In Absence of Lewis, Oswalt Looks To Assume Leadership Role

The Rangers lost a key starter this week when it was discovered that Colby Lewis had a torn flexor tendon in his pitching elbow, an injury that will end Lewis’s 2012 season. To wit, Lewis was 6-6 with a 3.43 ERA and a 1.08 WHIP when he was lost for the year--and the Rangers know they’ve lost a pretty important piece of their pitching staff.

"It's frustrating to lose Colby," starter Derek Holland told the team’s official website. "He's a big-game pitcher. We're going to miss him."

Texas won’t only miss Lewis’s presence on the mound, however. “The Cobra” also served as a leader in the clubhouse and within the pitching staff. The good news, we suppose, is that Roy Oswalt believes he can step into a leadership role on the team, as a veteran and a pitcher who has seen his fair share of big games.

"I know I can be that leader," Oswalt said. "I've been around long enough and I've been around some pretty good pitchers. I know my time is limited in this game, and I'd love to pass along what I've learned and what I've seen. I've talked with Derek a lot already and I've talked with Yu Darvish a lot, just trying to relate as much information as possible."