Ogando shining in relief for Rangers

ARLINGTON, Texas -- With all due respect to Detroit's All-Star closer Jose Valverde, the Texas Rangers may have the hottest reliever in the postseason. Alexi Ogando became a reliable starter for the Rangers in 2011, but he's currently the team's most potent weapon out of the bullpen. The Rangers scratched three runs off Tigers ace Justin Verlander in the first four innings and then had to turn the game over to the bullpen early because of two lengthy rain delays. We'll never know if C.J. Wilson could've pitched out of a bases-loaded jam in the fifth inning because the skies opened again before he had the opportunity. Manager Ron Washington called on lefty Michael Gonzalez to face the one left-handed bat in the Tigers lineup, catcher Alex Avila. Just as he did against the Rays in Game 3 of the ALDS, Gonzalez quickly got out of the inning on a ground ball to second baseman Ian Kinsler. "That was one of the huge outs of the game," said Kinsler following the Rangers' 3-2 win in Game 1 of the ALCS. "That set up our bullpen for the rest of the game. If he doesn't get that out, it changes the whole game." Washington then put the game in the hands of Ogando. He beat the Tigers three times in the regular-season, allowing three earned runs to go along with 18 strikeouts in 21 innings. He's embraced his return to the bullpen in this postseason and he retired six of the seven hitters he faced Saturday, only allowing a walk to Brandon Inge in the sixth. The Tigers are remarkably tough if they have a lead after six innings, but Ogando made sure that relievers Joaquin Benoit and Valverde had no place in this game. When Ogando struck out Tigers DH Victor Martinez in the seventh, he celebrated by slamming his fist into his glove. He's virtually unhittable right now, and that's why losing Wilson due to the second rain delay wasn't an enormous setback. "He is certainly showing that he's a great piece to have down there, especially when you got him where he can give you multiple innings," said Washington. "There's times when I have to use him for one. Tonight I needed him for two. What a weapon we have." Ogando made the All-Star team as a starter, but he faded down the stretch. Now, he's capable of overpowering hitters with a 98 mile-per-hour fastball or buckling them with his off-speed pitches. Washington seemed hesitant in the Rays series to take Ogando beyond one inning, but that's obviously changed. Ogando's motto this postseason has been "just let it go." He no longer has to worry about pacing himself like he did as a starter. As Kinsler noted, the Rangers have at least four relievers capable of closing games in Mike Adams, Neftali Feliz, Ogando and Gonzalez. They all have that type of mentality when entering the game, which explains why the Rangers have won three consecutive one-run games in the postseason. The Tigers climbed back into Saturday's game in the fifth inning with two runs, but once Gonzalez shut the door, Detroit didn't pose another serious threat. Losing Game 1 of a seven-game series shouldn't have a debilitating effect on a team, but it's obvious the Tigers expect to win every time Verlander takes the mound. The Rangers got to Verlander early and then made it hold up because of an outstanding night from the bullpen. But make no mistake that Ogando's the star of that group right now. The Rangers hope to ride his arm back to the World Series. "He's definitely going to be a starter the rest of his career," said Michael Young of Ogando. "But right now, he's a major weapon out of the bullpen."