Texas Rangers Need Yu Darvish To Be A Leader

It’s been a rough couple of days for the Rangers as they lost three of four to first place division rival Houston Astros. They also lost lefty Cole Hamels for at least two months, the Rangers desperately need someone to help spark their team.

On Friday, the Texas Rangers head to Seattle to take on the Mariners. Right-handed starter Yu Darvish goes for Texas against veteran Yovani Gallardo. The Rangers need Darvish to be a leader and dominate Seattle on Friday.

The Rangers will be watching Darvish closely as he threw 125 pitches on Saturday against the Twins. That is the most pitches thrown in one game by a Major League pitcher this season. The team gave him an extra day off, but according to T.R. Sullivan, Darvish is ready to go.

"“I really had a really good bullpen session session [Tuesday],” Darvish said. “Physically, I don’t have any problems. The most important thing is for us to win games. Less pitches are better but sometimes you have high pitch counts. You’ve got to do what you’ve got to do.”"

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On Friday, Darvish is seeking his first career win at Safeco Field. It’s been terrible for Darvish in Seattle as he’s 0-3 with a 7.71 ERA in three starts. In Arlington it’s a different story as Darvish is  5-0 with a 3.30 ERA in seven starts against the Mariners.

Earlier this season the Mariners swept the Rangers at Safeco, but can Texas rally after a big victory against Houston? Without Cole Hamels the Rangers need someone to be their ace and hold down the rotation. Can Darvish be that guy for the Rangers?