Lindblom fans side in intrasquad game

SURPRISE, Ariz. -- Right-hander Josh Lindblom made his first appearance in game conditions for the Rangers and made quite an impression during Wednesday's intrasquad game. He struck out Craig Gentry, Geovany Soto and Mike Olt in his one inning of work. Gentry whiffed on a slider and the other two were dismissed on fastballs.

"The first group of live batting practices, they were kind of under what I expect of myself," Lindblom said. "My fastball consistency wasn't what I wanted and I wasn't able to throw my breaking ball for strikes. I worked on some things yesterday. Today, the biggest thing was my fastball command. It was down on both sides of the zone. If you do it, you're going to have success."

Lindblom was one of two pitchers acquired by the Rangers from the Phillies in a trade for Michael Young in the offseason. The Rangers are counting on him to be one of their primary right-handed setup relievers, but Lindblom is still eager to make a good impression on the Rangers.

"Any camp you come into, whether you're guaranteed a spot or not ... you look around this clubhouse, there's a lot of ability, so you have to come in and compete for a job because there are no guarantees," Lindblom said. "You look at last year, I thought I'd be in LA for a long time, then I got traded to Philly and now here. There are no guarantees. You have to come in and compete for your spot."

Lindblom was the pitching star for Jackie Moore's veteran-laden team that beat Bobby Jones' squad, 10-4, in the intrasquad game.