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Texas Ranger pitcher Colby Lewis, fighting to make the Ranger rotation after not pitching in the majors since June, 2012, threw a scoreless inning today in an intrasquad game.
Evan Grant has a write-up on his outing at the DMN Rangers blog, saying that Lewis's fastball was in the 87-89 mph range, and offering quotes from Lewis.
Colby, coming back from tendon flexor surgery in 2012 and hip surgery late in 2013, is in camp on a minor league deal fighting for a spot in the Ranger rotation. With Derek Holland out until mid-season and Matt Harrison questionable for Opening Day, the Rangers have a definite need for someone who can provide quality innings in the rotation, and so a healthy and productive Lewis would be a big boost to the team.
FanGraphs has Lewis's average velocity at 89 mph in 2011 and 87.9 mph in 2012, so his current velocity is around where he was before, though there's not much margin of error for a righty throwing in the 87-89 mph range. The bigger question, as Grant acknowledges in his post, is how Lewis rebounds from pitching today. But if he feels good tomorrow and is able to keep pace with everyone else this spring, it bodes well for his chances of making the team.
