There is the quick update of the day.

SURPRISE, Ariz. — The Texas Rangers made one roster decision on Sunday, but still have more to sort through before the season gets going Friday in Arlington.

Dave Bush has made the team as a long reliever, according to manager Ron Washington. Bush, who was 0-0 with a 4.85 ERA in 13 innings in Cactus League games, is scheduled to pitch in Sunday’s game against the Seattle Mariners.

“I came here on a minor league deal hoping to show them I could pitch here,” Bush said. “I’m excited. I’m OK with whatever they want me to do.”

The club is stretching out Alexi Ogando, but has not made a decision about the fifth starter. The 27-year-old is the internal frontrunner to replace Tommy Hunter, who sustained a groin strain Thursday and could miss six weeks. Washington said Ogando will start the club’s exhibition game against Coastal Carolina in Myrtle Beach, S.C., on Tuesday. If that is the case, Ogando could be on schedule to be the No. 4 starter, allowing the Rangers to split up lefties Derek Holland and Matt Harrison.

The Rangers still have some time to survey external options, but they will need a fifth starter by April 5 against Seattle.

Bush, 31, decided to try to earn a job in spring training with the Rangers in large part because of his history with pitching coach Mike Maddux. The two worked together in Milwaukee and Bush had back-to-back 12-win seasons in 2006 and 2007.

Washington said he likes Bush’s “perseverance, his heart, his character, his thought process out there trying to pitch.”

“He pitches with a purpose,” Washington said. “We felt like he could help us.”

Ogando came into spring training being stretched out to be a starter. He impressed coaches and club officials with his stuff, which now includes a split-fingered fastball that gives him even more ability to change speeds. His slider has also improved, giving him a full repertoire of pitches.

This spring, he’s 0-2 with a 5.06 ERA, allowing six runs in 10 2/3 innings. He made five starts, staying on that schedule until last week, but the club moved him to the bullpen with the expectation that he’d be a power right-handed bat in the late innings. That could now change with the Hunter injury.

If Ogando ends up in the rotation, that would leave two spots in the bullpen to fill with Mason Tobin (a Rule-5 draft pick), Brett Tomko (signed to minor league deal this offseason), Mark Lowe (obtained in the Cliff Lee trade) and Pedro Strop as options.

Richard Durrett covers the Rangers for ESPNDallas.com.

Follow Richard Durrett on Twitter: @espn_durrett

That’s all the news for today.

SURPRISE, Ariz. — Starting pitcher Tommy Hunter could miss six weeks with a Grade II right groin strain and will likely start the season on the disabled list, the Texas Rangers announced Friday afternoon.

“I can’t do anything about it,” Hunter said. “I can’t help the team on the disabled list. I want to be there Opening Day and I’m not going to. I just have to get healthy and get back out there. It’s tough.”

Rangers assistant general manager Thad Levine said the club would have to meet to determine who ends up in the rotation, with Michael Kirkman and Dave Bush being the leading internal candidates to take Hunter’s spot.

Levine said he didn’t expect the injury to change the decision to put Neftali Feliz in the bullpen as the closer.

Hunter is scheduled to fly back to Arlington this weekend to have a blood-platelet injection in an effort to speed up his recovery. He said he did some exercises in the pool and didn’t think it felt as bad as the groin injury that kept him out a couple of months in 2009.

Hunter, 24, suffered the injury during the third inning of Thursday’s game against the Cincinnati Reds. He said he felt something on his third pitch to outfielder Drew Stubbs. After his next pitch, manager Ron Washington, pitching coach Mike Maddux and assistant athletic trainer Kevin Harmon came out to the mound to check on him.

Hunter was taken out of the game after allowing five runs on six hits in two-plus innings.

Just hours before the game, Hunter was named to the rotation along with C.J. Wilson, Colby Lewis, Derek Holland and Matt Harrison. Kirkman had already been optioned to Triple-A Round Rock (Texas) on Thursday.

