The Rangers have placed Alexi Ogando in the disabled list with biceps tendinitis. The Rangers will recall Josh Lindblom from Triple A Round Rock to start on Monday. Cory Burns has been called up for the weekend from Round Rock. Ogando complained of the problem during Wednesday’s 6-2 victory over the Athletics. He will have an MRI tonight.

Two days before he pitches, Yu Darvish meets with the media for a few minutes. Here is what Darvish had to say through his translator Keni Nimura on Tuesday as he prepares to face Justin Verlander on Thursday at the Ballpark in Arlington.

You face Verlander in your next start…how do you view that?

“I think you know the answer.”

Was this the kind of matchup you envisioned when you decided to come to Major League Baseball and leave Japan?

“When I made the decision to come to the big leagues, I knew that I was going to be facing a lot of great pitchers. I wasn’t just thinking Verlander but there are many other great pitchers as well.”

Are these starts fun for you, maybe a little more so than some and look forward to them?

“Not particularly because I won’t be hitting against him. If that were the case I’d be looking forward to it. I’m just going to be pitching and I’m focused on pitching my game.”

What is your impression of the Tigers lineup?

“Same thing as last year, they have a lot of powerful hitters. It’s a great lineup they have.”

You’re leading the majors in strikeouts and have six wins. How do you evaluate how it’s gone so far? Any improvements?

“The number of wins and the number of strikeouts, I’m not really concerned about. That’s something I have to look back to once the season’s over. Since my ERA is not 0.00, that’s what I have to improve on. I’m just making sure that I’m healthy to throw for the rest of the season.”

He was asked again about his strikeouts

“I’m not really too concerned about strikeouts but the rest of the people are. I’m just concerned with pitching my game and giving this team a chance to win the game.”

You faced the Tigers three times last year and this is your first this year, is there any hitter you like facing?

“There’s no particular hitter I’m looking forward to facing. I’m more concerned about managing the lineup and pitching my game and giving my team a chance to win. Every game I look forward to facing every hitter, but there’s no particular hitter I’m concerned about now.”

Will this start give you an idea where you are at this stage of the season, in mid-May?

“Just because I face the Tigers with a powerful lineup doesn’t mean I’m pitching well, because there are so many different types of teams at the major league level. There are a lot of power hitters in the Tigers lineup but you have a team lineup like the Oakland A’s, they don’t have a lot of power hitters like the Tigers do. It’s a team effort. Just the fact that you shut out a Tigers lineup doesn’t mean that you’re going to win against the A’s. As a pitcher you have to adjust to each team and how you’re going to pitch against them. As a starting pitcher my main job is to stay healthy and pitch the game that I can pitch against the team that I’m facing.”

Pitcher Colby Lewis has been diagnosed with inflammation in his right triceps muscle and has been taken off medical rehabilitation assignment. He received an anti-inflammation injection on Monday and will likely resume throwing this weekend in Arlington. The Rangers hope he can resume his rehab assignment early next week.

Rangers pitcher Colby Lewis did not throw a bullpen session on Saturday because of soreness in his right tricep muscle. The soreness came two days after Lewis made his first start on medical rehabilitation assignment in Las Vegas, pitching two innings and throwing 41 pitches. Lewis was scheduled to pitch on Tuesday against Tucson but that start is in doubt. The Rangers have the option of recalling Lewis from the 30-day rehab assignment and putting him back on the disabled list.

Lewis did play catch on Saturday.

Robinson Chirinos had two flights cancelled from Las Vehas to Houston. So he had to fly to Dallas and then be driven to Houston by Rangers officials Matt Vinnola, Paul Kruger and Hadi Raad. The excitement was too much for him.

The Rangers have placed catcher A.J. Pierzynski on the disabled list because of a strained oblique muscle. Pierzynski has a grade one strain, which is considered the mildest on a scale of 1-3. But the Rangers still think he needs to sit for two weeks and get rid of the problem. The Rangers have called up catcher Robinson Chirinos from Triple A. Pierzynski is eligible to come off May 21.

Catcher A.J. Pierzynski is not in the Rangers lineup on Wednesday. He remains sidelined with a strained oblique muscle in his right ribcage. This is the fifth time in the last nine games that Pierzynski has not been in the lineup. Geovany Soto is starting.

Pierzynski said he does not need to go on the disabled list. The Rangers are off on Thursday so that will give him three days of rest before the Rangers open a three-game series with the Astros.

This is only a two-game series in Milwaukee. The Brewers are off on Thursday. That will give the Milwaukee road construction crews to continue their work on EVERY inch of road in this city. Never seen so much road construction. The only thing comparable is Northeast Tarrant County, which was in a league of its own. But Milwaukee is much bigger in scope.