Texas Rangers May Have To Dance The Pitching Staff Shuffle This Weekend

ARLINGTON – The combination of a looming doubleheader, the chance to give RHP Brandon McCarthy some extra rest and the ineffectiveness of RHP Kris Benson as a long reliever could lead to a weekend makeover of the Rangers pitching staff.

GM Jon Daniels acknowledged Friday the club might opt to pull McCarthy from a start in Friday’s doubleheader against Oakland in order to give him an extra day of rest since he threw a career-high 124 pitches in his first complete game Sunday.

And that decision could lead to others that would impact the staff.

On Monday, manager Ron Washington said McCarthy would start the first game of the doubleheader with RHP Scott Feldman pitching the second. But if the Rangers push McCarthy back, they could move Feldman into the opener, then make a move at intermission to add a starter for the second game.

The only option currently on the roster for a Game 2 starter is Benson, but he’s thrown no more than 60 pitches in an outing since returning from the DL on May 7. He’d likely be limited in how far he could go into a game and that would only put a heavier burden on the bullpen, which is something the Rangers are trying to avoid.

The other options: RHP Doug Mathis, who was pulled from his start at Triple-A Oklahoma City after 50 pitches Monday, and RHP Tommy Hunter, whose scheduled day to pitch at Oklahoma City is Friday.

Making a move for Hunter would be easier since he is already on the 40-man roster. He could be swapped out for little-used RHP Warner Madrigal and then perhaps shipped back to the minors after his start for another reliever.

Making a move for Mathis might require the Rangers to part ways with Benson, who was so impressive in spring training he won a spot in the starting rotation. Since the regular season has started, however, things have not gone well. After missing two seasons with injury, he lasted just two starts before going on the DL with tendonitis. Though it proved to be mild, he lost his spot in the rotation when he returned.

In the bullpen for the first time in his career, Benson has pitched just three times in three weeks and has allowed six runs in seven innings as a reliever.

Another factor in the pitching decisions is the progress RHP Vicente Padilla is making from his bout with shoulder soreness. He has played catch from 120 feet each of the last two days and is expected to go through a rigorous bullpen session on Friday. If that goes well, both Daniels and pitching coach Mike Maddux said Padilla might not require a rehab start. He could be activated next Tuesday at New York, but would be more likely to pitch on Wednesday. That tentatively is Derek Holland’s day and Holland could potentially be moved back to the bullpen then.