Hunter has struggled this spring with a 10.97 ERA. But he earned his rotation spot based on his track record, which included a 13-4 record and a 3.73 ERA in 128 innings last season.

This is the third consecutive spring in which Hunter has had an injury derail his hopes of starting the season on time. He injured his groin in 2009 and was recalled for a spot start in late May and then returned in late June for the final three-plus months of the season.

Last year, he was expected to be in the rotation when an oblique strain late in camp forced him to the disabled list and then to the minors. He came up in June and stayed with the big league club for the duration of 2010 and into the postseason.

Richard Durrett covers the Rangers for ESPNDallas.com.

Follow Richard Durrett on Twitter: @espn_durrett

Gotta run!.

Newark native Derek Holland will start the season as a starting pitcher for the Texas Rangers, USA TODAY reported Thursday on its website.

Holland, Tommy Hunter and Matt Harrison have been selected as the teams’ Nos. 3-5 starters, but their order hasn’t been finalized. C.J. Wilson and Colby Lewis will be the top two starters.

Holland, 24, appeared in 14 games for the Rangers in 2010, including 10 starts, compiling a 3-4 record and a 4.08 ERA in 57 1/3 innings.

He made his big league debut in 2009, when he went 8-13 with a 6.12 ERA.

Comment Below!.

SURPRISE, Ariz. (AP)—Neftali Feliz(notes) will keep closing games instead of starting them for the AL champion Texas Rangers.

As for the Texas rotation, what seemed set Thursday morning was in flux within hours.

Feliz, who set a major league rookie record with 40 saves last season, had been stretched out this spring in case the Rangers decided to use the hard-throwing righty as a starter. Instead, he will remain in his familiar role.

Feliz pitched a scoreless eighth inning Thursday as a split squad of Rangers lost to San Diego 7-4.

“Right now, for our organization, he’s better in the bullpen,” Texas manager Ron Washington said. “We haven’t closed the door on him being a starter. It’s just not now. We wanted to make sure that we continue to be strong in every area. With Feliz being at the closing end, we’re certainly strong.”

Feliz took over the closer’s role during last year and went 40 for 43 on save tries, going 4-3 with a 2.73 ERA.

Texas opened spring training knowing left-hander C.J. Wilson(notes) and Colby Lewis(notes) would be its top two starters after Cliff Lee’s(notes) departure. The rest of the rotation announced Thursday included Tommy Hunter(notes) and left-handers Matt Harrison(notes) and Derek Holland(notes).

At least that was the plan until Hunter strained his right groin in the Rangers’ 15-13 victory over Cincinnati on Thursday afternoon.

It marked the third straight year Hunter has been hurt at the end of camp. In 2009 he sustained a groin injury and didn’t arrive in the majors until May. Last year, an oblique strain put him on the disabled list.

“I think I’ll be all right,” said Hunter, who has a 10.97 ERA in his three spring starts. “Three days … I had three days to go. It’s all right. We’ll get back together and go throw.”

Michael Kirkman(notes), who was optioned to Triple-A Round Rock earlier in the day, could replace Hunter if the right-hander isn’t ready for his first start.

Wilson will start the season opener April 1 at home against Boston.

That’s all the news for today.

The Texas Rangers’ balance—pitching, offense, speed and defense—took them all the way to the World Series last season.

In the offseason, however, Texas absorbed a major loss. Ace lefthander Cliff Lee signed with the Philadelphia Phillies despite a strong push from the Rangers. Even without Lee, the Rangers remain the class of the AL West. They have the best lineup in the division and still have plenty of pitching.

C.J. Wilson, the closer turned starter, will assume the No. 1 spot in the rotation that once was Lee’s. The lefthander was 15-8 with a 3.35 ERA last season and pitched particularly well in the ALDS and World Series.

