Rangers Mull The Idea Of Resting Harrison

After two pretty rough starts, the Texas Rangers are considering getting starter Matt Harrison a bit of extra rest to prepare for the homestretch and a hopefully-lengthy playoff run. While nothing is set in stone yet, Rangers’ Manager Ron Washington said this week that resting the American League All-Star was a distinct possibility, and that Harrison might not be the only pitcher to receive such treatment.

 “It’s something we’ve discussed about Matt and really all our pitchers,” Washington said, per the Dallas Morning News. “We’re looking to see if there is something we can do to help them along the way. But we have nothing to implement yet.”

Harrison is 0-2 in his last two starts, a stretch in which he’s surrendered 12 runs on 20 hits. In his last start, at Kansas City on Tuesday, Harrison left after just 4 2/3 innings, a start throughout which, he said afterward, he struggled with mechanics.

“From the start of the game until the fifth inning, my mechanics were different,” Harrison said. “My arm angle changed. I was pulling way off the ball and falling [towards third base]. My arm was just a little higher than side-arm. The life of my pitches just wasn’t same of it because of that. I don’t know exactly why it happened. I don’t know if it was pitch count early on or what.”