Washington: “I Think You'll Be Pleasantly Surprised” By Yu's Start Thursday

Yu Darvish hasn’t exactly had the smoothest start to his Major League career, with a 1-0 record and a 4.76 ERA through two starts so far, but Ron Washington and the Rangers remain encouraged by what they see as a steady improvement in the 25-year-old in each of his two starts.

In fact, Washington won’t be surprised if Darvish takes some fans off guard in his third start as a member of the Rangers, against the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park on Thursday--and in a good way.

"I think you'll be pleasantly surprised tomorrow," Washington told the team’s official website. "Each time he has had the ball, he's gotten better. If he shows the same progress, I expect he'll throw a really good game. He'll have his hands full with that Detroit lineup, but they'll have their hands full, too. It doesn't work one way."