Colby Lewis, a revelation last season, returned from Japan and posted a 3.72 ERA and career-high 196 strikeouts—the most by a Texas pitcher since Nolan Ryan’s 203 in 1991. Tommy Hunter went 13-4 and also had a sub-4.00 ERA. Derek Holland, in and out of the rotation in part because injuries, likely will pitch in the No. 4 spot. Either Scott Feldman, a 17-game winner in 2009, or Matt Harrison will begin the season as the fifth starter, filling in until newcomer Brandon Webb is ready.

And then there is Neftali Feliz, the reigning AL rookie of the year who set a rookie record with 40 saves last season. Feliz, a starter during his minor league career, could transition to the rotation, as Wilson did so successfully in 2010.

In the bullpen, veteran lefthander Darren Oliver, 40, will be joined by 41-year-old lefthander Arthur Rhodes. Darren O’Day will provide setup work from the right side. If the Rangers decide to start Feliz, Mark Lowe and Alexi Ogando are options to close. Texas’ 3.38 bullpen ERA ranked second in the AL last season, and the Rangers’ relief corps led the league with 32 wins.

Offensively, Hamilton, 29, tied his career high with 32 homers despite missing most of the regular season’s final month. With Hamilton in left, Julio Borbon is in center and Nelson Cruz in right. Cruz is coming off a 22-homer, 78-RBI season in which he hit .318 (though hamstring injuries limited him to 108 games). Borbon, entering his second full season in the majors, had 17 bunt hits and he stole 15 bases.

First baseman Mitch Moreland, called up in late July, became a postseason hero (.348 average, seven RBIs) and might have solidified a position that the Rangers have struggled to fill. Second baseman Ian Kinsler was on the disabled list twice in 2010; Texas was 61-41 with Kinsler, 29-31 without him. Shortstop Elvis Andrus continued to impress at age 22, scoring 88 runs, stealing 32 bases and playing solid defense.

Newcomer Adrian Beltre, who led the majors with 49 doubles last season, will take over for Michael Young at third base. Beltre’s signing forced Young into a DH/utility infielder role and fueled an offseason controversy that resulted in Texas shopping Young. Yorvit Torrealba and Mike Napoli, both added during the offseason, will take over the catching duties from Bengie Molina, with Napoli also getting at-bats at DH. The Young/Napoli tandem must replace the production of Vladimir Guerrero, who led the team with 115 RBIs last season but signed with the Baltimore Orioles as a free agent.

— Susan Slusser for Sporting News

PROJECTED LINEUP

1. 2B Ian Kinsler. Career-best .382 OBP; career-low 103 Gs

2. SS Elvis Andrus. 31 extra-base hits in ’09; 18 in ’10

3. LF Josh Hamilton. AL highs in ’10: .359 AVG, .633 SLG, 1.044 OPS

4. 3B Adrian Beltre. .306 AVG, 9 HRs, 34 RBIs in 51 career Gs at TEX

5. RF Nelson Cruz. .856 OPS in ’09 (128 Gs); .950 in ’10 (108 Gs)

6. DH Michael Young. 16 HRs, .307 AVG at home in ’10; 5, .260 on road

7. 1B Mitch Moreland. 8 RBIs, .424 SLG at home in ’10; 17, .500 on road

8. C Mike Napoli. Career-high 26 HRs last season; career-low .784 OPS

9. CF Julio Borbon. Hit .220 as leadoff man in ’10; .291 in No. 9 spot

PROJECTED ROTATION

1. LHP C.J. Wilson. AL-high 93 BBs, but only 10 HRs in 204 IP in 2010

2. RHP Colby Lewis. 8-5, 3.33 ERA before break in ’10; 4-8, 4.18 after

3. RHP Tommy Hunter. 7-0, 3.06 ERA at home in ’10; 6-4, 4.48 on road

4. LHP Derek Holland. 5.72 career ERA as SP; 4.50 as RP

5. RHP Brandon Webb. Averaged 18 Ws per season from ’05-’08 with ARI

PROJECTED CLOSER

RHP Neftali Feliz. 3.73 ERA, 1.10 WHIP at home; 1.27, 0.57 on road

THREE STRIKES

Sporting News baseball writer Anthony Witrado analyzes the Rangers:

1. Michael Young won’t be a distraction. The player and team have done a fantastic job of moving past Young’s trade request. It has been determined, at least for now, that Young will bounce around the infield as well as DH. And Young has been proven professional enough that it hasn’t been an issue.

