When Jeff Banister set his Opening Day rotation to begin the season, there was a lot that went into the decision.
One of those things was Colby Lewis' career history against the Los Angeles Angels, not to mention the way he'd pitched so well against the Mariners. So, it made perfect sense to have Lewis starting one of the first three games and holding Derek Holland for Game 4 so Lewis could avoid the Angels.
It worked out well as Lewis had a quality start and was in line for a win before the Rangers' bullpen blew up late.
Now, Lewis will have to deal with the Angels, who have never been kind to him, but he's entering the start riding high on the confidence of four starts of six innings with only one not falling in "quality start" territory.
For his career, Lewis has never been good against the Angels. But over his last 10 starts, he's been horrible. In those 10 outings, Lewis is 2-7 with a 9.06 ERA, and it seems like every other time he pitches against them he gives up 12 or 13 runs.
Banister told The Dallas Morning News he had no thought of juggling the rotation again to get Lewis off the hook of facing the Angels.
"He knows how to pitch,'' Banister said. "He seems to feel a lot better, much healthier. The legs are allowing him to do more work, and the body seems to be in really good shape. He still has a really good feel for the baseball.''
