Opening Day arrives three weeks to the day from Thursday, when left-hander Mike Minor took the mound for the Texas Rangers for his third spring start.
He is expected to start the Rangers’ opener, March 28 against the Chicago Cubs. Manager Chris Woodward said earlier in camp that it was likely, and Minor has done nothing this spring to suggest that has changed.
But he encountered a couple hiccups against the San Diego Padres, primarily one of those dry-air Arizona homers that are long outs at most MLB ballparks. That “blast” accounted for three of the four runs Minor allowed in three-plus innings in an 11-8 loss.