"Instead of the boxscore, let's go today to the dictionary.

"Ace in the hole -- a device or resource that an opponent is unaware of that can be used to your advantage when the opportunity is right."

A crowd of 10,464 gathered to watch the reigning American League champions play Saturday afternoon.

A few hundred feet away, meanwhile, the Texas Rangers' ace in the hole had pitched Friday in front of a crowd numbering in the dozens.

Brandon Webb feels fine. His right shoulder, he says, is fine. His arm strength and his old instincts are coming back.

His sinker is sinking. His fastball, never one to turn heads, gets better with each throwing session.

But the time isn't quite right, and Webb himself seems to realize that. When a pitcher who was at the top of his profession goes more than two years without throwing a healthy, meaningful pitch, he knows the value of patience.

In 2008, pitching for the Arizona Diamondbacks, Webb went 22-7 and won the National League's Cy Young Award. When shoulder problems emerged the next season, Webb tried a conservative approach -- rest -- before eventually electing to have surgery.

That was almost 20 months ago. For a one-year deal worth $3 million, the Rangers were willing to roll the dice.

Pitching coach Mike Maddux, it seems, can spot a sagging elbow or a slowing slider from any dugout. His wizardry during the two-plus years he's been with the Rangers speaks for itself.

But Maddux admits that Webb represents uncharted territory. How do you get a Cy Young winner back to the pitching mound who has thrown only four innings in two years?

The one thing you don't do, Maddux said, is rush him."