The decision didn't come as much of a surprise to Kris Benson. He'd read speculation of an impending shift to the bullpen over the weekend. When he was told to head to Oakland on Tuesday rather than make a second rehab start for Class AA Frisco, he got a feeling the speculation was accurate. And when manager Ron Washington said he wanted to see him upon his arrival, that all but confirmed things.
Sure enough, Benson is now a long reliever, and Scott Feldman will stay in the rotation. Benson, 34, has been exclusively a starter in his 197 major league appearances. The Rangers, however, have been pleased with Feldman's work in his first two starts and with his potential for growth as a starter. Benson is trying to restart his major league career. Benson acknowledged the move is an uncomfortable one for him, but he is not upset about it. "In a perfect world, it's something that I wouldn't be doing," Benson said. "But that's where the team needs me right now. I'm going to go with the flow. I'm still going to have the same competitiveness and the same approach. Times change. You have to be ready to adjust. I will do all I can to adjust."
Benson was 1-1 with a 9.00 ERA in two starts before going on the disabled list with elbow tendinitis. Benson believes the tendinitis flared up due to the high number of cut fastballs he threw in Detroit in cold weather in early April. Benson did not pitch in the majors the last two seasons while recovering from various injuries. Last year, while pitching for the Philadelphia organization, Benson found himself bypassed for a major league promotion because he did not have the ability to pitch in the bullpen. Benson said that while rehabbing his arm last year, it took him too long to warm up to be an effective bullpen option.
"But it's not taking me as long now," Benson said. "You've got to be mentally prepared for the job. You've got to be ready to go right out of the chute with no room for error. As a starter, I could afford to take my time a little bit. Now, I've got to be ready to go from the very first hitter. I wouldn't want a reliever to give up any of the runners I left on base, and as a reliever, I don't want to pin runs on someone else."
RANGERS 3, A'S 2: Strange as it may sound, the Rangers have ridden quality starting pitching to first place in the AL West. Their fifth consecutive win, combined with Seattle's loss at Kansas City, moved the Rangers a half-game ahead of the Mariners. RHP Scott Feldman allowed two runs on four hits in six innings Wednesday for his first quality start in three outings this year. It simply continued a stretch of solid starting pitching for the Rangers. The Rangers had a 6.14 rotation ERA for the first 10 games of the season, but it is just 4.09 since. The overall staff ERA of 3.99 in that stretch is fourth in the AL.
