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Does anyone have a more wicked pitching arsenal than Yu Darvish? The Texas Rangers stud pitcher matched up with Justin Verlander on Thursday in a game that surprisingly turned into a slugfest. While Verlander was rocked and couldn’t make it through three innings, Darvish got through eight to pick up his seventh win of the season. But there was one moment in particular that must be recognized: the time when Darvish made Miguel Cabrera look foolish. Darvish was facing Cabrera in the top of the fifth with the Rangers up 8-4 and the count 0-1. Darvish threw Cabrera a 62 mph curveball, and Miggy took a vicious hack at it. He was so off balance after missing on the swing that he stumbled across the plate and was left to give a smile. Why? Because nobody makes him look foolish like that. Cabrera is the reigning AL MVP and last year’s triple crown winner. He’s the best hitter in baseball. That doesn’t happen very often. But with Darvish pitching, anything is possible. GIF via Drew Shep…

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Does anyone have a more wicked pitching arsenal than Yu Darvish? The Texas Rangers stud pitcher matched up with Justin Verlander on Thursday in a game that surprisingly turned into a slugfest. While Verlander was rocked and couldn’t make it through three innings, Darvish got through eight to pick up his seventh win of the season. But there was one moment in particular that must be recognized: the time when Darvish made Miguel Cabrera look foolish. Darvish was facing Cabrera in the top of the fifth with the Rangers up 8-4 and the count 0-1. Darvish threw Cabrera a 62 mph curveball, and Miggy took a vicious hack at it. He was so off balance after missing on the swing that he stumbled across the plate and was left to give a smile. Why? Because nobody makes him look foolish like that. Cabrera is the reigning AL MVP and last year’s triple crown winner. He’s the best hitter in baseball. That doesn’t happen very often. But with Darvish pitching, anything is possible. GIF via Drew Shep…

Related Posts:

• Darvish made Cabrera look silly on curveball

Does anyone have a more wicked pitching arsenal than Yu Darvish? The Texas Rangers stud pitcher matched up with Justin Verlander on Thursday in a game that surprisingly turned into a slugfest. While Verlander was rocked and couldn’t make it through three innings, Darvish got through eight to pick up his seventh win of the season. But there was one moment in particular that must be recognized: the time when Darvish made Miguel Cabrera look foolish. Darvish was facing Cabrera in the top of the fifth with the Rangers up 8-4 and the count 0-1. Darvish threw Cabrera a 62 mph curveball, and Miggy took a vicious hack at it. He was so off balance after missing on the swing that he stumbled across the plate and was left to give a smile. Why? Because nobody makes him look foolish like that. Cabrera is the reigning AL MVP and last year’s triple crown winner. He’s the best hitter in baseball. That doesn’t happen very often. But with Darvish pitching, anything is possible. GIF via Drew Shep…

Related Posts:

• Darvish made Cabrera look silly on curveball

Does anyone have a more wicked pitching arsenal than Yu Darvish? The Texas Rangers stud pitcher matched up with Justin Verlander on Thursday in a game that surprisingly turned into a slugfest. While Verlander was rocked and couldn’t make it through three innings, Darvish got through eight to pick up his seventh win of the season. But there was one moment in particular that must be recognized: the time when Darvish made Miguel Cabrera look foolish. Darvish was facing Cabrera in the top of the fifth with the Rangers up 8-4 and the count 0-1. Darvish threw Cabrera a 62 mph curveball, and Miggy took a vicious hack at it. He was so off balance after missing on the swing that he stumbled across the plate and was left to give a smile. Why? Because nobody makes him look foolish like that. Cabrera is the reigning AL MVP and last year’s triple crown winner. He’s the best hitter in baseball. That doesn’t happen very often. But with Darvish pitching, anything is possible. GIF via Drew Shep…

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I’m always amazed by what folks adept at technology can do with baseball GIFs.  This one from Reddit user Dshep is just as mesmerizing as R.A. Dickey’s knuckleball in slow motion.  5 Yu Darvish pitches shown as if they were happening at the same time.  It not only shows the incredible array of pitches Darvish has in his repetoire, but also just how hard it is to be a Major League hitter. [Reddit]

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ARLINGTON, Texas It’s a good thing Rangers pitcher Mark Feldman called it an early night on Monday.

On Tuesday, he was pressed into duty against Oakland when scheduled starter Yu Darvish showed up with a stiff neck.

“It’s not like I went out last night and had 30 beers or anything,” said Feldman, who made his last start Sept. 15 against Seattle. “I was fine. I came in and did my normal stuff, stayed in for BP and was ready to go.”

Feldman gave the Rangers four innings and left with the score tied, 2-2, after throwing 75 pitches (46 strikes).

He recorded five strikeouts in what was eventually a 3-2 loss in 10 innings. A pair of walks wound up costing Feldman a run in the second inning, then he gave up a solo shot in the fourth to Chris Carter.

The night before, the Rangers were forced to use five relievers when starter Derek Holland lasted just three innings. After Feldman’s four innings, the Rangers could not produce another run and wound up using another five relievers.

The Rangers have two games remaining in the series with Oakland, which trails by four games in the AL West.

“I wanted to go as long as I could,” Feldman said. “I would have loved to throw a hundred pitches or something like that. Especially because I know the way the bullpen’s been taxed. Those guys did a great job coming in behind me and hopefully everybody gets their rest and we’re ready to go tomorrow.”

