ARLINGTON – Texas Rangers starter Luis Mendoza left little doubt in his final tuneup Monday that he's ready to make his season debut Saturday against Toronto.

With an 80-pitch limit, Mendoza, 24, pitched 7 1/3 innings for Triple-A Oklahoma in a 6-1 win over Nashville. He allowed one run in the first inning and induced 14 ground-ball outs with only four flyouts.

Mendoza faced six left-handed hitters and said he came inside with his sinker and worked away with his changeup and breaking balls.

"I had good command and my secondary pitches are getting better," said Mendoza, whose sinker is by far his best pitch. "I'm excited. I can't wait for Saturday."

Mendoza pitched 16 innings for the Rangers last season, and left-handers batted .281 against him (9-for-32). The blister that put him on the disabled list to start the season hasn't given him any trouble. He was in Arlington on Tuesday and was introduced with the team (wearing No. 46).

Hicks gripes: Rangers owner Tom Hicks said he isn't happy that his club has opened the season on the road in seven of the last eight years. The only American League club to open more on the road in that span is Boston, the northernmost baseball club without a dome.

"I've complained to the commissioner," Hicks said. "He said he would look into it. He didn't know why, either. Nobody really knows how the process works."

Hicks asked for patience from fans during the construction around the ballpark, which has caused numerous road and parking lot closures.

"We're going to do everything we can to make it as easy as possible on them," Hicks said. "It can't help [attendance] when you make things less convenient, but this is an awfully convenient park to get in and out of compared to others."

Late switch: Manager Ron Washington didn't want Milton Bradley dealing with the possibility of a wet field Tuesday, so he switched the lineup about 30 minutes before the first pitch. He moved Bradley from right field to designated hitter, put David Murphy in left and Marlon Byrd in right.

Briefly: Washington said Jason Botts will probably play Thursday against Orioles LHP Adam Loewen. ... Rangers public-address announcer Chuck Morgan (VP of in-park entertainment) will work his 2,000th game tonight. Of his 1,999 career games, 81 came with the Royals in 2002; the rest are with the Rangers.