2. Elvis will return. Not that Elvis. Elvis Andrus will rebound from a somewhat disappointing sophomore season and have his best season yet. Andrus had drop-offs in several offensive categories in 2010, but more attention to detail—offensively and defensively—will keep him on the path to becoming one of the game’s most dynamic shortstops.

3. C.J. Wilson won’t disappoint. Wilson threw more than 200 innings and made 33 starts in his first full season as a starter. Now that he knows the rigors, he will show why Texas believes he is ace material.

Sporting News prediction: The Rangers will repeat as AL West champions and return to the ALCS. However, the Boston Red Sox will end Texas’ quest for a second consecutive trip to the World Series.

COMING TUESDAY: Oakland A’s preview

What are your opinions.

SURPRISE, Ariz. (AP)—Los Angeles Angels right-hander Dan Haren(notes) got his work in, threw all his pitches and still wasn’t thrilled with his outing.

“I always look at the results,” Haren said after a two-inning stint against the Texas Rangers in his first spring start. “I always want to put up nothing but zeros.

“If someone tells you they’re not worried about the results they’re lying.”

Haren allowed three runs on three hits, including David Murphy’s(notes) first spring home run, and the Rangers beat the Angels 10-6 at Surprise Stadium.

“I don’t remember scouting reports,” said Haren, who surrendered the home run on a fastball inside. “I’ve faced them so many times, I don’t remember if that’s not where I was supposed to pitch him.”

Angels manager Mike Scioscia said he wasn’t surprised by Haren’s competitive streak even in a spring game.

“A pitcher’s trying to get some work in for an inning or so but you never want to get a pitch hit like that,” Scioscia said.

Across the field, Rangers starter Tommy Hunter(notes) went nearly untouched in two innings of one-hit ball in his first spring start.

“That’s what (pitching coach) Mike (Maddux) preaches,” Hunter said. “It’s what we’re trying to do as a staff, what we’re trying to do as a team. We’re going to attack people and have them put it in play. We’ve got a damn good defense.”

Rangers manager Ron Washington said he couldn’t have asked for more from the right-hander.

“He was real crisp, kept the ball down and threw 17 of 21 first-pitch strikes,” Washington said. “That’s what we want.”

The Rangers also put their offense on display against the Angels with four home runs. In addition to Murphy’s three-run shot, Ian Kinsler(notes) hit one out in Texas’ four-run fourth inning, Chad Tracy(notes) homered in the sixth and Doug Deeds added a two-run shot in the seventh.

Maicer Izturis(notes) hit his first spring homer for the Angels, a two-run shot off the netting of the left-field foul pole in the seventh.

Notes: Haren also was called for a balk by first-base umpire Scott Barry, which had him shaking his head after he was done. “I don’t know who he was but he missed it,” he said. “It caught me by such surprise. I hadn’t even looked in at the sign yet.” … Izturis finished 2 for 4 with three RBIs. … Rangers 3B Adrian Beltre(notes) lifted weights and hit in the cage on Wednesday as he continues recovering from a Grade 1 right calf strain. … Texas C Yorvit Torrealba(notes) missed his second straight game, allowing Mike Napoli(notes) to start against his former club, but is expected to return to the lineup on Thursday. … Washington planned to start LHP Derek Holland(notes) and follow with RHP Neftali Feliz(notes) on Thursday but instead each will start and throw two scheduled innings in each of the team’s two split-squad games. Both are among several in the mix for the final three spots in the Rangers’ rotation.

That’s all for today.

Not a lot else going on in the MLB world today.

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