Although starting pitchers are creatures of routine, Feldman, who has been in and out of the rotation this season, said it wasn’t difficult to get ready on short notice.

“I saw Yu when he was walking in and he just said he had a really stiff neck,” Feldman said. “From there I just kept my guard up and was ready in case. Then pitching coach Mike Maddux told me about 3 o’clock, 3:30, something like that.”

Rangers manager Ron Washington said Darvish’s neck improved during the game, but it’s too soon to say when he can pitch. Martin Perez remains the starter for Wednesday’s game.

Follow Keith Whitmire on Twitter: @Keith_Whitmire

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ARLINGTON, Texas It’s a good thing Rangers pitcher Mark Feldman called it an early night on Monday.

On Tuesday, he was pressed into duty against Oakland when scheduled starter Yu Darvish showed up with a stiff neck.

“It’s not like I went out last night and had 30 beers or anything,” said Feldman, who made his last start Sept. 15 against Seattle. “I was fine. I came in and did my normal stuff, stayed in for BP and was ready to go.”

Feldman gave the Rangers four innings and left with the score tied, 2-2, after throwing 75 pitches (46 strikes).

He recorded five strikeouts in what was eventually a 3-2 loss in 10 innings. A pair of walks wound up costing Feldman a run in the second inning, then he gave up a solo shot in the fourth to Chris Carter.

The night before, the Rangers were forced to use five relievers when starter Derek Holland lasted just three innings. After Feldman’s four innings, the Rangers could not produce another run and wound up using another five relievers.

The Rangers have two games remaining in the series with Oakland, which trails by four games in the AL West.

“I wanted to go as long as I could,” Feldman said. “I would have loved to throw a hundred pitches or something like that. Especially because I know the way the bullpen’s been taxed. Those guys did a great job coming in behind me and hopefully everybody gets their rest and we’re ready to go tomorrow.”

Although starting pitchers are creatures of routine, Feldman, who has been in and out of the rotation this season, said it wasn’t difficult to get ready on short notice.

“I saw Yu when he was walking in and he just said he had a really stiff neck,” Feldman said. “From there I just kept my guard up and was ready in case. Then pitching coach Mike Maddux told me about 3 o’clock, 3:30, something like that.”

Rangers manager Ron Washington said Darvish’s neck improved during the game, but it’s too soon to say when he can pitch. Martin Perez remains the starter for Wednesday’s game.

Follow Keith Whitmire on Twitter: @Keith_Whitmire

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ARLINGTON, Texas Just imagine how impressive Yu Darvish would be if it weren’t for the first inning.

Darvish had another rough first inning Tuesday night against the Tigers, but overcame it to record his 10th win and his fourth game with 10 or more strikeouts. He’s now tied with the Mets’ R.A. Dickey for double-digit strikeout games.

With the 7-5 victory, the Japanese import has won all seven of his starts at Rangers Ballpark and became the fastest Ranger to reach 100 strikeouts with 106 in 15 starts.

But in that first inning, Darvish issued a leadoff walk and hit a batter both scored. But once again he grew stronger as the game went on and registered five of his 10 strikeouts in the last three frames of his seven-inning outing.

“Personally, I would not like to have that type of first inning,” Darvish said through an interpreter. “I would like to get in a groove from the beginning. That would be ideal for me. That’s something that maybe I can continue to work on and learn from. But I really don’t know how I get in a groove.”

After that first inning, Darvish gave up a home run to Prince Fielder in the fourth and another run in the fifth.

“He was trying to find a rhythm again in those first few innings and they put some runs on the board,” manager Ron Washington said. “He continued to pound the strike zone. All of the sudden his fastball was crisper, breaking balls were crisper. He had a rhythm and was using the pitches at the right time.”

Darvish is tied for the AL lead in wins and is in the top five in strikeouts.

According to baseball-reference.com, his 106 strikeouts are the ninth most in history for a pitcher’s first 15 major league starts.

His numbers warrant serious consideration for a berth in the All-Star Game as a rookie, but when asked Darvish showed humility and a little bit of humor.

“You just mention those numbers, but I think I also lead the league in walks,” Darvish said, smiling. “I can’t confidently say I should be an All-Star. It’s difficult to answer that.”

Darvish did answer any questions about how he would deal with the Texas heat. The temperature at first pitch was a balmy 103 degrees but Darvish never labored while throwing 113 pitches.

“It was 103 degrees, but my teammates tell me it’s still not as hot as it’s going to get,” Darvish said. “Although it was hot, I didn’t feel too uncomfortable.”

Added Washington: He handled the heat well. I didn’t see it affect him at all.

The only thing Darvish didn’t handle well, other than the first inning, was Tigers slugger Prince Fielder. In addition to the fourth-inning homer, Fielder doubled in the first inning and hit a long fly ball out to the center field wall in the sixth.

“I had a plan,” Darvish said of facing Fielder. “I wanted to attack some of his weak points. But it just goes to show, against one of the top hitters in the league, that if you don’t make your pitches, leaving the ball up in the zone, those results happen.”

Much more often than not, Darvish is getting the results the Rangers want especially after the first inning.

Follow Keith Whitmire on Twitter: @Keith_Whitmire

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