Colby Lewis is less than a year removed from surgery to repair a torn flexor tendon in his pitching elbow, and the Texas Rangers are one pitching injury away from being in full-fledged panic mode with Alexi Ogando and Matt Harrison already on the disabled list.
Lewis is one of the Rangers' most consistent starting pitchers over recent years and is without argument the top postseason pitcher in franchise history, and his return has been something the Rangers have counted on in their back pocket for a while now, seeing Lewis as a possible "deadline acquisition" a little before the July trade deadline.
Lewis is on his way back after making his second rehab start at Triple-A Round Rock over the weekend, and the results were a bit mixed after a disappointing rehab debut in Frisco last week.
It wasn't Frisco-bad the other night, but it still left a lot to be desired for Lewis, who couldn't get his fastball out of the mid-80s for the second straight outing. Lewis threw 60 pitches over four innings, giving up three runs on six hits. He could make his next start on Thursday back in Frisco.
Lewis said he felt better about his release than he did in his first rehab outing, but was still frustrated by the lack of velocity. Overall, though, he said it was a step forward.
“I felt better tonight,” he said in a text message to the Star-Telegram. “I need to work a little on some timing issues, but overall it was a better day.”
