SURPRISE, Ariz. -- Cubs manager Joe Maddon likes having Yu Darvish on his side. What he's learned so far about the pitcher is that he can hit and he speaks English well. On Wednesday, Darvish looked as if he was ready for the regular season to begin.
In his fourth spring start, Darvish struck out seven over six innings against his former team, the Rangers, in the Cubs' 5-1 victory. Darvish gave up three hits, including a solo homer to Juan Centeno.
"On the mound, it's nice knowing he's going to walk into your dugout after the inning is over," Maddon said.