Tepesch hit by line drive, expected to make next start

There was a very scary moment in the second inning of today's 5-0 victory against the Mariners, when Jesus Montero hit a line drive back up the middle that hit starter Nick Tepesch in the right forearm/wrist area, which then caromed off to the outfield.

Tepesch shook his arm in pain immediately afterwards, and Ron Washington, Mike Maddux and the trainers immediately came out to the mound to check him out. Tepesch threw a couple of practice pitches and seemed to be feeling okay, but he was nonetheless pulled from the game, with Derek Lowe taking his place (and throwing four outstanding innings).

The immediate fear when Tepesch left the game was that this was a serious injury -- Martin Perez took a similar line drive off his wrist this spring, and it ended up being a fractured forearm, which has had him on the shelf ever since.

However, Ron Washington said after the game that Tepesch was removed for precautionary reasons, and that they think he's fine, and should be able to make his next start.

If Tepesch's injury is more serious than initially believed, and Tepesch is going to miss a start, the Rangers don't have much in the way of options to replace him. Lowe and Josh Lindblom would seem to be the top two choices, with Michael Kirkman, Brad Mills, Randy Wells or possibly Neil Ramirez also in the mix.