GLENDALE, Ariz. -- David Bush became the first Rangers pitcher to go five innings in a game this spring. Bush was pitching in a "B" game against the Royals on Wednesday morning and allowed three runs, one earned, on six hits and a walk while striking out three.

Bushed pitched in relief during the nine-inning game. He took over in the fifth after Darren Oliver pitched two innings and Arthur Rhodes and Mason Tobin each pitched one.

That could be the way Bush is used during the regular season. He could win a spot in the bullpen as a long reliever.

Holland, Ogando jostling for position

GLENDALE, Ariz. -- This is becoming the baseball equivalent of a NASCAR race: cars stacked up on top of each other, bumping and jostling for position and muscling their way to the finish line.

Each game is like a lap of the Talladega 500 with the potential for somebody to hit a wall and somebody else to zoom into the lead. So goes the competition for a spot in the Rangers starting rotation.

On Tuesday afternoon, it was car No. 45, driven by Derek Holland, who got bumped around and may have lost some ground. On the other hand, car No. 41, driven by Alexi Ogando, appeared to be coming up hard from the outside before he seemed to have some engine trouble in his fourth inning of work Tuesday.

The race is far from over for anybody, but Holland admitted Tuesday was a rough one for him.

"A little inconsistent is the best way to describe it," Holland said after 7-6 loss to the Dodgers. "I didn't have good rhythm. I was rushing it a little bit."

Holland still managed to get four innings in, although he allowed four runs on seven hits and two walks. He struck out three. He allowed one run in the first when he issued a bases-loaded walk. But he did strike out James Loney and Rod Barajas to end the inning.

"The first inning was the worst part of it," Holland said. "My body was going forward but my arm wasn't. I had bad tempo and I couldn't get any rhythm. I felt my arm was playing catch-up with my body.

Ogando took over in the fifth and pitched three scoreless innings. The Rangers took a 6-4 lead into the bottom of the eighth, but the Dodgers scored three runs as Ogando appeared to get tired in the desert heat.

"He may have," Washington said. "It was hot out there. But, previous to that, he was pounding the strike zone and using his pitches. They just got him."

Washington was not down on either pitcher. As far as Holland, Washington said he did a good job of battling his way out of situations and minimizing damage. Washington is not getting caught up into the day-to-day battle of this NASCAR race. He knows that the Rangers will sit down and figure it out in the end.

"You're just trying to let them pitch," Washington said.

Briefly

Left-handed pitcher Miguel De Los Santos has been optioned to Double-A Frisco. ... Right-hander Yoshinori Tateyama has been optioned to Triple-A Round Rock.