Where are they now?

As of Opening Day, Kevin Millwood was the Rangers' number one starter. Brandon McCarthy was number three. Scott Feldman was in the bullpen. And not just in the bullpen. The depths of the bullpen. Four other relievers got into action before Feldman made his 2009 debut, a sixth-inning entry in the season's third game, with Texas ahead at the time, 11-3. The only Rangers pitchers on the Opening Day staff who had yet to appear were Warner Madrigal and Josh Rupe. Tommy Hunter pitched in relief in Frisco's season opener, entering in the third inning and lasting 2.2 frames, giving up five Springfield runs. Derek Holland started Oklahoma City's fourth game of the season, yielding four Nashville runs over four innings. Amazingly, of the five, McCarthy is closest now to what he was then. It's been an uneven season for the 26-year-old, but if you were to measure who has come the furthest since the beginning of April – or fallen the furthest – there's nobody in the current playoff-contending rotation who has hit his April slot nearly as closely as the mercurial McCarthy. Right? Tommy Hunter is really, really impressive. And I don't want to jinx things, but I'm going to hold out hope that Derek Holland just now, in the top of the third, had his Matt-Harrison-April-27th inning. =========================================================== To join the free Newberg Report mailing list so you can get e-mail deliveries of every edition of the newsletter, daily minor league game recaps, and frequent Newberg Report News Flashes, go to www.newbergreport.com and click the "Mailing List" link on the top menu bar. (c) Jamey Newberg http://www.newbergreport.com Twitter @newbergreport If you want to be removed from this list, please e-mail me at newbergreport@sbcglobal.net