Q: What actually happens when a pitcher is said to pitch a simulated game?
— Chuck Hartkaub, Portland, Ore.

A: A pitcher — usually one who is coming back from an injury — will throw as he would in a real game, facing a group of hitters from his own team. There won’t be any fielders on the diamond, so any ball hit is judged to be a hit or an out. The pitcher will throw a half-inning, then rest for about five-10 minutes (as if his team was batting), then go back out and pitch another half-inning, and so on until he reaches whatever inning or pitch limit has been set for him. The simulated game is a step in the process to getting back on the mound for real, usually coming before a minor-league outing or two on a rehabilitation assignment.

Q: Why is it that the Texas Rangers find it difficult to get good pitchers?
— Billy Moon, Brunswick, Maine

A: You’re from Maine, so I assume you’re a Red Sox fan, and certainly must know that Fenway Park is a great place for hitters. It’s much the same case in Arlington, where Ameriquest Field is one of the best hitters’ parks in the game, right there with Coors Field in Denver, Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia and Great American Ballpark in Cincinnati. The ball carries out to right-center, the grass is cut low and the infield is baked hard by all the sun and summer heat, so all conditions favor offense. Pitchers obviously know that, too, so they are hesitant to sign there as free agents, unless overpaid to do so, as was Chan Ho Park. The rest is on the Rangers organization to develop more quality pitchers, as they have done in the past with Kevin Brown, Kenny Rogers, Bobby Witt and others. Chris Young has a chance, and the top starting pitching prospects are Thomas Diamond, John Danks and Edison Volquez.

Q: I saw that the White Sox played an extra-inning game under protest the other day. What is the point of playing a game under protest?
— Alan, Springfield, Mass.

A: The only reason for a team to protest a game is because it believes that the umpires have made an incorrect interpretation of the rules, didn’t apply a rule correctly or allowed something against the rules. You can’t file a protest over an umpire’s judgment call, such as safe/out, ball/strike or fair/foul.

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