See Yu later? Texas ace due for big deal
Yu Darvish was unable to pitch two years ago when the Texas Rangers had an even worse record at the all-star break before going on to win the AL West title.
Darvish, the only Texas player who was at the all-star game this week, could now be going into his final stretch with the only MLB team he’s pitched for. He can become a free agent after the season.
While in Miami this week, Darvish told reporters through an interpreter that he likes Texas, the only place he has lived in the United States since joining the Rangers from Japan before the 2012 season. But he also mentioned business, saying that liking Texas and getting a new contract are “two different things.”
Already 161/2 games behind division-leading Houston, the Rangers (43-45) almost certainly won’t win the AL West again this year. They repeated as division champs in 2016 after Darvish returned from Tommy John surgery.
But they are within three games of a wild-card spot with the second half of the season beginning Friday.
“Hopefully we’ll have an amazing second half,” shortstop Elvis Andrus said. “We’ve done it before. We know what we have in the clubhouse to be in the post-season.”
Texas was 42-46 at the break in 2015, but only six games behind the Los Angeles Angels before going 46-28 the rest of the way.
While these Rangers obviously have talent, they have been a model of inconsistency. They had a 10-game winning streak in midMay, then lost 11 of the next 14. They dropped seven of 10 going into the break.
There are sub.-200 sluggers Joey Gallo and Mike Napoli, the team’s top two players in home runs and strikeouts. But they’re not the only ones striking out at a high rate. Texas has at least 10 strikeouts in 37 games and matched an MLB record for a nine-inning game with 20 in Boston last month.
Darvish (6-8, 3.49 ERA) has an MLB-high 19 starts without much run support, while Cole Hamels (4-0, 3.51 ERA in eight starts) missed almost two months with a right oblique strain.
Rangers relievers have an MLBhigh 17 blown saves, matching their total from all of last season. The closer role is unsettled after since-traded Sam Dyson and hard-throwing Matt Bush both struggled.
Darvish is nearing the end of his $56-million, six-year contract with Texas. That salary is a relative bargain for a pitcher who is 52-38 over 119 major-league starts with 937 strikeouts in 7641/3 innings.