.  The Rangers hope that he can keep up the good work moving forward.

Sometimes lefties just take a little longer to develop and that could be the case with 26-year old lefty starting pitcher Derek Holland as he has struggled with consistency so far in his major league career.  That being said, Holland is off to a red hot start in 2013 for the Rangers.  Holland has started 3 games for the Rangers so far this year and he is 1-1 with a 1.64 ERA and a 0.77 WHIP.  He only has given up 13 hits and 4 walks while whiffing 15 batters in his first 22 innings so far this year.  With Matt Harrison and Colby Lewis out of action, it would be nice if Holland could keep up the good work and be a strong #2 starter behind Yu Darvish.  Holland has now pitched in 111 games (93 starts) in his first five years with the Rangers and he is 40-30 with a 4.60 ERA and a 1.33 WHIP.

Lefty Matt Harrison had a rough time in the season opener against the Astros, but 26-year old righty Yu Darvish and 29-year old righty Alexi Ogando were amazing in their first starts of the 2013 season.  Darvish has a perfect game going until 2 outs in the ninth inning of his first start when infielder Marwin Gonzalez ruined it with a single.  Darvish worked 8 2/3 innings allowing only 1 hit, o runs, o walks and he whiffed 14 batters to notch a win over the Astros.  Ogando worked 6 1/3 innings and he gave up 4 hits, 0 runs, 1 walk and he whiffed 10 batters to earn his win.  The Rangers have big expectations for the 2013 season, so they are going to need their starting pitching to continue to look good.  Even with Harrison’s rough night in the season opener, the Rangers’ starting pitchers are still 2-1 with a combined 2.18 ERA and a 0.73 WHIP.

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.

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.

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.

28-year old righty reliever Alexi Ogando made the All-Star team in 2011 as a starting pitcher, but he’s back in the bullpen this year, which is a role in which he excels. Ogando has pitched in 40 games (1 start) for the Rangers so far this year and he is 2-0 with 3 saves, a 2.63 ERA and a 0.94 WHIP. He has only given up 33 hits and 12 walks while whiffing 48 batters in his first 48 innings this year, as he has been impressive. Ogando has now pitched in 85 games in relief so far in his major league career and he is 6-1 with 3 saves, a 2.03 ERA and a 1.06 WHIP. Ogando can just let er’ rip for a inning at a time as a reliever, and he is downright nasty in that role.