The Texas Rangers brought in a couple of low-risk guys on non-roster invites this spring, namely starting pitchers Jeremy Guthrie and A.J. Griffin.
Chances of either of them cracking the Opening Day roster are slim, but both have made solid debuts in Rangers uniforms, including Guthrie's spring debut on Tuesday in a 10-3 win over the Oakland A's.
Guthrie, a 12-year veteran who eclipsed 200 innings in both 2013 and 2014 with the Royals, was scheduled to throw one inning of relief in the game against Oakland, but he was so good he threw two frames of scoreless baseball.
After being set back last week with back stiffness, Guthrie threw just five pitches in his first inning of work before finishing the second inning with 21 total pitches on the day as he pounded the strike zone relentlessly.
"I threw some good strikes down, which is important to me," Guthrie told The Dallas Morning News. "If I can do that consistently, I give my team a chance to make plays."
Guthrie knows he has no guarantees of being with the Rangers for the long haul, as he's probably fourth or fifth on the list of guys to take on the No. 5 starter role until Yu Darvish makes his season debut in late May or early June.
"The biggest difference is there is a lot of unknown," Guthrie said. "There is no guarantee of anything. The best thing I can do is pitch as well as I can and expect the best."
