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Darvish’s masterful finish bodes well for playoffs
- Updated: October 1, 2016
ARLINGTON — No matter where the Rangers play their postseason games, it’s going to be crucial for them to have right-hander Yu Darvish performing at an ace level.
Darvish gave the Rangers plenty of reasons to believe he will be at that level, and assured most of those playoff games will be at home, Friday night in his final start of the regular season. He struck out 12 of the 24 batters he faced over six innings as the Rangers beat the Rays, 3-1, to clinch home-field throughout the postseason.
“It’s great to see from a guy who’s been on an upward trend,” Rangers manager Jeff Banister said. “I think there’s still another step, another gear from him. [But] very impressive night for Yu.”
After a bit of a rough stretch in early September, Darvish has been about as good as it gets in his last two starts. He’s 2-0 with a 0.64 ERA, 21 strikeouts and two walks in those outings. Opponents have hit just .109 in that span.
“Obviously, there have been tough times,” Darvish said. “But I have had pretty good results lately. I think I’m in a pretty good position right now.”
Making his 100th career start, Darvish …
