ARLINGTON, Texas – Since it's a day that ends with a ‘y' it must be time for the Texas Rangers to make more pitching moves.
The club purchased the contract of left-hander Neal Cotts before Tuesday's game to give them another arm in the bullpen.
They'll need another one to start Wednesday's game as right-hander Nick Tepesch will miss his start because of blister on his right middle finger. The Rangers will dip to Round Rock for a starter for the game with veteran big leaguer Ross Wolf slated to get the start. They will have to make another move to clear a spot for Wolf.
"I think everybody goes through it," Rangers manager Ron Washington said. "We'll battle through it and get back on track."
In addition to Cotts, the Rangers activated A.J. Pierzynski from the disabled list with catcher Robinson Chirinos going back to Round Rock.
The Rangers will have to make another room to make room for Wolf Wednesday. Tepesch got the blister throwing the only slider he threw in his start last Friday against Detroit. The blister has already started to heal and the Rangers hope he'll be able to start Sunday in Seattle.
"It's already gotten better," said Texas general manager Jon Daniels. "He felt it on the last pitch of his last start and it's already gotten better. Just to avoid it becoming an issue, we plan on skipping him tomorrow."
Wolf will become the eighth pitcher to start a game for the Rangers. The right-hander has made seven starts this year, with six coming for Round Rock. Wolf, 30, is 1-2 with a 2.02 ERA for in the minors.
He had a 7.71 ERA in four appearances this spring for Texas. He played in the majors for Florida in 2007 and for Oakland in 2010. In 25 relief appearances, he was 0-1 with a 7.92 ERA.
Cotts, 33, nearly made the Rangers out of spring training last year but was sidelined by a muscle strain. He has a 0.78 ERA in 15 relief appearances for Round Rock and 42 strikeouts in 23 innings of work. He has not allowed a hit to a left-handed batter and has 22 strikeouts vs. lefties.
He hasn't pitched in the majors since 2009. He played four years with the Chicago White Sox and three years with the Chicago Cubs. He's 10-12 with a 4.63 ERA in 284 appearances.
While Cotts has dominated left-handers, Washington won't use him just to get left-handed hitters out.
"I feel he can help us," Washington said. "The guy pitched in the World Series. He's got big-league experience, a power lefty. We don't have any specialists in that bullpen. He can face anybody."
After four years of bouncing around in the minors, Cotts wasn't sure he'd get another chance at the big leagues again.
"There was a period of time where honestly I didn't know if I'd play anymore," he said. "I didn't know if I'd have another chance. I'm happy I got the opportunity over here last year."
