Rangers Remain Undecided on when Kevin Millwood will Make His Next Start

Weather advisory (6:10 pm): The grounds crew is taking the tarp of the field to start preparing it for play. On-time start expected.

ARLINGTON – The Rangers want their three best starters to pitch against the Los Angeles Angels this weekend. It remains uncertain whether the club currently considers RHP Kevin Millwood in that trio.

The no-brainers are RHPs Tommy Hunter and Scott Feldman, who will start the first two games of this series in that order. Then comes the Rangers big decision: Whether to pitch the struggling Millwood or go to RHP Brandon McCarthy. Whoever doesn’t pitch on Sunday is expected to pitch next Tuesday at Oakland.

Manager Ron Washington said nothing had been decided and even though Hunter’s name was etched on the dry-erase board for Friday, he said it was a “hypothetical” scenario. Hunter, however, pitched the first complete game of his career on Sunday. The Rangers are 6-1 in his last seven starts. Millwood is on the other end of the spectrum. He lasted just 3.2 innings on Saturday and suffered his third loss in the last four decisions. The Rangers are 1-6 in his last seven starts, during which he has a 5.97 ERA.

Millwood, who needs 4.1 innings to reach a $12 million contract option for next season, threw in the bullpen on Monday for the second straight day. He’s trying to make some mechanical adjustments to his delivery, essentially moving to a more upright stance.

“I felt better,” Millwood said. “I’ve just gotten into some bad habits.”

If Millwood needs a couple of more bullpen sessions to master the adjustment, it might make more sense to move him out of the Los Angeles series entirely and into the series at Oakland that starts next Monday. Millwood could work in the bullpen again Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday in anticipation of a Monday or Tuesday start.

Whenever it happens to fall, Millwood will start again, Washington indicated. There has been no discussion of pulling Millwood out of the rotation all together.

“We haven’t had a conversation about that,” Washington said. “It hasn’t even been a thought.”