DARVISH THROWS OFF FULL MOUND FOR FIRST TIME
Yu Darvish was free and easy when throwing off a full-sized mound for the first time since elbow surgery last spring. While not very talkative afterward, the ace said what mattered most to the Texas Rangers: He’s pitching without pain. “Good, very good,” Darvish said through his interpreter after the scheduled 15pitch session Monday. “No pain, no problem at all.” Darvish threw off a half-mound three times in five days last week, working up to 25 pitches. The next step will be throwing more pitches off the full mound. The last time Darvish had thrown off a full mound was one inning in a Cactus League game March 5, when he experienced tightness in his right elbow. He had Tommy John surgery 12 days later and missed last season. He hasn’t pitched in a major league game since late in 2014, and the Rangers don’t expect him back in their rotation before mid-May or June.