Mike Minor will now do for the Rangers what Cole Hamels and Yu

ARLINGTON http://www.raysfanproshop.com/authentic-evan-longoria-jersey , Texas (AP) — Darvish did the past three seasons in Texas.With those former Rangers aces in the visitors’ dugout, Minor starts the season opener for Texas against the Chicago Cubs on Thursday. The left-hander’s first career opening day start comes only a year after his return to a rotation following shoulder surgery that led to him missing two entire seasons and then being a full-time reliever.“From being hurt for two years and not thinking I was ever going to throw again, pitch again in the big leagues, or pitch at all, to being the opening day starter, yeah it feels pretty good,” Minor said. “I even doubted myself because of the way I felt, and then once I was healthy, I didn’t doubt myself.”The opener also marks the managerial debut for new Rangers skipper Chris Woodward, the 42-year-old former utility infielder who spent the past three seasons — and the last two World Series — as third base coach for the Los Angeles Dodgers.It will be the final opener at the Rangers’ current ballpark, which is going into its 26th season. A new retractable roof stadium is being built across the street.Joe Maddon starts his fifth season with the Cubs. The 65-year-old manager enters the final year of his contract after four consecutive playoff appearances and the 2016 World Series title.Jon Lester makes his third consecutive opening day start for the Cubs, followed by Darvish and Hamels in the other two games of the opening series.Darvish, who began his big league career with the Rangers after coming from Japan Jonny Venters Jersey , started their 2017 opener before getting traded later that season to the Dodgers and then going to the Cubs in free agency last year. Hamels was the opening day starter for Texas in 2016 and 2018 before getting traded to the Cubs last summer.“Now it’s go time, get in front of the big crowds and big stadiums and everything starts to matter,” said Hamels, 38-21 with a 3.90 ERA in 88 starts for the Rangers, who acquired the lefty from Philadelphia during the 2015 season.Minor is the only rotation holdover from last season for the Rangers.Edinson Volquez, who made his big league debut for Texas in 2005 and returned as a free agent last year while rehabbing from Tommy John surgery, will start the second game Saturday. Right-hander Lance Lynn, who signed a three-year deal as a free agent during the offseason, goes Sunday.The 31-year-old Minor was the seventh overall pick by Atlanta in the 2009 amateur draft, and started for the Braves from 2010-14 before surgery to repair a torn labrum in his left shoulder. He missed all of 2015 and 2016 and then made 65 relief appearances for Kansas City in 2017 before turning down a $10 million player option because he wanted the chance to start again.The Rangers offered that opportunity with a $28 million, three-year contract and he led them last season with 12 wins and 157 innings, even while the team was cautious with him in his return to starting. He made 22 of his team-high 28 starts on extended rest, and at times didn’t get the opportunity to go deeper into games.“There were some games last year I thought they were overly cautious. Maybe it worked out Matt Moore Jersey , maybe it paid off,” Minor said.After adjusting last spring to starting again, and then making it through the entire season, Minor said this spring felt normal.“I knew what to expect again. Last year was a new team … I had to learn all new coaches, all new teammates, had to be comfortable with myself, being around the team and everything,” he said. “This year feels a lot different. I feel way more prepared and know exactly what to expect out of my arm and what I used to feel really being a starter in Atlanta.” CHICAGO — The Cleveland Indians may not boast as many victories as their fellow American League divisional leaders, but that doesn’t mean their confidence as they head for the postseason is lacking.The Indians have 88 victories heading into Wednesday’s game against the Chicago White Sox at Guaranteed Rate Field. Although they are well off the pace for regular-season victories as others in their position after seeing their three-game winning streak snapped with a 5-4 loss on Tuesday, Cleveland may be well-suited for a lengthy postseason run just the same.“Our record, we might not have as many wins as what we had in previous years,” Indians general manager Mike Chernoff said, according the team’s official website. “But http://www.rangersfanproshop.com/authentic-matt-moore-jersey , it does feel like over the past several weeks, we’ve seen a lot of things come together in ways that we hadn’t seen for the majority of the season. So, we do feel like we’re sort of on an upward trajectory heading into the postseason.”Article continues below ...After surrendering a ninth-inning lead in Tuesday’s loss, the Indians will attempt to bounce back Wednesday behind Shane Bieber (10-5, 4.80 ERA. Bieber has dropped back-to-back decisions and is coming off a rough outing against the Boston Red Sox on Sept. 21, when he surrendered six runs and eight hits over just 4 2/3 innings while pitching in a relief effort. Bieber was scheduled to return to the starting rotation on Thursday against the Kansas City Royals but was bumped up a day to give Josh Tomlin another day of rest after he was needed in a relief appearance on Sunday.Bieber is 0-0 in one career start against the White Sox after he threw 6 2/3 scoreless innings while striking out eight earlier this season.The White Sox ended their three-game losing streak on Tuesday when Daniel Palka delivered a one-out, two run single that provided Chicago with a dramatic victory. After struggling to score runs, Chicago came up with three runs in the bottom of the ninth to bring an end to Cleveland’s winning streak. Yet as much excitement as victories like Tuesday’s generates, the White Sox continue to build for the future. On Tuesday, right fielder Avisail Garcia told reporters that he put off knee surgery for most of the season and will undergo arthroscopic surgery on his right knee next week.Garcia said that the procedure was “nothing major,” according to the Chicago Tribune. Manager Rick Renteria said the surgery just involved “cleaning (the knee) up” and that the surgery was not being done to make any major repairs.Garcia, who hit his career-best 19th home run in Tuesday’s victory, has been on the disabled list twice this season — both times for a strained knee.“Early in the season Bartolo Colon Jersey , opening day, I (felt) something in my knee,” Garcia said, according to the Tribune. “I’ve been feeling something, something, something.”Jace Fry (2-2, 4.32) will make his first major league start for the White Sox on Wednesday. In 57 games this season, Fry has pitched 50 innings and will get his chance to demonstrate what he can do in a starting role. In 11 career relief appearances against the Indians, Fry is 1-0 with a 4.09 ERA.