Poreda rejoins Rangers bullpen from Triple-A

OAKLAND -- Left-handed pitcher Aaron Poreda finds himself in that peculiar position that many young pitchers have to endure. He has options so the Rangers can move him up and down from Triple-A at will.

Poreda, who is from the Bay Area and went to the University of San Francisco, was called upon Tuesday for the third time this season. He will replace Robbie Ross Jr. and be the second left-hander in the bullpen. Poreda is 2-0 with a 3.29 ERA in 16 games over his two previous times in the big leagues.

"He has handled it like a pro," manager Ron Washington said. "He hasn't let going up and down affect the way he is throwing. That's what you want to see. That's why he is here."

The Rangers are hoping Poreda and right-hander Ben Rowen can step up and take some of the workload off left-hander Neal Cotts and right-hander Jason Frasor. Cotts leads the Rangers with 32 relief appearances while Frasor and Shawn Tolleson have 28 each.

"We'd like to give them as many breaks as we possibly can, but when we have a chance to win the game, we've got to use them," Washington said.

Rowen is a right-handed submarine pitcher with a fastball that averages 77.6 mph and an even slower slider to go with it. He has pitched in two games since being called up last week when Tanner Scheppers went on the disabled list and has retired six of eight hitters faced. Two batters have reached base on singles.

"He throws strikes and has that funky delivery," Washintgon said. "He certainly doesn't power the ball, so he has to be deceptive. His deception is the key."