The club elected to move Scott Feldman from the rotation to the bullpen when a number of bullpen options failed to pan out this spring. Also Jason Jennings, who was trying to make the club as a starter, was added as a middle/long reliever. They join Josh Rupe, who led the AL in relief innings pitched last year.

Aside from closer Frank Francisco, the only righty who would pitch just one inning is Warner Madrigal. He has less than one year of major league experience, however. After a strong start to the spring, he struggled towards the end.

Manager Ron Washington said he would not hesitate to let Wilson, who began last year as the team's closer, face right-handed hitters. Right-handed hitters batted .269 against Wilson last year with a .353 on-base percentage.

It's possible that Rupe or Feldman could emerge as a late-inning right-hander if Wilson struggles in the role. But, for the time being, the Rangers are more concerned about having multiple-inning guys available to back up a rotation that ranked last in the AL in innings pitched last year. If the rotation proves to be more durable, two long men might be more workable and a right-hander could be moved into a late-inning role.

THE RANGERS WILL CONTEND IF ...: RHPs Kevin Millwood and Vicente Padilla each give the team 200 innings pitched. Neither has for either of the last two seasons. Both are in contract years. The last time they were in the same situation, Millwood led the AL in ERA (2.86 in 2005) and Padilla set a career high for wins (15 in 2006). If they can properly carry the burden of a 1-2 combination, a lot of the Rangers' pitching questions will nicely fall into place.

PRIMED FOR A BIG SEASON: 2B Ian Kinsler was on pace to outproduce AL MVP and former college teammate Dustin Pedroia if a sports hernia had not derailed his season in mid-August. In three major league seasons, Kinsler has quickly become one of the most dangerous leadoff men in the game. The only thing missing is a 150-game season. He's spent at least a month on the DL in each of his first three major league seasons.

ON THE DECLINE: At some point, you have to figure a 38-year-old reliever with chronic shoulder soreness and a fastball that tops out at 85 mph would slack off, but LHP Eddie Guardado has defied time for some time. There's nothing to suggest Guardado will markedly decline this season, except that he's a year older. But the Rangers believe that even if his performance declines some on the mound, he will be a valuable asset to the growth of some young, unproven relievers.