Rangers set up postseason rotation

HOUSTON — The Rangers have their postseason rotation lined up the way they want it, and they did that by pushing Yu Darvish back.

Darvish was supposed to pitch on Wednesday against the Astros but will instead go on Saturday against the Athletics. That puts him behind Cole Hamels, who is starting on Friday, and ahead of Colby Lewis, who goes on Sunday.

“We wanted to be able to position those three together,” manager Jeff Banister said.

Martin Perez will follow that trio by pitching on Monday against the Angels. All four pitchers will have a maximum of three starts before the start of the postseason.

There is a reason the Rangers want Hamels in front of everybody else — the No. 1 starter going into a best-of-five Division Series is the one who can start twice.

“I got that one,” Banister said.

The Rangers had Derek Holland in the bullpen as a long reliever on Monday or Tuesday. That could be his role in the playoffs, but the Rangers didn’t use him on either day, so they got the start on Wednesday.

Scheppers could get significant role: Tanner Scheppers earned his first save since Aug. 6, 2013, on Tuesday, when he closed out the Rangers’ 3-2 victory over the Astros by setting down the side in order in the ninth.

He may have earned something else as well.

Scheppers missed the first five months of the season while recovering from surgery on his left knee and was added to the September …

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