Tommy Hanson struggles with control in debut

Rangers pitcher Tommy Hanson will be fighting for a roster spot during the spring, and he got off to a solid start in his debut Thursday against the Royals.

Hanson was the first pitcher to come out in relief of Yu Darvish, and he allowed just an unearned run in one-plus innings of work. Unfortunately, he struggled a bit with his control, throwing just 18 of 35 pitches for strikes. He struck out one batter and walked one while finishing 1 1/3 innings.

Hanson looked like an ace a few years ago, but he was unable to hold onto a major-league job with the Angels a year ago. He is pitching on a split contract after posting a 5.42 ERA in 73 innings in 2013.